Dendrite vs mautrix-discord
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?
Dendrite
Second-generation Matrix homeserver written in Go
VS
mautrix-discord
Matrix-Discord puppeting bridge
| Feature | Dendrite | mautrix-discord |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,632 | ★ 485 |
| First released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Discord official client |
Why pick each one
Choose mautrix-discord if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Dendrite or mautrix-discord better?
Neither is universally better. Dendrite has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dendrite and mautrix-discord free and open-source?
Yes. Dendrite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and mautrix-discord under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dendrite and mautrix-discord with Docker?
Dendrite: yes. mautrix-discord: yes.