What is the best open-source alternative to Mattermost?

Rocket.Chat is the closest open-source, self-hostable rival, and Jitsi Meet is an open-source option for the video meetings Mattermost handles less well.

Is there an easier alternative to Mattermost?

Yes. Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Pumble are fully managed with no servers to maintain, removing the ops burden of self-hosting Mattermost.

Which Mattermost alternative keeps data on our own servers?

Rocket.Chat and Jitsi Meet can both be self-hosted, and Wire offers on-premises deployment for teams that need full data control.

Does Mattermost have good video meetings?

Mattermost includes calling, but it's less mature than dedicated tools; many teams pair it with Jitsi Meet, Zoom, or Teams for video.

Mattermost Alternatives (2026): 8 Additional Options for Team Chat

Mattermost is the go-to open-source, self-hostable team chat for security-sensitive and technical organizations. Because you can run it entirely on your own infrastructure, government, defense, and engineering teams use it to keep every message under their control, with Slack-like channels, developer integrations, and incident playbooks on top.

That control comes with real operational cost: you need infrastructure and ops effort to run it well, the built-in video is less mature than dedicated meeting tools, and the interface is less polished than commercial rivals. Teams that don't strictly need self-hosting often find a managed tool easier and cheaper to live with. The alternatives below range from fellow open-source options to fully hosted chat and meeting platforms.

TL;DR

Mattermost's superpower is self-hosting and full data ownership for technical teams.
Rocket.Chat is the closest open-source rival with omnichannel features.
Slack and Teams are easier and more polished if you don't need self-hosting.
Running Mattermost well takes ops effort; managed tools remove that burden.

Why look for a Mattermost alternative?

Self-hosting requires infrastructure and ongoing ops effort to run reliably.
Built-in video and voice are less mature than dedicated meeting tools.
The interface feels less polished than commercial rivals like Slack.
Smaller teams rarely need the data-sovereignty overhead Mattermost adds.
Setting up and maintaining integrations can require more technical work.

Mattermost alternatives at a glance

Tool	Starting price	Rating	Best for
Rocket.Chat	$8/mo	★ 4.3	Data-sovereignty teams that also want omnichannel customer chat.
Slack	$7.25/mo	★ 4.7	Software teams that want power without managing servers.
Microsoft Teams	$4/mo	★ 4.5	Organizations on Microsoft 365 that want an all-in-one hub.
Zoho Cliq	$3/mo	★ 4.6	Small businesses already invested in Zoho apps.
Pumble	$2.49/mo	★ 4.7	Budget-conscious teams that want simple, hosted chat.
Discord	$2.99/mo	★ 4.7	Casual technical teams and communities that want always-on voice.
Wire	Wire Pro from $5.83/user/mo billed annually	—	Security teams wanting encryption by default without running servers.
Jitsi Meet	Free and open source; managed JaaS hosting from $99/mo	—	Mattermost users who need strong self-hostable video alongside chat.

1. Rocket.Chat

Best for data-sovereignty requirements

★ 4.3· Capterra$8/mo

What it does better than Mattermost

Rocket.Chat matches Mattermost's open-source, self-hostable, full-data-ownership model while adding omnichannel customer messaging that Mattermost doesn't emphasize. It suits teams that also want to talk to customers from the same platform. Cloud hosting is available too.

Where Mattermost still wins

Rocket.Chat's stability and polish at large scale are sometimes rated below Mattermost by technical teams.

Best for: Data-sovereignty teams that also want omnichannel customer chat.

Visit Rocket.Chat Full review

2. Slack

Best for integration-heavy software teams

★ 4.7· Capterra$7.25/mo

What it does better than Mattermost

Slack is far more polished and easier to run than Mattermost, with no infrastructure to maintain and the largest app-integration ecosystem available. Onboarding is instant and search is excellent. For teams that don't need self-hosting it removes all the ops burden.

Where Mattermost still wins

Slack is cloud-only, so it can't offer Mattermost's self-hosting and full data ownership.

Best for: Software teams that want power without managing servers.

Visit Slack Full review

3. Microsoft Teams

Best for Microsoft 365 organizations

★ 4.5· Capterra$4/mo

What it does better than Mattermost

Teams bundles polished chat, mature meetings, calling, and Office collaboration with no servers to run, at low cost inside Microsoft 365. Its video is far more capable than Mattermost's. For Microsoft shops it's an all-in-one hub.

Where Mattermost still wins

Teams is cloud-hosted by Microsoft, so it can't match Mattermost's on-premises data control.

Best for: Organizations on Microsoft 365 that want an all-in-one hub.

