Rocket.Chat
Cisco Webex
| Feature | Rocket.Chat | Cisco Webex |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $4/mo | Free / from $14.5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.1 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | security-conscious-organizations, government, self-hosters, enterprises | enterprise, government, healthcare, large-organizations |
| Founded | 2015 | 1995 |
| Channels | ✓ | ✗ |
| Direct Messaging | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Calls | ✓ | ✗ |
| Federation | ✓ | ✗ |
| E2e Encryption | ✓ | ✗ |
| Marketplace | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Meetings | ✗ | ✓ |
| Messaging | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Whiteboarding | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Assistant | ✗ | ✓ |
| Webinars | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Cisco Webex Pros
- Enterprise-grade security
- High-quality video
- AI features
- Hardware ecosystem
✗ Cisco Webex Cons
- Complex interface
- Expensive
- Smaller ecosystem
The Verdict
Rocket.Chat is built for security conscious organizations and government, with a focus on channels and direct-messaging. Cisco Webex targets enterprise and government and leads with video-meetings and messaging.
On pricing, Rocket.Chat is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $4/mo compared to $14.5/mo for Cisco Webex. That $10.5/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.
Both tools are a solid fit for government — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
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.