Mjolnir vs Synapse
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?
Mjolnir
Moderation bot for Matrix communities
VS
Synapse
Reference homeserver for the Matrix network
| Feature | Mjolnir | Synapse |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 442 | ★ 4,503 |
| First released | 2020 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Discord moderation bots | Slack, Discord, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Choose Mjolnir if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Mjolnir or Synapse better?
Neither is universally better. Synapse has the larger community, while Mjolnir is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mjolnir and Synapse free and open-source?
Yes. Mjolnir is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Synapse under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mjolnir and Synapse with Docker?
Mjolnir: yes. Synapse: yes.