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The Rocket.Chat Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Rocket.Chat in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

Rocket.Chat

The Insider’s Guide

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

Rocket.Chat, as pictured on rocket.chat

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among team communication apps, read from Rocket.Chat’s own pages.

Made by Rocket.Chat Technologies Corp. · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.4GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Rocket.Chat’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Rocket.Chat’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.4

GPA, above 8 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade

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.

To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Rocket.Chat, taken from its own pages and our grades.

No rating on record, and both free routes are self-managed, so your team installs the server and keeps it running.
From our grade for ease of use
  1. 1

    Best for chat that never leaves your own servers

    Rocket.Chat is open-source chat for organizations that keep conversations on their own machines, up to air-gapped networks, and the free Starter plan takes 50 users with single sign-on and end-to-end encryption.

  2. 2

    There is 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.

  3. 3

    It runs on 6 platforms

    Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.

  4. 4

    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.

  5. 5

    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.

  6. 6

    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.

  7. 7

    A 2.4 GPA, above 8 of 33

    That is against the other team communication apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  8. 8

    Keep it

    To replace Rocket.Chat you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

Rocket.Chat at a glance

Pricing
Free plan
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
Qualifying government, defense and critical infrastructure organizations can get a free guided, hosted evaluation.
Runs on
Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Made by
Rocket.Chat Technologies Corp., since 2015
Category
Team Communication
Our grade
2.4 GPA, fair

The report card

Best for chat that never leaves your own servers

Rocket.Chat is open-source chat for organizations that keep conversations on their own machines, up to air-gapped networks, and the free Starter plan takes 50 users with single sign-on and end-to-end encryption. But you run the server yourself, Starter has community support only with no way to buy more, it hosts no calls of its own, and every paid plan is a call to sales.

ToolGPA report cardRocket.ChatGraded Oct 10, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyCNo price is published: Commercial, Government and Defense are all quoted by sales, so there's nothing to set against the $7 a month this category typically starts at. What you can price is the free end, and that's $0 for up to 50 self-managed users.
Free plan and trialBStarter costs nothing for 50 self-managed users with single sign-on, LDAP, multi-factor authentication and end-to-end encryption. The lines are drawn too, though. Support is community-only with no option to buy it, and air-gapped deployment needs a paid plan.
FeaturesCChannels, groups, direct messages and threads with searchable history in 64 languages, access controls, retention policies and Matrix federation. The hole is calls: Rocket.Chat hosts none itself, routing them through Pexip, Jitsi, BigBlueButton, Meet or Zoom, and Community handles only the first two.
Ease of useDNo rating on record, and both free routes are self-managed, so your team installs the server and keeps it running. Rocket.Chat-run hosting only arrives with a paid plan, which means a conversation with sales first.
Platforms and integrationsAWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. There's an open API, a Marketplace and the Apps Engine for building your own, ready-made links to Jitsi, Pexip, BigBlueButton, Google Meet and Zoom, and Matrix federation to share channels with other organizations.
Grade point averageFair, out of 4.02.4

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who Rocket.Chat is for

  • Fits if your organization must host its own chat on its own servers
  • Works for teams of up to 50 with someone who can run a server

Who it is not for

  • Skip it if you've nobody to install and maintain a server, since the free options are self-managed
  • Not for you if you need a price before you talk to sales, as none is published
  • Tight if you're past 50 users and hoped to stay on Starter, which stops there and can't run air-gapped
  • Watch out: Starter has community support only, and the free Community edition caps 100 concurrent users and isn't meant for production
  • Too light for teams that want calls built in, as Rocket.Chat routes them through Pexip, Jitsi, Meet or Zoom

Good to know

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.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

5

plans to choose from

Rocket.Chat has a free plan.

Support is community-only with no option to buy it, and air-gapped deployment needs a paid plan.
From our grade for free plan and trial

  • 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.

The 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.

Trying it first

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

Read from rocket.chat on Oct 5, 2026.

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

6

Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android

Open-source, self-managed chat for security-focused teams. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, end-to-end encrypted, public API, team chat, file sharing.

Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android.
From our grade for platforms and integrations
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.

Where it runs

  • Web
  • macOS
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • iOS
  • Android

What it works with

  • Jitsi
  • Pexip
  • BigBlueButton
  • Google Meet
  • Zoom

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.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

8/33

Other team communication apps it is graded above

Rocket.Chat's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 8 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 11.

It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 15 of 33) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 34 team communication apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Rocket.Chat’s own letter is outlined.

  • CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 33
  • BFree plan and trialAbove 23 of 33
  • CFeaturesAbove 0 of 33
  • DEase of useAbove 0 of 33
  • APlatforms and integrationsAbove 15 of 33

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

To replace Rocket.Chat you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 14 of the 33 other team communication apps grade higher. Rocket.Chat is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.

What you could not

  • Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
  • Storing and serving files for other people.
  • Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
  • It plugs into other products, Jitsi, Pexip and BigBlueButton among them, and has an API.
  • End-to-end encryption done properly.
  • What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on and roles and permissions.

What this rests on. Rocket.Chat’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Mattermost, Element, Zulip, Slack and Microsoft Teams

The 5 tools Rocket.Chat is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

  • 2.4GPA

    Mattermost

    Free plan

    Self-hosted team messaging with playbooks, calls and boards.

    • Rocket.Chat is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
    • Rocket.Chat also covers file sharing.
    • Mattermost also covers kanban boards, workflow automation and AI agents.
    Rocket.Chat and Mattermost compared in full
  • 2.8GPA

    Element

    Free plan

    End-to-end encrypted chat and calls on the Matrix standard.

    • Element also covers video calls.
    Rocket.Chat and Element compared in full
  • 2.8GPA

    Zulip

    Free plan · from $3.50/mo

    Open-source team chat that organizes channels by topic.

    • Rocket.Chat is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
    Rocket.Chat and Zulip compared in full
  • 2.8GPA

    Slack

    Free plan · from $7.25/mo

    Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI.

    • Rocket.Chat is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
    • Slack also covers workflow automation, documents and video calls.
    Rocket.Chat and Slack compared in full
  • 3.0GPA

    Microsoft Teams

    Free plan · from $4.00/mo

    Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365.

    • Only Rocket.Chat lists a Linux app.
    • Rocket.Chat is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
    • Microsoft Teams also covers transcription, noise cancellation, whiteboard and video calls.
    Rocket.Chat and Microsoft Teams compared in full

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

12

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

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.

How much does Rocket.Chat cost?

Rocket.Chat lists 5 plans. Starter: $0.

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.

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.

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 a company of the same name. Privately held and venture-backed: its own press release names investors including Valor Capital Group, Greycroft, Monashees and NEA.

What are the alternatives to Rocket.Chat?

The closest alternatives to Rocket.Chat in our directory are Mattermost, Element, Zulip, Slack and Microsoft Teams.

How does Rocket.Chat compare with other team communication apps?

Rocket.Chat's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 8 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 11.

Could I make my own version of Rocket.Chat?

To replace Rocket.Chat you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Rocket.Chat’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Rocket.Chat's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-08-15.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Rocket.Chat Technologies Corp. Prices change, so check rocket.chat before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 3,189

    tools graded

  • 94

    categories

  • 426

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Rocket.Chat: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/rocket-chat

Know someone choosing between team communication apps?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/rocket-chat/guide

ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa

See our other guides

The best-graded team communication apps after Rocket.Chat, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Rocket.Chat’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Rocket.Chat is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Rocket.Chat Technologies Corp. Prices and plans change: check rocket.chat before you buy.