Dendrite vs Nheko
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
Nheko
Desktop Matrix client with native Qt interface
| Feature | Dendrite | Nheko |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,632 | ★ 2,472 |
| First released | 2017 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Nheko if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Dendrite or Nheko better?
Neither is universally better. Dendrite has the larger community, while Nheko is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dendrite and Nheko free and open-source?
Yes. Dendrite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Nheko under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dendrite and Nheko with Docker?
Dendrite: yes. Nheko: check the project docs for container support.