BackstagevsRocket.Chat
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Backstage | Rocket.Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #8 of 166 in Developer Tools | #1 of 13 in Instant Messaging |
| GitHub stars | 34 734 | 46 349 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +52 | +188 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 36 |
| Latest release | v1.57.0-next.0 · 27 Oct 2026 | 8.5.4 · 16 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Rocket.Chat scores 82/100 against 78/100 for Backstage, so it is the safer default.
Rocket.Chat ships more often: 36 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for Backstage.
If you want the quickest setup, Rocket.Chat is easier to run; Backstage needs more configuration.
Rocket.Chat is growing faster right now (+188 stars in 30 days).
Backstage details →Rocket.Chat details →