Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Openfire VS Lets Chat

Compare Openfire VS Lets Chat and see what are their differences

Openfire logo Openfire

Openfire (formerly Wildfire) is a cross-platform instant messaging (IM) and groupchat server.

Lets Chat logo Lets Chat

Open source self-hosted chat app for small teams
  • Openfire Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-27
Not present

Openfire features and specs

  • Easy to Install
    Openfire comes with an easy-to-use installation wizard which makes setting up the server relatively straightforward, even for those with limited technical expertise.
  • Real-time Collaboration Features
    Openfire supports various real-time collaboration tools such as messaging, file transfer, and group chat, which enhances team collaboration.
  • Extensible
    Openfire is built on the Smack library, which allows for easy extension through plugins. Users can add features like multi-user chat, gateways to other protocols, and more.
  • Active Community
    Being an open-source project, Openfire has an active community of developers and users who contribute to its development and provide support.
  • Administration Interface
    Openfire includes a powerful and user-friendly web-based admin console, which simplifies server management and monitoring.
  • Security
    Openfire offers various security features including SSL/TLS support for encrypted communication, making it reliable for enterprise use.

Possible disadvantages of Openfire

  • Scalability Issues
    Openfire can struggle with scalability and performance when handling very large numbers of concurrent users, which might not make it suitable for extremely large deployments.
  • Java Dependency
    The software is Java-based, which could be a limitation for environments where Java is not preferred or where there are specific performance constraints related to JVM.
  • Limited Mobile Support
    While there are some mobile clients available, the experience and features can be inconsistent compared to desktop versions.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Running and maintaining an Openfire server requires regular updates and monitoring, which can introduce operational overhead.
  • Plugin Quality
    The quality and reliability of third-party plugins can vary, potentially leading to issues if they are not well-maintained.

Lets Chat features and specs

  • Open Source
    Lets Chat is open-source, allowing users to customize and extend the platform according to their needs and contributing to a large community-driven development.
  • Self-hosted
    Users have complete control over their data, as the platform can be installed and hosted on their own servers, enhancing privacy and security.
  • Feature-rich
    The platform includes essential chat features such as direct messaging, group chats, searchable history, and integrations, making it suitable for team collaboration.
  • Simple User Interface
    Lets Chat offers a straightforward and clean user interface, making it easy for users to navigate and communicate without unnecessary complexity.

Possible disadvantages of Lets Chat

  • Requires Technical Expertise
    Setting up and maintaining a self-hosted solution might require technical knowledge and resources, which could be a barrier for some users.
  • Limited Scalability
    While Lets Chat is suitable for small to medium-sized teams, it may face challenges in scaling up to support significantly larger organizations.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    As a self-hosted solution, users are responsible for server maintenance, software updates, and security patches, which can be time-consuming.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    Compared to some commercial chat platforms, Lets Chat may lack certain advanced features such as video conferencing or deeply integrated third-party app support.

Analysis of Openfire

Overall verdict

  • Openfire is a solid choice for those looking for an open-source solution for messaging and collaboration. It is especially appealing if you require extensibility and openness provided through plugins and community involvement. However, whether it fits your needs well may also depend on the scale and specific requirements of your project.

Why this product is good

  • Openfire is an open-source, real-time collaboration server that's known for its ease of use and flexibility. It supports robust XMPP (Jabber) protocol which is a stable and efficient protocol for instant messaging and presence. Openfire also offers an extensive plugin library, allowing for additional features and customization. It has a strong community support and frequent updates, ensuring reliability and the inclusion of latest features.

Recommended for

  • Small to medium-sized enterprises seeking a customizable internal communication tool.
  • Developers and open-source enthusiasts who appreciate the flexibility of XMPP and community-driven projects.
  • Teams that require integration with other systems through extensive plugins.

Openfire videos

The Kamoto OpenFire Pit by Primus [Review]

Lets Chat videos

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

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Openfire and Lets Chat)
Communication
67 67%
33% 33
Group Chat & Notifications
Network & Admin
100 100%
0% 0
Chat
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Openfire and Lets Chat. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Openfire and Lets Chat

Openfire Reviews

We have no reviews of Openfire yet.
Be the first one to post

Lets Chat Reviews

Top 10 Team Chat Software for a Self-Hosted environment specifically designed for Large Enterprises
Yours is a small team and want to have a full-scale control over your team collaboration. Then Lets Chat is the right self-hosted tool exclusively made for small teams. It runs on Node.js and MongoDB and deployed easily at your local servers. It supports Docker and Vagrant platform installations. Lets Chat has some interesting features; private/password protected rooms,...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Lets Chat seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time 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.

Openfire mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Openfire yet. Tracking of Openfire recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Lets Chat mentions (1)

  • Looking for a good, compatible, simple to host chat program.
    If Let's Chat used PHP and MySQL, it'd be perfect, but it uses MongoDB, which I can't use, and even if I could use it, I don't know how I'd configure it. Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Openfire and Lets Chat, you can also consider the following products

Viber - Free and secure calls and messages to anyone, anywhere. Keep your conversations going no matter where you are.

Rocket.Chat - Rocket.Chat is a Web Chat Server, developed in JavaScript, using the Meteor fullstack framework.

MiVoice Business - MiVoice Business is a business communication platform that delivers voice, messaging, mobility, presence, conferencing, collaboration and applications.

Mattermost - Mattermost is an open source alternative to Slack.

Screenleap - Screenleap is a web app that lets users share their device's screen over the Internet. These screens can be a desktop computer monitor or a smartphone screen or anything else that can load a web browser. Read more about Screenleap.

Matrix.org - Matrix is an open standard for decentralized persistent communication over IP.