Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat
Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial
Mattermost
Open-source, self-hosted team messaging for secure environments.
Rocket.Chat
Open-source chat platform with federation and omnichannel.
The short answer
Both are open-source, self-hostable team chat platforms for organisations that need control over their data. Mattermost suits engineering and security teams wanting a Slack-like workspace with playbooks and developer integrations. Rocket.Chat suits organisations that also need a customer-facing inbox, end-to-end encrypted rooms or federation with Matrix. The biggest difference is scope: Mattermost focuses on internal collaboration, while Rocket.Chat combines team chat with omnichannel customer messaging.
Mattermost or Rocket.Chat: our take
Mattermost offers channel-based messaging, calls and workflow playbooks, designed to run in your own data centre or private cloud. Its interface is close to Slack's, which eases migration, and it integrates with developer tools such as GitLab and Jira. It is used heavily in government, defence, finance and security teams. Rocket.Chat covers channels and direct messages as well, and can be self-hosted or run in Rocket.Chat's cloud. Its distinguishing features are omnichannel tools that bring website chat, email and messaging apps into one inbox, end-to-end encrypted rooms and federation with Matrix, so users can talk to people on other servers. It is used in government, healthcare and education where data sovereignty matters.
Both are open source with free editions you can self-host: Mattermost's free self-hosted edition and Rocket.Chat's community edition. Paid plans on each add enterprise controls and support; Mattermost highlights compliance features and high availability, while Rocket.Chat's paid tiers add higher limits for larger deployments. Both run on web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. The trade-offs are similar too: self-hosting means maintenance, and setup and upgrades take effort. Mattermost's integration catalogue is smaller than Slack's, and Rocket.Chat's interface is generally seen as less polished than Slack's, so neither matches hosted tools on finish.
Choose Mattermost if you want a focused internal chat tool that feels familiar to Slack users and fits developer and incident workflows. Choose Rocket.Chat if one platform must handle both staff chat and conversations with customers, or if Matrix federation and encrypted rooms are requirements. If you only need internal chat, Mattermost is usually the simpler fit; if customer messaging is on the list, Rocket.Chat avoids buying a second tool.
Which should you pick?
Choose Mattermost if…
- Security-conscious organizations that must self-host chat
- Open source and self-hosted
- Slack-like interface
Choose Rocket.Chat if…
- Teams that need self-hosted chat plus customer messaging
- Open source and self-hostable
- Omnichannel customer inbox
About each app
What is Mattermost?
Mattermost is an open-source collaboration platform offering channel-based messaging, calls and workflow playbooks, designed to be self-hosted in your own data center or private cloud. It is popular with government, defense, finance and security teams that need control over where their data lives, and it integrates with developer tools such as GitLab and Jira. Teams can run the free self-hosted edition or buy enterprise plans for compliance features, high availability and support. Its interface will feel familiar to Slack users, which eases migration for teams moving away from hosted chat.
What is Rocket.Chat?
Rocket.Chat is an open-source communications platform for team chat, customer service and secure messaging, which you can self-host or run in Rocket.Chat's cloud. Besides channels and direct messages, it offers omnichannel features that bring website chat, email and messaging apps into one inbox, plus end-to-end encrypted rooms and federation with Matrix. Organizations in government, healthcare and education use it when data sovereignty matters. The community edition is free to self-host, with paid plans adding enterprise controls, support and higher limits for larger deployments.
Side by side
| Attribute | Mattermost | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Open source | Open source |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted |
| Best for | Security-conscious organizations that must self-host chat | Teams that need self-hosted chat plus customer messaging |
| Status | Active | Active |
Verified facts, compared
Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.
Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat pricing
Mattermost: open source
We couldn't verify Mattermost's plan details on its own site yet, so we don't list them.
Mattermost pricing pageRocket.Chat: open source
We couldn't verify Rocket.Chat's plan details on its own site yet, so we don't list them.
Rocket.Chat pricing pagePlatforms
| Platform | Mattermost | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Self-hosted |
Mattermost facts
1 of 3 verified- Self-hosting
- Yes
- Checked Oct 24, 2026mattermost.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “collaboration, automation and AI in private cloud, self-hosted, and air-gapped environments.”
Rocket.Chat facts
1 of 3 verified- Self-hosting
- Yes
- Checked Oct 24, 2026rocket.chat(opens source in a new tab)
- “See what's new in v8.5 Platform Data privacy & sovereignty Deploy in the cloud, on-premises, or air-gapped”
Pros and cons of Mattermost
- Open source and self-hosted
- Slack-like interface
- Strong compliance options
- Self-hosting requires maintenance
- Smaller integration catalog than Slack
Pros and cons of Rocket.Chat
- Open source and self-hostable
- Omnichannel customer inbox
- Matrix federation
- Setup and upgrades take effort
- Interface less polished than Slack
Other apps to consider
Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat: common questions
Is Mattermost better than Rocket.Chat?
Both are open-source, self-hostable team chat platforms for organisations that need control over their data. Mattermost suits engineering and security teams wanting a Slack-like workspace with playbooks and developer integrations. Rocket.Chat suits organisations that also need a customer-facing inbox, end-to-end encrypted rooms or federation with Matrix. The biggest difference is scope: Mattermost focuses on internal collaboration, while Rocket.Chat combines team chat with omnichannel customer messaging.
Is Mattermost free?
Yes. Mattermost is free, open-source software you can host yourself.
Is Rocket.Chat free?
Yes. Rocket.Chat is free, open-source software you can host yourself.
Is Mattermost or Rocket.Chat open source?
Both are open source.
Which platforms do Mattermost and Rocket.Chat support?
Mattermost: Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Self-hosted. Rocket.Chat: Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Self-hosted.