ejabberd vs MongooseIM vs Tigase

ejabberd

Open Source / Custom · From Free (Community Edition); Business Edition custom-priced

Best for: Teams that want a single server covering XMPP, MQTT, and SIP with a proven track record at extreme scale.

MongooseIM

Open Source (with paid enterprise support and services) · From Free (open source); enterprise support custom-priced

Best for: Enterprises wanting a fault-tolerant Erlang/OTP messaging backbone with REST, WebSocket, and BOSH client connectivity plus services-based support.

Tigase

open-source · From Free (AGPLv3); commercial licensing available on request

Best for: Java-based teams or vendors that need a JVM-native XMPP server with a commercial license option for closed-source products.

ejabberd

MongooseIM

Tigase

ejabberd

Pros

• Proven at extreme scale, having powered WhatsApp-influenced architecture and the Nintendo Switch's chat network
• Fully open-source Community Edition with no licensing cost for self-hosted production use
• Multi-protocol support (XMPP, MQTT, SIP) in a single server reduces infrastructure sprawl
• Erlang-based architecture provides strong fault tolerance and horizontal clustering

Cons

• Erlang is a niche language, which can raise the learning curve for teams without prior experience
• Business Edition and Fluux cloud pricing are not published and require direct sales contact
• XMPP as a protocol is older and less trendy than newer alternatives like Matrix for end-to-end encrypted messaging
• Community Edition support relies on community forums and documentation rather than a formal SLA

MongooseIM

Pros

• Fully open source with no licensing cost
• Erlang/OTP foundation gives strong fault tolerance and horizontal scalability
• Built on the open XMPP standard, avoiding proprietary vendor lock-in
• Supports multiple client connection protocols (REST, WebSockets, BOSH)
• Backed by Erlang Solutions' deep in-house Erlang/Elixir expertise and support services

Cons

• Requires Erlang expertise to operate, customize, and troubleshoot effectively
• Self-hosted, so teams bear infrastructure and operational responsibility
• Smaller community and ecosystem than mainstream SaaS chat APIs
• Enterprise support pricing is not public and must be negotiated directly
• Steeper learning curve than plug-and-play chat APIs like Sendbird or PubNub

Tigase

Pros

• Mature, battle-tested XMPP implementation with roots dating back to 2004
• Free and open source under AGPLv3 for self-hosted deployment
• Highly scalable through horizontal clustering for large deployments
• Active involvement in XMPP protocol standards as a Foundation sponsor
• Flexible commercial licensing available for proprietary, closed-source use

Cons

• XMPP has a steeper learning curve than many modern REST or WebSocket-based chat APIs
• Documentation can be dense for developers new to the protocol
• Smaller community and ecosystem than mainstream hosted chat infrastructure providers
• Commercial licensing and support pricing are not publicly published and require a sales inquiry

ejabberd

• In-app chat for consumer apps — Engineering teams embed ejabberd as the real-time messaging backend for chat features in mobile and web applications.
• IoT device messaging — Companies use ejabberd's built-in MQTT broker to handle telemetry and command messaging between IoT devices and backend systems.
• Large-scale gaming and telecom infrastructure — Gaming platforms and telecom operators deploy ejabberd clusters to handle millions of concurrent presence and messaging connections.

MongooseIM

• Enterprise messaging infrastructure — Large organizations self-host MongooseIM to run internal or customer-facing chat at scale without depending on a third-party SaaS provider.
• In-app chat for messaging and social apps — Messaging-product companies use MongooseIM as the backend for real-time one-to-one and group chat features in their apps.
• IoT and telecom-grade real-time systems — Telecom and IoT platforms use MongooseIM's fault-tolerant Erlang foundation for reliable, always-on messaging and signaling infrastructure.

Tigase

• Self-hosted enterprise messaging — Enterprises needing standards-based, self-hosted real-time messaging with full control over their infrastructure.
• IoT presence and messaging — IoT platforms use Tigase's lightweight protocol support for device presence and messaging.
• Compliance-sensitive chat infrastructure — Organizations needing data residency and compliance control build secure chat systems on Tigase rather than third-party hosted APIs.