Spectrum vs Tox
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?
Spectrum
Open-source platform for building online communities
VS
Tox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol and core
| Feature | Spectrum | Tox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Forums & Community | Chat & Communication |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,837 | ★ 2,670 |
| First released | 2017 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Discord, Discourse | Skype, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Spectrum if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 10.8k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
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 Spectrum or Tox better?
Neither is universally better. Spectrum has the larger community, while Tox is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Spectrum and Tox free and open-source?
Yes. Spectrum is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Tox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Spectrum and Tox with Docker?
Spectrum: yes. Tox: check the project docs for container support.