Microsoft Teams
Rocket.Chat
| Feature | Microsoft Teams | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $4/mo | Free / from $4/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | enterprise, teams, microsoft-users, remote-workers | security-conscious-organizations, government, self-hosters, enterprises |
| Founded | 2017 | 2015 |
| Chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Meetings | ✓ | ✗ |
| Channels | ✓ | ✓ |
| File Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Apps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Whiteboard | ✓ | ✗ |
| Direct Messaging | ✗ | ✓ |
| Video Calls | ✗ | ✓ |
| Federation | ✗ | ✓ |
| E2e Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Marketplace | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Microsoft Teams Pros
- Included with Microsoft 365
- Great video calling
- Deep Office integration
- Large meeting capacity
✗ Microsoft Teams Cons
- Resource heavy
- Complex admin settings
- Can feel cluttered
- Requires Microsoft ecosystem
✓ 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
Microsoft Teams is built for enterprise and teams, with a focus on chat and video-meetings. Rocket.Chat targets security conscious organizations and government and leads with channels and direct-messaging.
Both tools come in at similar price points ($4/mo for Microsoft Teams, $4/mo for Rocket.Chat), so pricing won't make the decision for you.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.
