# Rocket.Chat vs Sunshine

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

| | Rocket.Chat | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 13 in Instant Messaging | #2 of 22 in Remote Desktop |
| GitHub stars | 46 348 ✓ | 42 744 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +187 | +1 268 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 36 | 86 ✓ |
| Latest release | 8.5.4 · 16 Oct 2026 | v2026.1028.122642 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | C |

## Which one should you pick?

Sunshine scores 84/100 against 82/100 for Rocket.Chat, so it is the safer default.

Sunshine ships more often: 86 stable releases in the past year, against 36 for Rocket.Chat.

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

Sunshine is growing faster right now (+1 268 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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