Synapse Admin vs Openfire
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?
Synapse Admin
Web admin interface for Synapse Matrix homeservers
VS
Openfire
Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
| Feature | Synapse Admin | Openfire |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 457 | ★ 3,052 |
| First released | 2020 | 2004 |
| Replaces | — | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
Why pick each one
Choose Synapse Admin if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Synapse Admin or Openfire better?
Neither is universally better. Openfire has the larger community, while Synapse Admin is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Synapse Admin and Openfire free and open-source?
Yes. Synapse Admin is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Openfire under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Synapse Admin and Openfire with Docker?
Synapse Admin: yes. Openfire: yes.