Rocket.Chat vs Nextcloud Talk

Rocket.Chat8.6Visit Nextcloud Talk8.5Visit

Higher score Rocket.Chat #7 in Business Instant Messaging - Midmarket Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Rocket.Chat

vs

Nextcloud Talk #8 in Business Instant Messaging - Midmarket Software 8.5/10 Open source · 30-day trial Free trial✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Nextcloud

• Rocket.Chat fits best

  Teams prioritizing self-hosting and deployment control

• Nextcloud Talk fits best

  Teams needing self-hosted, federated collaboration

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Rocket.Chat 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Nextcloud Talk 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.5
Ranking	#7 in Business Instant Messaging - Midmarket Software	#8 in Business Instant Messaging - Midmarket Software
Best for	Teams prioritizing self-hosting and deployment control	Teams needing self-hosted, federated collaboration
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	—	€71.29/user/yr
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile	Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Phone, Tickets, Community, Docs
Compliance	SOC 2, GDPR, SSO/SAML, 2FA	GDPR
Integrations	5,000+ integrations	15 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Rocket.Chat 1/4 · Nextcloud Talk 1/4
Guest access	✓	✓
Self-hosted option	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Single sign-on	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Retention controls	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Message history	Unlimited	Not checked yet
Max file size	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Deploy on customer-managed infrastructure or Rocket.Chat-managed cloud hosting Channels, threaded discussions, searchable history, and guest access Works across web, desktop, mobile, and self-hosted environments	Federated chat and video calls, plus end-to-end encrypted calls Guest rooms, screen sharing, webinars and breakout rooms Chat integrates file and document collaboration with Nextcloud apps
Cons	The free Starter plan is limited to 50 users Commercial, Government, and Defense plans have no public numeric prices Community is limited to core messaging and 100 concurrent users	Talk is optional at extra cost on the listed Enterprise tiers The listed category specs do not include channels Talk-specific pricing is not published with the listed tier prices
Our verdict	Rocket.Chat is an open-source communications platform for teams that need channels, direct messages, threaded discussions, file and multimedia sharing, and searchable conversations. It serves small teams as well as midmarket organizations,… Read the review →	Nextcloud Talk brings text chat, audio and video calls, meetings and webinars into a self-hosted collaboration platform. It is suited to teams that want control over deployment and need conversations with both colleagues and external… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Rocket.Chat — where it wins

  • Deploy on customer-managed infrastructure or Rocket.Chat-managed cloud hosting
  • Channels, threaded discussions, searchable history, and guest access
  • Works across web, desktop, mobile, and self-hosted environments

  Where it doesn't

  • The free Starter plan is limited to 50 users
  • Commercial, Government, and Defense plans have no public numeric prices
  • Community is limited to core messaging and 100 concurrent users

• Nextcloud Talk — where it wins

  • Federated chat and video calls, plus end-to-end encrypted calls
  • Guest rooms, screen sharing, webinars and breakout rooms
  • Chat integrates file and document collaboration with Nextcloud apps

  Where it doesn't

  • Talk is optional at extra cost on the listed Enterprise tiers
  • The listed category specs do not include channels
  • Talk-specific pricing is not published with the listed tier prices

• Rocket.Chat8.6/10 · Free plan

  A flexible messaging platform for teams that need control over deployment.

  Visit Rocket.ChatFull verdict →
• Nextcloud Talk8.5/10 · Open source · 30-day trial

  Open-source team chat with guest access, federation and collaboration tools for self-hosted teams.

  Visit NextcloudFull verdict →