Matterbridge vs Nheko
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Matterbridge
Bridge messages between many chat platforms
VS
Nheko
Desktop Matrix client with native Qt interface
| Feature | Matterbridge | Nheko |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Team Chat | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,547 | ★ 2,472 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Slack | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Nheko if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Matterbridge or Nheko better?
Neither is universally better. Matterbridge has the larger community, while Nheko is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Matterbridge and Nheko free and open-source?
Yes. Matterbridge is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Nheko under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Matterbridge and Nheko with Docker?
Matterbridge: yes. Nheko: check the project docs for container support.