KiwiIRC vs Miaou
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | KiwiIRC | Miaou |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 65 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Vue | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 989 | ★ 553 |
| First released | 2011 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Discord, Slack |
What are KiwiIRC and Miaou?
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
Miaou
Miaou is a real-time chat server geared toward developer communities, with markdown formatting, syntax-highlighted code blocks, polls, and per-room moderation. It is the software behind the public Miaou chat used by Rust developers.
- Markdown and code-block friendly chat
- Multi-room with moderation
- OAuth login support
- Popular with developer communities
KiwiIRC vs Miaou: key differences
KiwiIRC is written in Vue, while Miaou is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for KiwiIRC versus MIT for Miaou. KiwiIRC is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Miaou. KiwiIRC is the more established project (first released 2011), while Miaou arrived in 2014. KiwiIRC lists first-class Docker deployment; Miaou does not.
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 Miaou if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is KiwiIRC or Miaou 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 Miaou free and open-source?
Yes. KiwiIRC is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Miaou under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KiwiIRC and Miaou with Docker?
KiwiIRC: yes. Miaou: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, KiwiIRC or Miaou?
KiwiIRC has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Miaou. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.