Dendrite vs Mjolnir
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
Mjolnir
Moderation bot for Matrix communities
| Feature | Dendrite | Mjolnir |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,632 | ★ 442 |
| First released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Discord moderation bots |
Why pick each one
Choose Mjolnir if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Dendrite or Mjolnir 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 Mjolnir free and open-source?
Yes. Dendrite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Mjolnir under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dendrite and Mjolnir with Docker?
Dendrite: yes. Mjolnir: yes.