Jami vs Wesh Network
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Jami | Wesh Network |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 62 · Good | 56 · Fair |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 44 | ★ 251 |
| First released | 2016 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp | Signal, WhatsApp |
What are Jami and Wesh Network?
Jami
Jami is a free and universal communication platform that preserves privacy through a fully distributed, peer-to-peer architecture with no central servers. It supports messaging, voice, and video calls.
- No central server, fully P2P
- End-to-end encrypted calls and chat
- Cross-platform clients
- Can run a private rendezvous server
Wesh Network
Wesh Network is the peer-to-peer protocol toolkit powering Berty, providing end-to-end encrypted, asynchronous messaging that works without central servers or phone numbers. It can be self-hosted as relay infrastructure.
- Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol
- Works without central servers
- No phone number required
Jami vs Wesh Network: key differences
Jami is written in C++, while Wesh Network is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Jami versus Apache-2.0 for Wesh Network. Jami is the more established project (first released 2016), while Wesh Network arrived in 2022. Wesh Network has the considerably larger community, at 251 GitHub stars versus 44.
Why pick each one
Choose Jami if…
- No infrastructure required
- Strong privacy model
Watch out for
- P2P can be unreliable behind NAT
- No always-online message storage
Choose Wesh Network if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Jami or Wesh Network better?
Neither is universally better. Wesh Network has the larger community, while Jami is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Jami and Wesh Network free and open-source?
Yes. Jami is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Wesh Network under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Jami and Wesh Network with Docker?
Jami: check the project docs for container support. Wesh Network: check the project docs for container support.