Dendrite vs Openfire Pade Plugin

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?
FeatureDendriteOpenfire Pade Plugin
CategoryMatrix & XMPPMatrix & XMPP
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageGoJavaScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcesource
GitHub stars★ 5,632★ 60
First released20172017
ReplacesSlack, DiscordZoom, Slack

Why pick each one

Choose Dendrite if…

  • Much lighter than Synapse
  • Active development by Matrix.org
Dendrite details

Choose Openfire Pade Plugin if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Written in JavaScript
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Openfire Pade Plugin details

Frequently asked questions

Is Dendrite or Openfire Pade Plugin 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 Openfire Pade Plugin free and open-source?

Yes. Dendrite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Openfire Pade Plugin under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Dendrite and Openfire Pade Plugin with Docker?

Dendrite: yes. Openfire Pade Plugin: check the project docs for container support.

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