MaelstromvsTuwunel
Two self-hosted Synapse alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Maelstrom | Tuwunel | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 43/100 | 68/100 |
| Rank in category | #79 of 110 in Chat | #3 of 13 in Instant Messaging |
| GitHub stars | 265 | 2 705 |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +153 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 18 |
| Latest release | — | v1.9.4 · 10 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Rust | Rust |
Which one should you pick?
Tuwunel scores 68/100 against 43/100 for Maelstrom, so it is the safer default.
Tuwunel ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Maelstrom.
If you want the quickest setup, Tuwunel is easier to run; Maelstrom needs more configuration.
Tuwunel is growing faster right now (+153 stars in 30 days).
Maelstrom details →Tuwunel details → All Synapse alternatives →
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