Peer-calls vs Tox
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Peer-calls
Group peer to peer video calls for everyone
VS
Tox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol and core
| Feature | Peer-calls | Tox |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 37 · At risk | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,900 | ★ 2,685 |
| First released | 2024 | 2013 |
| Replaces | BigBlueButton, Skype, Zoom | Skype, Discord |
What are Peer-calls and Tox?
Peer-calls
Group peer to peer video calls for everyone.
Tox
Tox is a free, peer-to-peer instant messaging protocol with end-to-end encryption and no central servers. The c-toxcore library is the reference implementation that powers a range of Tox clients.
- Fully peer-to-peer
- End-to-end encryption
- No central servers
- Voice and video calls
Peer-calls vs Tox: key differences
Peer-calls is written in Go, while Tox is built with C. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Peer-calls versus GPL-3.0 for Tox. Peer-calls is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 64 MB for Tox. Tox is the more established project (first released 2013), while Peer-calls arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Peer-calls if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
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 Peer-calls or Tox better?
Neither is universally better. Tox has the larger community, while Peer-calls is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Peer-calls and Tox free and open-source?
Yes. Peer-calls is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Peer-calls and Tox with Docker?
Peer-calls: check the project docs for container support. Tox: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Peer-calls or Tox?
Peer-calls has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for Tox. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.