MongooseIM vs Syphon
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
Syphon
Privacy-focused Matrix client built with Flutter
| Feature | MongooseIM | Syphon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Erlang | Dart |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,748 | ★ 1,061 |
| First released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | WhatsApp, Discord |
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 Syphon if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Dart
Frequently asked questions
Is MongooseIM or Syphon better?
Neither is universally better. MongooseIM has the larger community, while Syphon is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are MongooseIM and Syphon free and open-source?
Yes. MongooseIM is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Syphon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MongooseIM and Syphon with Docker?
MongooseIM: yes. Syphon: check the project docs for container support.