head to head · open source
SIP.js vs Telephone
SIP.js has 2,104 GitHub stars, 724 forks, 97 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. Telephone has 1,177 stars, 241 forks, 132 open issues and last shipped 21 days ago. SIP.js leads on adoption by 79% (2,104 vs 1,177 stars). SIP.js is written in TypeScript under MIT; Telephone is written in Swift under GPL-3.0. SIP.js has attracted 34% as many forks as stars, Telephone 20%. Telephone was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (sip, voip), 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
| SIP.js | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 2.1K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-06-15 | 2026-10-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 724 | ⑂ 241 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick SIP.js if
- You weight community size — 2.1K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Telephone if
- You want the Telephone feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You evaluated both and Telephone fits your workflow better
About SIP.js
SIP Library for JavaScript Create real time peer to peer audio and video sessions via WebRTC Utilize SIP in your web application via SIP over WebSocket Send instant messages and view presence Support early media, hold and transfers Send DTMF RFC 2833 or SIP INFO Share your screen or desktop Written in TypeScript Runs in all major web browsers Compatible with standards compliant servers including Asterisk and FreeSWITCH Demo Want see it in action? The project website, sipjs.com, has a live demo. Looking for code to get started with? This repository includes demonstrations which run in a web browser. Usage To…
read the full SIP.js overview →
About Telephone
Telephone is a VoIP SIP softphone for Mac. It allows you to make phone calls over the Internet or your company network. If your phone line supports SIP protocol, you can use it on your Mac instead of a physical phone anywhere you have a decent network connection. Building Opus Opus codec is optional. Download: $ curl O $ tar xzvf opus 1.3.1.tar.gz $ cd opus 1.3.1 Build and install: $ ./configure prefix=/path/to/Telephone/ThirdParty/Opus disable shared CFLAGS=' arch arm64 arch x86 64 Os mmacosx version min=15.6' $ make $ make install LibreSSL Download: $ curl O $ curl O $ gpg verify libressl 3.1.5.tar.gz.asc $…
read the full Telephone overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is SIP.js or Telephone more popular?
SIP.js has 2,104 GitHub stars and Telephone has 1,177. SIP.js has the larger community by that measure.
Are SIP.js and Telephone free?
Both are open source. SIP.js is licensed under MIT and Telephone under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between SIP.js and Telephone?
SIP.js is written in TypeScript and Telephone in Swift. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, SIP.js or Telephone?
Choose SIP.js if you want the larger community (2,104 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Telephone if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.