Rocket.Chat vs Snikket
| Tagline | Fully customizable open-source communications platform and Slack alternative | XMPP-based private messenger server with easy one-command setup |
| Category | Team Chat & Collaboration | Team Chat & Collaboration |
| Replaces | Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord | Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams |
| GitHub stars | 46k | 700 |
| Language | TypeScript | Lua |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Self-host difficulty | 3/5 Moderate | 1/5 Effortless |
| Deploy options | One-Click Docker Docker Compose Kubernetes Manual | Docker Docker Compose |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 5 days ago | 1 month ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
Rocket.Chat
- Resource-heavy (Node.js + MongoDB) and can be slow at scale on modest hardware
- Some enterprise features (engagement dashboard, scalability, advanced auth) require a paid plan
- UI can feel cluttered compared to Slack
- Mobile apps have historically lagged the web client in polish
Snikket
- No public channels or community servers; designed for private groups only
- Federation with other XMPP servers has occasional compatibility edge cases
- Limited bot or integration support compared to Slack or Matrix
Bottom line
Choose Snikket if you want the lower-effort setup; choose Rocket.Chat for the larger community and ecosystem. Rocket.Chat has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
Rocket.Chat
Fully customizable open-source communications platform and Slack alternative