# Rocket.Chat vs sphinx-relay

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

| | Rocket.Chat | sphinx-relay |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 44/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 13 in Instant Messaging | #71 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 46 348 ✓ | 247 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +187 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 36 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | 8.5.4 · 16 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Rocket.Chat scores 82/100 against 44/100 for sphinx-relay, so it is the safer default.

Rocket.Chat ships more often: 36 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for sphinx-relay.

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

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

## Details

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

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/rocketchat-vs-sphinx-relay