Alternatives to Mattermost

A self-hosted team chat platform with a desktop client, aimed at organisations that want Slack without the cloud. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Mattermost.

  • Zulip

    Team chat organised by topic inside each channel, so conversations stay readable when you come back hours later.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Zulip is also self-hostable and Apache-2.0 licensed, organising conversations by topic within channels, with hosted plans available too.

  • Rocket.Chat Desktop

    Connect to Rocket.Chat workspaces from a desktop client.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Rocket.Chat Desktop connects to self-hosted Rocket.Chat workspaces under an MIT-licensed client, with server licensing handled separately.

  • Element

    The reference Matrix client: end-to-end encrypted chat on a network you can host yourself.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSWebSelf-hosted

    Element provides federated Matrix team chat you can self-host with end-to-end encryption and bridges, but adds homeserver choice and key management.

  • Microsoft Teams (free)

    The free edition of Microsoft Teams for chat, file sharing and video meetings.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOSWeb

    Microsoft Teams free adds meetings and mobile apps, but is proprietary and hosted by Microsoft rather than on your own servers.

  • Wire

    End-to-end encrypted messaging, calls and file sharing for organisations.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSWeb

    Wire offers end-to-end encrypted messaging, calls and self-hosting for organisations, with a focus on paid business plans.

  • Stoat

    An open-source group chat app with servers, channels, voice chat and role-based moderation for communities.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSWeb

    Stoat offers servers, channels, voice chat and role-based moderation with web and mobile apps, but is aimed at communities rather than organisations.

  • Slack

    A team chat platform organized into channels, with huddles, file sharing, app integrations and AI features.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSWeb

    Slack is a closed-source hosted team chat with many integrations and huddles, so messages are stored on Slack's servers instead of your own.

  • Huly

    An open-source team platform combining project tracking, chat, documents, planning and video meetings.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    Huly is an EPL-2.0 self-hostable platform that combines chat with project tracking, documents and video meetings, which may be more than a chat team needs.

Also worth comparing

These listings name Mattermost as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • Campfire

    A self-hosted group chat system from 37signals with rooms, direct messages and @mentions.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    Mattermost is also open source and self-hosted, adding Boards and Playbooks, but it is heavier infrastructure and some server features are reserved for paid editions.

  • Chanty

    A hosted team chat workspace for organizing internal and external communication, with a free plan.

    FreemiumProprietaryWeb

    Mattermost is open source and self-hosted, so message data stays on your infrastructure, but you must run a server and some features are in paid editions.

  • Flock

    A team messaging app with channels, voice and video calls, screen sharing and file sharing.

    FreemiumProprietaryWeb

    Mattermost is open source and self-hosted, so message data stays on your own servers instead of a vendor's, but you must run and maintain the server.

  • Google Chat

    Google's team messaging app with spaces, direct messages and threaded conversations.

    FreemiumProprietaryWeb

    Mattermost is open source and self-hosted, so messages stay on your own infrastructure rather than Google's, but running the server is real work.

  • Nextcloud Talk

    Chat, video calls and webinars that run on your own Nextcloud server.

    FreeOpen sourceAndroidWebSelf-hosted

    Mattermost offers self-hosted team chat on your own server without needing Nextcloud, but video meetings are not listed and some features require paid editions.

  • Pumble

    A team messaging app with channels, threads, direct messages and voice and video calls.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOS

    Mattermost is open source and self-hosted, so messages stay on your own servers, unlike Pumble's hosted-only service, though some features need paid editions.

  • Twist

    An asynchronous team messaging app that organizes conversations into threads inside channels.

    FreemiumProprietaryWeb

    Mattermost is an open source team chat you self-host so data stays on your servers, but it needs real infrastructure to run.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.