{
  "slug": "slack-to-rocketchat",
  "title": "Slack Pro to self-hosted Rocket.Chat",
  "summary": "Rocket.Chat is the closest thing to Slack you can run yourself, and seats are where Slack's bill compounds.",
  "publishable": true,
  "block_reason": null,
  "freshness": {
    "state": "fresh",
    "publishable": true,
    "oldest_input_days": 46.5,
    "problems": []
  },
  "incumbent": {
    "vendor": "Slack",
    "vendor_id": "slack",
    "plan": "Pro",
    "plan_id": "pro",
    "amount": 7.25,
    "period": "month",
    "per_seat": true,
    "billed": "annual",
    "seats": 12,
    "quote": "$7.25 USD per user / month, when paying annually",
    "caveat": "Slack's headline shows a 50%-off-for-3-months promo figure ($4.38) next to the real one; $7.25 is the standard annual rate and $8.75 the monthly rate.",
    "source_url": "https://slack.com/pricing",
    "verified_at": "2026-10-11",
    "needs_reverification": false
  },
  "alternative": {
    "name": "Rocket.Chat (self-hosted)",
    "repo": "RocketChat/Rocket.Chat",
    "project": {
      "full_name": "RocketChat/Rocket.Chat",
      "url": "https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat",
      "homepage": "https://rocket.chat/",
      "description": "The Secure CommsOS™ for mission-critical operations",
      "stars": 46288,
      "forks": 14005,
      "open_issues": 4283,
      "license": null,
      "archived": false,
      "pushed_at": "2026-10-19T07:04:56Z",
      "days_since_push": 0,
      "latest_release": {
        "tag": "8.9.0",
        "published_at": "2026-10-05T17:41:21Z",
        "url": "https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat/releases/tag/8.9.0"
      },
      "days_since_release": 14,
      "health": "active",
      "recommended": true,
      "verified_at": "2026-10-19T10:53:56.589Z"
    },
    "box": {
      "provider": "Vultr",
      "name": "vc2-2c-4gb",
      "id": "vultr:vc2-2c-4gb",
      "vcpu": 2,
      "ram_gb": 4,
      "disk_gb": 80,
      "bandwidth_tb": 3,
      "monthly_usd": 20,
      "url": "https://www.vultr.com/pricing/",
      "verified_at": "2026-10-19T10:53:42.716Z"
    },
    "storage": {
      "id": "backblaze-b2",
      "name": "Backblaze B2",
      "usd_per_gb_month": 0.00695,
      "egress": "free up to 3x stored volume per month, then $0.01/GB",
      "pricing_url": "https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-storage/pricing",
      "quote": "the amount of data stored per byte-hour over the last month at a rate of $6.95/TB/30-day",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-03",
      "verified_by": "human",
      "affiliate": true,
      "gb": 40,
      "monthly_usd": 0.28
    },
    "requirements": {
      "ram_gb": 4,
      "vcpu": 2,
      "disk_gb": 50
    },
    "box_alternatives": [
      {
        "provider": "Vultr",
        "name": "vc2-2c-4gb",
        "monthly_usd": 20,
        "vcpu": 2,
        "ram_gb": 4,
        "disk_gb": 80,
        "url": "https://www.vultr.com/pricing/",
        "chosen": true
      },
      {
        "provider": "Linode",
        "name": "Linode 4GB",
        "monthly_usd": 24,
        "vcpu": 2,
        "ram_gb": 4,
        "disk_gb": 80,
        "url": "https://www.linode.com/pricing/",
        "chosen": false
      },
      {
        "provider": "DigitalOcean",
        "name": "2 vCPU · 4 GB",
        "monthly_usd": 24,
        "vcpu": 2,
        "ram_gb": 4,
        "disk_gb": 80,
        "url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets",
        "chosen": false
      }
    ],
    "migration_hours": 10,
    "maintenance_hours_per_month": 1
  },
  "result": {
    "computable": true,
    "inputs": {
      "seats": 12,
      "horizon_months": 36,
      "hourly_rate": 50
    },
    "incumbent": {
      "cash_monthly": 87,
      "time_monthly": 0,
      "monthly": 87,
      "one_time": 0,
      "annual": 1044
    },
    "alternative": {
