Spacebar vs Syphon
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Spacebar
Self-hostable, open-source Discord-compatible chat backend
VS
Syphon
Privacy-focused Matrix client built with Flutter
| Feature | Spacebar | Syphon |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Dart |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,189 | ★ 1,061 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Discord | WhatsApp, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Spacebar if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Syphon if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Dart
Frequently asked questions
Is Spacebar or Syphon better?
Neither is universally better. Spacebar has the larger community, while Syphon is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Spacebar and Syphon free and open-source?
Yes. Spacebar is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Syphon under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Spacebar and Syphon with Docker?
Spacebar: yes. Syphon: check the project docs for container support.