Dino vs Rocket.Chat
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Dino
Modern XMPP chat client for the desktop
VS
Rocket.Chat
Open-source team chat and collaboration platform
| Feature | Dino | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Team Chat |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Vala | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, snap, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,472 | ★ 45,947 |
| First released | 2017 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Skype, Slack | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
Why pick each one
Choose Dino if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Vala
Choose Rocket.Chat if…
- Feature-rich Slack alternative
- Strong integrations
- Self-hostable
Frequently asked questions
Is Dino or Rocket.Chat better?
Neither is universally better. Rocket.Chat has the larger community, while Dino is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dino and Rocket.Chat free and open-source?
Yes. Dino is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Rocket.Chat under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dino and Rocket.Chat with Docker?
Dino: check the project docs for container support. Rocket.Chat: yes.