Dendrite vs Prose
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dendrite | Prose |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 64 · Good |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,625 | ★ 59 |
| First released | 2017 | 2025 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Discord, Facebook Messenger, Signal |
What are Dendrite and Prose?
Dendrite
Dendrite is a lightweight, efficient Matrix homeserver written in Go by the Matrix.org team. It is designed to be a more resource-efficient alternative to Synapse while remaining fully compatible with the Matrix protocol.
- Lower memory footprint than Synapse
- Federated Matrix protocol
- End-to-end encryption support
- Polylith and monolith deployment modes
Prose
Prose Web application. XMPP client for team messaging.
Dendrite vs Prose: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Dendrite's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Prose is actively maintained. Dendrite is written in Go, while Prose is built with Vue. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Dendrite versus MPL-2.0 for Prose. Prose is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Dendrite. Dendrite is the more established project (first released 2017), while Prose arrived in 2025. Dendrite has the considerably larger community, at 5,625 GitHub stars versus 59. Dendrite lists first-class Docker deployment; Prose does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Dendrite if…
- Much lighter than Synapse
- Active development by Matrix.org
Watch out for
- Some Synapse features still missing
- Less battle-tested at large scale
Choose Prose if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Vue
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Dendrite or Prose better?
Neither is universally better. Dendrite has the larger community, while Prose is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dendrite and Prose free and open-source?
Yes. Dendrite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Prose under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dendrite and Prose with Docker?
Dendrite: yes. Prose: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Dendrite or Prose?
Prose has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Dendrite. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.