YunoHost Mail Relay 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?
YunoHost Mail Relay
Continuously relays a remote IMAP inbox into a YunoHost mailbox
VS
The Lounge
Modern, self-hosted web IRC client
| Feature | YunoHost Mail Relay | The Lounge |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 30 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1 | ★ 6,309 |
| First released | 2026 | 2014 |
| Replaces | — | IRCCloud, Slack |
Why pick each one
Choose YunoHost Mail Relay if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-or-later license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 30 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is YunoHost Mail Relay or The Lounge better?
The Lounge is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider YunoHost Mail Relay if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are YunoHost Mail Relay and The Lounge free and open-source?
Yes. YunoHost Mail Relay is licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later and The Lounge under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run YunoHost Mail Relay and The Lounge with Docker?
YunoHost Mail Relay: check the project docs for container support. The Lounge: yes.