otheropen-coreRuns locallyWriting & Office

Rocket.Chat: Open-Core Team Chat

Open-core team comms. MIT outside ee/ dirs; Enterprise Edition has its own license.

Rocket.Chat web UI with channel list and message pane (Wikimedia screenshot) — Official project image. Source · License: Wikimedia Commons (see file page).

License: other
Stars: 46,317 (2026-10-25)
Platforms: Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
First seen: 2015-05-19

TL;DR. Rocket.Chat is Open-core team comms. MIT outside ee/ dirs; Enterprise Edition has its own license. License: other (verified). Platforms: Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS. Price: open-core. Runs locally: yes. It is an alternative to Discord.

Name	Rocket.Chat
Language	TypeScript
License	other
Pricing	open-core
Platforms	Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Runs locally	Yes
Stats	46,317 stars · 14,032 forks (as of 2026-10-25)
First seen	2015-05-19
Repository	https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat

Rocket.Chat is an open-core self-hosted communications platform. Official hosts we opened on 2026-10-25: RocketChat/Rocket.Chat (46,317 stars, 14,032 forks, created 2015-05-19T07:36:09Z, last push 2026-10-24T23:43:48Z, default branch develop), LICENSE, apps/meteor/ee/LICENSE, release 8.9.0 LTS (2026-10-05), and rocket.chat. GitHub’s license field is NOASSERTION.

It is listed on Discord alternatives as the self-host comms row next to Element. That mapping is editorial. Discord is a different product class (community / voice). Workplace Slack-class chat remains on Slack alternatives. We have no sourced quality comparison.

Key facts (2026-10-25)

Field	Value	Source
Stars / forks	46,317 / 14,032	GitHub API
Created	2015-05-19T07:36:09Z	same
Last push	2026-10-24T23:43:48Z	same
Latest release	8.9.0 LTS, 2026-10-05T17:41:21Z	GitHub Releases
License file	Mixed MIT + EE	LICENSE + ee/LICENSE
GitHub license API	Other / NOASSERTION	GitHub API
Language	TypeScript	GitHub API
Job	Self-host team / mission comms	README / GitHub description

License (read the files)

Copied from LICENSE (2026-10-25):

Content under apps/meteor/ee/ and ee/ uses apps/meteor/ee/LICENSE (Rocket.Chat Enterprise Edition). That file says production use needs a valid Rocket.Chat subscription / EE Terms; development and testing copies are called out separately.
Content outside those directories is MIT (Expat), copyright 2015-2022 Rocket.Chat Technologies Corp.

Same honesty pattern as Mattermost on the Slack hub. Not legal advice.

Install (docs, not tested)

Docs host: docs.rocket.chat. forkalt has not deployed 8.9.0 LTS.

Discord alternatives
Element (Matrix client row)
Slack alternatives (Zulip, Mattermost)
Writing & Office
Chat models (not a messenger): ChatGPT alternatives

FAQ

Is Rocket.Chat open source?

The repo is public (46,317 stars). LICENSE is mixed: MIT (Expat) outside ee/ directories; apps/meteor/ee/ and ee/ use the Rocket.Chat Enterprise Edition license (production needs a subscription). GitHub’s license field is NOASSERTION. We copy the files. Not legal advice.

What version did you check?

GitHub latest release 8.9.0 LTS (published 2026-10-05T17:41:21Z). API 2026-10-25: 46,317 stars, 14,032 forks, created 2015-05-19, last push 2026-10-24T23:43:48Z, default branch develop. Homepage rocket.chat.

Does it replace Discord or Slack?

The GitHub description calls it “The Secure CommsOS™ for mission-critical operations.” That is vendor copy. We list it on Discord alternatives as self-host comms, not as a Discord feature clone. Workplace Slack-class chat is also on Slack alternatives. No bake-off.

Sources & verification

Last verified 2026-10-25 · Last updated 2026-10-25· Edited by forkalt editors · Editorial policy

License notes are not legal advice. Read the original LICENSE. Trademark & disclaimer.