Pumble
Rocket.Chat
| Feature | Pumble | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $2.49/mo | Free / from $4/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | small-teams, startups, budget-conscious-teams, remote-teams | security-conscious-organizations, government, self-hosters, enterprises |
| Founded | 2020 | 2015 |
| Channels | ✓ | ✓ |
| Direct Messages | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Calls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screen Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| File Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Threads | ✓ | ✗ |
| Direct Messaging | ✗ | ✓ |
| Federation | ✗ | ✓ |
| E2e Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Marketplace | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Pumble Pros
- Unlimited message history on free plan
- Very affordable paid plans
- Familiar Slack-like interface
- Good video calling
✗ Pumble Cons
- Smaller integration ecosystem
- Less mature than Slack
- Limited automation features
✓ 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
Pumble is built for small teams and startups, with a focus on channels and direct-messages. Rocket.Chat targets security conscious organizations and government and leads with channels and direct-messaging.
Pricing is close: Pumble starts at $2.49/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.
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.