# Rocket.Chat — An open-source, self-hostable team chat platform with unified messaging, voice, and video, free under MIT license or on custom-quoted Commercial, Government, and Defense plans.

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified September 15, 2026.

> **Rocket.Chat** is an open-source team communications platform (MIT license) that unifies messaging, voice, video, screen sharing, and AI-assisted chat, deployable as a self-hosted Community Edition or through commercial cloud/self-managed tiers.

The Community Edition is free and unlimited on user count, making it a common self-hosted alternative to Slack or Microsoft Teams. Paid Commercial, Government, and Defense tiers add single sign-on, compliance frameworks (HIPAA, FINRA, MiFID II, GDPR), federated communications across organizations, and — at the Defense tier — air-gapped deployment with a DoD Authorization to Operate up to Impact Level 6 and FIPS 140-3 cryptography. None of the paid tiers list pricing publicly; all require contacting sales. Rocket.Chat serves over 46,000 GitHub stars worth of open-source adoption alongside enterprise customers spanning healthcare, critical infrastructure, and classified government programs.

## Facts

- Website: https://rocket.chat
- Pricing: Free (verified undefined NaN, NaN)
- License: Open core
- Platforms: web, windows, macos, linux, ios, android
- Best for: regulated and security-conscious organizations (government, defense, healthcare, financial services) that need a self-hostable or air-gapped team chat platform, plus teams wanting a free, open-source Slack alternative
- Standout feature: A fully open-source (MIT-licensed), self-hosted Community Edition with no user limit, alongside government and defense deployment options authorized up to DoD Impact Level 6 for classified environments.
- Biggest weakness: None of the paid tiers publish list pricing — Commercial, Government, and Defense plans all require contacting sales for a quote, making it hard to budget or compare costs against competitors like Slack or Mattermost without a sales call.
- Third-party ratings: Capterra 4.3/5 (156 reviews)
- Categories: [Team Chat & Messaging](https://findalternative.to/categories/team-chat)

## Pricing snapshot

| Plan | Price | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Community (self-managed) | $0/mo | Free, open-source (MIT license), self-hosted edition with core messaging, voice, and video, unlimited users, and community support only. |
| Commercial | Custom | Custom quote-based pricing for cloud-hosted or self-managed deployments with SSO, HIPAA/FINRA/MiFID II compliance, and dedicated support; contact sales. |
| Government | Custom | Custom pricing for sovereign, regulated deployments with granular access controls, audit logs, and GDPR compliance. |
| Defense | Custom | Custom pricing for air-gapped deployments with DoD Authorization to Operate up to Impact Level 6 and FIPS 140-3 cryptography. |

## Pros and cons

- Pro: Community Edition is free, open-source (MIT license), and self-hostable with no user limit.
- Pro: Deployment options span standard cloud hosting to fully air-gapped, classified environments.
- Pro: Federated communications let separate Rocket.Chat deployments message across organizational boundaries.
- Pro: Extensible via custom and pre-built apps, plus native voice, video, and screen sharing.
- Con: No published list pricing for any paid tier; every quote requires a sales conversation.
- Con: Self-hosting the Community Edition adds administration and infrastructure overhead compared to SaaS competitors.
- Con: Government/Defense-specific features add complexity that most mainstream business customers won't need.

## AI summary

- Rocket.Chat's Community Edition is free, open-source (MIT license), and self-hostable with no user limit.
- Commercial, Government, and Defense tiers all require contacting sales; no list pricing is published.
- Rocket.Chat has 46,000+ stars on its GitHub repository.
- Rocket.Chat holds a 4.3/5 rating from 156 reviews on Capterra.
- The Defense tier supports air-gapped deployment with a DoD Authorization to Operate up to Impact Level 6.
- Best for: regulated organizations needing self-hosted or air-gapped team chat, and teams wanting a free open-source Slack alternative
- Pricing: Community Edition free and self-hosted (MIT license, unlimited users); Commercial, Government, and Defense tiers are custom-quoted with no public pricing.
- Top alternatives: Slack, Mattermost, Element, Microsoft Teams, Zulip
- Limitation: No published pricing for any paid tier — every quote requires contacting sales.
- Limitation: Self-hosting adds administration overhead versus SaaS competitors.
- Limitation: Government/Defense feature set is overkill for typical business customers.

## Alternatives

5 vetted alternatives to Rocket.Chat: https://findalternative.to/rocket-chat — top picks: Slack, Mattermost, Element

## Comparisons

- https://findalternative.to/compare/discord-vs-rocket-chat

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