Rocket.Chat

YES

Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent.

Open-source team chat with omnichannel support built in: internal channels alongside customer conversations from web, email and messaging apps.

Promptfree, for everyone, and the only version there is

Self-host it, or keep the two jobs separate.

A QUESTION FIRST
- Do you need team chat and customer support in one place? If not, two smaller tools are easier to run

RUNNING IT
- Docker Compose with MongoDB, behind a reverse proxy with TLS
- MongoDB is the operational cost here; know how you will back it up and restore it before you start

PUSH
- The same constraint as any self-hosted chat: mobile push needs a relay tied to published apps
- Use the provided gateway, and read its limits

RETENTION
- Set a policy per channel. An unbounded archive is a liability

IF YOU ONLY WANTED SUPPORT
- Chatwoot is smaller and does that job alone

Include the compose file, the backup procedure and the retention policy.

What you lose

Omnichannel routing that puts customer conversations into the same interface as team chat
A hosted instance with updates and support
Mobile apps and push already published

If you would rather not build

Mattermost, on Postgres instead

The escape hatch

open source · no votes, no paid placement

Rocket.Chat

The product itself, free to self-host.

RocketChat/Rocket.Chatfree · open source

Chatwoot

Customer conversations only, with a smaller operating footprint.

chatwoot/chatwootfree · open source

Why this verdict

our own opinion · changed only by a person

80/100

Verdict yes at 80. Free to run; MongoDB operations and push are what you take on. Splitting the two jobs is often the better answer.

History

tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten

Interest · last 30 days

Nothing recorded yet. This chart fills in once the page has visitors, votes or prompt copies — it will not draw a flat line to look busy.

Questions about Rocket.Chat

answered from the record above

Is Rocket.Chat free?

No — the plan we track is $4 a month. Starter is free for small teams; the paid cloud tier starts around $4 per user per month billed monthly.

Can you replace Rocket.Chat by building your own?

YES. Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent. Replacement score 80 out of 100, build time one session. Read what you lose before you decide.

How much does Rocket.Chat cost?

$4 a month on Pro — $48 a year. Recorded 10 Aug 2026.

What do you lose by replacing Rocket.Chat?

Omnichannel routing that puts customer conversations into the same interface as team chat; A hosted instance with updates and support; Mobile apps and push already published. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Rocket.Chat?

Yes: Rocket.Chat, Chatwoot. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.

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