ircu2 vs Nextcloud Talk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Nextcloud Talk
Chat, video calls and webinars integrated into Nextcloud
| Feature | ircu2 | Nextcloud Talk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 51 · Fair | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 64 | ★ 2,201 |
| First released | 1996 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams |
What are ircu2 and Nextcloud Talk?
ircu2
ircu2 (ircd-undernet) is the IRC server daemon developed for and used by the Undernet IRC network. It can be self-hosted to run an IRC network and supports a feature-rich channel and server model.
- IRC server used by Undernet
- Feature-rich channel model
- Lightweight C daemon
Nextcloud Talk
Nextcloud Talk is the communication app for the Nextcloud platform, providing private chat, audio and video calls, and screen sharing. It runs entirely on your own Nextcloud instance.
- Integrated with Nextcloud files
- WebRTC audio and video calls
- Screen sharing and webinars
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
ircu2 vs Nextcloud Talk: key differences
Ircu2 is written in C, while Nextcloud Talk is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for ircu2 versus AGPL-3.0 for Nextcloud Talk. Ircu2 is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Nextcloud Talk. Ircu2 is the more established project (first released 1996), while Nextcloud Talk arrived in 2018. Nextcloud Talk has the considerably larger community, at 2,201 GitHub stars versus 64. Nextcloud Talk lists first-class Docker deployment; ircu2 does not.
Why pick each one
Choose ircu2 if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Nextcloud Talk if…
- Tight Nextcloud integration
- End-to-end encrypted calls
Watch out for
- Requires a Nextcloud installation
- High-load calls need a TURN/HPB server
Frequently asked questions
Is ircu2 or Nextcloud Talk better?
Neither is universally better. Nextcloud Talk has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ircu2 and Nextcloud Talk free and open-source?
Yes. ircu2 is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Nextcloud Talk under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ircu2 and Nextcloud Talk with Docker?
ircu2: check the project docs for container support. Nextcloud Talk: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, ircu2 or Nextcloud Talk?
ircu2 has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Nextcloud Talk. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.