Rocket.Chat is an open-source team chat and collaboration platform founded in 2015, built as a self-hostable alternative to proprietary messaging tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams. The company, Rocket.Chat Technologies Corp., lists Wilmington, Delaware as its headquarters while maintaining an R&D office in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where the project began.
The platform is designed around flexibility of deployment and data control, offering both a free self-hosted Community edition and paid Pro, Enterprise, Government, and Defense plans aimed at organizations with stricter security and compliance requirements.
Key Features
Rocket.Chat supports channel-based team messaging, direct messages, voice and video calls, screen sharing, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. It also includes omnichannel customer service tools, letting organizations use the same platform for internal collaboration and customer-facing chat.
Because Rocket.Chat is open source, teams can self-host it on-premises, in a private cloud, or in an isolated VPC or VPN, and higher tiers add federation, SCIM and SSO provisioning, FIPS 140-3 validated cryptography, and audit logging for regulated environments.
Pricing
The free Community edition supports up to fifty users with end-to-end encryption, unlimited message history, and video conferencing integration, self-hosted at no cost. The Pro plan is commonly priced around eight dollars per user per month on annual billing, extending capacity to five hundred users with white-label options and standard support.
Enterprise, Government, and Defense plans are custom-quoted and add high availability architecture, sovereign or air-gapped deployment options, and advanced governance controls for large organizations and public-sector customers.
Key Features
Self-hosted deployment — Run Rocket.Chat on your own infrastructure, on-premises, in a private cloud, or in an isolated VPC or VPN for full data control.
End-to-end encryption — Secure messaging with end-to-end encryption available on the free Community edition and all paid tiers.
Omnichannel customer service — Use the same platform for internal team chat and customer-facing support conversations across channels.
Voice, video, and screen sharing — Built-in calling and screen sharing tools reduce the need for separate conferencing software.
Apps marketplace and API — Extend functionality with community and custom apps, bots, and integrations through an open API.
Federation support — Connect multiple Rocket.Chat instances or federate with other servers for cross-organization communication.
Government and defense-grade deployments — FIPS 140-3 validated cryptography and air-gapped, SCIF-ready deployment options for regulated and public-sector customers.
Mobile apps — Native iOS and Android apps keep teams connected outside the desktop client.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Free, self-hosted Community edition with no user-count-based licensing cost beyond infrastructure
Full source code access supports auditing and customization
Flexible deployment options including air-gapped and sovereign cloud for regulated industries
Combines internal team chat and customer-facing omnichannel support in one platform
Cons
Self-hosting requires infrastructure management and technical expertise the hosted competitors don't demand
Enterprise, Government, and Defense pricing is not published and requires a sales conversation
Community edition caps out at fifty users before requiring a paid plan
UI and performance can lag behind polished proprietary competitors like Slack for casual users
Pricing
Community Free N/A
Pro $8/user/month annual
Enterprise / Government / Defense Custom custom
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rocket.Chat free?
Yes, Rocket.Chat offers a free, self-hosted Community edition supporting up to fifty users.
How much does Rocket.Chat Pro cost?
The Pro plan is commonly priced around eight dollars per user per month when billed annually, supporting up to five hundred users.
Is Rocket.Chat the same company as Rocket Matter?
No, Rocket.Chat is an open-source team chat platform, while Rocket Matter is an unrelated legal practice management SaaS product for law firms.
Can Rocket.Chat be self-hosted?
Yes, Rocket.Chat can be self-hosted on-premises, in a private cloud, or in an isolated VPC or VPN environment.
When was Rocket.Chat founded?
Rocket.Chat was founded in 2015.
Where is Rocket.Chat headquartered?
Rocket.Chat Technologies Corp. is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, with an R&D office in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Does Rocket.Chat support government or defense use cases?
Yes, Rocket.Chat offers Government and Defense plans with air-gapped, SCIF-ready deployment and FIPS 140-3 validated cryptography.
Does Rocket.Chat offer customer support chat features?
Yes, Rocket.Chat includes omnichannel customer service tools alongside its internal team messaging features.