Rocket.Chat
An open-source secure communications platform for teams that need data sovereignty, with self-managed, private-cloud and air-gapped deployment, federation, voice and video, and compliance controls.
- Free plan
- Per-seat pricing
- Cloud
- AI features
- Vendor-sourced
- Verified 23 Oct 2026Sources are dated on this profile
- 5 sourcesLinked, typed and dated
- Vendor and official documentationHow this profile was compiled
- Not an endorsementStack18 has not tested this product
What is Rocket.Chat?
Rocket.Chat is an open-source team messaging and secure communications platform, marketed as Secure CommsOS, that organisations deploy on-premises, in a private or dedicated cloud, or fully air-gapped. A free self-managed Starter edition is offered for technical evaluation, small businesses and non-profits, while commercial, government and defense plans are sold by quote and add compliance, federation, voice, video and sovereign AI options.
- Best forGovernment, defense and regulated organisations that need sovereign or air-gapped chat
- Team size fitSmall teams, Mid-size teams, Large enterprises
- PricingFree self-managed Starter edition; paid commercial plans are quote-based. Earlier pages and third-party sites reported Pro at $8 per user per month billed annually. Free plan available.
- Main limitationCommercial plans are quote-based, so buyers cannot see per-user prices on the current plans page.
- AlternativesMattermost, Zulip, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoho Cliq
Rocket.Chat overview: who it is for and what it does.
Rocket.Chat targets organisations where data sovereignty and compliance matter as much as chat: public sector bodies, defense and intelligence agencies, critical infrastructure, healthcare, financial services and commercial enterprises. Its website lists deployments at Audi, the City of Cologne, the US Army and Air Force, BAE Systems and General Dynamics Mission Systems. Teams get channels, direct and group messaging, threaded conversations, search, file sharing, message translation and mobile apps for iOS and Android, with an open API, embeddable chat and an Apps Engine for custom bots and workflows.
The platform's differentiators are deployment control and interoperability. Rocket.Chat can run on your own infrastructure, in a Rocket.Chat-managed dedicated cloud, or in air-gapped and classified environments, with high availability and disaster recovery for cloud workspaces. It supports native Matrix federation, XMPP federation and a Microsoft Teams bridge so that separate organisations can share channels without sharing infrastructure. Security features include optional end-to-end encryption, SSO via SAML, OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect, LDAP and Active Directory, MFA, role-based access control, audit trails and retention policies, and Rocket.Chat says it holds ISO 27001 certification and a SOC 2 Type 2 report.
Pricing has moved toward sales-led packaging. The current plans page offers Commercial, Government and Defense plans through sales, with voice calls, native video meetings, mission-critical support, professional services and sovereign AI listed as add-ons, while a free self-managed Starter edition is offered for evaluation, small businesses and non-profits. Earlier Rocket.Chat pricing and third-party sites described a Starter plan limited to about 25 to 50 users and a Pro plan at $8 per user per month billed annually, so buyers should confirm current terms. Self-managed deployments also bring infrastructure and operations work, and reviewers note setup complexity and the need to register self-hosted instances with Rocket.Chat's push gateway for mobile notifications unless a custom gateway is configured.
Main problem it solves
Gives organisations a team chat and secure communications platform they can host themselves or in a controlled cloud, with federation and compliance features that mainstream SaaS chat tools do not offer.
Typical customer segment
Government, defense, public sector, regulated enterprises, critical infrastructure and technical teams that need self-hosted or air-gapped collaboration.
Target users
- IT and security teams that must control where communications data lives
- Public sector and defense organisations needing sovereign or classified-network chat
- Regulated firms in finance and healthcare that need retention, audit and compliance controls
- Technical teams that want an open-source Slack alternative
Primary use cases
- Secure internal team messaging
- Cross-organisation collaboration through federation
- Air-gapped and classified communications
- Compliance archiving and audit for regulated industries
- Embedded chat and custom bots
- Citizen and customer engagement channels
What makes it distinct
- Deploy on-premises, in private or dedicated cloud, or fully air-gapped
- Native Matrix and XMPP federation plus a Microsoft Teams bridge
- Compliance posture covering ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA support with BAA, FINRA and MiFID II, NIS2 and DORA
- Open-source core with an Apps Engine, open API and embeddable chat
Rocket.Chat features explained.
