KiwiIRC vs Hookshot
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | KiwiIRC | Hookshot |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 79 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Vue | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 989 | ★ 453 |
| First released | 2011 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are KiwiIRC and Hookshot?
KiwiIRC
KiwiIRC is a fully featured IRC client that runs in the browser and can be embedded into any website. It includes a webircgateway component for self-hosting your own embeddable IRC chat.
- Embeddable web IRC widget
- Themeable interface
- Plugin system
- Works without browser plugins
Hookshot
Hookshot is a Matrix integration bridge that connects rooms to GitHub, GitLab, Jira, RSS feeds, and generic webhooks. It lets teams receive and act on notifications inside Matrix.
- GitHub, GitLab and Jira integration
- Generic inbound and outbound webhooks
- RSS and Atom feed support
- Interactive notification actions
KiwiIRC vs Hookshot: key differences
KiwiIRC is written in Vue, while Hookshot is built with TypeScript. KiwiIRC is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Hookshot. KiwiIRC is the more established project (first released 2011), while Hookshot arrived in 2021. KiwiIRC has the considerably larger community, at 989 GitHub stars versus 453.
Why pick each one
Choose KiwiIRC if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Vue
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Watch out for
- IRC-only
- Needs gateway for direct connections
Choose Hookshot if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Requires a Matrix homeserver
- Configuration is YAML-heavy
Frequently asked questions
Is KiwiIRC or Hookshot better?
Neither is universally better. KiwiIRC has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are KiwiIRC and Hookshot free and open-source?
Yes. KiwiIRC is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Hookshot under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KiwiIRC and Hookshot with Docker?
KiwiIRC: yes. Hookshot: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, KiwiIRC or Hookshot?
KiwiIRC has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Hookshot. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.