10 Best Self-Hosted Chat Platforms Reviews To Try In 2024
Published On April 17th, 2024 Communication
In this article, I have researched and reviewed the best self-hosted chat platforms for Android, iOS, and the Web, that can be hosted on your own servers. Here is my list of the most popular chat platforms for both personal and business communication.
Table of Contents
What Is A Chat Platform?
A chat platform is an online tool that enables users to communicate with each other in real-time. The chat platform consists of engaging tools to enhance effective communications, like file sharing, push notifications, topic-based chat, etc.
What Is A Self Hosted Chat Platform?
Self-hosted chat platforms or software are a set of communication features that are integrated into chat apps and are maintained on a company’s own servers.
In this article, I’ll give a detailed overview of the top platforms that are preferred by expert developers to build enterprise-grade chat messengers.
Best 10 Self-hosted Chat Platforms
Here is the list of best self-hosted chat platforms 1.MirrorFly 2.Rocket.chat 3. Apphitect 4. Zulip 5. Jitsi and more with features, free trial & online market research report 2024. Each platform has its own unique set of features, pricing, and capabilities.
Let’s look at some of these listed platforms, and check out when they should be used.
1. MirrorFly : The Most Developer-friendly Self Hosted Chat Platform
Best For: Apps need 100% customization and control of their in app chat features
MirrorFly is a leading in-app communication provider that offers feature-rich APIs and SDKs for building chat, video and voice calls into apps.
As a developer-friendly platform, MirrorFly’s Customizable video and voice chat solution is a great fit for both personal and business applications. This allows wider customization and 100% control over your app’s security and hosting infrastructure.
What are the advantages of MirrorFly?
- MirrorFly is a self-hosted chat platform for building in-app communication
- Allows complete customization
- The platform is open-source
- You can hire a dedicated development team for integration and support
- The API supports multi-platform chat development
- Quick and easy to set up
- The APIs adhere to GDPR and HIPAA compliance
What are the drawbacks of MirrorFly?
- MirrorFly does not support recording video sessions
- Does not allow create meeting agendas
Pricing:
MirrorFly offers both SaaS and SaaP pricing models.
- SaaS : Monthly Pricing
- SaaP : MirrorFly’s self-hosted solution is available for a custom plan. You can choose the features you need, pay only once, and use them for a lifetime.
What’s unique about MirrorFly?:
| Compatible Platforms: | Android | iOS | Mac | Windows | Linux |
| Use cases: | Digital Healthcare, E-learning, Gaming, Fitness, Social & Dating, Financial, E-Commerce, Logistics/shipping, Information technology, SaaS Business & more |
| Languages: | Flutter, Java, React Native, JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, React, Angular, Vue.js |
2. Rocket.Chat : The Customizable Chat Service Built For Teams
Best For: Enterprises and Businesses that focus on secure team communication
Rocket.Chat is an open-source, self-hosted chat service for team communication and collaboration. It keeps user conversations completely safe with E2E encryption, SSO, 2-factor authentication, and OAuth.
It offers both a self-hosted chat solution and a SaaS solution. Their customizable chat solution allows users to run the app on-premises or deploy it to secure cloud servers.
What are the advantages of Rocket.chat?
- Provides video and audio conferencing
- Supports Multi-platform development
- Offers end-to-end encryption
- Granular user roles (180+)
- Supports third-party integrations
What are the drawbacks of Rocket.chat?
- Requires technical expertise for setup and maintain
- Limited features in the Free plan
- Pricing:
- Community: $0/user/month
- Enterprise:
- $7 /user/month (Minimum of 25 users)
- $35 //agent/month (Minimum of 5 agents)
What’s unique about Rocket.chat?:
| Compatible Platforms: | Android | iOS | Web | macOS | Windows | Linux |
| Use cases: | Government, Defense, Healthcare, Financial Services, Technology |
| Languages: | JavaScript, C#, PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby. |
3. Apphitect : The #1 Self-hosted Chat Platform For Modern Apps
Best For: Businesses that prioritize security of their user’s personal information and conversations.
Apphitect is a white-label instant messaging platform that offers customizable video, voice and chat features for Android, iOS and website applications. The platform is popularly known for its self-hosted solution that lets you host the chat features on your own cloud/ premise.
Besides, enterprises that are highly conscious about the privacy of their user conversations and account information can confidently opt for the end-to-end encrypted SDKs offered by Apphitect.
What are the advantages of Apphitect?
- Lets you customize video, voice and chat features.
- Offers a complete white-label chat solution.
- Protects chats with end-to-end encryption.
- Offers user analytics and dashboard.
- Available for a one-time license fee.
- Flexible deployment on your own cloud servers or premises.
What are the drawbacks of Apphitect?
- Does not allow unlimited participants in its white-label video calls
What is the Cost of Apphitect Software?
