Rocket.Chat vs Microsoft Teams

Self-host swap-in for Microsoft Teams. · Self-host Microsoft Teams · Rocket.Chat on os-alt

Rocket.Chat is one of the open-source self-host replacements for Microsoft Teams — license MIT, 20min docker-compose (Node + MongoDB) to stand up, and $10/mo vps; mongodb needs ram and growing index space. Compare against Microsoft Teams's Teams Essentials $4/user/mo; bundled in M365 Business Basic at $6/user/mo below.

	Rocket.Chatopen-source	Microsoft Teamspaid SaaS
Category	Team chat + video meetings	Team chat + video meetings
License / pricing	`MIT`	Teams Essentials $4/user/mo; bundled in M365 Business Basic at $6/user/mo
Starting price	$0 self-host	$4/user/mo
GitHub	RocketChat/Rocket.Chat ★ 45.3k · last commit todayalive	closed source
Setup time	20min docker-compose (Node + MongoDB)	SaaS — sign up + bill
Monthly cost	$10/mo VPS; MongoDB needs RAM and growing index space.	from $4/user/mo (Teams Essentials $4/user/mo; bundled in M365 Business Basic at $6/user/mo)

Switching from Microsoft Teams to Rocket.Chat

Pull `rocket.chat` and `mongo:6` via official compose. Teams migration: export channel/conversation data via M365 Compliance export, then use Rocket.Chat's HTTP REST API to bulk-create channels and post historical messages with the original timestamps and authors (community scripts handle the loop). Built-in voice/video calls use Jitsi Meet — install Jitsi alongside on the same VPS.

Good fit for: Customer-facing scenarios (livechat plugin), regulated environments (on-prem with SSO + audit trail), and orgs that need omnichannel chat with email/WhatsApp gateways.
Weak at: MongoDB ops surface — backups and upgrades are more involved than Mattermost's Postgres.
License note: Core is MIT; some Enterprise features (engagement dashboard, advanced LDAP) are paid add-ons.

Other open-source self-host alternatives to Microsoft Teams

Mattermost
AGPL-3.020min docker-compose (Go server + Postgres)$10/mo VPS for a 50-user team; Postgres is the heaviest piece.
Element + Synapse (Matrix)
AGPL-3.01h docker-compose (Synapse + Postgres + Element web client + TURN server for calls)$15-30/mo VPS; TURN bandwidth dominates if calls are heavy.

Rocket.Chat also replaces

Slack— Team chat

In a terminal? npx os-alt microsoft-teams prints Microsoft Teams's self-host options — how the CLI works →

FAQ

Is Rocket.Chat a free alternative to Microsoft Teams?

Yes — Rocket.Chat is open source under MIT. Self-host cost: $10/mo VPS; MongoDB needs RAM and growing index space.. Microsoft Teams starts at $4/user/mo (Teams Essentials $4/user/mo; bundled in M365 Business Basic at $6/user/mo).

How long does Rocket.Chat take to set up vs Microsoft Teams?

Self-hosting Rocket.Chat: 20min docker-compose (Node + MongoDB). Microsoft Teams is a hosted SaaS — sign up and you're in.

What is Rocket.Chat good at, and what is it weak at?

Good fit for: Customer-facing scenarios (livechat plugin), regulated environments (on-prem with SSO + audit trail), and orgs that need omnichannel chat with email/WhatsApp gateways.. Weak at: MongoDB ops surface — backups and upgrades are more involved than Mattermost's Postgres..