Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat: Complete Comparison (2026)
In comparing Mattermost and Rocket.Chat in 2026, Rocket.Chat is the stronger choice for teams wanting open-source slack alternative with self-hosting due to open source and free self-hosted. Mattermost excels for enterprises needing data sovereignty and self-hosting with full data control. Mattermost offers Self-hosted deployment, Channels, DevOps integrations starting at $10/user/mo (cloud) with a free plan. Rocket.Chat provides Self-hosted option, Omnichannel inbox, Video conferencing from $7/user/mo (cloud) with a free tier. For teams prioritizing value, Rocket.Chat delivers a hiltonsoftware Score of 77/100. Mattermost and Rocket.Chat compete in the team communication segment of the SaaS market, where cloud-native solutions, API integrations, and workflow automation drive enterprise and SMB adoption. Other leading team communication tools include Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord. Mattermost serves 800K+ users globally (founded 2015) while Rocket.Chat reports 25M+ active users (founded 2015).
Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat at a Glance
What are the main differences between Mattermost and Rocket.Chat?
Mattermost and Rocket.Chat differ across ease of use, features, value, support, integrations, scalability, and learning curve. Rocket.Chat leads in 4 of 7 categories.
What are the pros and cons of Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat?
Which is better, Mattermost or Rocket.Chat?
After evaluating Mattermost and Rocket.Chat across features, pricing, integrations, and user satisfaction, Rocket.Chat earns a higher hiltonsoftware Score of 77/100 versus Mattermost at 74/100. Rocket.Chat stands out for "open source and free self-hosted" and "omnichannel customer support". Mattermost delivers competitive advantages in "full data control", making Mattermost a viable alternative.
Both Mattermost and Rocket.Chat offer free plans. Mattermost paid plans start at $10/user/mo (cloud) while Rocket.Chat begins at $7/user/mo (cloud). ROI depends on which features justify upgrading.
Bottom line: Choose Mattermost for enterprises needing data sovereignty and self-hosting. Choose Rocket.Chat for teams wanting open-source slack alternative with self-hosting. Both Mattermost and Rocket.Chat are established team communication platforms.
Enterprises needing data sovereignty and self-hosting.
Teams wanting open-source Slack alternative with self-hosting.
Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat: Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by Alex Chen, SaaS & Productivity Analyst. Last updated: 2026-04-24. Pricing verified: March 2026.
Read our scoring methodology to understand how the hiltonsoftware Score is calculated.