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Head-to-head · Team Chat Apps

Slack vs Rocket.Chat

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Slack #2 in Team Chat Apps 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Slack
Rocket.Chat #5 in Team Chat Apps 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Rocket.Chat

Slack leads on 0 checks, Rocket.Chat on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreSlack · 9.3/10
  • Free planboth

Slack scores higher on our rubric for team chat apps: 9.3 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #5.

On message history, Rocket.Chat gives you Unlimited where Slack offers Limited.

Slack is the better fit for integration-heavy teams. Rocket.Chat is the better fit for organizations needing controlled deployments.

  • Slack fits best

    Integration-heavy teams

  • Rocket.Chat fits best

    Organizations needing controlled deployments

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Side by side

Feature Slack 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Rocket.Chat 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 8.8
Ranking #2 in Team Chat Apps #5 in Team Chat Apps
Best for Integration-heavy teams Organizations needing controlled deployments
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $7.25/user/mo —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Desktop, Mobile Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support Docs · 24/7 Community, Docs
Compliance SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, SSO/SAML, 2FA SOC 2, GDPR, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations 2,600+ integrations 5,000+ integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Slack 2/2 · Rocket.Chat 2/2
Channels ✓ ✓
Guest access ✓ ✓
Specs
Message history Limited Unlimited
Integrations Salesforce, Jira, Google Drive, ChatGPT, Asana, Miro, Notion, Zoom, GitHub, GitLab, PagerDuty, Box, Dropbox, Zendesk, Freshdesk, HubSpot GitHub, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Meet, Jira Cloud, Microsoft Teams, Pexip, Telegram, Trello, WhatsApp, Zapier, Zoom
Supported platforms web, windows, macos, linux, ios, android, api web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, API, self-hosted
Maximum members Not checked yet 50 users
Our review
Pros
  • Channels, direct messages, huddles, guests, and Slack Connect
  • Broad integrations with Salesforce, Jira, GitHub, and other tools
  • Workflow automation, AI features, and enterprise administration
  • Self-hosted and air-gapped deployment options
  • Channels, threads, search, calls, guests, and file sharing
  • Role-based access, SSO, MFA, encryption, and retention policies
Cons
  • The Free plan includes only 90 days of message history
  • Paid access starts at $7.25 per user per month on annual billing
  • Enterprise+ requires contacting sales for pricing
  • Commercial, Government, and Defense plans are quote-based
  • Community is self-hosted only and limited to core messaging
  • Community push notifications are capped at 10,000 per month
Our verdict

Slack organizes workplace communication around public and private channels, direct messages, shared spaces, and Slack Connect external messaging. It is aimed at teams that need structured conversations alongside searchable message and file…

Read the review →

Rocket.Chat is an open-source communications platform for organizations that need controlled collaboration and data ownership. It brings together public and private channels, direct messages, groups, threaded discussions, searchable…

Read the review →
  1. SlackTeam Chat Apps 9.3Free plan
  2. Rocket.ChatTeam Chat Apps 8.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Slack — where it wins

    • Channels, direct messages, huddles, guests, and Slack Connect
    • Broad integrations with Salesforce, Jira, GitHub, and other tools
    • Workflow automation, AI features, and enterprise administration

    Where it doesn't

    • The Free plan includes only 90 days of message history
    • Paid access starts at $7.25 per user per month on annual billing
    • Enterprise+ requires contacting sales for pricing

  • Rocket.Chat — where it wins

    • Self-hosted and air-gapped deployment options
    • Channels, threads, search, calls, guests, and file sharing
    • Role-based access, SSO, MFA, encryption, and retention policies

    Where it doesn't

    • Commercial, Government, and Defense plans are quote-based
    • Community is self-hosted only and limited to core messaging
    • Community push notifications are capped at 10,000 per month

More comparisons

All team chat apps comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update