MongooseIM 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?
MongooseIM
Scalable, robust XMPP messaging platform
VS
Synapse
Reference homeserver for the Matrix network
| Feature | MongooseIM | Synapse |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Erlang | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,748 | ★ 4,503 |
| First released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Slack, Discord, 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
Frequently asked questions
Is MongooseIM or Synapse better?
Neither is universally better. Synapse has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are MongooseIM and Synapse free and open-source?
Yes. MongooseIM is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Synapse under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MongooseIM and Synapse with Docker?
MongooseIM: yes. Synapse: yes.