Rustpad vs qTox
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?
Rustpad
Minimal collaborative real-time text editor
VS
qTox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging and calls over Tox
| Feature | Rustpad | qTox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,070 | ★ 4,977 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Google Docs, Etherpad | Skype, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
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 Rustpad or qTox better?
Neither is universally better. qTox has the larger community, while Rustpad is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Rustpad and qTox free and open-source?
Yes. Rustpad is licensed under MIT and qTox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Rustpad and qTox with Docker?
Rustpad: yes. qTox: check the project docs for container support.