head to head · open source
Rocket.Chat vs Signal
Rocket.Chat has 46,361 GitHub stars, 14,076 forks, 4,023 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Signal has 29,568 stars, 6,933 forks, 498 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Rocket.Chat leads on adoption by 57% (46,361 vs 29,568 stars). Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Signal is written in Kotlin under AGPL-3.0. Rocket.Chat has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, Signal 23%. Rocket.Chat was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | Signal | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 30K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 14K | ⑂ 6.9K |
| 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 Signal if
- You want the Signal feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and Signal fits your workflow better
About Rocket.Chat
The ultimate secure open source solution for team communications Rocket.Chat is an open source, secure, fully customizable communications platform developed in TypeScript for organizations with high standards of data protection. We are the ultimate solution for team communications, enabling real time conversations between colleagues, with other companies, and with your customers or citizens, regardless of how they connect with you. The result is an increase in productivity and user satisfaction rates. Every day, tens of millions of users in over 150 countries and in organizations such as Deutsche Bahn, The US…
read the full Rocket.Chat overview →
About Signal
Signal Android Signal is a simple, powerful, and secure messenger that uses your phone's data connection (WiFi/4G/5G) to communicate securely. Millions of people use Signal every day for free and instantaneous communication anywhere in the world. Send and receive high fidelity messages, participate in HD voice/video calls, and explore a growing set of new features that help you stay connected. Signal’s advanced privacy preserving technology is always enabled, so you can focus on sharing the moments that matter with the people who matter to you. Currently available on the Play Store and signal.org. Also available…
read the full Signal overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Rocket.Chat or Signal more popular?
Rocket.Chat has 46,361 GitHub stars and Signal has 29,568. Rocket.Chat has the larger community by that measure.
Are Rocket.Chat and Signal free?
Both are open source. Rocket.Chat has no licence declared in this registry, and Signal is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Rocket.Chat and Signal?
Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript and Signal in Kotlin. 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 Signal?
Choose Rocket.Chat if you want the larger community (46,361 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Signal if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.