Messaging and collaboration
- Channels, threads and direct messages
- Direct and group messaging, threaded conversations, message editing, formatting, delivery and read receipts and searchable chat history keep conversations organised.
- Voice, video and screen sharing
- Messaging, voice, video meetings and screen sharing are offered, with native voice and video as add-ons, Jitsi, Google Meet and Zoom integrations and Pexip for secure self-hosted video.
- Automatic translation and localisation
- Messages can be translated automatically across languages and the interface is localised into 64 languages.
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Mobile and desktop apps are available, including secure iOS and Android apps with biometrics, data-at-rest encryption and ID-only push notifications.
Security, identity and compliance
- End-to-end encryption and DLP
- Optional end-to-end encryption protects messages and files, alongside data loss prevention, message reporting and custom retention policies.
- Identity and access control
- SSO with SAML, OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect, LDAP and Active Directory, MFA, role-based access control, custom roles and group mapping are supported.
- Audit and governance
- Audit trails for messages, files and sessions, authentication logs, administrative event logging and compliance exports support investigations and regulators.
- Regulatory support
- Rocket.Chat lists HIPAA-supportive operation with a BAA, FINRA and MiFID II readiness, NIS2 and DORA support, GDPR and CCPA controls, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2.
Deployment, federation and extensibility
- Flexible deployment
- Deploy on-premises, in private cloud, in a dedicated Rocket.Chat-managed cloud, in isolated networks or fully air-gapped, with high availability and microservices scaling on Enterprise.
- Federation and bridges
- Native Matrix federation, XMPP federation, invitation-based federated channels and a Microsoft Teams bridge connect separate organisations.
- Apps Engine, API and embedding
- A TypeScript Apps Engine, open API, SDKs and iframe embedding allow custom apps, bots, workflows and white-labelled deployments.
- Sovereign AI (add-on)
- An add-on offers bring-your-own LLM, thread and channel summarisation, hybrid intelligent search and Q&A grounded in your own data, with MCP support listed as planned for 2026.
Rocket.Chat pricing and plans.
Structure only; figures not recorded. Checked 23 Oct 2026 against Rocket.Chat · Toolradar · ITQlick.
Pricing model
Free self-managed Starter edition; Commercial, Government and Defense plans sold by quote with add-ons for voice, video, sovereign AI, mission-critical support and professional services.
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Rocket.Chat plans and prices (USD)
Starter
$0
Not applicable
Self-managed only, for technical evaluation, small businesses and non-profits; earlier pages described limits of about 25 to 50 users and peer-to-peer community support.
Pro (earlier plan, reported)
$8 per user per month billed annually (reported)
Annual
Described on earlier Rocket.Chat pricing and by third-party sites for single-instance deployments; no longer shown on the current plans page.
Commercial
Quote on request
Quote
Deployment flexibility, dedicated cloud hosting, HA/DR, compliance and federation features.
Government
Custom quote
Quote
Sovereign deployment, granular access control, tamper-evident audit logs, retention, sovereign AI and Matrix federation.
Defense
Contact sales
Quote
Air-gapped and SCIF-ready deployment, DoD ATO up to IL6, FIPS 140-3 cryptography and clearance-enforced access control.
Rocket.Chat's current plans page offers commercial, government and defense plans by quote and does not publish per-user prices. Third-party sites (Toolradar, ITQlick) and an earlier Rocket.Chat pricing page report Pro at $8 per user per month billed annually, other sites list $4, $5 or $7 figures, and the Starter user cap has been described as 25 users and as 50 users. Treat any per-user figure as unverified and request a quote. Voice calls, native video, mission-critical support, professional services and sovereign AI are add-ons. A reduced-price non-profit programme exists.
Prices change. Confirm current plans and terms on the vendor's site before you decide.
Visit official website (external) ↗See alternativesRocket.Chat integrations, API and platforms.
