Profanity vs SchildiChat
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Profanity | SchildiChat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,542 | ★ 464 |
| First released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack | Slack, WhatsApp |
What are Profanity and SchildiChat?
Profanity
Profanity is a console XMPP client whose interface is inspired by irssi. It supports OMEMO and OTR encryption, group chats, and a fully keyboard-driven workflow for the terminal.
- Terminal interface
- OMEMO and OTR encryption
- Keyboard-driven workflow
- Plugin support
SchildiChat
SchildiChat is a fork of Element that adds a unified message bubble layout and other usability improvements. The web version can be self-hosted to connect to any Matrix homeserver.
- Message bubble layout
- Element compatibility
- End-to-end encryption
- Unified chat list
Profanity vs SchildiChat: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: SchildiChat's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Profanity is actively maintained. Profanity is written in C, while SchildiChat is built with Shell. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Profanity versus AGPL-3.0 for SchildiChat. Profanity is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for SchildiChat. Profanity is the more established project (first released 2012), while SchildiChat arrived in 2020. Profanity has the considerably larger community, at 1,542 GitHub stars versus 464. SchildiChat lists first-class Docker deployment; Profanity does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Profanity if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Choose SchildiChat if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Shell
Watch out for
- Tracks Element upstream
- Matrix-only
Frequently asked questions
Is Profanity or SchildiChat better?
Neither is universally better. Profanity has the larger community, while SchildiChat is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Profanity and SchildiChat free and open-source?
Yes. Profanity is licensed under GPL-3.0 and SchildiChat under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Profanity and SchildiChat with Docker?
Profanity: check the project docs for container support. SchildiChat: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Profanity or SchildiChat?
Profanity has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for SchildiChat. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.