KiwiIRC vs Nextcloud Talk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Nextcloud Talk
Chat, video calls and webinars integrated into Nextcloud
| Feature | KiwiIRC | Nextcloud Talk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vue | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 989 | ★ 2,201 |
| First released | 2011 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams |
What are KiwiIRC and Nextcloud Talk?
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
Nextcloud Talk
Nextcloud Talk is the communication app for the Nextcloud platform, providing private chat, audio and video calls, and screen sharing. It runs entirely on your own Nextcloud instance.
- Integrated with Nextcloud files
- WebRTC audio and video calls
- Screen sharing and webinars
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
KiwiIRC vs Nextcloud Talk: key differences
KiwiIRC is written in Vue, while Nextcloud Talk is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for KiwiIRC versus AGPL-3.0 for Nextcloud Talk. KiwiIRC is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Nextcloud Talk. KiwiIRC is the more established project (first released 2011), while Nextcloud Talk arrived in 2018. Nextcloud Talk has the considerably larger community, at 2,201 GitHub stars versus 989.
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 Nextcloud Talk if…
- Tight Nextcloud integration
- End-to-end encrypted calls
Watch out for
- Requires a Nextcloud installation
- High-load calls need a TURN/HPB server
Frequently asked questions
Is KiwiIRC or Nextcloud Talk better?
Neither is universally better. Nextcloud Talk has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are KiwiIRC and Nextcloud Talk free and open-source?
Yes. KiwiIRC is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Nextcloud Talk under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KiwiIRC and Nextcloud Talk with Docker?
KiwiIRC: yes. Nextcloud Talk: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, KiwiIRC or Nextcloud Talk?
KiwiIRC has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Nextcloud Talk. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.