SHSelfHostIndex

Spark IM vs Revolt

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted team chat options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
SP Spark IM Cross-platform XMPP instant messaging client VS RE Revolt Open-source chat platform for communities
FeatureSpark IMRevolt
CategoryTeam ChatTeam Chat
LicenseApache-2.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageJavaRust
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentbinary, sourcedocker
GitHub stars★ 601★ 3,203
First released20042021
ReplacesSlack, SkypeDiscord

Why pick each one

Choose Spark IM if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Written in Java
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Spark IM details

Choose Revolt if…

  • Familiar Discord-like UX
  • Community-focused
  • Self-hostable
Revolt details

Frequently asked questions

Is Spark IM or Revolt better?

Neither is universally better. Revolt has the larger community, while Spark IM is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Spark IM and Revolt free and open-source?

Yes. Spark IM is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Revolt under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Spark IM and Revolt with Docker?

Spark IM: check the project docs for container support. Revolt: yes.

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