Nextcloud Talk vs Solanum
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Nextcloud Talk
Chat, video calls and webinars integrated into Nextcloud
VS
Solanum
IRCv3 server daemon used by Libera.Chat
| Feature | Nextcloud Talk | Solanum |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 71 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,201 | ★ 262 |
| First released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams | Slack, Discord |
What are Nextcloud Talk and Solanum?
Nextcloud Talk
Nextcloud Talk is the communication app for the Nextcloud platform, providing private chat, audio and video calls, and screen sharing. It runs entirely on your own Nextcloud instance.
- Integrated with Nextcloud files
- WebRTC audio and video calls
- Screen sharing and webinars
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
Solanum
Solanum is an IRCv3 server daemon descended from the Charybdis lineage. It is the software that powers the Libera.Chat IRC network and is suitable for running large IRC infrastructures.
- Powers Libera.Chat
- IRCv3 protocol support
- Scales to large networks
- Charybdis-derived codebase
Nextcloud Talk vs Solanum: key differences
Nextcloud Talk is written in JavaScript, while Solanum is built with C. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Nextcloud Talk versus GPL-2.0 for Solanum. Solanum is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Nextcloud Talk. Nextcloud Talk is the more established project (first released 2018), while Solanum arrived in 2020. Nextcloud Talk has the considerably larger community, at 2,201 GitHub stars versus 262. Nextcloud Talk lists first-class Docker deployment; Solanum does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Nextcloud Talk if…
- Tight Nextcloud integration
- End-to-end encrypted calls
Watch out for
- Requires a Nextcloud installation
- High-load calls need a TURN/HPB server
Choose Solanum if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Nextcloud Talk or Solanum better?
Nextcloud Talk is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Solanum if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Nextcloud Talk and Solanum free and open-source?
Yes. Nextcloud Talk is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Solanum under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Nextcloud Talk and Solanum with Docker?
Nextcloud Talk: yes. Solanum: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Nextcloud Talk or Solanum?
Solanum has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Nextcloud Talk. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.