Managed Rocket.Chat Hosting
VCloud runs Rocket.Chat as a fully managed service starting at $49/month with unlimited users and unlimited searchable message history. Unlike Slack's free tier, no messages are hidden behind a retention limit, and unlike its paid tiers, adding people does not increase the bill.
- From $49/month
- Starter plan
- Unlimited seats
- No per-user charge
- Daily · 7d backups
- Automated and verified
What is Rocket.Chat?
Rocket.Chat is an open-source team communication platform providing channels, direct messages, threads, file sharing, voice and video calls, and federation. It is the most established self-hosted Slack alternative.
Why self-host Rocket.Chat instead of using Slack and Microsoft Teams?
- Message history stays complete. Slack's free plan hides messages past a limit and its paid plans charge per user to retain them; your own instance keeps everything searchable.
- Per-seat pricing disappears, which matters most for organisations with many occasional users - contractors, volunteers, seasonal staff - where per-seat billing is worst.
- Conversations stay on infrastructure you control. For legal, healthcare, and government work, internal discussion often cannot sit in a third-party cloud.
- Guests and external collaborators can be invited without consuming paid licences.
Why use managed hosting instead of running Rocket.Chat yourself?
- Rocket.Chat stores everything in MongoDB, whose backup and upgrade path is unforgiving. We handle both.
- Mobile push notifications require correct gateway configuration; misconfigured, the app looks broken while the server is fine.
- WebSocket connections need a correctly configured reverse proxy or real-time messaging degrades to polling. That proxy config is done for you.
- Certificates for the web and mobile clients are issued and renewed automatically.
What resources does Rocket.Chat need?
Starter (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) is adequate for small teams. Rocket.Chat with MongoDB is memory-sensitive as concurrent connections grow, so choose Business (4 vCPU, 8 GB) beyond roughly 50 active users or if you rely on voice and video.
2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD, 2 apps, 99.9% SLA
4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD, 5 apps, 99.9% SLA
8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 200 GB SSD, Unlimited apps, 99.95% SLA
Can I migrate my existing Rocket.Chat data?
Rocket.Chat provides a Slack importer that brings across channels, messages, and users from a standard Slack export. Direct messages transfer only if the Slack export includes them, which depends on your Slack plan.
Frequently asked questions about managed Rocket.Chat hosting
How much does managed Rocket.Chat hosting cost?
Managed Rocket.Chat hosting on VCloud starts at $49/month on the Starter plan, including 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD, daily backups, a custom domain, and unlimited users with no per-seat charge.
Is message history limited?
No. All messages remain stored and searchable, bounded only by your instance storage. This is the most common reason teams leave Slack's free tier, which hides older messages.
Can I import my Slack workspace?
Yes. Rocket.Chat includes a Slack importer that handles channels, messages, and users from a standard Slack export. Whether direct messages are included depends on what your Slack plan permits exporting.
Do mobile apps and push notifications work?
Yes. The official iOS and Android apps connect to your instance, and we configure the push gateway so notifications arrive. Push is a frequent failure point on self-managed installs.
How many users can one instance support?
Starter comfortably serves small teams. Because Rocket.Chat and MongoDB are memory-sensitive as concurrent connections rise, we suggest Business beyond roughly 50 active users, or if voice and video calling is central.
Deploy Rocket.Chat in one click
Plans start at $49/month with unlimited seats, daily · 7d backups, and a 99.9% uptime SLA.