head to head · open source
Rocket.Chat vs octo-server
Rocket.Chat has 46,136 GitHub stars, 13,893 forks, 4,023 open issues and last shipped today. octo-server has 1,059 stars, 165 forks, 29 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Rocket.Chat leads on adoption by 4,257% (46,136 vs 1,059 stars). Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; octo-server is written in Go under Apache-2.0. Rocket.Chat has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, octo-server 16%. Rocket.Chat was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (chat, 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 | octo-server | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 14K | ⑂ 165 |
| 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 octo-server if
- You want the octo-server feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and octo-server 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 octo-server
OCTO — the open workplace built for humans × AI agents. Let Lobsters (OpenClaw powered digital doubles) do the thinking and doing . You focus on taste . 🏠 OCTO Home · 🚀 Quickstart · 📦 Ecosystem · 🤝 Contributing 🌐 Read in : English · 简体中文 OCTO Server The Go backend at the centre of OCTO — REST + WebSocket APIs, Lobster agent orchestration, and the control plane for WuKongIM. octo server is the heart of the OCTO platform. It exposes REST + WebSocket APIs consumed by octo web and octo admin , orchestrates business logic and Lobster (AI agent) scheduling, and drives the WuKongIM IM core for real time messaging. …
read the full octo-server overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Rocket.Chat or octo-server more popular?
Rocket.Chat has 46,136 GitHub stars and octo-server has 1,059. Rocket.Chat has the larger community by that measure.
Are Rocket.Chat and octo-server free?
Both are open source. Rocket.Chat has no licence declared in this registry, and octo-server is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Rocket.Chat and octo-server?
Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript and octo-server in Go. 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 octo-server?
Choose Rocket.Chat if you want the larger community (46,136 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose octo-server if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.