BigBlueButton
Supports real-time sharing of audio, video, slides (with whiteboard controls), chat, and the screen. Instructors can engage remote students with polling, emojis, and breakout rooms.
BigBlueButton vs Jitsi Meet
Two self-hosted Communication - Video Conferencing apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| BigBlueButton | Jitsi Meet | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Supports real-time sharing of audio, video, slides (with whiteboard controls), chat, and the screen. Instructors can engage remote students with polling, emojis, and breakout rooms. | WebRTC application that uses Jitsi Videobridge to provide high quality, scalable video conferences. |
| GitHub stars | 9,268 | 30,200 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 2.5k | 912 |
| Last activity | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-04 |
| Latest release | v4.0.1 (2026-10-29) | stable/jitsi-meet_11248 (2026-09-14) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language / platform | Java | Nodejs, Docker, deb |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~4 GB, 2 vCPU | ~4 GB, 2 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $20/mo | $20/mo |
| Categories | Communication - Video Conferencing | Communication - Video Conferencing |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Jitsi Meet is more popular on GitHub: 30.2k stars vs 9.3k for BigBlueButton.
- BigBlueButton had more commits in the last 12 months (2,531 vs 912).
- BigBlueButton published a release more recently (v4.0.1 on 2026-10-29; Jitsi Meet's latest is stable/jitsi-meet_11248 on 2026-09-14).
- BigBlueButton is licensed under LGPL-3.0, Jitsi Meet under Apache-2.0. Jitsi Meet's license is permissive; BigBlueButton's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
- BigBlueButton is written in Java; Jitsi Meet in Nodejs.
- Deployment options listed upstream: BigBlueButton: none listed; Jitsi Meet: Docker, deb.
Summary: BigBlueButton leads on commit activity; Jitsi Meet leads on GitHub popularity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is BigBlueButton or Jitsi Meet more popular?
Jitsi Meet has more GitHub stars (30,200 vs 9,268 for BigBlueButton, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, BigBlueButton or Jitsi Meet?
BigBlueButton had more commits over the last 12 months (2,531 vs 912). Both had repository activity on 2026-11-04. Our health labels: BigBlueButton is “Active”, Jitsi Meet is “Active”.
What licenses do BigBlueButton and Jitsi Meet use?
BigBlueButton: LGPL-3.0. Jitsi Meet: Apache-2.0. Jitsi Meet's license is permissive; BigBlueButton's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
Can I run BigBlueButton and Jitsi Meet with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for Jitsi Meet. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Jitsi Meet
WebRTC application that uses Jitsi Videobridge to provide high quality, scalable video conferences.
Browse all self-hosted Communication - Video Conferencing apps.