Nheko vs Openfire
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?
Nheko
Desktop Matrix client with native Qt interface
VS
Openfire
Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
| Feature | Nheko | Openfire |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,472 | ★ 3,052 |
| First released | 2017 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
Why pick each one
Choose Nheko if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Nheko or Openfire better?
Neither is universally better. Openfire has the larger community, while Nheko is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Nheko and Openfire free and open-source?
Yes. Nheko is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Openfire under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Nheko and Openfire with Docker?
Nheko: check the project docs for container support. Openfire: yes.