Prose vs Openfire
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Prose
XMPP client for team messaging
VS
Openfire
Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
| Feature | Prose | Openfire |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Vue | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 58 | ★ 3,052 |
| First released | 2025 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Discord, Facebook Messenger, Signal | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
Why pick each one
Choose Prose if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Vue
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Prose or Openfire better?
Neither is universally better. Openfire has the larger community, while Prose is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Prose and Openfire free and open-source?
Yes. Prose is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Openfire under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Prose and Openfire with Docker?
Prose: check the project docs for container support. Openfire: yes.