# Rocket.Chat vs Tailscale

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

| | Rocket.Chat | Tailscale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 13 in Instant Messaging | #1 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 46 348 ✓ | 38 245 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +187 | +1 440 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 36 ✓ | 14 |
| Latest release | 8.5.4 · 16 Oct 2026 | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Other | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | Typescript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

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

Rocket.Chat ships more often: 36 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for Tailscale.

Tailscale is growing faster right now (+1 440 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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