# Rocket.Chat

> Rocket.Chat is a mature TypeScript chat platform on MongoDB. Free options: Starter (up to 50 users, many premium features) and Community, the MIT open source edition (up to 100 concurrent users, core messaging only, 10,000 push notifications a month, video calls through Jitsi or BigBlueButton only). Code in the ee/ folders has a separate enterprise licence, and Rocket.Chat says Community is not for business-critical production. A small server needs 2 vCPU and 4 GiB RAM plus MongoDB. Calls go through external video tools, not built-in huddles.

- Repository: https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat
- Official docs: https://docs.rocket.chat/docs/deploy-rocketchat
- Checked: 2026-10-15

## What it replaces
- Slack: Channels and direct messages, Threaded conversations, Integrations, Search and message history (partial). Channels, threads, DMs, apps and search; free editions are capped at 50 users (Starter) or 100 concurrent users (Community). Calls need Jitsi, BigBlueButton or similar.

## Facts, with sources

| Question | Status | Answer | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on my machine? | Confirmed | Self-hosted (Docker, Podman, Kubernetes) or Rocket.Chat cloud hosting | https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat#readme | 2026-10-15 |
| Code licence | Partial | MIT for most code; apps/meteor/ee and ee directories under a separate enterprise licence | https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat/blob/develop/LICENSE | 2026-10-15 |
| Model weights licence | Confirmed | No separate model weights | https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat#readme | 2026-10-15 |
| Commercial use | Partial | Allowed, but Starter is capped at 50 users and Community at 100 concurrent users; vendor calls Community unsuitable for business-critical production | https://docs.rocket.chat/docs/our-plans | 2026-10-15 |
| Paid services needed? | Partial | None required within the free caps; Commercial, Government and Defense plans remove limits and add support | https://docs.rocket.chat/docs/our-plans | 2026-10-15 |
| Hardware | Confirmed | Up to 500 concurrent users - Rocket.Chat 2 vCPU, 4 GiB RAM, 20 GiB disk; plus MongoDB 8.0+ (2 vCPU, 4 GiB per replica) | https://docs.rocket.chat/docs/system-requirements | 2026-10-15 |
| Operating systems | Confirmed | Server via Docker, Podman or Kubernetes; desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux (Snap); iOS and Android | https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat#readme | 2026-10-15 |
| Setup effort | Confirmed | Medium; Docker or Kubernetes plus a separately maintained MongoDB | https://docs.rocket.chat/docs/system-requirements | 2026-10-15 |

GitHub: 46277 stars, 13985 forks, last push 2026-10-16, archived: no.
---
Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/projects/rocket-chat). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.