ejabberd 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?
ejabberd
Robust, scalable XMPP messaging server
VS
Rocket.Chat
Open-source team chat and collaboration platform
| Feature | ejabberd | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Team Chat |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Erlang | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, snap, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,711 | ★ 45,947 |
| First released | 2002 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
Why pick each one
Choose Rocket.Chat if…
- Feature-rich Slack alternative
- Strong integrations
- Self-hostable
Frequently asked questions
Is ejabberd or Rocket.Chat better?
Rocket.Chat is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider ejabberd if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are ejabberd and Rocket.Chat free and open-source?
Yes. ejabberd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Rocket.Chat under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ejabberd and Rocket.Chat with Docker?
ejabberd: yes. Rocket.Chat: yes.