# ejabberd vs Rocket.Chat

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | ejabberd | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #5 of 110 in Chat | #1 of 13 in Instant Messaging |
| GitHub stars | 6 749 | 46 348 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +17 | +187 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 36 ✓ |
| Latest release | 26.09 · 29 Sept 2026 | 8.5.4 · 16 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | Other |
| Main language | Erlang | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Rocket.Chat scores 82/100 against 72/100 for ejabberd, so it is the safer default.

Rocket.Chat ships more often: 36 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for ejabberd.

If you want the quickest setup, Rocket.Chat is easier to run; ejabberd needs more configuration.

Rocket.Chat is growing faster right now (+187 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [ejabberd](https://selfhost.directory/project/ejabberd) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/ejabberd.md)
- [Rocket.Chat](https://selfhost.directory/project/rocketchat) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/rocketchat.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Discourse vs Rocket.Chat](https://selfhost.directory/compare/discourse-vs-rocketchat)
- [Rocket.Chat vs Zulip](https://selfhost.directory/compare/rocketchat-vs-zulip)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/ejabberd-vs-rocketchat