Baïkal vs khal
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Baïkal
Lightweight CalDAV and CardDAV server with web admin
VS
khal
Command-line calendar built on CalDAV
| Feature | Baïkal | khal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Groupware | Calendar & Contacts |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,258 | ★ 3,039 |
| First released | 2012 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Google Calendar, iCloud | Google Calendar |
Why pick each one
Choose khal if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Baïkal or khal better?
Baïkal is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider khal if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Baïkal and khal free and open-source?
Yes. Baïkal is licensed under GPL-3.0 and khal under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Baïkal and khal with Docker?
Baïkal: yes. khal: check the project docs for container support.