neko vs Novu
| Tagline | Self-hosted virtual browser and screen share room for remote collaboration | Open-source notification infrastructure for multi-channel developer alerts |
| Category | Team Chat & Collaboration | Team Chat & Collaboration |
| Replaces | Discord, Microsoft Teams | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
| GitHub stars | 8.7k | 39k |
| Language | Go | Docker |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Self-host difficulty | 2/5 Easy | 3/5 Moderate |
| Deploy options | Docker Docker Compose | Docker Docker Compose |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 1 month ago | 5 days ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
neko
- Primarily a screen-sharing tool; lacks persistent text chat or channels
- WebRTC requires open UDP ports, complicating setups behind strict firewalls
- No persistent user accounts or roles beyond admin/participant
Novu
- Not a real-time team chat; it is a notification delivery layer, not a conversation platform.
- Self-hosted setup requires Postgres, MongoDB, Redis, and S3-compatible storage, adding operational burden.
- Managed cloud features (advanced analytics, SLA guarantees) are not available in the open-source edition.
- Mobile SDK for in-app notifications has fewer features than commercial equivalents like OneSignal.
Bottom line
Choose neko if you want the lower-effort setup; choose Novu for the larger community and ecosystem. Novu has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.