# netbird vs Rocket.Chat

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

| | netbird | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 56 in VPN | #1 of 13 in Instant Messaging |
| GitHub stars | 30 306 | 46 349 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +838 ✓ | +188 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 40 ✓ | 36 |
| Latest release | v0.81.5 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ | 8.5.4 · 16 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | Other |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Rocket.Chat scores 82/100 against 81/100 for netbird, so it is the safer default.

netbird ships more often: 40 stable releases in the past year, against 36 for Rocket.Chat.

netbird is growing faster right now (+838 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [netbird](https://selfhost.directory/project/netbird) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/netbird.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/netbird-vs-rocketchat