What is Rocket.Chat Desktop used for?

Rocket.Chat Desktop is the official desktop client for Rocket.Chat, packaged with Electron for Windows, macOS and Linux and licensed under MIT. It is a good fit for giving staff a native Rocket.Chat app, rolling out chat clients through IT deployment tools and contributing to the Rocket.Chat desktop experience.

Is Rocket.Chat Desktop open source?

Yes. Rocket.Chat Desktop is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at RocketChat/Rocket.Chat.Electron and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Is Rocket.Chat Desktop free?

Yes. Rocket.Chat Desktop is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Rocket.Chat Desktop?

Yes. Rocket.Chat Desktop can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Rocket.Chat Desktop an alternative to?

Rocket.Chat Desktop is an open-source alternative to Slack. Other open-source alternatives to Slack include Zulip Desktop, Rocket.Chat and Mattermost.

Is Rocket.Chat Desktop actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Rocket.Chat Desktop was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is 4.17.4, published on 1 October 2026. The project has 1.7k stars on GitHub.

Rocket.Chat Desktop: open-source alternative to Slack

About Rocket.Chat Desktop

This repository holds the Rocket.Chat desktop app, an Electron application that wraps the Rocket.Chat team chat experience in a native window for Windows, macOS and Linux. Rocket.Chat describes its platform as a secure communications system for mission-critical operations, and the desktop app is the client you install to reach a workspace from your computer.

The README lists supported platforms with formats such as NSIS and MSI installers for Windows, DMG, PKG and ZIP for macOS, and AppImage, deb, rpm, snap and tar.gz for Linux. Windows installers accept silent-install flags and options for installing per user or for all users, and automatic updates can be turned off, which helps administrators roll the app out across many machines.

The code is written in TypeScript, uses Yarn and Node.js for development, and is released under the MIT licence. You download the latest build from the Releases page, or clone the repository and start it locally. The app connects to a Rocket.Chat server, either one your organization hosts itself or a hosted workspace, so it fits teams already using Rocket.Chat.

Key features

Desktop client for Rocket.Chat workspaces
Builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Multiple installer formats including MSI and deb
Silent install options for administrators
Optional automatic updates
TypeScript and Electron codebase

Good fit for

→Giving staff a native Rocket.Chat app
→Rolling out chat clients through IT deployment tools
→Contributing to the Rocket.Chat desktop experience

Built with: TypeScript; Electron
Tags: rocket-chat; team-chat; desktop-app; electron; messaging; collaboration; typescript; cross-platform

Rocket.Chat Desktop: questions and answers

What is Rocket.Chat Desktop used for?: Rocket.Chat Desktop is the official desktop client for Rocket.Chat, packaged with Electron for Windows, macOS and Linux and licensed under MIT. It is a good fit for giving staff a native Rocket.Chat app, rolling out chat clients through IT deployment tools and contributing to the Rocket.Chat desktop experience.
Is Rocket.Chat Desktop open source?: Yes. Rocket.Chat Desktop is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at RocketChat/Rocket.Chat.Electron and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Rocket.Chat Desktop free?: Yes. Rocket.Chat Desktop is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Rocket.Chat Desktop?: Yes. Rocket.Chat Desktop can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Rocket.Chat Desktop an alternative to?: Rocket.Chat Desktop is an open-source alternative to Slack. Other open-source alternatives to Slack include Zulip Desktop, Rocket.Chat and Mattermost.
Is Rocket.Chat Desktop actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Rocket.Chat Desktop was on 1 October 2026, and the latest release is 4.17.4, published on 1 October 2026. The project has 1.7k stars on GitHub.