Element Web 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?
Element Web
Glossy Matrix client for the web and desktop
VS
Rocket.Chat
Open-source team chat and collaboration platform
| Feature | Element Web | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Team Chat |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, snap, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,353 | ★ 45,947 |
| First released | 2016 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
Why pick each one
Choose Rocket.Chat if…
- Feature-rich Slack alternative
- Strong integrations
- Self-hostable
Frequently asked questions
Is Element Web or Rocket.Chat better?
Neither is universally better. Rocket.Chat has the larger community, while Element Web is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Element Web and Rocket.Chat free and open-source?
Yes. Element Web is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Rocket.Chat under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Element Web and Rocket.Chat with Docker?
Element Web: yes. Rocket.Chat: yes.