Spark IM vs qTox
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
qTox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging and calls over Tox
| Feature | Spark IM | qTox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Team Chat | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 601 | ★ 4,977 |
| First released | 2004 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Slack, Skype | Skype, WhatsApp |
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 qTox if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Spark IM or qTox better?
Neither is universally better. qTox 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 qTox free and open-source?
Yes. Spark IM is licensed under Apache-2.0 and qTox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Spark IM and qTox with Docker?
Spark IM: check the project docs for container support. qTox: check the project docs for container support.