Jami vs Mattermost (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Jami if

• Fits if you want private calls and chat without an account on a company server
• Works for a small group on mixed Windows, Mac, Linux and phone devices

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you need channels, a directory or an admin console, as none are listed
• Skip it if you want a mature browser version, since the web version is a first preview as of September 2026
• Too light for company rollouts, as it is closer to a messenger than a workspace
• Watch out: the project runs on donations and is a GNU project of Savoir-faire Linux

Pick Mattermost if

• Fits if your chat has to stay on your own servers or on an air-gapped network
• Works for technical teams who can run and maintain their own server

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if nobody on the team wants to run a server, as it's self-hosted by design
• Not for you if you want to see a price before talking to anyone, because every paid license is quoted by sales
• Tight if you rely on the free Entry mode, which only shows the latest 10,000 channel messages and has community support
• Watch out: Team Edition has no single sign-on, and the vendor doesn't recommend it for sensitive work
• Pricey if you need workflow automation or boards, as both start on Enterprise, sold as prepaid annual seats

Jami

• The site lists no admin console, directory or team workspace features such as channels; it is closer to a messenger than a team chat suite.
• The vendor lists a first preview of Jami Web as of September 2026, so there is no mature browser version.
• The project is funded by donations and is a GNU project of Savoir-faire Linux.

Mattermost

• No prices are published: Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Advanced are quoted by sales and sold as prepaid annual seat subscriptions.
• Entry shows only the latest 10,000 channel messages and has community support only; the vendor suggests it for teams of fewer than 50 users.
• It is self-hosted by design; the only vendor-hosted option described is single-tenant Mattermost Cloud Enterprise, arranged through sales.
• Team Edition has no single sign-on, and the vendor does not recommend it for government or sensitive commercial workloads.

Jami

Instant messaging and group chats

Text chat with individuals and groups, plus audio and video message recording.

Audio and video calls

One-to-one calls with screen sharing and media streaming, including video conferences and rendezvous points that need no third-party hosting.

Peer-to-peer design

Jami says it needs no server to relay data between users and uses end-to-end encryption with perfect forward secrecy.

Multiple devices per account

Several devices can be linked to one Jami account, and no personal information is required to create it.

Extension platform and SIP

A built-in extension platform adds features, and Jami can also act as a SIP client.

Mattermost

Channel-based messaging

1-1 and group messages, public and private channels, threaded discussions, file sharing and search across web, desktop and mobile, in 20 languages.

Playbooks

Repeatable playbooks for incident response, change management and compliance, with conditional checklists and escalation. The pricing page lists workflow automation from Enterprise.

Calls and screen sharing

1:1 audio calls with screen sharing are in every paid package, and group calls support about 50 concurrent users per self-hosted server. A 40-minute call limit is planned for Entry.

Boards

Kanban, table, calendar and gallery boards for assigning and tracking tasks next to the conversation. The pricing page lists work management from Enterprise.

AI agents

Agents summarize conversations and take actions using an LLM provider the customer chooses, or a self-hosted model in air-gapped environments.

Integrations and API

A REST API with an OpenAPI 3.0 spec, webhooks, slash commands and a plugin platform, with prebuilt integrations for tools such as Jira, GitHub and GitLab.

Jami

• Free$0

  No paid plans. The site says there are no limits on file size, accounts or storage, and asks for donations.

Mattermost

• Entry$0

  Free mode of the Enterprise Edition: Enterprise Advanced features with 10,000 viewable messages, community support, and no compliance or high availability.

• Team Edition$0

  Open-source, MIT-licensed edition for small teams and personal use under 250 activated users, without single sign-on.

• ProfessionalCustom

  For teams of up to 250 users: single sign-on, AD/LDAP sync, guest accounts and next-business-day support. Sold as prepaid annual seats.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Adds workflow automation, work management boards, compliance and data retention tools, federated communications and high availability.

• Enterprise AdvancedCustom

  Adds zero-trust attribute-based access controls, classification banners, burn-on-read messages and support for air-gapped environments.

Jami

No public discounts listed.

Mattermost

• Nonprofit

  3-year Professional license for $250

  Eligible nonprofit and open-source organizations can apply for a 3-year self-hosted Mattermost Professional subscription for up to 1,000 users for a $250 fee.