# Best self-hosted IRC & XMPP apps

> IRC and XMPP servers, bouncers and web clients. Open, federated chat protocols you can host for a community or company. The most popular self-hosted IRC & XMPP apps on GitHub are ejabberd, The Lounge and Weechat. appsgit lists 17 self-hosted apps in this category, ranked by GitHub stars. All 17 apps here are open source.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Apps listed | 17 |
| Most starred | ejabberd (6,736 stars) |
| With a Docker image | 7 |
| Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/categories/irc-xmpp |

## All 17 IRC & XMPP apps

- [ejabberd](https://appsgit.com/apps/ejabberd): XMPP instant messaging server. (6,736 stars, GPL-2.0, Erlang, Docker)
- [The Lounge](https://appsgit.com/apps/the-lounge): Self-hosted web IRC client. (6,345 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker)
- [Weechat](https://appsgit.com/apps/weechat): Fast, light and extensible chat client. (3,397 stars, GPL-3.0, C, Docker)
- [Ergo](https://appsgit.com/apps/ergo): Modern IRCv3 server written in Go, combining the features of an ircd, a services framework, and a bouncer. (3,347 stars, MIT, Go, Docker)
- [Converse.js](https://appsgit.com/apps/converse-js): XMPP chat client in your browser. (3,297 stars, MPL-2.0, JavaScript)
- [Openfire](https://appsgit.com/apps/openfire): Real time collaboration (RTC) server. (3,068 stars, Apache-2.0, Java)
- [ZNC](https://appsgit.com/apps/znc): Advanced IRC bouncer. (2,127 stars, Apache-2.0, C++)
- [MongooseIM](https://appsgit.com/apps/mongooseim): Mobile messaging platform with a focus on performance and scalability. (1,757 stars, GPL-2.0, Erlang, Docker)
- [InspIRCd](https://appsgit.com/apps/inspircd): Modular IRC server written in C++ for Linux, BSD, Windows, and macOS. (1,350 stars, GPL-2.0, C++, Docker)
- [Kiwi IRC](https://appsgit.com/apps/kiwi-irc): Responsive web IRC client with theming support. (989 stars, Apache-2.0, Vue)
- [Glowing Bear](https://appsgit.com/apps/glowing-bear): A web frontend for WeeChat. (980 stars, GPL-3.0, JavaScript)
- [Quassel IRC](https://appsgit.com/apps/quassel-irc): Distributed IRC client, meaning that one (or multiple) client(s) can attach to and detach from a central core. (796 stars, GPL-2.0, C++)
- [ngircd](https://appsgit.com/apps/ngircd): Portable and lightweight Internet Relay Chat server for small or private networks. (580 stars, GPL-2.0, C)
- [UnrealIRCd](https://appsgit.com/apps/unrealircd): Modular, advanced and highly configurable IRC server written in C for Linux, BSD, Windows, and macOS. (525 stars, GPL-2.0, C)
- [Snikket](https://appsgit.com/apps/snikket): All-in-one Dockerized easy XMPP solution, including web admin and clients. (464 stars, Apache-2.0, Lua, Docker)
- [Tigase](https://appsgit.com/apps/tigase): XMPP server implementation in Java. (358 stars, AGPL-3.0, Java)
- [Robust IRC](https://appsgit.com/apps/robust-irc): IRC without netsplits. Distributed IRC server, based on RobustSession protocol. (195 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Go)

## Related categories

- [Utilities](https://appsgit.com/categories/utilities): Handy standalone tools that do not fit elsewhere, such as converters, translators and design apps. Small utilities worth self-hosting.
- [Finance & Budgeting](https://appsgit.com/categories/finance-budgeting): Personal finance, budgeting, expense tracking and payment tools. Manage your money without handing your data to a fintech app.
- [CMS](https://appsgit.com/categories/cms): Content management systems and headless CMS platforms for websites and apps. Publish and manage content on a stack you control.
- [Team Chat](https://appsgit.com/categories/team-chat): Self-hosted messaging, team chat and push notification platforms. A private alternative to Slack, Discord and hosted messengers.
- [File Sharing](https://appsgit.com/categories/file-sharing): Quick file upload and sharing services plus peer-to-peer clients. Send large files with expiring links, like a private WeTransfer.
- [Analytics](https://appsgit.com/categories/analytics): Self-hosted web analytics and business intelligence tools. Track visitors and product usage or explore your data without sending it to a third party.

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/categories/irc-xmpp
Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly.
Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.