# Rocket.Chat

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

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.

- **Category:** Team Communication
- **Made by:** Rocket.Chat Technologies Corp. (since 2015)
- **Website:** https://www.rocket.chat
- **Runs on:** Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Rocket.Chat has a free plan.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **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.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starter | $0 | Self-managed workspace for up to 50 users with SSO, LDAP, multi-factor authentication, end-to-end encryption and community-only support. |
| Community | $0 | Open-source (MIT) edition with core messaging only, up to 100 concurrent users and push notifications capped at 10,000 a month. |
| Commercial | Custom | For commercial enterprises: on-premises, private cloud or dedicated cloud hosting, high availability and regulatory compliance features. |
| Government | Custom | For public sector agencies: on-premises or sovereign cloud deployment, tamper-evident audit logs, retention policies and Matrix federation. |
| Defense | Custom | For defense and intelligence: air-gapped deployment, DoD ATO up to IL6, FIPS 140-3 validated cryptography and clearance-based access control. |

Read from https://www.rocket.chat/plans on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Rocket.Chat before buying.

## 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.

## 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.

## Works with

Jitsi, Pexip, BigBlueButton, Google Meet, Zoom

**Tags:** Team chat, Open source, Self-hostable, End-to-end encrypted, 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-rocket-chat)
- [Element](https://toolgpa.com/tools/element): End-to-end encrypted chat and calls on the Matrix standard. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/element-vs-rocket-chat)
- [Zulip](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zulip): Open-source team chat that organizes channels by topic. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/rocket-chat-vs-zulip)
- [Slack](https://toolgpa.com/tools/slack): Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/rocket-chat-vs-slack)
- [Microsoft Teams](https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-teams): Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/microsoft-teams-vs-rocket-chat)

## Sources

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

- https://www.rocket.chat/plans
- https://www.rocket.chat/get-started
- https://www.rocket.chat/download-apps
- https://docs.rocket.chat/docs/desktop-mobile-apps.md
- https://docs.rocket.chat/docs/minimum-requirements-for-client-apps.md
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rocket-chat/id1086818840
- https://www.rocket.chat/company/about-us

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/rocket-chat
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).