Meow vs. the alternatives
A detailed comparison of Meow against Electron-based softphones, other native SIP clients, and browser-based softphones. See where Meow shines and where others might fit your needs.
#Performance
| Meow | Electron apps | Other native clients | Browser-based | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memory usage | ~60 MB (application memory) | 300–800 MB | 80–150 MB | 200–500 MB (browser tab) |
| Startup time | Under 1 second | 3–8 seconds | 2–4 seconds | Depends on browser |
| CPU idle | Near zero | 1–5% (Chromium overhead) | Near zero | Varies |
| Binary size | 41–53 MB download, 143 MB installed | 150–300 MB | ~40 MB | N/A (web app) |
#Audio & Codecs
| Meow | Electron apps | Other native clients | Browser-based | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio engine | Native (WASAPI / PipeWire via libpulse) | WebRTC (browser engine) | Native (ALSA / PulseAudio / PipeWire) | WebRTC |
| Codec support | Opus, G.722, G.711 | Usually Opus only | G.711, Opus, Speex, H.264 (video) | Opus (browser-dependent) |
| Audio device hot-plug | Yes (auto-detect) | Limited | Partial | Browser-dependent |
| Echo cancellation | Built-in (Speex AEC) | WebRTC AEC | Built-in AEC | WebRTC AEC |
#Desktop Integration
| Meow | Electron apps | Other native clients | Browser-based | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| System tray | Yes (native) | Yes (via Electron) | Yes | No |
| Native notifications | Yes (Windows / D-Bus) | Yes (Electron) | Yes | Browser notifications |
| Dark / light theme | Follows system theme | App-specific | Limited | App-specific |
| Auto-start on login | Yes | Usually yes | Yes | No |
| Global hotkeys | Planned | Some apps | No | No |
#SIP & Compatibility
| Meow | Electron apps | Other native clients | Browser-based | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIP protocol | Full SIP/SDP via baresip | SIP.js (limited) | Full SIP stack | SIP.js / JsSIP |
| PBX compatibility | Any SIP server | Often vendor-locked | Any SIP server | WebSocket SIP gateways |
| Multiple accounts | Yes (dual SIP accounts) | Varies | Yes | Varies |
| DTMF | RFC 2833 or SIP INFO | Usually RFC 2833 only | RFC 2833 + SIP INFO | RFC 2833 |
| Call transfer | Blind and attended | Varies | Yes | Limited |
| NAT traversal | STUN + symmetric RTP (no ICE) | WebRTC ICE | STUN / TURN / ICE | WebRTC ICE |
#Privacy & Security
| Meow | Electron apps | Other native clients | Browser-based | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Call routing | Direct to your PBX | Often via vendor servers | Direct to SIP server | Via WebSocket gateway |
| Telemetry | Asked on first run, one switch | Usually always-on | Minimal | Browser telemetry + app |
| Data stored locally | SQLite (your machine only) | Varies (some cloud-sync) | Local config files | Browser storage / cloud |
| TLS / SRTP | Yes | Yes (SRTP via WebRTC) | Yes | Yes (DTLS-SRTP) |
#Platform & Licensing
| Meow | Electron apps | Other native clients | Browser-based | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Linux, Windows, macOS | Linux, Windows, macOS, Mobile | Any (browser-based) |
| License | Commercial (14-day free trial) | Varies (free to paid) | Usually GPL or dual-licensed | Varies |
| Open source | No (proprietary) | Rarely | Yes | Varies |
| Technology | C++20, Qt 6, baresip | JavaScript, Chromium | C/C++ with Qt or GTK | JavaScript |
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