Openfire vs ZNC
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Openfire
Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
VS
ZNC
Advanced and flexible IRC bouncer
| Feature | Openfire | ZNC |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,052 | ★ 2,123 |
| First released | 2004 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Slack, Microsoft Teams | IRCCloud |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Openfire or ZNC better?
Neither is universally better. Openfire has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Openfire and ZNC free and open-source?
Yes. Openfire is licensed under Apache-2.0 and ZNC under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Openfire and ZNC with Docker?
Openfire: yes. ZNC: yes.