Linphone vs Tox
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Linphone | Tox |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 74 · Good | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 506 | ★ 2,685 |
| First released | 2001 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Skype, Zoom | Skype, Discord |
What are Linphone and Tox?
Linphone
Linphone is a free SIP-based softphone for voice and video calls and instant messaging. Combined with a SIP server it forms a fully self-hosted communication stack across desktop and mobile.
- SIP voice and video
- End-to-end encryption with ZRTP
- Cross-platform clients
- Instant messaging support
Tox
Tox is a free, peer-to-peer instant messaging protocol with end-to-end encryption and no central servers. The c-toxcore library is the reference implementation that powers a range of Tox clients.
- Fully peer-to-peer
- End-to-end encryption
- No central servers
- Voice and video calls
Linphone vs Tox: key differences
Linphone is written in C++, while Tox is built with C. Tox is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Linphone. Linphone is the more established project (first released 2001), while Tox arrived in 2013. Tox has the considerably larger community, at 2,685 GitHub stars versus 506.
Why pick each one
Choose Linphone if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Tox if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Linphone or Tox better?
Neither is universally better. Tox has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Linphone and Tox free and open-source?
Yes. Linphone is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Tox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Linphone and Tox with Docker?
Linphone: check the project docs for container support. Tox: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Linphone or Tox?
Tox has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Linphone. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.