Routr vs SimpleX Chat
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Routr
Lightweight SIP proxy, location server, and registrar for a reliable
VS
SimpleX Chat
Private messenger without any user identifiers
| Feature | Routr | SimpleX Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Haskell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,707 | ★ 19,211 |
| First released | 2026 | 2021 |
| Replaces | — | Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram |
Why pick each one
Choose Routr if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Routr or SimpleX Chat better?
Neither is universally better. SimpleX Chat has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Routr and SimpleX Chat free and open-source?
Yes. Routr is licensed under MIT and SimpleX Chat under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Routr and SimpleX Chat with Docker?
Routr: yes. SimpleX Chat: yes.