Convos IRC vs Openfire
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
Openfire
Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
| Feature | Convos IRC | Openfire |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Artistic-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,188 | ★ 3,052 |
| First released | 2012 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Slack, IRCCloud | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Convos IRC or Openfire better?
Neither is universally better. Openfire 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 Openfire free and open-source?
Yes. Convos IRC is licensed under Artistic-2.0 and Openfire under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Convos IRC and Openfire with Docker?
Convos IRC: yes. Openfire: yes.