mautrix-whatsapp vs ZNC
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?
| Feature | mautrix-whatsapp | ZNC |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,855 | ★ 2,123 |
| First released | 2019 | 2004 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp official client | IRCCloud |
Why pick each one
Choose mautrix-whatsapp if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is mautrix-whatsapp or ZNC better?
Neither is universally better. ZNC has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are mautrix-whatsapp and ZNC free and open-source?
Yes. mautrix-whatsapp is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ZNC under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run mautrix-whatsapp and ZNC with Docker?
mautrix-whatsapp: yes. ZNC: yes.