Jitsi Meet vs Jitsi Videobridge
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted video conferencing options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Jitsi Meet
Secure, fully featured video conferencing
VS
Jitsi Videobridge
Scalable WebRTC-compatible video routing engine
| Feature | Jitsi Meet | Jitsi Videobridge |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Video Conferencing | Video Conferencing |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Kotlin |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 29,977 | ★ 3,105 |
| First released | 2013 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Zoom, Google Meet | Zoom, Twilio |
What are Jitsi Meet and Jitsi Videobridge?
Jitsi Meet
Jitsi Meet is an open-source video conferencing solution that runs in the browser with no account required. It targets users and teams wanting self-hosted video calls. It is deployed via Docker.
- Browser-based video calls
- No account needed
- Screen sharing and recording
- Scalable with extra components
Jitsi Videobridge
Jitsi Videobridge is the selective forwarding unit that routes video streams for Jitsi-based conferences. It can be deployed independently to power scalable WebRTC video applications.
- Selective forwarding unit for video
- Scales to many participants
- WebRTC compatible
- Powers Jitsi Meet
Jitsi Meet vs Jitsi Videobridge: key differences
Jitsi Meet is written in TypeScript, while Jitsi Videobridge is built with Kotlin. Jitsi Videobridge is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Jitsi Meet. Jitsi Meet has the considerably larger community, at 29,977 GitHub stars versus 3,105.
Why pick each one
Choose Jitsi Meet if…
- No account required
- Good call quality
- Open source
Watch out for
- Scaling needs tuning
- Many moving components
Choose Jitsi Videobridge if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Kotlin
Watch out for
- Component of a larger stack
- Complex to tune
Frequently asked questions
Is Jitsi Meet or Jitsi Videobridge better?
Neither is universally better. Jitsi Meet has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Jitsi Meet and Jitsi Videobridge free and open-source?
Yes. Jitsi Meet is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Jitsi Videobridge under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Jitsi Meet and Jitsi Videobridge with Docker?
Jitsi Meet: yes. Jitsi Videobridge: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Jitsi Meet or Jitsi Videobridge?
Jitsi Videobridge has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Jitsi Meet. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.