The Lounge vs Wazo

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?
FeatureThe LoungeWazo
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseMITGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptPython
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, sourcebare-metal
GitHub stars★ 6,309
First released20142020
ReplacesIRCCloud, Slack

Why pick each one

Choose The Lounge if…

  • Great IRC experience in the browser
  • Multi-user support
The Lounge details

Choose Wazo if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Written in Python
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Wazo details

Frequently asked questions

Is The Lounge or Wazo better?

The Lounge is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Wazo if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are The Lounge and Wazo free and open-source?

Yes. The Lounge is licensed under MIT and Wazo under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run The Lounge and Wazo with Docker?

The Lounge: yes. Wazo: check the project docs for container support.

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