Convos IRC vs Synapse
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Convos IRC
Always-online web IRC client you can self-host
VS
Synapse
Reference homeserver for the Matrix network
| Feature | Convos IRC | Synapse |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Artistic-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,188 | ★ 4,503 |
| First released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Slack, IRCCloud | Slack, Discord, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Convos IRC or Synapse better?
Neither is universally better. Synapse has the larger community, while Convos IRC is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Convos IRC and Synapse free and open-source?
Yes. Convos IRC is licensed under Artistic-2.0 and Synapse under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Convos IRC and Synapse with Docker?
Convos IRC: yes. Synapse: yes.