Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Gitter VS Spectrum Chat

Compare Gitter VS Spectrum Chat and see what are their differences

Gitter logo Gitter

Where developers come to talk.

Spectrum Chat logo Spectrum Chat

A newly open sourced self hosted Slack like alternative for building persistent chat communities
  • Gitter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-07
  • Spectrum Chat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-24

Gitter features and specs

  • Integration with GitHub
    Gitter seamlessly integrates with GitHub, making it easy for developers to link repositories and manage code discussions alongside their version control workflows.
  • Free for Public Communities
    Gitter is free to use for public communities, which makes it accessible for open-source projects and groups that want to foster collaboration without budget constraints.
  • Real-Time Chat
    Provides real-time messaging features that allow teams to communicate instantly, making it easier to engage in active discussions and quick problem-solving.
  • Searchable Chat History
    All chat histories are searchable, which helps users find past conversations, important links, or decisions made in prior discussions.
  • Topic-Based Rooms
    Allows the creation of different rooms for various topics or projects, helping to organize conversations and maintain focus on specific subjects.

Possible disadvantages of Gitter

  • Limited Customization
    Gitter offers limited options for interface customization compared to some other chat applications, which might not suit all user preferences.
  • Smaller User Base
    Has a smaller user base compared to other more established communication tools like Slack, which may lead to lesser community support and third-party integrations.
  • Less Advanced Features
    Lacks some of the advanced features and integrations found in competing platforms, which might be necessary for teams looking for comprehensive communication solutions.
  • Notifications
    Some users have reported that Gitter's notification system can be too basic or intrusive, lacking the granular control available in other applications.
  • User Interface
    The user interface can seem outdated compared to other modern chat platforms, potentially impacting the user experience, especially for new users.

Spectrum Chat features and specs

  • Community-driven
    Spectrum Chat is built around communities, allowing users to engage in topic-specific discussions and connect with others who share similar interests.
  • Simple User Interface
    The platform offers an intuitive and clean user interface, making it easy for users to navigate and participate in discussions.
  • Real-time messaging
    Spectrum Chat provides real-time updates and notifications, ensuring that users can stay engaged in active conversations without delay.
  • Open and Accessible
    Content on Spectrum is generally open and accessible, which means anyone can browse through discussions without requiring an account.

Possible disadvantages of Spectrum Chat

  • Limited Integrations
    Compared to other chat platforms, Spectrum Chat has limited third-party integrations, which may be a drawback for users who rely on connecting with other tools.
  • Moderation Challenges
    As with community-driven platforms, Spectrum Chat can face challenges with content moderation, potentially leading to spam or inappropriate discussions.
  • Niche User Base
    While communities can be beneficial for focused discussions, they can also lead to a smaller, more niche user base, potentially limiting the diversity of conversations.
  • Acquisition by GitHub
    Spectrum was acquired by GitHub, which has led to concerns over the future of the platform and whether it will continue to be supported or integrated into GitHub's ecosystem.

Analysis of Gitter

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Gitter is considered a good platform for developers seeking a collaborative chat environment that is closely integrated with GitHub. Its user-friendly interface, combined with developer-centric features, makes it a solid choice for enhancing team communication.

Why this product is good

  • Gitter is highly praised for its integration with GitHub, ease of use, and real-time chat functionality. It is designed specifically for developers, providing an efficient platform for collaboration, sharing ideas, and solving problems in a team or open-source project setting. Its ability to seamlessly integrate with other developer tools and services makes it particularly appealing to those working within the software development ecosystem.

Recommended for

    Gitter is recommended for software development teams, open-source project contributors, and individual developers who are actively collaborating on GitHub projects. It is also well-suited for communities and user groups surrounding specific technologies or programming languages.

Gitter videos

Grit-Gitter | The Handheld Cleaning Tool

More videos:

  • Review - Gitter Usage Quick Intro
  • Review - Gitter for dinner review

Spectrum Chat videos

No Spectrum Chat videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Gitter and Spectrum Chat)
Communication
61 61%
39% 39
Group Chat & Notifications
Work Collaboration
53 53%
47% 47
Chat
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Gitter and Spectrum Chat. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Gitter should be more popular than Spectrum Chat. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Gitter mentions (8)

  • Exploring the Wonders of Astro JS framework
    Gitter is a chat and networking platform that helps to manage, grow and connect communities through messaging, content and discovery. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • A list of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS offerings that have free tiers of interest to devops and infradev
    Gitter.im — Chat, for GitHub. Unlimited public and private rooms, free for teams of up to 25. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • The Role of Laravel in Digital Transformation: Opportunities for Growth
    Gitter, a messaging platform for developers, used Laravel to build a web application that could handle high traffic and provide a seamless experience to users. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Extracting a section (slide) of a web page ?
    Imagine I'm trying to copy the first slide of https://gitter.im/ for example or one from here https://www.apple.com/iphone/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Installed docker, rebooted, now PC is broken..
    Well, since you do have a Pi then take a look at Hypriot. /u/denzuko (my main account) is a contributor, does support via the gitter.im channel, and been using it for ages. Dead simple to use; download the ISO. Use balana etcher to burn to an SD card. Open the boot drive and drop your wpa/wifi config into /boot/user-data. Once it comes online ssh in as [hypriot@black-pearl.local](mailto:hypriot@black-pearl.local)... Source: over 3 years ago
View more

Spectrum Chat mentions (1)

  • Show HN: GraphCDN, the GraphQL CDN with edge caching and analytics
    > We spent months building custom caching for our GraphQL API from scratch Could you not abandon GraphQL? Returning non-customized responses, while taking more bandwidth, is much more cache friendly for the client, proxies and particularly servers - where you can do simple yet powerful things (e.g. version-based invalidation and pre-generated payloads come to mind). Like, I went to https://spectrum.chat/explore... - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Gitter and Spectrum Chat, you can also consider the following products

Slack - A messaging app for teams who see through the Earth!

Mattermost - Mattermost is an open source alternative to Slack.

Dialog Messenger - handy and feature-rich enterprise multi-device messenger available for server or cloud – Slack-like, but not Slack-limited

Telegram - Telegram is a messaging app with a focus on speed and security. It’s superfast, simple and free.

RingCentral Video - Live life unlimited. Free video meetings and team messaging in one app that works the way you do.

Ripcord - A desktop chat client for Discord and Slack