# Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat

> Pick Mattermost if you want a Slack-like chat built for engineering and DevOps teams; pick Rocket.Chat if you want an MIT core with omnichannel customer chat and federation.

## Verdict

Mattermost is focused on secure team collaboration for technical organizations, with playbooks and strong GitLab and DevOps integrations, running on Go and PostgreSQL. Rocket.Chat covers team chat plus omnichannel support (livechat, email, social channels) and a marketplace of apps, which suits organizations that want one tool for internal and customer conversations.

- Best for Mattermost: Engineering and DevOps teams that want Slack-style chat with workflows
- Best for Rocket.Chat: Organizations that want team chat plus livechat and omnichannel support

## Key differences

| Aspect | Mattermost | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| License | Source under AGPL-3.0 (or commercial), admin tools under Apache-2.0, official binaries under MIT; paid editions add features | MIT for the core; code in the ee/ directories is under a separate enterprise license |
| Language/stack | Go server with a React webapp | TypeScript on Node.js (Meteor) with a React UI |
| Database | PostgreSQL (the docs offer a migration guide for MySQL users) | MongoDB |
| Standout features | Playbooks, GitLab and Jira integrations, calls plugin, compliance features in paid tiers | Omnichannel livechat, apps marketplace, Matrix federation, white-labeling |
| Mobile apps | Official Android and iOS apps plus desktop apps | Official Android and iOS apps plus desktop apps |

## GitHub numbers

| Metric | Mattermost | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 39,271 | 46,213 |
| Forks | 9,036 | 13,948 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 1,913 | 2,155 |
| Last commit | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Latest release | v11.11.1 | 8.9.0 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| License type | Open source | Open source |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| Repository | https://github.com/mattermost/mattermost | https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat |

App pages: [Mattermost](https://appsgit.com/apps/mattermost), [Rocket.Chat](https://appsgit.com/apps/rocket-chat)

## FAQ

### Is Mattermost open source?

Its source is available under AGPL-3.0 (or a commercial license), and official compiled builds are licensed under MIT. Several enterprise features are only in paid editions.

### Which is the better Slack alternative?

Mattermost feels closer to Slack for internal engineering teams. Rocket.Chat is the better pick if you also need customer-facing livechat in the same product.

### What database does each need?

Mattermost runs on PostgreSQL. Rocket.Chat uses MongoDB, typically deployed as a replica set alongside the app in Docker Compose.

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/compare/mattermost-vs-rocket-chat
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