What is the difference between Rocket.Chat and Google Chat?

Rocket.Chat is best for Teams that want self-hosted chat with customer-facing features, while Google Chat is best for Teams already using Google Workspace. Rocket.Chat starts at Free (self-hosted) and Google Chat starts at $6/user/mo.

Is Rocket.Chat or Google Chat cheaper?

Rocket.Chat starts at Free (self-hosted) and is free. Google Chat starts at $6/user/mo.

Is there a free alternative to Google Chat?

Yes, Rocket.Chat offers a free tier.

Rocket.Chat vs Google Chat

Rocket.Chat is open-source communication platform with team chat, video, and omnichannel customer engagement, while Google Chat is team messaging built into Google Workspace with Spaces, threads, and deep Google app integration. The biggest difference up front: Rocket.Chat is free, while Google Chat starts at $6/user/mo. Rocket.Chat is built for teams that want self-hosted chat with customer-facing features, whereas Google Chat targets teams already using google workspace.

At a glance

	Rocket.Chat	Google Chat
Best for	Teams that want self-hosted chat with customer-facing features	Teams already using Google Workspace
Starting price	Free (self-hosted)	$6/user/mo
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	✓	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	✓	—
Bots	✓	✓
Federation	✓	—
File Sharing	—	✓
Google Workspace	—	✓
Omnichannel	✓	—
Self-Hosted	✓	—
Spaces	—	✓
Threads	—	✓
Video Calls	✓	—

Rocket.Chat

Strengths

Self-hosted with full data ownership
Combines internal chat and customer-facing messaging
Active open-source community
Federation support for cross-organization chat

Weaknesses

UI feels dated compared to Slack
Self-hosting requires significant DevOps effort
Fewer integrations than mainstream alternatives
Can be resource-intensive to run

Try Rocket.Chat → Full review

Google Chat

Strengths

Seamless integration with Google Workspace
Clean, simple interface
Included with Google Workspace subscription
Good mobile experience

Weaknesses

Limited features compared to Slack
Fewer third-party integrations
Not available as a standalone product
Threading can be confusing

Try Google Chat → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Rocket.Chat is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Google Chat starts at $6/user/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Rocket.Chat offers Federation, Omnichannel and Self-Hosted that Google Chat lacks. Google Chat brings File Sharing, Google Workspace and Spaces that Rocket.Chat does not have. Both share Bots.

Team fit: Rocket.Chat is geared toward mid-size teams teams, while Google Chat is aimed at any size teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: Rocket.Chat is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Google Chat is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Rocket.Chat's biggest strengths are: self-hosted with full data ownership. combines internal chat and customer-facing messaging. Google Chat's biggest strengths are: seamless integration with google workspace. clean, simple interface.

Watch out for: With Rocket.Chat, users commonly note that ui feels dated compared to slack. With Google Chat, the main complaint is that limited features compared to slack.

Choose Rocket.Chat if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that want self-hosted chat with customer-facing features
Budget is a hard constraint — Rocket.Chat is free, Google Chat is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Federation and Omnichannel
You care about combines internal chat and customer-facing messaging