head to head · open source
Rocket.Chat vs drawnix
Rocket.Chat has 46,133 GitHub stars, 13,891 forks, 4,023 open issues and last shipped yesterday. drawnix has 14,721 stars, 1,264 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped 10 days ago. Rocket.Chat leads on adoption by 213% (46,133 vs 14,721 stars). Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; drawnix is written in TypeScript under MIT. Rocket.Chat has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, drawnix 9%. Rocket.Chat was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (collaboration), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Rocket.Chat | drawnix | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 15K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 14K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Rocket.Chat if
- You weight community size — 46K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick drawnix if
- You want the drawnix feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and drawnix fits your workflow better
About Rocket.Chat
Rocket.Chat is an open source, self hostable team communications platform written in TypeScript that gives organisations full ownership of their messaging, voice, and federation infrastructure instead of renting it from a closed SaaS vendor.
read the full Rocket.Chat overview →
About drawnix
Drawnix is a free, MIT licensed, all in one open source whiteboard tool written in TypeScript that combines mind mapping, flowcharts, and freehand drawing on a single infinite canvas, built for individuals and teams who want a self hostable or browser based alternative to commercial whiteboard SaaS.
read the full drawnix overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Rocket.Chat or drawnix more popular?
Rocket.Chat has 46,133 GitHub stars and drawnix has 14,721. Rocket.Chat has the larger community by that measure.
Are Rocket.Chat and drawnix free?
Both are open source. Rocket.Chat has no licence declared in this registry, and drawnix is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Rocket.Chat and drawnix?
Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript and drawnix in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Rocket.Chat or drawnix?
Choose Rocket.Chat if you want the larger community (46,133 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose drawnix if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.