Important integrations
- Matrix and XMPP federation
- Microsoft Teams bridge
- Jitsi, Google Meet and Zoom
- Pexip secure video
- LDAP, Active Directory and SAML SSO
- Apps Marketplace
- Open API and embeddable chat
Supported platforms
- Web
- iOS app
- Android app
- Desktop apps
- Self-hosted
- Dedicated cloud
- Air-gapped
API
Rocket.Chat offers an open API, SDKs, iframe embedding and a TypeScript Apps Engine for custom apps, bots and workflows.
Data import and export
Compliance-ready exports of messages, files and audit logs are available; migration tooling was not reviewed.
Some listed features are marked as planned for 2026, including DISA STIG hardening, post-quantum encryption and MCP support. Individual integrations were not tested.
Balanced and sourced.
Each point cites a source. Editorial summaries are not customer reviews.
Strengths
- Flexible deployment covers on-premises, private cloud, dedicated cloud and air-gapped environments. [1]
- Native Matrix and XMPP federation and a Teams bridge allow collaboration between separate organisations. [1]
- Compliance coverage includes ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA support with a BAA, FINRA, MiFID II, NIS2 and DORA. [1]
- The open-source core offers an open API, Apps Engine and white-labelling for customised deployments. [1]
- A free self-managed Starter edition lets teams evaluate before buying, with a reduced-price non-profit programme. [1]
Limitations
- Commercial plans are quote-based, so buyers cannot see per-user prices on the current plans page. [1]
- The Starter plan is self-managed only and capped in scale, with community support, and has changed limits over time. [2]
- Self-hosting adds infrastructure and administration cost, and reviewers describe setup complexity. [5]
- Mobile push notifications on self-hosted instances require registering with the vendor gateway unless a custom gateway is used. [5]
- Voice, native video, sovereign AI and mission-critical support are paid add-ons, and some features are only planned. [1]
Best for
- Government, defense and regulated organisations that need sovereign or air-gapped chat
- Technical teams that want a self-hosted, open-source Slack alternative
- Organisations that need federation with partners without sharing infrastructure
May be less suited to
- Small teams that want a fully managed chat with transparent per-user pricing
- Teams without the capacity to run and secure their own infrastructure
Alternatives to Rocket.Chat.
Mattermost
A collaboration platform for secure messaging, playbooks, boards and AI agents that can run self-hosted, in…
Explore →Related productZulip
Open-source team chat that keeps every conversation organised by topic, available as hosted Zulip Cloud or…
Explore →Related productSlack
A channel-based team messaging platform with a free plan, per-user paid plans, and AI features that scale…
Explore →Related productMicrosoft Teams
Microsoft's chat, meetings and collaboration app, available free, as a $4 standalone plan or bundled in…
Explore →Related productZoho Cliq
A team chat and collaboration app from Zoho with channels, video meetings, bots and deep integration with…
Explore →Rocket.Chat compared with similar collaboration software.
Summaries come from each profile. This is a side-by-side aid, not a ranking.
| Product | Pricing model | Free plan | Knowledge base and docs | Collaboration | AI features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket.Chat | Free Starter edition; commercial plans by quote | Yes (self-managed Starter) | Searchable history; not a wiki | Channels, threads, federation, voice and video (add-ons) | Sovereign AI add-on |
| Coda (Superhuman Docs) | Per Doc Maker; editors and viewers free | Yes | Docs, wikis and tables in one doc | Real-time docs with free editors and viewers | AI in docs; Grammarly and Go bundled from Pro (reported) |
| Confluence | Per user per month by plan, annual | Yes, up to 10 users | Structured pages and spaces | Team spaces, guests, Jira links | Rovo credits on paid plans (reported) |
| Google Workspace | Per user by edition; annual or flexible monthly | No | Docs and Drive shared storage; no separate wiki | Email, Docs co-editing and Meet | Gemini bundled in all Business plans |
| Lark | Per user by plan; free Starter | Yes (up to 20 users) | Docs, Wiki and Base included on every plan | Chat, email, meetings, approvals and OKR | Base AI trial and AI meeting summaries |
| Mattermost | Annual seat licences; quote-based | Free evaluation edition; permanent free tier not confirmed | Searchable channel history; Boards on Enterprise | Channels, threads, calls, guests and playbooks | Bring-your-own LLM agents and MCP |
Rocket.Chat head-to-head.
