MongooseIM vs Wesh Network
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
MongooseIM
Scalable, robust XMPP messaging platform
VS
Wesh Network
P2P encrypted messaging protocol toolkit
| Feature | MongooseIM | Wesh Network |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Erlang | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,748 | ★ 248 |
| First released | 2012 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Signal, 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 Wesh Network if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is MongooseIM or Wesh Network better?
Neither is universally better. MongooseIM has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are MongooseIM and Wesh Network free and open-source?
Yes. MongooseIM is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Wesh Network under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MongooseIM and Wesh Network with Docker?
MongooseIM: yes. Wesh Network: check the project docs for container support.