Tinode vs Dendrite
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Tinode | Dendrite |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,516 | ★ 5,625 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are Tinode and Dendrite?
Tinode
Tinode is an open-source instant messaging server with a backend and clients designed as an alternative to closed messengers. It targets developers building chat into products. It is deployed via Docker or binaries.
- Lightweight messaging server
- Web, mobile and CLI clients
- Group and peer-to-peer chats
- Pluggable storage backends
Dendrite
Dendrite is a lightweight, efficient Matrix homeserver written in Go by the Matrix.org team. It is designed to be a more resource-efficient alternative to Synapse while remaining fully compatible with the Matrix protocol.
- Lower memory footprint than Synapse
- Federated Matrix protocol
- End-to-end encryption support
- Polylith and monolith deployment modes
Tinode vs Dendrite: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Dendrite's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Tinode is actively maintained. Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Tinode versus Apache-2.0 for Dendrite. Tinode is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Dendrite. Tinode has the considerably larger community, at 13,516 GitHub stars versus 5,625.
Why pick each one
Choose Tinode if…
- Good developer foundation
- Multiple clients
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- More toolkit than product
- Smaller community
Choose Dendrite if…
- Much lighter than Synapse
- Active development by Matrix.org
Watch out for
- Some Synapse features still missing
- Less battle-tested at large scale
Frequently asked questions
Is Tinode or Dendrite 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 Tinode and Dendrite free and open-source?
Yes. Tinode is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Dendrite under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tinode and Dendrite with Docker?
Tinode: yes. Dendrite: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Tinode or Dendrite?
Tinode has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Dendrite. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.