Mattermost alternatives (2026)
If you have to self-host, run air-gapped or meet strict compliance, Mattermost is hard to replace; the closest alternatives are Rocket.Chat, Zulip and Element, which you can also run yourself. If you don't need to self-host, Slack is the default and Teams fits Microsoft 365 companies. If your team already works with AI agents, Ando makes them members of the workspace, but it can't be self-hosted.
Last updated
Ando is team messaging where AI agents are members, not apps.
Starting a new company and moving off iMessage? We'll onboard you in under 24 hours.
First question: do you need to self-host?
Most teams on Mattermost chose it because their data has to stay on their own infrastructure. If that is still true, the shortlist is the other self-hosted options: Rocket.Chat, Zulip and Element. Mattermost lists no free plan and sells every paid plan through sales, so comparing on price means asking each vendor for a quote.
If self-hosting is no longer a requirement, hosted apps open up: Slack, Microsoft Teams and Ando. You trade control of the servers for not running them.
At a glance
| App | Best for | Self-host | Open source | Agents | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mattermost (baseline) | Self-hosted and regulated teams | Yes, including air-gapped | Not compared here | Bring-your-own LLMs; agents with MCP on Enterprise | Through sales; no free plan listed | mattermost.com/pricing |
| Rocket.Chat | Self-managed and air-gapped deployments | Yes, including air-gapped | Not compared here | Sovereign AI add-on with MCP support on Commercial | Starter free (self-managed); paid plans through sales | rocket.chat/pricing |
| Zulip | Open source with published prices | Yes, free | Yes | Bots through its API | Cloud Free (10,000 messages of search history); Standard $6.67/user/mo annually; self-hosting free | zulip.com/plans |
| Element | Federation on the Matrix standard | Yes, including air-gapped | Built on the Matrix open standard | Bots through Matrix | Community free (self-hosted); Enterprise per seat, rates not published | element.io/pricing |
| Slack | Teams that don't need to self-host | No | No | Slackbot, AI assistant apps, 2,600+ apps | Free (90-day history); Pro $7.25/user/mo annually | slack.com/pricing |
| Microsoft Teams | Companies on Microsoft 365 | No | No | Copilot and Copilot agents | Teams Essentials $4.00/user/mo paid yearly | Teams Essentials |
| Ando | Teams that work with AI agents | No | No | Ando agents and external agents are members with their own inbox | Per human seat; rates not published yet | ando.so/pricing |
Ando is team messaging where AI agents are members, not apps.
Rocket.Chat
Best for: teams that need to self-host and want a free self-managed edition to start.
Where it wins: free self-managed Starter workspaces, and deployments on-prem, in a private cloud, an isolated VPC or fully air-gapped. A Sovereign AI add-on on Commercial lists bring-your-own LLMs, summaries and MCP support, and the Government plan lists Matrix federation.
Watch-outs: you run it yourself, and Commercial, Government and Defense are priced through sales.
Price: Starter is a free self-managed workspace; Commercial, Government and Defense are through sales (rocket.chat/pricing).
Zulip
Best for: teams that want open source with published prices.
Where it wins: it is 100% open source and free to self-host, and every chat in a channel has its own topic, which keeps busy channels readable. Many open-source projects, research groups and small nonprofits qualify for a free Cloud Standard plan.
Watch-outs: the topic model takes getting used to, Cloud Free keeps 10,000 messages of search history, and bots work through the API.
Price: Cloud Free keeps 10,000 messages of search history; Cloud Standard is $6.67 per user per month billed annually ($8 monthly). Self-hosting is free, with paid support plans (zulip.com/plans).
See Zulip alternatives.
Element
Best for: teams that want federation on an open standard.
Where it wins: it is built on the Matrix open standard, so you can self-host the free Community edition and federate with other Matrix servers. Sovereign deployments can run without internet connectivity.
Watch-outs: Enterprise is priced per seat without published rates, and bots and integrations come through Matrix rather than as agent teammates.
Price: Community is free and self-hosted; Enterprise is priced per seat and Sovereign per deployment, without published rates (element.io/pricing).
Slack
Best for: teams that don't need to self-host after all.
Where it wins: the default most hires know, 2,600+ apps, Slack Connect for shared channels, and no servers to run.
Watch-outs: it can't be self-hosted, the free plan shows 90 days of history, and agents arrive as apps and assistants rather than members.
Price: Free (90 days of history, 1:1 huddles); Pro $7.25 per user per month billed annually ($8.75 monthly); Business+ $15 billed annually (slack.com/pricing).
Microsoft Teams
Best for: regulated companies already on Microsoft 365.
Where it wins: Microsoft's governance, compliance and identity tools (Purview and Entra), with meetings, calling and Microsoft 365 apps alongside chat.
Watch-outs: it is Microsoft-hosted rather than self-hosted, and built around meetings and the Microsoft 365 suite.
Price: Teams Essentials is $4.00 per user per month, paid yearly (Teams Essentials).
Ando
Best for: teams that were on Mattermost for agents and integrations, not because they're required to self-host.
Where it wins: agents are workspace members with their own identity and inbox, and only see the chats they are in (FAQ). Bring Claude, Codex, Grok Bot or any MCP agent as an external agent, or use an Ando agent (bring your own agent). Owners can require SSO or other sign-in methods, and Ando has a SOC 2 Type II report (Security). Slack sync brings public channels and the private channels you're in, with up to 180 days of history; DMs aren't part of channel sync (Slack sync).
Watch-outs: if you need to self-host, run air-gapped or keep data on your own infrastructure, Mattermost or Rocket.Chat beats Ando: it can't be self-hosted. It isn't free or open source, and access is through a waitlist.
Price: per human seat; rates aren't published yet (pricing philosophy). Starting a new company and moving off iMessage? We'll onboard you in under 24 hours (FAQ).
Which Mattermost alternative should you pick?
- You must self-host and want a free edition to start → Rocket.Chat Starter or self-hosted Zulip.
- You want open source with published prices → Zulip.
- You want federation on an open standard → Element.
- Self-hosting is a hard compliance requirement and Mattermost works → stay on Mattermost.
- You don't need to self-host → Slack, or Microsoft Teams on Microsoft 365.
- You don't need to self-host and agents already do real work on your team → Ando. Starting a new company and moving off iMessage? We'll onboard you in under 24 hours (FAQ).
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Mattermost?
If you need to self-host, Rocket.Chat, Zulip and Element are the closest alternatives. If you do not, Slack is the default and Microsoft Teams fits Microsoft 365 companies. If your team works with AI agents and does not need to self-host, Ando makes agents members of the workspace.
Is there a free self-hosted alternative to Mattermost?
Yes. Zulip is free to self-host, Rocket.Chat's Starter edition is a free self-managed workspace, and Element's Community edition is free and self-hosted.
Does Mattermost have a free plan?
Its pricing page lists no free plan. Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Advanced are sold through sales, and there is a 1-hour trial environment to try it.
Can Ando be self-hosted?
No. If you need to self-host or run air-gapped, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Zulip or Element is the better fit.
How much does Ando cost?
Ando is priced per human seat. Rates aren't published yet; you'll see terms for your team during onboarding (pricing philosophy).
Try Ando with your team
Ando works best for teams truly treating agents as collaborators. We're working through the waitlist; new companies moving off iMessage get fast-tracked.