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.
Not the right match-up?
MongooseIM
Scalable, robust XMPP messaging platform
VS
SchildiChat
Element-based Matrix client with extra usability tweaks
| Feature | MongooseIM | SchildiChat |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 1,748 | ★ 465 |
| First released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Slack, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Choose MongooseIM if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Erlang
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
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.