Mumble vs RetroShare
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Mumble
Low-latency, high-quality voice chat application
VS
RetroShare
Secured and decentralized communication system
| Feature | Mumble | RetroShare |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,175 | ★ 2,006 |
| First released | 2005 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Discord, TeamSpeak, Ventrilo | — |
Why pick each one
Choose RetroShare if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Mumble or RetroShare better?
Mumble is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider RetroShare if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Mumble and RetroShare free and open-source?
Yes. Mumble is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and RetroShare under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mumble and RetroShare with Docker?
Mumble: yes. RetroShare: check the project docs for container support.