Gladly
Rocket.Chat
| Feature | Gladly | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $180/mo | Free / from $4/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | ecommerce-brands, luxury-retail, enterprise-support, customer-obsessed-teams | developers, self-hosted-teams, enterprises, customer-support-teams |
| Founded | 2014 | 2015 |
| Unified Conversation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Omnichannel Inbox | ✓ | ✗ |
| Voice Support | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Service | ✓ | ✗ |
| Customer Timeline | ✓ | ✗ |
| Task Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Channels | ✗ | ✓ |
| Direct Messaging | ✗ | ✓ |
| Video Conferencing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Omnichannel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Marketplace | ✗ | ✓ |
| Federation | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Gladly Pros
- Single conversation thread per customer
- Excellent omnichannel support
- Built-in voice and messaging
- Customer-first approach
✗ Gladly Cons
- Very expensive per agent
- Enterprise-focused
- Smaller marketplace of integrations
✓ Rocket.Chat Pros
- Fully open-source
- Self-hosted option
- Omnichannel customer support
- Highly customizable
✗ Rocket.Chat Cons
- Requires server resources to self-host
- Less polished than Slack
- Plugin quality varies
The Verdict
Gladly is built for ecommerce brands and luxury retail, with a focus on unified-conversation and omnichannel-inbox. Rocket.Chat targets developers and self hosted teams and leads with channels and direct-messaging.
On pricing, Rocket.Chat is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $4/mo compared to $180/mo for Gladly. That $176/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Rocket.Chat has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Gladly requires a paid subscription from day one.
Gladly edges out on user ratings (4.5 vs 4.1). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Gladly has a slight overall edge — but if fully open-source matters most to you, Rocket.Chat may still be the right call.