head to head · open source
Cinny vs Stoat
Cinny has 3,897 GitHub stars, 578 forks, 354 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. Stoat has 3,336 stars, 388 forks, 139 open issues and last shipped today. Cinny leads on adoption by 17% (3,897 vs 3,336 stars). Cinny is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; Stoat is written in Rust under a custom or non-standard licence. Cinny has attracted 15% 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
| Cinny | Stoat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.9K | ★ 3.3K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 578 | ⑂ 388 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Cinny if
- You weight community size — 3.9K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- 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 Cinny
Cinny is an open source Matrix client written in TypeScript under AGPL 3.0. It lives in the Matrix ecosystem and is presented as "yet another matrix client," focusing on a simple, elegant, and secure interface. Its stated goal is an instant messaging application that is easy for people and has a modern touch.
read the full Cinny overview →
About Stoat
Stoat is a Rust backend project that provides the services and libraries powering the Stoat group chat service. The repository is organized around core crates for configuration, database implementation, files, API models, permissions, presence, result types, and a coalesced crate.
read the full Stoat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Cinny or Stoat more popular?
Cinny has 3,897 GitHub stars and Stoat has 3,336. Cinny has the larger community by that measure.
Are Cinny and Stoat free?
Both are open source. Cinny 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 Cinny and Stoat?
Cinny is written in TypeScript 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, Cinny or Stoat?
Choose Cinny if you want the larger community (3,897 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.