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Re: Free opensource chat?
Posted: 12 Nov 2025 11:27
by Steve
exxos wrote: 12 Nov 2025 08:28
I just don't have time to keep watch on multiple windows and chats.
But you're talking about setting up your own chat system, which is far more work, and lamenting the loss of FB messenger, so this confuses me :?
exxos wrote: 12 Nov 2025 08:28
I don't know why Discord even exists. Just assume the new kids don't wanna use old stuff like IRC and redid the whole thing..
I speak from experience (I spent many years in IRC during my Quake gaming years) IRC is great, I really love it, but it isn't suited to the 'modern' web. Discord lets you paste multimedia, pictures etc, which is great when you're talking electronics and just want to share a photo of a PCB for discussion etc. If you're going to go to the effort of setting something up, it should be fit for purpose, like this kind of thing I just described.
exxos wrote: 12 Nov 2025 08:28
Plus going by how I get banned from 3rd party stuff constantly, I don't want to rely on 3rd party stuff which I have no control over..
I agree with Alex here... I created the Atari Freemint Discord (So I speak from experience). How hard was it to set up? A few clicks... How much management does it need from me? Literally none, have we ever had issues/spammers? I don't think so. I don't see how any Discord channel could randomly be taken down, I'm in a few electronics channels and they've been around for years without any problems. You can set moderators, so if there was any spam, it's not all down to you to sort out.
Re: Free opensource chat?
Posted: 21 Feb 2026 12:09
by danboid
I'm greatly disappointed by the number of open source projects that rely on Discord. Its as if Windows, IE and vendor lock in taught them nothing.
If you want something a bit more advanced than IRC thats open source, it seems to mainly be rocket.chat vs mattermost. I've got no experience with either so I asked Gemini "Is it easier to set up and run a rocket.chat or mattermost server?" and this was its reply:
Choosing between **Mattermost** and **Rocket.Chat** for self-hosting often comes down to a trade-off: Mattermost is generally easier to maintain over the long term, while Rocket.Chat is often quicker to "fire and forget" for a small initial setup.
As of 2026, here is how the two compare in terms of effort:
### 1. **The Setup (Initial Installation)**
* **Winner: Rocket.Chat**
* **Why:** Rocket.Chat is famous for its "one-click" style deployments. If you use **Docker Compose**, you can have a fully functional server with video, voice, and mobile push notifications working in minutes. It’s designed to be a "feature-complete" package out of the box.
* **The Catch:** Rocket.Chat relies on **MongoDB**. While powerful, managing a MongoDB database can be more intimidating for beginners than a standard SQL database if something goes wrong.
### 2. **The Maintenance (Long-Term Running)**
* **Winner: Mattermost**
* **Why:** Mattermost is widely considered more "stable" by sysadmins. It uses **PostgreSQL** or **MySQL**, which are the industry standards for data storage and are very easy to back up and optimize.
* **Updates:** Mattermost updates are generally smoother. Rocket.Chat has a history of major version changes that can occasionally break custom configurations or require specific database migrations that are tricky for casual users.
### 3. **Resource Usage (The "Server Bill")**
* **Winner: Mattermost**
* **Why:** Mattermost is written in **Go**, making it incredibly lightweight. You can run a small Mattermost instance on a very cheap VPS (1GB RAM) without it breaking a sweat. Rocket.Chat (built on **Node.js**) is more resource-heavy and typically requires at least 2GB–4GB of RAM to stay snappy once you start adding users and integrations.
---
### Summary Comparison
| Factor | Mattermost | Rocket.Chat |
|---|
| **Database** | PostgreSQL / MySQL (Easier) | MongoDB (More complex) |
| **RAM Usage** | Low (Starts at ~512MB) | Moderate (Starts at ~1-2GB) |
| **Built-in Features** | Minimal (Needs plugins for video) | Massive (Video/Voice included) |
| **License** | AGPL (More "Enterprise" feel) | MIT (More "Community" feel) |
| **UX Feel** | Clean, Slack-like | Dense, Feature-rich |
### The Verdict
* **Choose Mattermost** if you want a "set it and forget it" server that won't crash and is easy to back up. It’s perfect if you just need solid text chat and basic file sharing.
* **Choose Rocket.Chat** if you want the most "Discord-like" experience immediately (including built-in video calls) and don't mind spending a bit more on a slightly beefier server.
Re: Free opensource chat?
Posted: 21 Feb 2026 12:14
by danboid
The other notable option is spacebar chat, an open source clone of discord
https://github.com/spacebarchat/spacebarchat
I get the impression its not quite as mature as rocket.chat or mattermost. I'm not sure its considered stable yet? I can't see any releases on github.
Re: Free opensource chat?
Posted: 23 May 2026 22:19
by piku
I know this thread has been dead for awhile but I have a mattermost server running. For business only right now though. It is just like Slack.
Re: Free opensource chat?
Posted: 03 Jun 2026 14:51
by IngoQ
We're using Mattermost at work and will be moving away from it. Reasons are the crippled community edition and the overall direction the project is going. They are more focussing on enterprise environments and are asking hefty prices for it.
My recommendation would be going the Matrix route if any, Element Server for example:
https://element.io/en/server-suite/community
If you just need some messaging on mobile devices, I'd say use RCS (
https://www.android.com/get-the-message/)
Re: Free opensource chat?
Posted: 05 Jun 2026 19:02
by Steve
I just watched the promo video for Element server on that page and it seems really impressive! Especially for small communities.