Live Helper Chat vs The Lounge
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Live Helper Chat
Live Support chat for your website
VS
The Lounge
Modern, self-hosted web IRC client
| Feature | Live Helper Chat | The Lounge |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,236 | ★ 6,309 |
| First released | 2026 | 2014 |
| Replaces | — | IRCCloud, Slack |
Why pick each one
Choose Live Helper Chat if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Live Helper Chat or The Lounge better?
The Lounge is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Live Helper Chat if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Live Helper Chat and The Lounge free and open-source?
Yes. Live Helper Chat is licensed under Apache-2.0 and The Lounge under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Live Helper Chat and The Lounge with Docker?
Live Helper Chat: check the project docs for container support. The Lounge: yes.