Compare software

Tinode vs Chat Room: catalog facts
Tinode	Chat Room
Free Free and open source to self-host; Tinode also offers hosting.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Android, iOS, Web, Self-hosted	Android
Self-hostable server written in Go that can run in a cluster Extensible with auth schemes, database backends, bots and plugins	Real-time messaging over Socket.IO File sharing up to 4 GB
Running your own server takes setup and maintenance Smaller user base than mainstream messengers	Only works with a Chat Room server Small project with few users
Downloadable app, Self-hosted, Hosted service	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: Apache-2.0 (clients)	License: MIT
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.