# OpenWA vs SimpleX Chat

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | OpenWA | SimpleX Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 ✓ | 74/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 19 in API Management | #4 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 16 351 | 19 612 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +345 ✓ | +142 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 12 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.26.0 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ | v7.0.4 · 3 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Haskell |

## Which one should you pick?

OpenWA scores 77/100 against 74/100 for SimpleX Chat, so it is the safer default.

SimpleX Chat ships more often: 12 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for OpenWA.

If you want the quickest setup, OpenWA is easier to run; SimpleX Chat needs more configuration.

OpenWA is growing faster right now (+345 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [OpenWA](https://selfhost.directory/project/openwa) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openwa.md)
- [SimpleX Chat](https://selfhost.directory/project/simplex-chat) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/simplex-chat.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/openwa-vs-simplex-chat