KiwiIRC vs WeeChat
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | KiwiIRC | WeeChat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 57 · Fair | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vue | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 989 | ★ 3,393 |
| First released | 2011 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack |
What are KiwiIRC and WeeChat?
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
WeeChat
WeeChat is a fast, lightweight chat client that runs in the terminal and supports IRC and many other protocols through plugins. Its relay protocol allows remote clients to connect to a persistent session.
- Terminal interface
- Scriptable in many languages
- Relay protocol for remote clients
- Highly extensible
KiwiIRC vs WeeChat: key differences
KiwiIRC is written in Vue, while WeeChat is built with C. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for KiwiIRC versus GPL-3.0 for WeeChat. WeeChat is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for KiwiIRC. WeeChat is the more established project (first released 2003), while KiwiIRC arrived in 2011. WeeChat has the considerably larger community, at 3,393 GitHub stars versus 989. KiwiIRC lists first-class Docker deployment; WeeChat 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 WeeChat if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (3.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is KiwiIRC or WeeChat better?
Neither is universally better. WeeChat has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are KiwiIRC and WeeChat free and open-source?
Yes. KiwiIRC is licensed under Apache-2.0 and WeeChat under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KiwiIRC and WeeChat with Docker?
KiwiIRC: yes. WeeChat: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, KiwiIRC or WeeChat?
WeeChat has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for KiwiIRC. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.