Dendrite vs SchildiChat
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
SchildiChat
Element-based Matrix client with extra usability tweaks
| Feature | Dendrite | SchildiChat |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,632 | ★ 465 |
| First released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Choose SchildiChat if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Shell
Frequently asked questions
Is Dendrite or SchildiChat better?
Neither is universally better. Dendrite has the larger community, while SchildiChat is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dendrite and SchildiChat free and open-source?
Yes. Dendrite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SchildiChat under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dendrite and SchildiChat with Docker?
Dendrite: yes. SchildiChat: yes.