Immich
Rocket.Chat
| Feature | Immich | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $0/mo | Free / from $4/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, families, privacy-focused-users, photographers | security-conscious-organizations, government, self-hosters, enterprises |
| Founded | 2022 | 2015 |
| Photo Backup | ✓ | ✗ |
| Facial Recognition | ✓ | ✗ |
| Smart Search | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shared Albums | ✓ | ✗ |
| Memories | ✓ | ✗ |
| Map View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mobile Apps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Channels | ✗ | ✓ |
| Direct Messaging | ✗ | ✓ |
| Video Calls | ✗ | ✓ |
| Federation | ✗ | ✓ |
| E2e Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Marketplace | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Immich Pros
- Full Google Photos replacement (self-hosted)
- AI face recognition and smart search
- Mobile apps with automatic background backup
- Shared albums and partner sharing
✗ Immich Cons
- Self-hosting only (no managed cloud option)
- Resource-intensive (especially ML features)
- Still in active development (breaking changes possible)
✓ Rocket.Chat Pros
- Fully open-source and self-hostable
- End-to-end encryption
- Federation support between instances
- Highly customizable
✗ Rocket.Chat Cons
- Self-hosted requires maintenance
- Mobile apps less polished than Slack
- Smaller app ecosystem
The Verdict
Immich is built for self hosters and families, with a focus on photo-backup and facial-recognition. Rocket.Chat targets security conscious organizations and government and leads with channels and direct-messaging.
Pricing is close: Immich starts at $0/mo versus $4/mo for Rocket.Chat — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Immich edges out on user ratings (4.7 vs 4.1). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Immich offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Rocket.Chat takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for self hosters — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Immich has a slight overall edge — but if fully open-source and self-hostable matters most to you, Rocket.Chat may still be the right call.