Mattermost vs Spark IM
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted team chat options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Mattermost
Secure collaboration for developer teams
VS
Spark IM
Cross-platform XMPP instant messaging client
| Feature | Mattermost | Spark IM |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Team Chat | Team Chat |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, kubernetes | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 38,708 | ★ 601 |
| First released | 2016 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Slack, Microsoft Teams | Slack, Skype |
Why pick each one
Choose Mattermost if…
- Great for technical teams
- Strong security posture
- Good integrations
Choose Spark IM if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Java
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Mattermost or Spark IM better?
Neither is universally better. Mattermost has the larger community, while Spark IM is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mattermost and Spark IM free and open-source?
Yes. Mattermost is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Spark IM under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mattermost and Spark IM with Docker?
Mattermost: yes. Spark IM: check the project docs for container support.