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Rocket.Chat

Open-source, self-managed chat for security-focused teams

Free planTeam ChatChecked Oct 5, 2026
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Rocket.Chat, as pictured on rocket.chat
How Rocket.Chat presents itself. Image from rocket.chat.

What is Rocket.Chat?

Rocket.Chat is an open-source communications platform that organizations run on their own infrastructure, in a private cloud or in air-gapped environments. It covers channels, direct messages, threads and file sharing, with video calls handled through integrations such as Jitsi, Pexip and Zoom. The free Starter plan allows up to 50 users on a self-managed workspace, and the paid plans for commercial, government and defense customers are quoted by sales.

Rocket.Chat has a free plan. See every plan

Good for

  • Organizations that must host chat themselves for data sovereignty
  • Small teams of up to 50 that can run their own server
  • Government and defense groups that need air-gapped deployment
  • Agencies that federate with partners over the Matrix protocol

Worth knowing

  • Paid plan prices are not published; Commercial, Government and Defense are quoted by sales.
  • Starter stops at 50 users, cannot be deployed air-gapped and has community support only, with no option to buy support.
  • The Community edition has core messaging only and 100 concurrent users, and the vendor says it is not suited to business-critical production use.
  • The free options are self-managed, so the team installs and maintains the server; Rocket.Chat-run hosting comes with paid plans.

Key features

Channels, direct messages and threads
Channels, groups, direct messages and threaded discussions with multimedia and file sharing, searchable message history, read receipts and an interface in 64 languages.
Deployment on your own terms
Workspaces run on-premises, in a private or sovereign cloud, or on Rocket.Chat's dedicated hosting. Air-gapped deployment is available on paid plans only.
Identity and access controls
Active Directory and LDAP authentication, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication and role-based access control are included from the free Starter plan.
Encryption and data policies
End-to-end encryption can be switched on for messages and files, alongside data retention policies, data loss prevention and content moderation.
Video through integrations
Calls connect through Pexip, Jitsi, BigBlueButton, Google Meet or Zoom on Starter. The Community edition supports Jitsi and BigBlueButton only.
Federation, apps and API
Matrix protocol federation links separate organizations in shared channels, and the Marketplace, Apps Engine and open API cover custom apps and integrations.

Rocket.Chat pricing

Starts at
Not published
Free plan
Starter: a free self-managed workspace for up to 50 users with single sign-on, end-to-end encryption and community support. The MIT-licensed Community edition is also free.
Free trial
Qualifying government, defense and critical infrastructure organizations can get a free guided, hosted evaluation.
Starter$0Self-managed workspace for up to 50 users with SSO, LDAP, multi-factor authentication, end-to-end encryption and community-only support.
Community$0Open-source (MIT) edition with core messaging only, up to 100 concurrent users and push notifications capped at 10,000 a month.
CommercialCustomFor commercial enterprises: on-premises, private cloud or dedicated cloud hosting, high availability and regulatory compliance features.
GovernmentCustomFor public sector agencies: on-premises or sovereign cloud deployment, tamper-evident audit logs, retention policies and Matrix federation.
DefenseCustomFor defense and intelligence: air-gapped deployment, DoD ATO up to IL6, FIPS 140-3 validated cryptography and clearance-based access control.

Read from rocket.chat on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Rocket.Chat before you buy.

Pricing in detail

Works with

Who makes Rocket.Chat

Rocket.Chat is made by the company of the same name, which develops the open-source chat platform together with outside contributors. It earns money from paid enterprise plans, managed hosting and professional services, alongside its free plans.

Founded
2015rocket.chat
Based
Fully remote, with a team in over 30 countriesrocket.chat
Ownership
Privately held. Privately held and venture-backed: its own press release names investors including Valor Capital Group, Greycroft, Monashees and NEA. Its pages name no parent company.rocket.chat
Funding
Raised $19 million in a Series A in February 2021 from Valor Capital Group, Greycroft, Monashees, NEA and others, by its own press release; TechCrunch put the total raised at $27 million at that point. A US$10 million Series A bridge round followed in September 2023, reported by FinSMEs and listed in its newsroom.rocket.chattechcrunch.comfinsmes.comrocket.chat
Team
Over 150 people ("Rocketeers") from over 30 countries, according to its About pagerocket.chat
Founders and leaders
Hiring
1 open role: Head of Product Marketing, in the marketing team, for Europe or Brazilrocket.chat
Partner program
Partner program for resellers and distributors, managed service providers, software vendors and system integrators, with special discounts on licences bought to resell, integrate or distribute. The rates are not published.rocket.chat
Lately
Follow

Read on Oct 6, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.

Rocket.Chat alternatives

All Rocket.Chat alternatives comparedAll team communication apps

Common questions

Is Rocket.Chat free?

Rocket.Chat has a free plan. Starter: a free self-managed workspace for up to 50 users with single sign-on, end-to-end encryption and community support. The MIT-licensed Community edition is also free.

How much does Rocket.Chat cost?

Rocket.Chat lists 5 plans. Starter: $0. Community: $0. Commercial: custom pricing. Government: custom pricing. Defense: custom pricing. Prices were read from rocket.chat on Oct 5, 2026.

What platforms does Rocket.Chat work on?

Rocket.Chat is available on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.

Is Rocket.Chat open source?

Yes. Rocket.Chat is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.

Is Rocket.Chat end-to-end encrypted?

Rocket.Chat describes itself as end-to-end encrypted on its own site. Nobody here has audited that.

Does Rocket.Chat have an API?

Yes. Rocket.Chat offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does Rocket.Chat integrate with?

Rocket.Chat's listing names Jitsi, Pexip, BigBlueButton, Google Meet and Zoom. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Does Rocket.Chat have a free trial?

Yes. Qualifying government, defense and critical infrastructure organizations can get a free guided, hosted evaluation.

Who makes Rocket.Chat?

Rocket.Chat is made by Rocket.Chat. Privately held and venture-backed: its own press release names investors including Valor Capital Group, Greycroft, Monashees and NEA. Its pages name no parent company. The company was founded in 2015.

What are the alternatives to Rocket.Chat?

The closest alternatives to Rocket.Chat in our directory are Mattermost, Element, Zulip, Slack and Microsoft Teams. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Rocket.Chat.

Sources for this page

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026.