Galène vs Neko: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Zoom. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| Galène | Neko | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Conferencing | Video Conferencing |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| GitHub stars | ~2k | ~9k |
| Tech stack | Go, WebRTC | Go, WebRTC, GStreamer |
| Replaces | Zoom | Zoom |
Neko has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
Galène
Ultra-lightweight video conferencing server, an alternative to Zoom on modest hardware.
ℹ️ The Galène project doesn't publish any official Docker image, only the Go binary — dscheirer/galene doesn't exist on Docker Hub. We use byteonabeach/galene, a third-party image that rebuilds the official stable release (1.0), but it isn't maintained by the Galène project itself: review its Dockerfile before trusting it in production.
Pros
- Runs on much more modest servers than Jitsi/BBB
Things to consider
- More basic interface, fewer features than Zoom
- No official Docker image from the project (see note above) — the one used here is from an external maintainer
Neko
Shared streaming virtual browser, for watch parties and collaboration.
Pros
- A unique use case Zoom doesn't cover well (a real shared browser)
Things to consider
- Not a general substitute for work video calls
Key features
Galène
- Extremely lightweight (a single Go binary)
- Supports hundreds of participants per room
- Local session recording
Neko
- Real-time shared browser
- Built-in voice and text chat
- Ideal for watch parties or remote tech support
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