Session vs qTox
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Session | qTox |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 585 | ★ 4,976 |
| First released | 2020 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram | Skype, WhatsApp |
What are Session and qTox?
Session
Session is an end-to-end encrypted messenger that routes messages through a decentralized onion network of community-operated nodes. It requires no phone number or email to sign up.
- Onion-routed message delivery
- No phone number required
- Decentralized service node network
- End-to-end encryption
qTox
qTox is a Qt-based client for the Tox protocol, a fully distributed, encrypted, peer-to-peer communication network. It supports text chat, file transfer, voice, and video without any central servers.
- Fully peer-to-peer, no servers
- End-to-end encryption
- Voice and video calls
- File transfer
Session vs qTox: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: qTox's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Session is actively maintained. Session is written in TypeScript, while qTox is built with C++. QTox is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Session. QTox is the more established project (first released 2014), while Session arrived in 2020. QTox has the considerably larger community, at 4,976 GitHub stars versus 585.
Why pick each one
Choose Session if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Relies on the Session node network
- Message delivery can be slower
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
Watch out for
- No offline messaging
- Project development has slowed
Frequently asked questions
Is Session or qTox better?
Neither is universally better. qTox has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Session and qTox free and open-source?
Yes. Session is licensed under GPL-3.0 and qTox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Session and qTox with Docker?
Session: check the project docs for container support. qTox: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Session or qTox?
qTox has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Session. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.