Spacebar vs Tox
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?
Spacebar
Self-hostable, open-source Discord-compatible chat backend
VS
Tox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol and core
| Feature | Spacebar | Tox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,189 | ★ 2,670 |
| First released | 2021 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Discord | Skype, 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 Tox if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Spacebar or Tox better?
Tox is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Spacebar if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Spacebar and Tox free and open-source?
Yes. Spacebar is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Tox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Spacebar and Tox with Docker?
Spacebar: yes. Tox: check the project docs for container support.