Miaou vs Nextcloud Talk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Nextcloud Talk
Chat, video calls and webinars integrated into Nextcloud
| Feature | Miaou | Nextcloud Talk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 65 · Good | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 553 | ★ 2,201 |
| First released | 2014 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Discord, Slack | Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams |
What are Miaou and Nextcloud Talk?
Miaou
Miaou is a real-time chat server geared toward developer communities, with markdown formatting, syntax-highlighted code blocks, polls, and per-room moderation. It is the software behind the public Miaou chat used by Rust developers.
- Markdown and code-block friendly chat
- Multi-room with moderation
- OAuth login support
- Popular with developer communities
Nextcloud Talk
Nextcloud Talk is the communication app for the Nextcloud platform, providing private chat, audio and video calls, and screen sharing. It runs entirely on your own Nextcloud instance.
- Integrated with Nextcloud files
- WebRTC audio and video calls
- Screen sharing and webinars
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
Miaou vs Nextcloud Talk: key differences
Both projects are written in JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Miaou versus AGPL-3.0 for Nextcloud Talk. Miaou is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Nextcloud Talk. Miaou is the more established project (first released 2014), while Nextcloud Talk arrived in 2018. Nextcloud Talk has the considerably larger community, at 2,201 GitHub stars versus 553. Nextcloud Talk lists first-class Docker deployment; Miaou does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Miaou if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Nextcloud Talk if…
- Tight Nextcloud integration
- End-to-end encrypted calls
Watch out for
- Requires a Nextcloud installation
- High-load calls need a TURN/HPB server
Frequently asked questions
Is Miaou or Nextcloud Talk better?
Neither is universally better. Nextcloud Talk has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Miaou and Nextcloud Talk free and open-source?
Yes. Miaou is licensed under MIT and Nextcloud Talk under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Miaou and Nextcloud Talk with Docker?
Miaou: check the project docs for container support. Nextcloud Talk: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Miaou or Nextcloud Talk?
Miaou has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Nextcloud Talk. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.