Visit Microsoft Teams Full review

4. Zoho Cliq

Best for existing Zoho customers

★ 4.6· Capterra$3/mo

What it does better than Mattermost

Zoho Cliq is a fully managed, low-cost chat tool that requires no infrastructure, unlike self-hosted Mattermost. It integrates tightly with Zoho's business suite. Setup and administration are simple.

Where Mattermost still wins

Cliq offers no self-hosting or open-source option and has a smaller integration ecosystem than Mattermost.

Best for: Small businesses already invested in Zoho apps.

Visit Zoho Cliq Full review

5. Pumble

Best for cost-sensitive teams

★ 4.7· Capterra$2.49/mo

What it does better than Mattermost

Pumble offers free unlimited message history and very low paid pricing with a polished, hosted experience that needs no ops effort. It's much cheaper to run than a self-hosted Mattermost deployment when staff time is counted. Onboarding is easy.

Where Mattermost still wins

Pumble is cloud-only with no self-hosting and a thinner feature set for technical and security teams.

Best for: Budget-conscious teams that want simple, hosted chat.

Visit Pumble Full review

6. Discord

Best for always-on voice and casual teams

★ 4.7· Capterra$2.99/mo

What it does better than Mattermost

Discord provides effortless, low-latency always-on voice channels that Mattermost's voice can't match, and it's free for most needs. Setup is instant with nothing to host. For casual technical communities it's very fast.

Where Mattermost still wins

Discord is a consumer platform with no self-hosting, weak compliance, and limited business governance versus Mattermost.

Best for: Casual technical teams and communities that want always-on voice.

Visit Discord Full review

7. Wire

Best for end-to-end encrypted collaboration

Wire Pro from $5.83/user/mo billed annually

What it does better than Mattermost

Wire offers end-to-end encryption across chat, calls, and files by default, appealing to the same security-focused teams Mattermost targets, with a fully managed option that needs no ops. It can also be deployed on-premises for control. Encryption is the default, not an add-on.

Where Mattermost still wins

Wire is less customizable than open-source Mattermost and has a smaller integration and developer ecosystem.

Best for: Security teams wanting encryption by default without running servers.

8. Jitsi Meet

Best for free, open-source video

Free and open source; managed JaaS hosting from $99/mo

What it does better than Mattermost

Jitsi Meet is open source and self-hostable like Mattermost but purpose-built for video, giving you the mature meetings Mattermost lacks. It's free with no per-seat cost. Self-hosting keeps calls on your own infrastructure.

Where Mattermost still wins

Jitsi is meetings-only, so it can't replace Mattermost's persistent chat and channels.

Best for: Mattermost users who need strong self-hostable video alongside chat.

How to choose the right Mattermost alternative

Choose Rocket.Chat if you want open-source self-hosting plus omnichannel customer chat.
Choose Slack if you don't need self-hosting and want the most polished, integrated chat.
Choose Microsoft Teams if you run on Microsoft 365 and want mature meetings included.
Choose Zoho Cliq if you use Zoho apps and want a cheap, hosted chat tool.
Choose Pumble if you want free unlimited history with no servers to run.
Choose Discord if you want effortless always-on voice for a casual technical team.
Choose Wire if you want encryption by default without managing infrastructure.
Choose Jitsi Meet if you need strong self-hostable video to pair with chat.

How we evaluated

Feature mapping — we compare each alternative's capabilities against the tool it's replacing, job for job.
Real pricing — starting prices come from each vendor's public pricing page, labeled by tier.
User sentiment — ratings and review counts are aggregated from third-party platforms (Capterra, G2) and shown with their source.
Right-sizing — we weigh which team size, budget, and technical comfort each option actually fits.
Independence — we don't sell a competing product, and affiliate relationships never change our picks.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best open-source alternative to Mattermost?: Rocket.Chat is the closest open-source, self-hostable rival, and Jitsi Meet is an open-source option for the video meetings Mattermost handles less well.
Is there an easier alternative to Mattermost?: Yes. Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Pumble are fully managed with no servers to maintain, removing the ops burden of self-hosting Mattermost.
Which Mattermost alternative keeps data on our own servers?: Rocket.Chat and Jitsi Meet can both be self-hosted, and Wire offers on-premises deployment for teams that need full data control.
Does Mattermost have good video meetings?: Mattermost includes calling, but it's less mature than dedicated tools; many teams pair it with Jitsi Meet, Zoom, or Teams for video.

Still weighing your options?

Answer a few quick questions and we'll recommend the right tools for your business, budget, and team.

Build your stack Mattermost review