Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat: Which Should You Self-Host?

Feature Comparison

Before anything else, here is what you actually get from each platform on their free, self-hosted tiers:

Feature	Mattermost (Team Edition)	Rocket.Chat (Community)
License	MIT (open-core)	MIT (open-core)
Channels (public/private)	Unlimited	Unlimited
Direct messages	Yes	Yes
Threaded conversations	Yes	Yes
File sharing	Yes	Yes
Search	Full-text (database-backed)	Full-text (MongoDB-backed)
Guest accounts	Paid only	Free
Video/audio calls	Paid (or plugin)	Built-in (Jitsi integration free)
End-to-end encryption	Paid only	Free (experimental)
LDAP/AD authentication	Paid only	Free
SAML/SSO	Paid only	Paid only
Compliance exports	Paid only	Paid only
Custom roles	Paid only	Free
Message retention policies	Paid only	Free
Federation	No	Yes (Matrix bridge)
Slack import	Yes (free, excellent)	Yes (free, basic)
Mobile apps	iOS + Android (polished)	iOS + Android (functional)
Desktop apps	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Webhook integrations	Slack-compatible webhooks	Slack-compatible webhooks
Bot framework	Yes	Yes
Marketplace/plugins	Yes (smaller)	Yes (larger)
Database	PostgreSQL	MongoDB
Minimum RAM	~512 MB	~1 GB

The table tells the real story. Rocket.Chat gives you more features for free — LDAP, guest accounts, custom roles, retention policies, video calls. Mattermost locks most enterprise features behind a paid license. But features on paper and features in practice are different things.

Quick Verdict

Mattermost is the better choice for most self-hosters. It has a cleaner interface, a significantly better Slack migration path, lower resource requirements, and a simpler Docker deployment. Rocket.Chat wins on free-tier feature count, but Mattermost wins on the experience of actually using the thing every day.

If you are running a small team or family server and want something that feels like Slack, pick Mattermost. If you need LDAP authentication, guest accounts, or federation without paying for a license, Rocket.Chat is the pragmatic choice.

Overview

Mattermost started in 2015 as a direct Slack alternative for teams that wanted to own their data. It is built in Go with a React frontend, backed by PostgreSQL. The Team Edition is MIT-licensed and free. The Enterprise Edition adds compliance, advanced permissions, and SSO. Mattermost has always been explicit about what is free and what is paid — the boundary is clean.

Rocket.Chat launched in 2015 as a Meteor.js application backed by MongoDB. It has evolved into a broader “communications platform” with omnichannel features (live chat, chatbots, customer support). The Community Edition is MIT-licensed and historically generous with features. However, Rocket.Chat has gradually moved features behind paid tiers over the years, and the free-vs-paid line has shifted more than once.

Both are actively maintained, both have large communities, and both run well in Docker. The differences are in the details.

Installation Complexity

Mattermost is simpler to deploy. A basic Docker Compose setup needs two containers: the Mattermost server and PostgreSQL. That is it. The configuration is straightforward — set your site URL, database credentials, and you are running.

Rocket.Chat requires MongoDB with a replica set. This is not optional — Rocket.Chat uses MongoDB’s oplog for real-time updates, and oplogs require replica set mode. For a single-node deployment, you run MongoDB as a single-member replica set, which works fine but adds configuration steps that trip up beginners. You also need to run a mongosh command to initiate the replica set after first boot.

Mattermost minimal setup:

services:
  mattermost:
    image: mattermost/mattermost-team-edition:10.4.1
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8065:8065"
    environment:
      MM_SQLSETTINGS_DRIVERNAME: postgres
      MM_SQLSETTINGS_DATASOURCE: postgres://mattermost:secure-password@postgres:5432/mattermost?sslmode=disable
      MM_SERVICESETTINGS_SITEURL: https://chat.example.com
    volumes:
      - mattermost_data:/mattermost/data
      - mattermost_logs:/mattermost/logs
      - mattermost_config:/mattermost/config
      - mattermost_plugins:/mattermost/plugins
    depends_on:
      - postgres

  postgres:
    image: postgres:16.6
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: mattermost
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secure-password
      POSTGRES_DB: mattermost
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  mattermost_data:
  mattermost_logs:
  mattermost_config:
  mattermost_plugins:
  postgres_data:

Rocket.Chat minimal setup:

services:
  rocketchat:
    image: registry.rocket.chat/rocketchat/rocket.chat:7.5.0
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      ROOT_URL: https://chat.example.com
      MONGO_URL: mongodb://mongodb:27017/rocketchat?replicaSet=rs0
      MONGO_OPLOG_URL: mongodb://mongodb:27017/local?replicaSet=rs0
    depends_on:
      - mongodb
    volumes:
      - rocketchat_uploads:/app/uploads

  mongodb:
    image: mongo:6.0.19
    restart: unless-stopped
    command: mongod --replSet rs0 --oplogSize 128
    volumes:
      - mongodb_data:/data/db

volumes:
  rocketchat_uploads:
  mongodb_data:

After starting Rocket.Chat’s stack, you must initialize the MongoDB replica set:

docker compose exec mongodb mongosh --eval "rs.initiate({_id: 'rs0', members: [{_id: 0, host: 'mongodb:27017'}]})"

Miss that step and Rocket.Chat will fail to start with cryptic errors. Mattermost has no equivalent post-deploy step.

For reverse proxy configuration with either platform, see our reverse proxy guide.

Both platforms benefit from a proper backup strategy — PostgreSQL dumps for Mattermost, mongodump for Rocket.Chat.

If you are new to Docker, start with our Docker Compose guide before deploying either platform.

