Tools/matrix-org/synapse

Synapse

Matrix homeserver for decentralized chat

12.1k ★+3/wkgrowthPythonApache License 2.0 →new this week
View on GitHub →Compare in Communication →Homepage →
Replaces:DiscordMicrosoft TeamsSlack
See how it compares →

The Lens

By Erik Loyd, SaaS CEO and former COO/CFO of an AWS Premier Partner.

Updated Mar 2026

Synapse is the reference server for the Matrix protocol, giving you self-hosted encrypted messaging with no vendor lock-in. Matrix is to chat what email is to messaging: decentralized, federated, and interoperable. Your server talks to other Matrix servers, so your users can chat with anyone on the network.

Fully free under Apache 2.0. You get end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice/video calls (via Jitsi or built-in), rooms, spaces (like Discord servers), bots, bridges to other platforms (Slack, Discord, IRC, Telegram), and full admin control. Element is the most popular client app.

The catch: Synapse is a resource hog. Even a small server with a few hundred users needs 2-4GB RAM, and it grows fast. Federation, the feature that makes Matrix special, also makes it slower and harder to moderate. If you just need team chat and don't care about federation, Rocket.Chat or Zulip are lighter. And the initial setup (Docker Compose, reverse proxy, DNS, federation verification) takes a solid afternoon.

Free vs Self-Hosted vs Paid

fully free

Fully open source under Apache 2.0. No paid tier from Matrix.org Foundation.

Self-hosted cost:

  • VPS with 4GB RAM minimum: $20-40/mo
  • Storage grows with media uploads and message history: budget extra disk
  • Postgres database: included on the same server or $10-15/mo managed

Hosted alternatives:

  • Element Matrix Services (EMS): Managed hosting starting around $5/user/month
  • matrix.org homeserver: Free accounts but you don't control the server

Compared to commercial chat:

  • Slack Pro: $8.75/user/month
  • Microsoft Teams: Included with Microsoft 365 ($6/user/month)
  • Rocket.Chat: Free self-hosted, cloud from $4/user/month

Synapse is free but ops-heavy. EMS managed hosting is competitive with Slack pricing.

Free self-hosted. Budget $20-40/mo for infrastructure. EMS managed hosting from ~$5/user/month.

Self-hosting ops:heavy

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Score
63/100 · B
Adoption27/30
Maintenance0/25
Community11/20
License15/15
Analysis10/10

A low score is not a verdict on quality. Young and niche tools start low by design. How we calculate scores

Trust Signals

High adoption: 12,063 starsActive community: 2,113 forksPermissive license (Apache-2.0)

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