Mattermost Professional mattermost.comFree alternatives to Mattermost Professional
Mattermost Professional costs $10/mo on the Professional plan, or $120 a year. Here are 4 free and open-source options, what each one does, and what you give up compared with paying.
01At a glance
| Alternative | Type | Where it runs | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Open source | Hosted or self-hosted | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android, Your server |
| Pumble Free | Free | Hosted for you | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android |
| Rocket.Chat Community | Open source | You host it | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android, Your server |
| Zulip | Open source | You host it | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android, Your server |
02Each alternative, in detail
Matrix rooms, threads, files and search with free hosted accounts; less Slack clone, more protocol.
Versus paying: Element covers rooms, threads, files, and search, but its Matrix-first model and smaller workplace-integration surface are less familiar and less Slack-like than Mattermost.
Setup: Use a free Matrix account in Element Web/mobile/desktop, or deploy Element Server Suite on your own infrastructure
Watch for: The clean hosted path is easy, but self-hosting the current Element Server Suite means operating a Matrix homeserver and its Kubernetes/Helm-based stack.
13,300 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
element.io →Unlimited users, channels and history with ten gigabytes total; group meetings and serious integrations still cost money.
Versus paying: Pumble Free removes server work and keeps unlimited history, but free group meetings, screen sharing, broad integrations, storage, and self-hosted control fall short of Mattermost Professional.
Setup: Hosted signup; use the browser or Pumble's desktop/mobile apps
Watch for: There is no installation hurdle, but migration still requires inviting everyone and rebuilding channels and integrations; free exports exclude private channels and direct messages.
pumble.com →Channels, threads, search and integrations for up to a hundred concurrent users; MongoDB joins the team.
Versus paying: Rocket.Chat Community provides the expected team-chat surface, but MongoDB and upgrades are yours and the free Community workspace is limited to 100 concurrent users.
Setup: Deploy the Community workspace with Docker Compose, Podman, or Kubernetes
Watch for: A production installation requires MongoDB, DNS/TLS, email, backups, upgrades, and enough capacity planning to stay within the Community plan's 100-concurrent-user limit.
45,900 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
rocket.chat →Email-shaped topics inside team chat; excellent for async work and merciless about naming conversations.
25,600 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
zulip.com →03Mattermost Professional's own free plan
Mattermost without the invoice: full team chat below 250 users, but no SSO and every server problem belongs to you.
04What you give up by leaving Mattermost Professional
- managed operations, mobile push, enterprise security, support, and governance
- network effects
- native mobile apps
- video and voice infrastructure
- enterprise moderation and discovery
People still pay for Mattermost Professional because community software is valuable when members are already there and the operator does not have to own realtime reliability and abuse response. The recurring cost buys realtime delivery, notifications, abuse handling, search, media, permissions, mobile clients, backups, and community operations, not just the visible interface.
05Questions
Is there a free alternative to Mattermost Professional?
Yes. This page compares 4: Element, Pumble Free, Rocket.Chat Community and Zulip. 3 of them are open source, so you can run them yourself.
How much does Mattermost Professional cost?
$10/mo on the Professional plan (monthly per user), which is $120 a year. Prices checked Jul 31, 2026.
What do you give up with a free alternative to Mattermost Professional?
Most often: managed operations, mobile push, enterprise security, support, and governance, network effects, native mobile apps and video and voice infrastructure. Each alternative on this page lists its own gap under “Versus paying.”
Can AI build me my own version of Mattermost Professional?
Half-bot. The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Mattermost Professional, self-host team chat with channels, threads, search, and integrations. The hard boundary is managed operations, mobile push, enterprise security, support, and governance, plus network, moderation, and communication infrastructure.
Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site before you decide.
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