Compare Mattermost and Kiwi IRC on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Team Chat tools, Freemium vs Open Source pricing to decide which fits your…
At a Glance
Mattermost
Kiwi IRC
Primary category
Team Chat
Team Chat
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Open Source
Starting price
Free (Starter, self-hosted); Professional from $10/user/month
Free
Free plan
Yes
Not documented
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Mattermost
Starter — Free N/A
Professional — $10/user/month annual
Enterprise — Custom annual
Kiwi IRC
Open Source (Self-Hosted) — Free N/A
Public Web Gateway — Free N/A
Pros & Cons
Mattermost
Pros
Fully open-source core with self-hosted and air-gapped deployment options
Strong fit for regulated industries, government and defense customers
Playbooks provide built-in workflow automation not native to Slack
Deep integrations with developer and DevOps tooling
Lightweight architecture (single Go binary) makes self-hosting comparatively simple
Cons
Smaller app/integration marketplace than Slack or Microsoft Teams
Enterprise pricing is custom-quoted and not publicly transparent
Self-hosting requires ongoing server maintenance and updates
UI and mobile experience is generally considered less polished than Slack
Annual prepaid billing only for official Professional and Enterprise licenses, no monthly option
Kiwi IRC
Pros
Completely free and open source with no subscription costs
No installation required; runs directly in any modern browser
Self-hostable as static files, making deployment cheap and simple
Active open-source project with plugin extensibility for file sharing and video calls
Cons
Requires self-hosting or reliance on the public gateway rather than a managed cloud service
Lacks persistent bouncer-style always-connected functionality found in tools like The Lounge or IRCCloud
No official mobile app; relies on responsive browser design
Documentation and support are community-driven rather than commercially backed
Less actively marketed and updated compared to commercial hosted IRC alternatives
Use Cases
Mattermost
Incident response and DevOps workflows — Engineering teams use Playbooks to coordinate incident response with automated checklists and dedicated channels.
Regulated and government communication — Public-sector and financial-services organizations need self-hosted or air-gapped messaging to meet compliance requirements.
Secure internal team chat — Organizations that want Slack-like messaging while keeping full control of where data is stored.
Kiwi IRC
Open-Source Project Support Channels — Projects embed a Kiwi IRC widget on their website so visitors can join the support channel instantly without installing software.
IRC Network Onboarding — Network operators offer a zero-friction browser-based entry point to attract newcomers unfamiliar with traditional IRC clients.
Lightweight Personal IRC Access — Individual users connect to favorite IRC networks quickly from any browser without installing dedicated desktop software.