Rocket.Chat is a team communication tool for Enterprise and Developers, offered as open source. Founded in Brazil in 2015.
About Rocket.Chat
Rocket.Chat is an open-source communications platform that started in Brazil in 2015 and is used by governments, defense organizations, universities and companies that need full control of their data. It combines team messaging with an omnichannel contact center for customer conversations, and it can be self-hosted, deployed in air-gapped environments or used as a cloud service.
Team features include channels, direct messages, threads, discussions, file sharing, audio and video calls, end-to-end encrypted rooms, LDAP and SSO, and federation with other servers through the Matrix protocol. The Omnichannel module routes conversations from web live chat, WhatsApp, email, SMS and social channels into agent queues with canned responses and supervisor monitoring, and a marketplace adds apps and integrations. The free Community edition and the Starter plan (up to 50 users) cover small workspaces, while Commercial, Government and Defense plans are quoted by sales; the former Pro plan is no longer sold to new customers.
Rocket.Chat suits organizations that need data sovereignty and want team chat and customer messaging in one self-hosted product. The interface is less polished than Slack, self-hosting at scale requires ongoing maintenance and performance tuning, and the integration catalog is smaller. Mattermost is the closest open-source rival with a focus on DevOps and secure operations, Element offers Matrix-native secure messaging, and Slack or Microsoft Teams remain easier for companies without hosting requirements.
Key features of Rocket.Chat
- Team chat and video
- Omnichannel customer service
- Federation
- Self-hosting
- E2E encryption
- Marketplace apps
Pros and cons
Pros
- Open source
- Omnichannel built in
- Data control
- Affordable
Cons
- UX less polished
- Self-hosting upkeep
- Fewer integrations
- Performance tuning
Rocket.Chat pricing
Rocket.Chat uses a open source model.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Community | $0 | Free self-managed open source workspace |
| Starter | $0 | Free premium features for up to 50 users (docs.rocket.chat) |
| Commercial | Custom | Get pricing from sales |
| Government | Custom | Custom quote |
| Defense | Custom | Contact us |
Source: www.rocket.chat · checked on Oct 20, 2026
How Rocket.Chat compares in Team communication
- Rank by votes
- #1 / 25
- Starting price
- $0
- Free alternatives
- 5
0 votes from members
Category median is $10/mo
Free or open-source tools in Team communication
Rocket.Chat ranks #1 of 25 team communication tools by community votes and is not directly comparable on price.
Common use cases
- 1Government internal chat
- 2Customer service via WhatsApp
- 3Federated communities
- 4Privacy-focused companies
Best for
Organizations wanting open-source chat plus omnichannel.
Not ideal for
Teams wanting turnkey polish.
Integrations
- LDAP
- SAML
- Telegram
- Matrix federation
- Webhooks
Our take
Rocket.Chat is the open-source chat with customer messaging built in.
FAQ
- What is Rocket.Chat?
- Rocket.Chat is a Team communication tool: Open-source team chat and omnichannel.
- How much does Rocket.Chat cost?
- Rocket.Chat is Open source; there is no mandatory paid plan.
- What does Rocket.Chat integrate with?
- Rocket.Chat integrates with LDAP, SAML, WhatsApp, Telegram, Matrix federation, Webhooks and more.
- Which platforms does Rocket.Chat support?
- Rocket.Chat is available on web, macos, windows, ios, android.
- Who is Rocket.Chat for?
- Organizations wanting open-source chat plus omnichannel.
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