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Head-to-head · Team Chat Apps

Zoho Cliq vs Rocket.Chat

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Zoho Cliq #3 in Team Chat Apps 9.1/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Zoho Cliq
Rocket.Chat #5 in Team Chat Apps 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Rocket.Chat

Zoho Cliq leads on 1 check, Rocket.Chat on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreZoho Cliq · 9.1/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Zoho Cliq

Zoho Cliq scores higher on our rubric for team chat apps: 9.1 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #5.

Zoho Cliq leads on maximum members: 100000 users versus 50 users.

Zoho Cliq is the better fit for teams in the Zoho ecosystem. Rocket.Chat is the better fit for organizations needing controlled deployments.

  • Zoho Cliq fits best

    Teams in the Zoho ecosystem

  • Rocket.Chat fits best

    Organizations needing controlled deployments

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Side by side

Feature Zoho Cliq 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Rocket.Chat 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.8
Ranking #3 in Team Chat Apps #5 in Team Chat Apps
Best for Teams in the Zoho ecosystem Organizations needing controlled deployments
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price — —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial 14 days —
Deployment Cloud, Desktop, Mobile Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support Email, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs Community, Docs
Compliance GDPR, 2FA SOC 2, GDPR, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations 7 integrations 5,000+ integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Zoho Cliq 2/2 · Rocket.Chat 2/2
Channels ✓ ✓
Guest access ✓ ✓
Specs
Message history Unlimited Unlimited
Integrations Zoho People, Zoho Projects, Zoho Calendar, Zoho Notebook, Office 365, Twitter, third-party extensions 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 100000 users (best) 50 users
Our review
Pros
  • Free plan includes messaging, meetings, screen sharing, and file storage
  • Covers channels, calls, tasks, bots, administration, and external collaboration
  • Runs across web, desktop, mobile, Linux, and API environments
  • 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
  • Free message history is limited
  • Paid plan prices are not shown here
  • Its broad feature set may exceed the needs of simple chat teams
  • 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

Zoho Cliq is a business communication and collaboration platform for organizations and distributed teams. It brings one-to-one and group messaging, organization and team channels, searchable conversations, file sharing, audio and video…

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. Zoho CliqTeam Chat Apps 9.1Free plan · 14-day trial
  2. Rocket.ChatTeam Chat Apps 8.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Zoho Cliq — where it wins

    • Free plan includes messaging, meetings, screen sharing, and file storage
    • Covers channels, calls, tasks, bots, administration, and external collaboration
    • Runs across web, desktop, mobile, Linux, and API environments

    Where it doesn't

    • Free message history is limited
    • Paid plan prices are not shown here
    • Its broad feature set may exceed the needs of simple chat teams

  • 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