OpenWAvsRocket.Chat
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| OpenWA | Rocket.Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 19 in API Management | #1 of 13 in Instant Messaging |
| GitHub stars | 16 351 | 46 348 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +345 | +187 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 36 |
| Latest release | v0.26.0 · 28 Oct 2026 | 8.5.4 · 16 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Rocket.Chat scores 82/100 against 77/100 for OpenWA, so it is the safer default.
Rocket.Chat ships more often: 36 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for OpenWA.
If you want the quickest setup, OpenWA is easier to run; Rocket.Chat needs more configuration.
OpenWA details →Rocket.Chat details →
Swap a project
Keep OpenWA, compare it with
Keep Rocket.Chat, compare it with