Synapse 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?
Synapse
Reference homeserver for the Matrix network
VS
Tox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol and core
| Feature | Synapse | Tox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Chat & Communication |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,503 | ★ 2,670 |
| First released | 2014 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord, WhatsApp | Skype, Discord |
Why pick each one
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 Synapse or Tox better?
Neither is universally better. Synapse 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 Synapse and Tox free and open-source?
Yes. Synapse is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Tox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Synapse and Tox with Docker?
Synapse: yes. Tox: check the project docs for container support.