Rocket.Chat
Stormboard
| Feature | Rocket.Chat | Stormboard |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $4/mo | Free / from $10/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.1 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | security-conscious-organizations, government, self-hosters, enterprises | facilitators, meeting-leaders, teams, consultants |
| Founded | 2015 | 2011 |
| Channels | ✓ | ✗ |
| Direct Messaging | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Calls | ✓ | ✗ |
| Federation | ✓ | ✗ |
| E2e Encryption | ✓ | ✗ |
| Marketplace | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sticky Notes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Templates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Voting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Reports | ✗ | ✓ |
| Video Conferencing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Stormboard Pros
- Good for brainstorming
- Meeting templates
- AI report generation
- Easy to use
✗ Stormboard Cons
- Limited free tier
- Less polished than Miro
- Fewer integrations
The Verdict
Rocket.Chat is built for security conscious organizations and government, with a focus on channels and direct-messaging. Stormboard targets facilitators and meeting leaders and leads with sticky-notes and templates.
On pricing, Rocket.Chat is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $4/mo compared to $10/mo for Stormboard. That $6/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
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.