      "cash_monthly": 20.28,
      "time_monthly": 50,
      "monthly": 70.28,
      "one_time": 500,
      "cash_one_time": 0,
      "time_one_time": 500,
      "annual": 843.34
    },
    "delta": {
      "monthly": 16.72,
      "upfront_to_switch": 500,
      "annual": 200.66
    },
    "break_even_month": 30,
    "break_even_hourly_rate": 52.22,
    "totals": {
      "at_12_months": {
        "incumbent": 1044,
        "alternative": 1343.34
      },
      "at_36_months": {
        "incumbent": 3132,
        "alternative": 3030.01
      },
      "at_horizon": {
        "incumbent": 3132,
        "alternative": 3030.01
      }
    },
    "savings": {
      "year_1": -299.34,
      "year_3": 101.99,
      "at_horizon": 101.99
    },
    "verdict": "marginal"
  },
  "managed": {
    "provider": "PikaPods",
    "app": "Rocket.Chat",
    "url": "https://www.pikapods.com/",
    "note": "Runs the same open-source software, applies updates, and takes daily encrypted backups to storage you own.",
    "source_url": "https://www.pikapods.com/apps",
    "quote": "Rocket.Chat Fully customizable communications … Run Your Own From $4.9/month",
    "monthly_usd": 4.9,
    "verified_at": "2026-10-19T10:54:00.624Z",
    "migration_hours": 5,
    "result": {
      "computable": true,
      "inputs": {
        "seats": 12,
        "horizon_months": 36,
        "hourly_rate": 50
      },
      "incumbent": {
        "cash_monthly": 87,
        "time_monthly": 0,
        "monthly": 87,
        "one_time": 0,
        "annual": 1044
      },
      "alternative": {
        "cash_monthly": 4.9,
        "time_monthly": 0,
        "monthly": 4.9,
        "one_time": 250,
        "cash_one_time": 0,
        "time_one_time": 250,
        "annual": 58.8
      },
      "delta": {
        "monthly": 82.1,
        "upfront_to_switch": 250,
        "annual": 985.2
      },
      "break_even_month": 4,
      "break_even_hourly_rate": 591.12,
      "totals": {
        "at_12_months": {
          "incumbent": 1044,
          "alternative": 308.8
        },
        "at_36_months": {
          "incumbent": 3132,
          "alternative": 426.4
        },
        "at_horizon": {
          "incumbent": 3132,
          "alternative": 426.4
        }
      },
      "savings": {
        "year_1": 735.2,
        "year_3": 2705.6,
        "at_horizon": 2705.6
      },
      "verdict": "switch"
    },
    "crossover": 591.12
  },
  "curve": [
    {
      "month": 0,
      "incumbent": 0,
      "alternative": 500
    },
    {
      "month": 1,
      "incumbent": 87,
      "alternative": 570.28
    },
    {
      "month": 2,
      "incumbent": 174,
      "alternative": 640.56
    },
    {
      "month": 3,
      "incumbent": 261,
      "alternative": 710.84
    },
    {
      "month": 4,
      "incumbent": 348,
      "alternative": 781.12
    },
    {
      "month": 5,
      "incumbent": 435,
      "alternative": 851.4
    },
    {
      "month": 6,
      "incumbent": 522,
      "alternative": 921.68
    },
    {
      "month": 7,
      "incumbent": 609,
      "alternative": 991.96
    },
    {
      "month": 8,
      "incumbent": 696,
      "alternative": 1062.24
    },
    {
      "month": 9,
      "incumbent": 783,
      "alternative": 1132.52
    },
    {
      "month": 10,
      "incumbent": 870,
      "alternative": 1202.8
    },
    {
      "month": 11,
      "incumbent": 957,
      "alternative": 1273.08
    },
    {
      "month": 12,
      "incumbent": 1044,
      "alternative": 1343.36
    },
    {
      "month": 13,
      "incumbent": 1131,
      "alternative": 1413.64
    },
    {
      "month": 14,
      "incumbent": 1218,
      "alternative": 1483.92
    },
    {
      "month": 15,
      "incumbent": 1305,
      "alternative": 1554.2
    },
    {
      "month": 16,
      "incumbent": 1392,
      "alternative": 1624.48
    },
    {
      "month": 17,
