Monocles Chat vs Synapse
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?
Monocles Chat
Privacy-focused XMPP messenger for Android
VS
Synapse
Reference homeserver for the Matrix network
| Feature | Monocles Chat | Synapse |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 100 | ★ 4,503 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WhatsApp, Signal | Slack, Discord, WhatsApp |
Why pick each one
Choose Monocles Chat if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Java
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Monocles Chat or Synapse better?
Neither is universally better. Synapse has the larger community, while Monocles Chat is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Monocles Chat and Synapse free and open-source?
Yes. Monocles Chat is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Synapse under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Monocles Chat and Synapse with Docker?
Monocles Chat: check the project docs for container support. Synapse: yes.