MiroTalk vs Peer-calls
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | MiroTalk | Peer-calls |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 37 · At risk |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,748 | ★ 1,900 |
| First released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Zoom, Google Meet | BigBlueButton, Skype, Zoom |
What are MiroTalk and Peer-calls?
MiroTalk
MiroTalk is a free, browser-based WebRTC video conferencing solution offering screen sharing, recording, and chat. It can be self-hosted with Docker for private video meetings.
- No account or installation required
- Screen sharing and recording
- Built-in chat and whiteboard
- Multiple flavors including SFU
Peer-calls
Group peer to peer video calls for everyone.
MiroTalk vs Peer-calls: key differences
MiroTalk is written in JavaScript, while Peer-calls is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for MiroTalk versus Apache-2.0 for Peer-calls. Peer-calls is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 512 MB for MiroTalk. MiroTalk is the more established project (first released 2021), while Peer-calls arrived in 2024. MiroTalk has the considerably larger community, at 4,748 GitHub stars versus 1,900. MiroTalk lists first-class Docker deployment; Peer-calls does not.
Why pick each one
Choose MiroTalk if…
- Quick to deploy
- Good feature set for free
Watch out for
- Needs TURN server for some networks
- P2P mode limited to small groups
Choose Peer-calls if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is MiroTalk or Peer-calls better?
Neither is universally better. MiroTalk has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are MiroTalk and Peer-calls free and open-source?
Yes. MiroTalk is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Peer-calls under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MiroTalk and Peer-calls with Docker?
MiroTalk: yes. Peer-calls: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, MiroTalk or Peer-calls?
Peer-calls has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for MiroTalk. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.