4 Best Rocket.Chat Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 14 min read
Rocket.Chat is a popular tool for organizations needing open-source, compliant chat. While it offers a free tier (Free (self-hosted)), its paid plans start at $4/user/mo. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 4 best Rocket.Chat alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 4
- Free alternatives: 4 (Slack, Mattermost, Element)
- Open-source options: Mattermost, Element, Zulip
- Best overall: Slack
- Best free: Slack
Why Look for Rocket.Chat Alternatives?
People commonly look for Rocket.Chat alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: While Rocket.Chat has a free tier, its paid plans starting at $4/user/mo can add up quickly for growing teams.
- Feature gaps: Resource heavy and complex setup are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Rocket.Chat overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket.Chat | ✓ Free (self-hosted) | $4/user/mo | ⭐ 4 | ✓ Yes | Organizations needing open-source, compliant chat |
| Slack | ✓ 90-day message history | $8.75/user/mo | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Teams of all sizes |
| Mattermost | ✓ Free (self-hosted) | $10/user/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | ✓ Yes | Security-conscious organizations |
| Element | ✓ Free (self-hosted or matrix.org) | $5/user/mo | ⭐ 3.9 | ✓ Yes | Privacy-focused organizations |
| Zulip | ✓ Free (self-hosted or cloud) | $6.67/user/mo | ⭐ 4 | ✓ Yes | Teams needing organized, threaded conversations |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
Slack
Business communication platform for team messaging and collaboration.
Slack is the leading business communication platform, used by millions of teams worldwide for messaging, file sharing, and integrating with other work tools. Now owned by Salesforce, Slack has defined the category of team messaging with its channel-based communication model, extensive app integrations, and searchable message history.
Pros
- ✓ Industry standard
- ✓ Massive integration ecosystem
- ✓ Great search
- ✓ Familiar to most teams
Cons
- ✗ Expensive at scale
- ✗ Can be distracting
- ✗ Limited free plan now
- ✗ Message history limits
Mattermost
Open-source, self-hosted Slack alternative for secure team communication.
Mattermost is an open-source messaging platform that provides a secure, self-hosted alternative to Slack. It's popular among organizations with strict security requirements, including government agencies and financial institutions. Mattermost offers channels, direct messaging, file sharing, and integrations while keeping all data under your control.
Pros
- ✓ Open source
- ✓ Self-hosted
- ✓ High security
- ✓ Slack-like interface
Cons
- ✗ Requires hosting
- ✗ Fewer integrations
- ✗ Complex setup
- ✗ Smaller ecosystem
Element
Secure messaging app built on the Matrix protocol.
Element is a secure messaging platform built on the open Matrix protocol. It offers end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice, and video calls with the ability to bridge to other platforms like Slack, Discord, and Teams. Element can be self-hosted and is used by governments and enterprises for secure communication.
Pros
- ✓ End-to-end encrypted
- ✓ Open protocol
- ✓ Bridges to other apps
- ✓ Self-hostable
Cons
- ✗ Complex setup
- ✗ Smaller user base
- ✗ UI needs work
- ✗ Performance issues
Zulip
Open-source team chat with unique topic-based threading.
Zulip is an open-source team chat application with a unique topic-based threading model that makes it easier to follow conversations than traditional channel-based chat. Used by large open-source projects and companies, Zulip excels when teams need organized, threaded discussions.
Pros
- ✓ Unique threading model
- ✓ Open source
- ✓ Free self-hosted
- ✓ Good for async
Cons
- ✗ Unfamiliar UI
- ✗ Smaller community
- ✗ Learning curve
- ✗ Fewer integrations
🏆 Our Recommendations
Best Overall Alternative:
Slack — Teams of all sizes
Best Free Alternative:
Slack — 90-day message history
Best Open-Source Alternative:
Mattermost — Security-conscious organizations
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Rocket.Chat?
The best free alternative to Rocket.Chat is Slack, which offers 90-day message history.
Is there an open-source alternative to Rocket.Chat?
Yes! Mattermost, Element, Zulip are open-source alternatives to Rocket.Chat that you can self-host for free.
What is the cheapest alternative to Rocket.Chat?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: Slack, Mattermost, Element. For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $5/mo.
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