SimpleX, Matrix, or Nextcloud Talk get lumped together as “a messenger on your own server”. They are three different tools. SimpleX is private chat with no account and no history on the server. Matrix is a team messenger with rooms and history on your domain. Nextcloud Talk is chat inside your own cloud, next to the files.
Below is how they differ and when each one makes sense. The install guides are separate articles. This one is only the choice.
In short
| SimpleX Chat | Matrix / Element | Nextcloud Talk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job | Private chat | Team messenger | Chat next to files |
| Account on the server | No | Yes, @user:domain | Yes, a Nextcloud account |
| History on the server | No, delivery queue only | Yes: rooms and messages | Yes: files and Talk history |
| Domain | Optional, an IP is enough | Required | Required |
| Calls | Your own TURN | Separate coturn, not in the base setup | Inside Talk, the server needs more RAM |
| Server | From 2 vCPU / 2 GB | From 2 vCPU / 4 GB | From 4 GB, 6–8 GB for calls or office |
SimpleX Chat — when the chat should not live on the server
SimpleX has no account. No phone number, no email, and no user id the server could use to build a contact list. The message is encrypted on the phone. The SMP server delivers it to the recipient’s queue and does not keep a history. Files go through XFTP. Voice goes through your own TURN.
The server cannot read the contents. A delivered chat lives in the app. That fits two people or a small group. It is not a shared room with search over old messages.
A domain is optional: SMP and XFTP addresses can use an IP. Your own server matters when you do not want to depend on someone else’s relays. The default port 5223 is often closed on office and guest networks, so a working server belongs on ports that are open almost everywhere.
How to run SMP, XFTP, and calls is in SimpleX Chat: your own server. For a finished setup, see the SimpleX Chat service.
Matrix and Element — when you need a shared chat with history
Matrix is a messenger with accounts. Addresses look like @user:example.com. Rooms, files, and history sit on your homeserver. People use Element: a web client on your subdomain and the phone apps.
Federation can stay off, so the server is only for your family or team. A domain and DNS are required. Synapse and Element Web cannot be built without them. Calls are not part of the base install. Stable voice and video need a separate coturn.
The server is heavier than SimpleX. Plan on 2 vCPU, 4 GB of RAM, and disk for the database and files. This replaces a work chat. It is not a setup where the server holds no conversation.
The Ansible and Docker install is in Matrix Synapse on your server. Turnkey setup is the Matrix / Element service.
Nextcloud Talk — when the files come first
Talk is not a separate messenger. It is chat inside Nextcloud. The cloud comes first: files, sync, calendar, contacts, and sharing. Talk adds rooms, messages, and calls on the same domain.
Accounts, files, and Talk history are stored on the server. This replaces someone else’s drive and a work chat. It does not replace SimpleX. A domain is required. Plan on at least 4 GB of RAM, and 6–8 GB if you want calls or documents in the browser.
The official way is All-in-One. The walkthrough is Nextcloud on your own server. Turnkey setup is the Nextcloud service.
Which one to pick: SimpleX, Matrix, or Nextcloud
- Chat for two people or a small group, with no history on the server — SimpleX.
- Rooms, history, files, and addresses on your domain — Matrix.
- A shared drive and chat in one place — Nextcloud with Talk.
- The jobs can be split. Files live in Nextcloud, private chat lives in SimpleX. One server does not have to cover everything.
If you install it yourself
- SimpleX Chat: your own server — SMP, XFTP, and calls.
- Matrix Synapse — Ansible and Docker.
- Nextcloud All-in-One — files and Talk.
If you would rather not install it yourself, write to me and I will put the one you need on your VPS. Scope and payment are agreed before I start. This article has no separate price list. All three are in the services catalog.
No email, no trackers — just the update feed.