Performance and Resource Usage

Mattermost is lighter. On a fresh install with a handful of users, expect:

• Mattermost: ~300-500 MB RAM (server + PostgreSQL), low CPU at idle
• Rocket.Chat: ~800 MB-1.2 GB RAM (server + MongoDB), moderate CPU at idle

Rocket.Chat’s higher baseline comes from two factors: MongoDB is more memory-hungry than PostgreSQL for this workload, and the Meteor.js runtime carries overhead that Mattermost’s Go binary does not. As you scale to hundreds of users, the gap widens. Mattermost scales more predictably — PostgreSQL handles concurrent connections well, and the Go server is efficient under load.

For a home server or small team (under 50 users), both run fine on a 2 GB RAM VPS. For anything larger, Mattermost gives you more headroom on the same hardware.

Slack Migration Path

This is where Mattermost pulls ahead decisively. If your team is leaving Slack, Mattermost is the closest self-hosted equivalent in both UI and migration tooling.

Mattermost’s Slack import:

• Imports channels, users, messages, and file attachments from a Slack export
• Preserves message history with timestamps and threading
• The web UI feels immediately familiar to Slack users — channel sidebar, message compose, threads panel, emoji reactions, all in the expected places
• Slash commands and webhook URLs are Slack-compatible, so many integrations work with a URL change

Rocket.Chat’s Slack import:

• Imports channels and messages but handling of attachments and threads is less reliable
• The UI is functional but busier — it tries to be a communications platform (chat, video, omnichannel support) rather than a focused team messenger
• Slack webhook compatibility exists but requires more configuration

If your primary motivation is “we want Slack but self-hosted,” Mattermost is the answer. The transition cost for your team is minimal.

Integration Ecosystem

Both platforms support incoming and outgoing webhooks, slash commands, and bot accounts. Both have plugin/app marketplaces.

Mattermost integrations tend to be focused on developer and DevOps workflows: Jira, GitHub, GitLab, PagerDuty, Jenkins, CircleCI. The plugin system is well-documented and the API is clean. The marketplace is smaller but curated.

Rocket.Chat has a broader integration surface — it covers developer tools but also customer support tools, CRM systems, and omnichannel features (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS via Twilio). If you need a unified inbox for customer communications alongside team chat, Rocket.Chat has native support. Mattermost does not.

For a team chat use case, Mattermost’s integrations are sufficient. For a customer-facing communications hub, Rocket.Chat has a real advantage.

Mobile Apps

Both offer iOS and Android apps. Both work. But the experience differs.

Mattermost’s mobile apps are React Native, actively maintained, and feel polished. Push notifications work reliably with the free push notification service (or you can host your own push proxy). The app respects the platform conventions of iOS and Android, and thread navigation works well.

Rocket.Chat’s mobile apps are functional but rougher around the edges. Push notifications require configuring a push gateway. The app has improved significantly over the past two years, but it still occasionally feels sluggish compared to Mattermost, especially in channels with heavy message history.

Neither app matches Slack’s native mobile experience, but Mattermost gets closer.

Compliance and Enterprise Features

If you need message retention policies, compliance exports, data loss prevention, or advanced permissions on the free tier, Rocket.Chat gives you more. Mattermost locks nearly all compliance features behind the Enterprise license.

However, if you are paying for enterprise features, Mattermost’s Enterprise edition is more mature and better documented for regulated environments (HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP). Mattermost has a stronger track record in government and defense deployments.

For a home server or small team, compliance features are irrelevant. For a business deployment where compliance matters but budget does not, Mattermost Enterprise is the safer bet. For a business deployment where budget is tight, Rocket.Chat’s free tier offers more out of the box.

Community and Development Activity

Both projects are actively maintained with regular releases.

Mattermost releases monthly. The codebase is well-organized (Go backend, React frontend), contributions are welcome, and the documentation is excellent. The community forum is active and well-moderated.

Rocket.Chat releases regularly but the cadence has varied. The codebase is large (Meteor.js carries legacy complexity), and contributions can be harder for newcomers. The community is active on GitHub and their own Rocket.Chat instance. Documentation has improved but is less consistent than Mattermost’s.

Use Cases

Choose Mattermost If…

• You are migrating from Slack and want minimal friction
• You prioritize a clean, focused team chat experience
• Your server has limited resources (2 GB RAM or less)
• You want straightforward Docker deployment with no post-deploy steps
• Developer and DevOps integrations are your primary need
• You prefer PostgreSQL over MongoDB
• Mobile app quality matters to your team

Choose Rocket.Chat If…

• You need LDAP/AD authentication without paying for an enterprise license
• You want built-in video calling without a separate Jitsi deployment
• You need federation with Matrix or other Rocket.Chat instances
• Guest accounts are a requirement (free in Rocket.Chat, paid in Mattermost)
• You want an omnichannel platform that handles customer support alongside team chat
• You need message retention policies and custom roles without paying

Final Verdict

For most self-hosters running a team chat server — whether for a small company, a homelab group, or a family — Mattermost is the better choice. It is easier to deploy, lighter on resources, and provides a cleaner daily experience. The Slack migration path is excellent, the mobile apps are solid, and the development pace is steady.

Rocket.Chat is not a bad choice. It is generous with free-tier features, and if you specifically need LDAP, guest accounts, or omnichannel capabilities without paying, it delivers. But generosity in features does not always translate to a better experience. Rocket.Chat tries to be everything — team chat, customer support platform, video conferencing hub — and that ambition shows in a busier UI and higher resource footprint.

Pick Mattermost for focused team communication. Pick Rocket.Chat if you need the features it uniquely offers for free. When in doubt, start with Mattermost.

Related

• How to Self-Host Mattermost
• Best Self-Hosted Communication Platforms
• Mattermost vs Other Slack Alternatives
• Docker Compose Guide
• Reverse Proxy Setup
• Backup Strategy for Self-Hosted Services