Mattermost vs RocketChat: What are the differences?

Introduction: In today's digital era, team collaboration is crucial for the success of any organization. Similarly, communication platforms play a vital role in facilitating effective collaboration within teams. Mattermost and RocketChat are two popular communication platforms that offer features like team messaging, file sharing, and video conferencing. However, there are key differences that set them apart from each other.

1. Architecture: Mattermost is built on a hybrid architecture, combining server-side code with client-side JavaScript. On the other hand, RocketChat relies on the Meteor framework, which is a full-stack JavaScript platform. This architectural difference can impact performance and scalability, with Mattermost offering better control over server resources and RocketChat enabling rapid development.

2. Self-hosted vs. Cloud: Mattermost provides both self-hosted and cloud-hosted options, giving organizations the flexibility to choose where they want to deploy their communication infrastructure. In contrast, RocketChat primarily focuses on the self-hosted model, where organizations have full control over their data and security. This difference allows organizations to tailor their communication setup according to their specific needs.

3. Customization and Extensibility: Both Mattermost and RocketChat offer various customization and extensibility options. However, Mattermost provides more flexibility in terms of theming, branding, and plugins. Mattermost allows deep integrations with other applications through its RESTful API, providing extensive customization possibilities. RocketChat also supports customization but may require more technical expertise to achieve the desired level of flexibility.

4. Enterprise-Grade Features: Mattermost is known for its enterprise-grade features, focusing on security, compliance, and administration capabilities. It offers features like advanced access controls, compliance exports, and extensive user management options. RocketChat also provides security features but may not have the same level of enterprise-grade capabilities as Mattermost.

5. Community and Support: Both Mattermost and RocketChat have active communities contributing to their development. However, Mattermost has a larger community and a significant number of enterprise users, which results in a more extensive support ecosystem. Mattermost offers commercial support options, including 24/7 support, whereas RocketChat relies more on its community support.

6. User Interface and User Experience: Mattermost and RocketChat have different approaches to user interface design. Mattermost focuses on a clean and enterprise-oriented look, emphasizing productivity and ease of use. RocketChat, on the other hand, aims for a more modern and feature-rich interface, focusing on providing a visually appealing user experience. This difference in design philosophy can influence user preference based on individual needs.

In summary, Mattermost and RocketChat differ in terms of their architectural approach, deployment options, customization and extensibility, enterprise-grade features, community and support, as well as user interface and user experience. Organizations should carefully evaluate these differences to choose the platform that best aligns with their collaboration requirements and preferences.