# Openfire review (2026): is it any good? > Open-source XMPP chat server you run on your own hardware Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Openfire is a real-time collaboration server built on XMPP and released under the Apache License. You install it on your own machine and connect XMPP chat clients to it. It is developed by the Ignite Realtime community and has plugins and a separate Spark desktop client. - **Category:** Team Communication - **Made by:** Ignite Realtime - **Website:** https://www.igniterealtime.org/projects/openfire/ - **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Linux - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you do not want to maintain a server, since there is no hosted version. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Openfire is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free to download and run under the Apache License; no paid edition is listed. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Open source | $0 | Self-hosted server under the Apache License. You supply the machine and a Java runtime. | Read from https://www.igniterealtime.org/projects/openfire/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Openfire before buying. ## Key features - **XMPP server:** Built on XMPP, which the project describes as the widely adopted open protocol for instant messaging. - **Plugins:** An archive of plugins extends the server, for example one that deploys the third-party Converse web client. - **Admin console:** The server is administered through a console, and plugins can be installed from it. - **Recent XMPP security work:** Project posts describe SASL2, Bind2 and FAST connection extensions and SCRAM-SHA-512-PLUS support. - **Own desktop client:** The same project publishes Spark, a cross-platform desktop chat client for organizations. ## Good for - IT teams that want to host their own chat server - Organizations that need XMPP compatibility with existing clients - Anyone who wants the server source under an open license ## Worth knowing - It is server software: you install and maintain it yourself. Releases from 4.7.0 on no longer bundle a Java runtime, so you install one separately. - Installers are listed for Windows, macOS (dmg), Debian and RPM packages, and a Unix tarball. No hosted version is offered on the pages read. - The Spark desktop client download listed was last updated in March 2023. - Support comes from the community through the project's forums and issue tracker; the pages read list no paid support. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Openfire is a free XMPP chat server you install and run yourself, with plugins and an admin console. It needs a separate Java runtime, there is no hosted version and the vendor offers no paid support, only a community forum. - **Value for money: C.** Free under the Apache License, but only useful if you host it, which needs a server. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright, with no paid edition and no cap. - **Features: C.** XMPP server, plugins and admin console. The matching Spark desktop client was last updated in March 2023. - **Ease of use: D.** No rating on record. You install a server, supply a Java runtime and maintain it. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux servers, with plugins. Clients are separate, and no hosted version exists. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Ignite Realtime's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among team communication apps - Openfire's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 9 of the 75 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 19. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 60 of 75) and worst on ease of use (D, above 1). - Openfire has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/team-chat ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Openfire is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 47 of the 75 other team communication apps grade higher. - You could not: Chat that a whole team counts on staying up. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Converse, Spark and Smack among them, and has an API. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions. - You could not: Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Converse, Spark, Smack **Tags:** Open source, Self-hostable, Team chat, Public API ## Alternatives - [ejabberd](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ejabberd): Erlang messaging server for XMPP, MQTT, SIP and Matrix. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ejabberd-vs-openfire) - [Mattermost](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mattermost): Self-hosted team messaging with playbooks, calls and boards. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mattermost-vs-openfire) - [Rocket.Chat](https://toolgpa.com/tools/rocket-chat): Open-source, self-managed chat for security-focused teams. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/openfire-vs-rocket-chat) - [Zulip](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zulip): Open-source team chat that organizes channels by topic. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/openfire-vs-zulip) - [Matrix](https://toolgpa.com/tools/matrix): Open, decentralized network for chat and calls. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/matrix-vs-openfire) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.igniterealtime.org/projects/openfire/ - https://www.igniterealtime.org/downloads/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/openfire Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).