head to head · open source
Signal vs Stoat
Signal has 29,568 GitHub stars, 6,933 forks, 498 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Stoat has 3,439 stars, 408 forks, 139 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Signal leads on adoption by 760% (29,568 vs 3,439 stars). Signal is written in Kotlin under AGPL-3.0; Stoat is written in Rust under a custom or non-standard licence. Signal has attracted 23% as many forks as stars, Stoat 12%. Stoat 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 | Stoat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 30K | ★ 3.4K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Kotlin | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-10-30 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.9K | ⑂ 408 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Signal if
- You weight community size — 30K 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 Stoat if
- You want the Stoat feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Stoat fits your workflow better
About Signal
Signal Android Signal is a simple, powerful, and secure messenger that uses your phone's data connection (WiFi/4G/5G) to communicate securely. Millions of people use Signal every day for free and instantaneous communication anywhere in the world. Send and receive high fidelity messages, participate in HD voice/video calls, and explore a growing set of new features that help you stay connected. Signal’s advanced privacy preserving technology is always enabled, so you can focus on sharing the moments that matter with the people who matter to you. Currently available on the Play Store and signal.org. Also available…
read the full Signal overview →
About Stoat
Stoat Backend The services and libraries that power the Stoat service.
read the full Stoat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Signal or Stoat more popular?
Signal has 29,568 GitHub stars and Stoat has 3,439. Signal has the larger community by that measure.
Are Signal and Stoat free?
Both are open source. Signal is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and Stoat has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Signal and Stoat?
Signal is written in Kotlin and Stoat in Rust. 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 Stoat?
Choose Signal if you want the larger community (29,568 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Stoat if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.