Dendrite vs Syphon
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dendrite | Syphon |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 14 · At risk |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Dart |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,625 | ★ 1,059 |
| First released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | WhatsApp, Discord |
What are Dendrite and Syphon?
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
Syphon
Syphon is a Matrix messaging client that emphasizes privacy and a calm, distraction-free interface, built with Flutter for desktop and mobile. It supports end-to-end encryption out of the box.
- Privacy-first Matrix client
- End-to-end encryption
- Distraction-free design
- Desktop and mobile
Dendrite vs Syphon: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Dendrite's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Syphon is actively maintained. Dendrite is written in Go, while Syphon is built with Dart. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Dendrite versus AGPL-3.0 for Syphon. Syphon is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Dendrite. Dendrite is the more established project (first released 2017), while Syphon arrived in 2020. Dendrite has the considerably larger community, at 5,625 GitHub stars versus 1,059. Dendrite lists first-class Docker deployment; Syphon 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 Syphon if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Dart
Frequently asked questions
Is Dendrite or Syphon better?
Neither is universally better. Dendrite has the larger community, while Syphon is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dendrite and Syphon free and open-source?
Yes. Dendrite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Syphon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dendrite and Syphon with Docker?
Dendrite: yes. Syphon: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Dendrite or Syphon?
Syphon has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Dendrite. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.