head to head · open source
Rocket.Chat vs Spark
Rocket.Chat has 46,361 GitHub stars, 14,076 forks, 4,023 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Spark has 606 stars, 445 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Rocket.Chat leads on adoption by 7,550% (46,361 vs 606 stars). Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Spark is written in Java under Apache-2.0. Rocket.Chat has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, Spark 73%. 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 | Spark | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 606 |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 14K | ⑂ 445 |
| 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 Spark if
- You want the Spark 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 Spark 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 Spark
Spark ===== [Spark] is an Open Source, cross platform IM client optimized for businesses and organizations. Group Chat In line Spell Checking End to end (E2E) Message Encryption with OTR. Tabbed Conversations File Transfer Screen Capture Sharing Message translations. Combined with the [Openfire] server, [Spark] is the easiest and best alternative to using unsecure public IM networks. [Spark] an [Ignite Realtime] community project. Resources Translation: Documentation: Community: Bug Tracker: Nightly Builds: XMPP compliance: Install Download the last release from the GitHub releases page or nightly build with the…
read the full Spark overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Rocket.Chat or Spark more popular?
Rocket.Chat has 46,361 GitHub stars and Spark has 606. Rocket.Chat has the larger community by that measure.
Are Rocket.Chat and Spark free?
Both are open source. Rocket.Chat has no licence declared in this registry, and Spark is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Rocket.Chat and Spark?
Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript and Spark 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 Spark?
Choose Rocket.Chat if you want the larger community (46,361 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Spark if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.