MongooseIM vs SchildiChat
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | MongooseIM | SchildiChat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Erlang | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,760 | ★ 464 |
| First released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Slack, WhatsApp |
What are MongooseIM and SchildiChat?
MongooseIM
MongooseIM is an enterprise-grade XMPP server written in Erlang, designed for high scalability and reliability. It supports clustering, REST APIs, and modern messaging extensions.
- Built for massive scale
- Clustering and high availability
- GraphQL and REST admin APIs
- Modern XEP support
SchildiChat
SchildiChat is a fork of Element that adds a unified message bubble layout and other usability improvements. The web version can be self-hosted to connect to any Matrix homeserver.
- Message bubble layout
- Element compatibility
- End-to-end encryption
- Unified chat list
MongooseIM vs SchildiChat: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: SchildiChat's repository is archived and no longer developed, while MongooseIM is actively maintained. MongooseIM is written in Erlang, while SchildiChat is built with Shell. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for MongooseIM versus AGPL-3.0 for SchildiChat. SchildiChat is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for MongooseIM. MongooseIM is the more established project (first released 2012), while SchildiChat arrived in 2020. MongooseIM has the considerably larger community, at 1,760 GitHub stars versus 464.
Why pick each one
Choose MongooseIM if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Erlang
Watch out for
- Complex deployment
- Requires Erlang knowledge to extend
Choose SchildiChat if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Shell
Watch out for
- Tracks Element upstream
- Matrix-only
Frequently asked questions
Is MongooseIM or SchildiChat better?
Neither is universally better. MongooseIM has the larger community, while SchildiChat is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are MongooseIM and SchildiChat free and open-source?
Yes. MongooseIM is licensed under GPL-2.0 and SchildiChat under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MongooseIM and SchildiChat with Docker?
MongooseIM: yes. SchildiChat: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, MongooseIM or SchildiChat?
SchildiChat has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for MongooseIM. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.