qTox vs Wesh Network
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | qTox | Wesh Network |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 56 · Fair |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,976 | ★ 251 |
| First released | 2014 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Skype, WhatsApp | Signal, WhatsApp |
What are qTox and Wesh Network?
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
Wesh Network
Wesh Network is the peer-to-peer protocol toolkit powering Berty, providing end-to-end encrypted, asynchronous messaging that works without central servers or phone numbers. It can be self-hosted as relay infrastructure.
- Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging protocol
- Works without central servers
- No phone number required
qTox vs Wesh Network: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: qTox's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Wesh Network is actively maintained. QTox is written in C++, while Wesh Network is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for qTox versus Apache-2.0 for Wesh Network. QTox is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Wesh Network. QTox is the more established project (first released 2014), while Wesh Network arrived in 2022. QTox has the considerably larger community, at 4,976 GitHub stars versus 251.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Wesh Network if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is qTox or Wesh Network better?
qTox is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider qTox if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are qTox and Wesh Network free and open-source?
Yes. qTox is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Wesh Network under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run qTox and Wesh Network with Docker?
qTox: check the project docs for container support. Wesh Network: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, qTox or Wesh Network?
qTox has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Wesh Network. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.