Nheko 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?
Nheko
Desktop Matrix client with native Qt interface
VS
Rocket.Chat
Open-source team chat and collaboration platform
| Feature | Nheko | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Team Chat |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, snap, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,472 | ★ 45,947 |
| First released | 2017 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
Why pick each one
Choose Nheko if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Choose Rocket.Chat if…
- Feature-rich Slack alternative
- Strong integrations
- Self-hostable
Frequently asked questions
Is Nheko or Rocket.Chat better?
Neither is universally better. Rocket.Chat has the larger community, while Nheko is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Nheko and Rocket.Chat free and open-source?
Yes. Nheko is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Rocket.Chat under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Nheko and Rocket.Chat with Docker?
Nheko: check the project docs for container support. Rocket.Chat: yes.