Zulip
Open-source team chat where every conversation has a topic, so threads stay readable.
Web AppFree planWeb, macOS
4.5Visit
Web App
Rocket.Chat
Open-source team chat you host yourself, free for up to 50 users.
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Rocket.Chat?
Rocket.Chat is a self-managed communication platform with channels, direct messages, threads and video integrations. The free Starter plan includes premium features for up to 50 users on a self-managed workspace, with community support. The Community edition is open source under the MIT licence for teams that outgrow Starter and need only basic features, though Rocket.Chat says it is not suitable for business-critical production use. Commercial, Government and Defense plans are quoted by sales.
Pros
- Free Starter plan with premium features for up to 50 users
- MIT-licensed Community edition
- Your data stays on servers you control
Cons
- Self-managed only on the free plans, so you need technical setup
- Free plans rely on community support
Who should use Rocket.Chat
Small teams that want self-hosted chat with premium features for free.
Who may not need it
Teams that want a fully hosted chat app.
Rocket.Chat alternatives
Similar resources to Rocket.Chat, picked from the directory.
Mattermost
Self-hosted, open-source team chat with a free edition for small teams.
Web AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.4Visit
Pumble
Team chat with a free plan for unlimited users and unlimited message history.
Web AppFree planWeb, macOS
4.4Visit
Element
Open-source, Matrix-based messaging you can self-host for free.
Web AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.3Visit
Penpot
The open-source design and prototyping platform, free and browser-based.
Web AppFree planWeb
4.5Visit
Plane
Open-source project management for issues, cycles and roadmaps, free for up to 12 users.
Web AppFree planWeb, Cross-Platform
4.5Visit
Free alternatives to Rocket.Chat
Free resources that cover similar ground.
Nextcloud
Open-source, self-hosted file sync and sharing: your own Dropbox.
Web AppFreeWeb, Windows
4.4Visit
TaskView
A self-hosted project and task management platform built for clarity and control.
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.3Visit
cumora
Where agent teams gather — cross-platform team chat where AI agents are first-class teammates.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.5Visit
Octop
A smarter, self-hosted AI assistant — multi-user, multi-agent.
AI ToolFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.4Visit
Microsoft Teams (free)
Microsoft's free chat and video meetings for personal use.
Web AppFreeWeb, Windows
4.0Visit
Storybook
Frontend workshop for building UI components and pages in isolation.
FrameworkFreeWeb
4.7Visit
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