      "incumbent": 1479,
      "alternative": 1694.76
    },
    {
      "month": 18,
      "incumbent": 1566,
      "alternative": 1765.04
    },
    {
      "month": 19,
      "incumbent": 1653,
      "alternative": 1835.32
    },
    {
      "month": 20,
      "incumbent": 1740,
      "alternative": 1905.6
    },
    {
      "month": 21,
      "incumbent": 1827,
      "alternative": 1975.88
    },
    {
      "month": 22,
      "incumbent": 1914,
      "alternative": 2046.16
    },
    {
      "month": 23,
      "incumbent": 2001,
      "alternative": 2116.44
    },
    {
      "month": 24,
      "incumbent": 2088,
      "alternative": 2186.72
    },
    {
      "month": 25,
      "incumbent": 2175,
      "alternative": 2257
    },
    {
      "month": 26,
      "incumbent": 2262,
      "alternative": 2327.28
    },
    {
      "month": 27,
      "incumbent": 2349,
      "alternative": 2397.56
    },
    {
      "month": 28,
      "incumbent": 2436,
      "alternative": 2467.84
    },
    {
      "month": 29,
      "incumbent": 2523,
      "alternative": 2538.12
    },
    {
      "month": 30,
      "incumbent": 2610,
      "alternative": 2608.4
    },
    {
      "month": 31,
      "incumbent": 2697,
      "alternative": 2678.68
    },
    {
      "month": 32,
      "incumbent": 2784,
      "alternative": 2748.96
    },
    {
      "month": 33,
      "incumbent": 2871,
      "alternative": 2819.24
    },
    {
      "month": 34,
      "incumbent": 2958,
      "alternative": 2889.52
    },
    {
      "month": 35,
      "incumbent": 3045,
      "alternative": 2959.8
    },
    {
      "month": 36,
      "incumbent": 3132,
      "alternative": 3030.08
    }
  ],
  "sensitivity": [
    {
      "hourly_rate": 0,
      "verdict": "switch",
      "break_even_month": 0,
      "savings_at_horizon": 2401.99
    },
    {
      "hourly_rate": 25,
      "verdict": "switch",
      "break_even_month": 6,
      "savings_at_horizon": 1251.99
    },
    {
      "hourly_rate": 50,
      "verdict": "marginal",
      "break_even_month": 30,
      "savings_at_horizon": 101.99
    },
    {
      "hourly_rate": 75,
      "verdict": "stay",
      "break_even_month": null,
      "savings_at_horizon": -1048.01
    },
    {
      "hourly_rate": 100,
      "verdict": "stay",
      "break_even_month": null,
      "savings_at_horizon": -2198.01
    },
    {
      "hourly_rate": 150,
      "verdict": "stay",
      "break_even_month": null,
      "savings_at_horizon": -4498.01
    },
    {
      "hourly_rate": 200,
      "verdict": "stay",
      "break_even_month": null,
      "savings_at_horizon": -6798.01
    }
  ],
  "tradeoffs": {
    "you_lose": [
      "Slack's 2,600-app directory and the integrations your team already installed",
      "Huddles and clip — the low-friction audio/video that keeps people out of meetings",
      "Someone else handling the next security patch on a chat server that faces the internet"
    ],
    "you_gain": [
      "No per-seat charge, so guests and whole departments stop costing money per head",
      "Unlimited message history — the Free-tier 90-day limit and the Pro-tier pins both go away",
      "Matrix federation and an API you can automate against without approval"
    ]
  },
  "caveats": [
    "Rocket.Chat's community edition carries most of the product, but some features (LDAP, audit, OAuth enterprise) are enterprise-licensed — check your must-haves against their edition matrix before committing.",
    "Chat history grows fast. The 40 GB backup assumption fits a chatty 12-person team for about two years; re-check if you migrate years of logs in.",
    "Migration means re-creating channels and re-inviting people — Slack does not export member relationships to a competitor. The 10-hour estimate is for a 12-seat workspace, not a 200-seat one."
  ],
  "category": "team-chat",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-19"
}