# ONCE Campfire

> Self-hosted group chat from 37signals, free and open source

Campfire is a self-hosted group chat system from 37signals, part of its ONCE line of software that you install and run on your own server. It covers the basics of team chat: open and private rooms, direct messages, @mentions, search and file attachments, used from a browser or as a mobile web app. The software is free and open source under the MIT License.

- **Category:** Team Communication
- **Made by:** 37signals LLC (since 2024)
- **Website:** https://once.com/campfire
- **Runs on:** Web
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

ONCE Campfire is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** Entirely free and open source under the MIT License, with free updates. You install it on a server you control, so the cost of hosting is yours.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Campfire | $0 | Easy installation, free updates and the full source code. Self-hosted only. |

Read from https://once.com/campfire on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with ONCE Campfire before buying.

## Key features

- **Rooms and direct messages:** Rooms can be open to everyone in the organization or private to some members, with direct messages alongside. Rooms with unread messages are highlighted.
- **@mentions and search:** @mentions call out specific people, and previous searches are saved to the sidebar so they can be run again.
- **Mobile web app:** Works in a mobile browser or as a Progressive Web App launched from the home screen, with icon badges and push notifications.
- **One-command installation:** Installed through the ONCE CLI with a single command on a laptop, an office server or a cloud host. 2 GB of RAM and 1 CPU are listed for 250 concurrent users.
- **Automatic updates:** Each installation checks for updates once a day and installs them automatically; this can be switched off to update by hand.
- **Chatbots over an HTTP API:** Bots can be built for an instance with a simple HTTP API for sending and receiving messages and attachments.

## Good for

- Teams that want group chat without a recurring subscription
- Organizations that must keep chat data on their own servers
- Air-gapped or high-security networks with no internet access
- A separate private chat for a board, an event or a community

## Worth knowing

- There is no hosted version: someone has to install and maintain it on a server you control.
- There are no native iOS or Android apps; phones use the mobile web or a Progressive Web App.
- Slack and Teams data cannot be imported.
- The site describes text chat only and mentions no voice or video calling.

**Tags:** Team chat, Open source, Self-hostable, File sharing, Public API

## Alternatives

- [Mattermost](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mattermost): Self-hosted team messaging with playbooks, calls and boards. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mattermost-vs-once-campfire)
- [Rocket.Chat](https://toolgpa.com/tools/rocket-chat): Open-source, self-managed chat for security-focused teams. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/once-campfire-vs-rocket-chat)
- [Zulip](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zulip): Open-source team chat that organizes channels by topic. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/once-campfire-vs-zulip)
- [Element](https://toolgpa.com/tools/element): End-to-end encrypted chat and calls on the Matrix standard. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/element-vs-once-campfire)
- [Slack](https://toolgpa.com/tools/slack): Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/once-campfire-vs-slack)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://once.com/campfire
- https://once.com/campfire/changelog
- https://once.com/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/once-campfire
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).