headscalevsRocket.Chat
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| headscale | Rocket.Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #1 of 13 in Instant Messaging |
| GitHub stars | 45 154 | 46 350 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 047 | +180 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 36 |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 | 8.5.4 · 16 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Other |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
headscale and Rocket.Chat score the same (82/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.
Rocket.Chat ships more often: 36 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for headscale.
headscale is growing faster right now (+1 047 stars in 30 days).
headscale details →Rocket.Chat details →