head to head · open source
Rocket.Chat vs Openfire
Rocket.Chat has 46,133 GitHub stars, 13,891 forks, 4,023 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Openfire has 3,064 stars, 1,404 forks, 53 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Rocket.Chat leads on adoption by 1,406% (46,133 vs 3,064 stars). Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Openfire is written in Java under Apache-2.0. Rocket.Chat has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, Openfire 46%. 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 (collaboration, hacktoberfest), 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 | Openfire | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 14K | ⑂ 1.4K |
| 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 Openfire if
- You want the Openfire feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and Openfire 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 Openfire
Openfire is an open source real time collaboration (RTC) server for XMPP, also called Jabber, written in Java under the Apache License 2.0 and maintained as an Ignite Realtime community project for organisations and administrators that want to run their own instant messaging infrastructure.
read the full Openfire overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Rocket.Chat or Openfire more popular?
Rocket.Chat has 46,133 GitHub stars and Openfire has 3,064. Rocket.Chat has the larger community by that measure.
Are Rocket.Chat and Openfire free?
Both are open source. Rocket.Chat has no licence declared in this registry, and Openfire is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Rocket.Chat and Openfire?
Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript and Openfire in Java. 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 Openfire?
Choose Rocket.Chat if you want the larger community (46,133 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Openfire if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.