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.
| Feature | Dendrite | SchildiChat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Archived | Archived |
| 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 | ★ 5,625 | ★ 464 |
| First released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, WhatsApp |
What are Dendrite and SchildiChat?
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
SchildiChat
SchildiChat is a fork of Element that adds a unified message bubble layout and other usability improvements. The web version can be self-hosted to connect to any Matrix homeserver.
- Message bubble layout
- Element compatibility
- End-to-end encryption
- Unified chat list
Dendrite vs SchildiChat: key differences
Note that both projects' repositories are archived — neither is actively developed. Dendrite is written in Go, while SchildiChat is built with Shell. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Dendrite versus AGPL-3.0 for SchildiChat. SchildiChat is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Dendrite. Dendrite is the more established project (first released 2017), while SchildiChat arrived in 2020. Dendrite has the considerably larger community, at 5,625 GitHub stars versus 464.
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 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
Watch out for
- Tracks Element upstream
- Matrix-only
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.
Which is lighter on resources, Dendrite or SchildiChat?
SchildiChat has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Dendrite. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.