Tox vs qTox
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?
Tox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol and core
VS
qTox
Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging and calls over Tox
| Feature | Tox | qTox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,670 | ★ 4,977 |
| First released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Skype, Discord | Skype, WhatsApp |
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
Choose qTox if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Tox or qTox better?
Neither is universally better. qTox has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Tox and qTox free and open-source?
Yes. Tox is licensed under GPL-3.0 and qTox under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tox and qTox with Docker?
Tox: check the project docs for container support. qTox: check the project docs for container support.