Real time Swift iOS Chat with Firebase - Messenger Clone by instamobile
Messenger Clone - Real-time iOS Chat with Firebase Firestore written in Swift
About Real time Swift iOS Chat with Firebase - Messenger Clone
From the project's README at github.com/instamobile/messenger-iOS-chat-swift-firestore. Lightly cleaned for readability; for the full source see the upstream repo.
This is an extremely simple chat app source code of an iOS Swift Chat app. It leverages MessageKit and it stores and retrieves data to/from Firebase Firestore. The app design is inspired by Facebook Messenger. Clone the iOS Chat App Source Code and add a fully fledged chat to your app in minutes.
Learn how to build your own iOS chat feature with only a few lines of code. Clone this iOS chat app source code and get started by following the steps below. For more details, check out our detailed technical documentation on the official iOS Swift Chat app page.
If you get a build error in latest Xcode, make sure you run Xcode's Legacy Build System (File -> Workspace Settings).
Health score breakdown
6-dimension composite. See methodology for formula and weights.
Adoption signals
Real-world usage data, pulled from each registry. The bigger the numbers, the more battle-tested the project.
| Signal | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 792 | github.com/instamobile/messenger-iOS-chat-swift-firestore |
| GitHub forks | 130 | github.com/instamobile/messenger-iOS-chat-swift-firestore |
Release & maintenance
Is this project actively maintained, or about to die? Check the recency of last commit and last release.
| Project age | 7.7 years | since Sep 2018 |
| Last commit | 5 months ago | Nov 28, 2025 |
Self-hosting cost across providers
Detected requirements: 4GB RAM, 40GB disk minimum. Cheapest plan per provider that meets the requirement.
| Provider | Plan | Specs | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hetzner | CAX11 | 2c · 4GB · 40GB | $4.13 USD | Deploy → |
| vultr | VC2 | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5 USD | Deploy → |
| linode | Nanode 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5.12 USD | Deploy → |
| digitalocean | Basic Regular 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $6 USD | Deploy → |
Replaces these paid SaaS
Real time Swift iOS Chat with Firebase - Messenger Clone is one of the open-source alternatives to:
Ready to self-host Real time Swift iOS Chat with Firebase - Messenger Clone?
Spin up a hetzner CAX11 (4GB RAM, 40GB disk) for $4.13/mo and follow the project's official install docs.
Data last refreshed May 7, 2026.
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