head to head · open source
chat vs chitchatter
chat has 13,512 GitHub stars, 2,079 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. chitchatter has 2,332 stars, 434 forks, 53 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. chat leads on adoption by 479% (13,512 vs 2,332 stars). chat is written in Go under GPL-3.0; chitchatter is written in TypeScript under GPL-2.0. chat has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, chitchatter 19%. chitchatter was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (chat), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| chat | chitchatter | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 14K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-13 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 434 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick chat if
- You weight community size — 14K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick chitchatter if
- You want the chitchatter feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and chitchatter fits your workflow better
About chat
Tinode is an open source, full stack instant messaging server that pairs a Go backend with native iOS, Android, web, and command line clients, built for developers and operators who want to run or federate their own messaging platform rather than rent one.
About chitchatter
Chitchatter is a TypeScript web chat application released under GPL 2.0 that provides secure peer to peer communication without a required central API server. It lives in the decentralized web mesh ecosystem, using React, WebRTC, Trystero, WebTorrent, and TURN relays to connect browsers directly. The project is a free, open source collaboration tool for private conversations, video and audio chats, screen sharing, and file transfer.
read the full chitchatter overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is chat or chitchatter more popular?
chat has 13,512 GitHub stars and chitchatter has 2,332. chat has the larger community by that measure.
Are chat and chitchatter free?
Both are open source. chat is licensed under GPL-3.0 and chitchatter under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between chat and chitchatter?
chat is written in Go and chitchatter in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, chat or chitchatter?
Choose chat if you want the larger community (13,512 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose chitchatter if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.