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.
| Feature | Tox | qTox |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| 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 | ★ 2,685 | ★ 4,976 |
| First released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Skype, Discord | Skype, WhatsApp |
What are Tox and qTox?
Tox
Tox is a free, peer-to-peer instant messaging protocol with end-to-end encryption and no central servers. The c-toxcore library is the reference implementation that powers a range of Tox clients.
- Fully peer-to-peer
- End-to-end encryption
- No central servers
- Voice and video calls
qTox
qTox is a Qt-based client for the Tox protocol, a fully distributed, encrypted, peer-to-peer communication network. It supports text chat, file transfer, voice, and video without any central servers.
- Fully peer-to-peer, no servers
- End-to-end encryption
- Voice and video calls
- File transfer
Tox vs qTox: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: qTox's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Tox is actively maintained. Tox is written in C, while qTox is built with C++. Tox is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for qTox.
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
Watch out for
- No offline messaging
- Project development has slowed
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.
Which is lighter on resources, Tox or qTox?
Tox has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for qTox. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.