No published comparisons yet.
Join the discussion.
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Rocket.Chat questions and answers
What is Rocket.Chat?
Rocket.Chat is an open-source team messaging and secure communications platform that can be self-hosted, run in a dedicated cloud or deployed in air-gapped environments, with federation, voice, video and compliance features.
Is Rocket.Chat free?
Rocket.Chat offers a free self-managed Starter edition aimed at technical evaluation, small businesses and non-profits. Earlier pages described user and contact limits, and paid commercial plans are sold by quote.
How much does Rocket.Chat cost?
Rocket.Chat's current plans page does not publish per-user prices for its commercial, government and defense plans, which are quoted by sales. Earlier pages and third-party listings reported Pro at $8 per user per month billed annually, but that figure should be confirmed with Rocket.Chat.
Can Rocket.Chat run air-gapped?
Yes. Rocket.Chat supports on-premises, sovereign cloud and fully air-gapped deployments, including classified networks, and lists DoD ATO up to Impact Level 6 for defense use.
Does Rocket.Chat support federation?
Yes. Rocket.Chat supports native Matrix federation, XMPP federation and a Microsoft Teams bridge, so teams on different servers can share channels without shared infrastructure.
Is Rocket.Chat compliant with HIPAA and GDPR?
Rocket.Chat lists HIPAA-supportive operation with a BAA, GDPR and CCPA configuration, FINRA and MiFID II readiness, NIS2 and DORA support, ISO 27001 certification and a SOC 2 Type 2 audit.
Does Rocket.Chat have AI features?
Rocket.Chat offers a sovereign AI add-on with bring-your-own LLM, summarisation, hybrid search and Q&A grounded in your data, running within your own infrastructure. MCP support is listed as planned for 2026.
What are alternatives to Rocket.Chat?
Common alternatives include Mattermost, Zulip, Slack, Microsoft Teams and Zoho Cliq. Mattermost and Zulip are the closest self-hostable options.
What integrations does Rocket.Chat support?
Documented integrations and ecosystem items include Matrix and XMPP federation, Microsoft Teams bridge, Jitsi, Google Meet and Zoom, Pexip secure video, LDAP, Active Directory and SAML SSO, Apps Marketplace, Open API and embeddable chat. API details: Rocket.Chat offers an open API, SDKs, iframe embedding and a TypeScript Apps Engine for custom apps, bots and workflows.
What are the limitations of Rocket.Chat?
Commercial plans are quote-based, so buyers cannot see per-user prices on the current plans page. The Starter plan is self-managed only and capped in scale, with community support, and has changed limits over time. Self-hosting adds infrastructure and administration cost, and reviewers describe setup complexity.
Which platforms does Rocket.Chat run on?
Rocket.Chat is documented as available on: Web, iOS app, Android app, Desktop apps, Self-hosted, Dedicated cloud, Air-gapped.
When was the Rocket.Chat profile last verified?
Sources for this profile were last reviewed on 23 Oct 2026. 5 sources are listed under Sources, and prices and plans can change, so confirm with the vendor.
Where this information comes from.
- Rocket.Chat plans: commercial, government and defense Rocket.Chat Official Accessed 23 Oct 2026
- Introducing the Starter plan Rocket.Chat Forums Official Accessed 23 Oct 2026
- Rocket.Chat pricing 2026 Toolradar Third-party Accessed 23 Oct 2026
- Rocket.Chat pricing (2026) ITQlick Third-party Accessed 23 Oct 2026
- Rocket.Chat pricing 2026: hidden costs and free tier limits Lark Third-party Accessed 23 Oct 2026
Further official pages: Rocket.Chat plans (external) · Rocket.Chat documentation (external)
Deployment options, compliance claims, federation, add-ons and the quote-based commercial plans were checked against Rocket.Chat's plans page on 23 Oct 2026. Per-user prices and Starter limits are marked partial because the vendor no longer publishes them and sources disagree. Product behaviour was not tested.
Stack18 has not tested this product or received anything from the vendor for this profile. Editorial summaries of vendor information are not endorsements. Confirm details with the vendor before buying.
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