Tox vs UnrealIRCd
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Tox | UnrealIRCd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 75 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,685 | ★ 521 |
| First released | 2013 | 1999 |
| Replaces | Skype, Discord | Slack, Discord |
What are Tox and UnrealIRCd?
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
UnrealIRCd
UnrealIRCd is a long-established IRC server daemon known for its rich feature set, advanced security controls, and module system. It is one of the most widely deployed IRCd implementations.
- Extensive module system
- Advanced anti-abuse features
- TLS and IRCv3 support
- Highly configurable
Tox vs UnrealIRCd: key differences
Both projects are written in C. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Tox versus GPL-2.0 for UnrealIRCd. Tox is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for UnrealIRCd. UnrealIRCd is the more established project (first released 1999), while Tox arrived in 2013. Tox has the considerably larger community, at 2,685 GitHub stars versus 521.
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 UnrealIRCd if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Tox or UnrealIRCd better?
Neither is universally better. Tox has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Tox and UnrealIRCd free and open-source?
Yes. Tox is licensed under GPL-3.0 and UnrealIRCd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tox and UnrealIRCd with Docker?
Tox: check the project docs for container support. UnrealIRCd: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Tox or UnrealIRCd?
Tox has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for UnrealIRCd. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.