head to head · open source
Signal vs Peergos
Signal has 29,352 GitHub stars, 6,888 forks, 498 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Peergos has 2,519 stars, 199 forks, 103 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Signal leads on adoption by 1,065% (29,352 vs 2,519 stars). Signal is written in Kotlin under AGPL-3.0; Peergos is written in Java under AGPL-3.0. Signal has attracted 23% as many forks as stars, Peergos 8%. Peergos was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| Signal | Peergos | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 29K | ★ 2.5K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Kotlin | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.9K | ⑂ 199 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Signal if
- You weight community size — 29K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Peergos if
- You want the Peergos feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and Peergos fits your workflow better
About Signal
Signal Android is a secure messaging application for Android devices that delivers private communication via end to end encryption. Developed by Signal Messenger, LLC, it operates within the broader Signal ecosystem, which includes official iOS and desktop clients. The app uses mobile data or Wi Fi to send and receive encrypted messages, voice calls, and video calls without relying on traditional SMS or telephony infrastructure.
read the full Signal overview →
About Peergos
Peergos is a peer to peer secure file storage system, social network, and application protocol built in Java under AGPL 3.0. It lives in the IPFS, IPLD, and libp2p ecosystem and supports a private web where users control their data, decide where it is stored, and determine who can see it. The project addresses centralized services that can track users, expose personal data, and observe relationships or file contents without cryptographic access control.
read the full Peergos overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Signal or Peergos more popular?
Signal has 29,352 GitHub stars and Peergos has 2,519. Signal has the larger community by that measure.
Are Signal and Peergos free?
Both are open source. Signal is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Peergos under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Signal and Peergos?
Signal is written in Kotlin and Peergos in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Signal or Peergos?
Choose Signal if you want the larger community (29,352 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Peergos if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.