Ketesa vs Tinode
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
| Feature | Ketesa | Tinode |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 457 | ★ 13,452 |
| First released | 2023 | 2016 |
| Replaces | — | WhatsApp, Slack |
Why pick each one
Choose Ketesa if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Ketesa or Tinode better?
Neither is universally better. Tinode has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Ketesa and Tinode free and open-source?
Yes. Ketesa is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tinode under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ketesa and Tinode with Docker?
Ketesa: check the project docs for container support. Tinode: yes.