Stoat
Stoat is a user-first chat platform built with modern web technologies.
- Team Chat
- JavaScript
- AGPL-3.0
- Docker
- Actively maintained
GitHub stats
- GitHub stars
- 2,665
- Forks
- 293
- Open issues
- 19
- Commits, last 12 months
- 32
- Last commit
- Sep 29, 2026
- Latest release
- v1.1.4Nov 24, 2025
- Created
- Sep 4, 2021
Data from the GitHub API, refreshed daily.
About Stoat
Stoat is a user-first chat platform built with modern web technologies. Stoat is open source under the AGPL-3.0 license and written mainly in JavaScript, so you can read the code, run it on your own hardware and keep full control of your data.
The project has 2,665 stars and 293 forks on GitHub, with 32 commits over the last year. It ships a Docker image, which makes it a good fit for a small VPS or a home server running Docker Compose.
Topics
- docker
- self-hosted
- self-hosting
- stoat
- stoat-chat
- stoatchat
Open-source alternative to
Stoat can replace these commercial products. Compare every option on each page.
Repository preview
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What is Stoat?
Stoat is a free, open-source app you can host on your own server, listed in our Team Chat category. Stoat is a user-first chat platform built with modern web technologies. The source code lives at github.com/stoatchat/self-hosted, where it has 2,665 stars.
Is Stoat free and open source?
Yes. Stoat is open-source software released under the AGPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I run Stoat with Docker?
Yes. Stoat provides a Docker image, so you can run it on any Linux server with Docker and Docker Compose installed. The project README lists the image name and the environment variables to set.
What are the best alternatives to Stoat?
Popular open-source alternatives to Stoat include Rocket.Chat, Novu and Mattermost. Stoat itself is a self-hosted alternative to Slack and Discord.
Is Stoat actively maintained?
The most recent commit to Stoat was on Sep 29, 2026 with 32 commits in the past twelve months. The latest release is v1.1.4, published Nov 24, 2025. Check the open issues on GitHub to gauge how quickly maintainers respond.