Spark IM vs Tox
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?
Spark IM
Cross-platform XMPP instant messaging client
VS
Tox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol and core
| Feature | Spark IM | Tox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Team Chat | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 601 | ★ 2,670 |
| First released | 2004 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Slack, Skype | Skype, Discord |
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
Choose Tox if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Spark IM or Tox better?
Neither is universally better. Tox 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 Tox free and open-source?
Yes. Spark IM is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Spark IM and Tox with Docker?
Spark IM: check the project docs for container support. Tox: check the project docs for container support.