ejabberdvssama-server
Two self-hosted Chat projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| ejabberd | sama-server | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 46/100 |
| Rank in category | #5 of 110 in Chat | #65 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 6 751 | 161 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +10 | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 5 |
| Latest release | 26.09 · 29 Sept 2026 | 0.37.2 · 10 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Erlang | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
ejabberd scores 72/100 against 46/100 for sama-server, so it is the safer default.
ejabberd ships more often: 6 stable releases in the past year, against 5 for sama-server.
ejabberd is growing faster right now (+10 stars in 30 days).
Key differences
- License: ejabberd is GPL-2.0, sama-server is GPL-3.0.
- Language: ejabberd is written mainly in Erlang, sama-server in JavaScript.
- Only ejabberd ships an official Docker image.
- Platforms only ejabberd lists: Docker, Homebrew, Kubernetes, Windows.
- Platforms only sama-server lists: Node.js.
- Features only ejabberd lists: CLI Administration (ejabberdctl), Flexible Storage Backends, Horizontal Clustering, Live Code Upgrades and 10 more.
- Features only sama-server lists: Admin Dashboard, End-to-end encryption, Extensive WebSocket API, File attachments and 10 more.
- Both offer: Push Notifications.
ejabberd details →sama-server details →All Chat projects →
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