One-time License cost: Businesses that prioritize security of their user’s personal information and conversations.
What’s unique about Apphitect?:
| Compatible Platforms: | iOS | Android | Web |
| Use cases: | Telecommunic ation, Dating, Fitness, Insurance, Banking, telehealth |
| Languages: | JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, React, Angular, Vue.js |
4. Zulip: Highly Flexible Platform For Third-Party Integrations
Best For: Business apps that can collaborate with other enterprise apps
Zulip is a great option for developers looking for open-source software to make a full-on communication infrastructure. The platform hosts its features on your own network to give you complete control over its customization and deployment.
Among other self-hosted chat software, Zulip flaunts its 90+ native integrations, supporting more from Zapier and IFTTT alongside
What are the advantages of Zulip?
- Zulip avails APIs to build integrations
- The codes are developer-friendly
- Renders threading approach
- The team chat from Zulip is open-source
- Migration is easy from other chat messengers
What are the drawbacks of Zulip?
- The learning curve of Zulip is too steep
- Provides only minimal features
Zulip offers both cloud and self-hosted chat solutions:
- Cloud:
- Free: $0
- Standard: $6.67/ user per month
- Self-hosted:
- Free: $0
- Enterprise: Custom Pricing
What’s unique about Zulip?
| Compatible Platforms: | Windows | macOS | Linux | Android | iOS | Terminal |
| Use cases: | Business, Education, Research, Events & Conferences, Communities, Open Source Project |
5. Jitsi : A Whitelabel Chat Platform With Intuitive UI
Best For Businesses & Marketplace apps that need responsive chat interfaces
Jitsi is a beautifully designed open-source, self-hosted chat platform with a visually compelling UI and seamlessly high-quality audio and video outputs. Using this WebRTC-compatible platform, you can easily add immersive communication features to your applications.
This live chat platform provides 2 different products, namely Jitsi Video bridge and Jitsi Meet which consists of real-time communication tools to elevate the interaction facilities within your app.
What are the advantages of Jitsi?
- Jitsi is an open-source community
- Protects the audio & video files with encoding & decoding
- It offers the best private chat rooms
- Provides calls, chat, video conferencing & file transfer
- Offers video recording and live streaming
What are the drawbacks of Jitsi?
- Occasional connectivity issues
Pricing:
- Free
What’s unique about Jitsi?
| Compatible Platforms: | Android | Linux | Web | iOS | Windows | macOS |
| Use cases: | On-demand, Transport, Retail, Real Estate, Public Sector |
| Languages | Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, Lua |
Recommended Reading
6. Matrix.org : Robust Software With Scalable Chat Features
Best For: App developers building real-time communication features
Matrix.org is the final provider in the list of our top-performing self-hosted instant messaging software with innovative chat app system design & architecture in the industry. The key highlight of this platform is that it uses the Olm and Megolm cryptographic ratchets to protect user conversations across your apps.
You can use their RESTful HTTP/JSON APIs to make features like direct messaging, chat room apps, and chatbots for your chat application users. This self hosted chat software also adopts the decentralized conversation architecture to copy the chats to servers where active user participation is identified.
What are the advantages of Matrix.org?
- Allows customization of chat features
- Interoperable with other communication integrations
- Matrix’s self-hosted chat server offers end to end control over user data
- Uses decentralized chat app architecture
What are the drawbacks of Matrix.org?
- Does not offer cloud hosting
- The learning curve of matrix.org is a bit confusing
Pricing:
- Completely FREE
What’s unique about Matrix.org?
| Compatible Platforms: | Android | iOS |Web |
| Use cases: | Enterprise, retail, fitness, organization |
7. NextCloud : The Modern Self-hosted Collaboration Tool
Best For: Businesses that focus on collaboration and need cloud storage.on features
Nextcloud offers an open-source chat platform that offers secure and scalable communication features like self-hosted video calls for Android, iOS and website apps. It provides an interactive user interface with enterprise-grade cloud solutions backed by security encryptions and compliances.
The platform is built on a modular architecture and leverages on-prem hosting, enabling quick deployment. Also, organizations can take complete control of the file storage assets, ensuring confidentiality.The platform is built on a modular architecture and leverages on-prem hosting, enabling quick deployment. Also, organizations can take complete control of the file storage assets, ensuring confidentiality.
What are the advantages of Nextcloud?
- Provide fully customizable messaging features.
- Gives private cloud storage.
- Lets you add file-sharing capabilities.
- Comes with features like calendars and contacts.
- Allows third-party integration.
What are the drawbacks of Nextcloud?
- Considered as a resource-intensive platform.
- Users sometimes experience bugs in chat.
Pricing:
NextCloud starts for 100 users and offers the following plans:
- Basic: €36/user/year
- Standard: €65/user/year
- Premium: €95.50/user/year
What’s unique about Nextcloud?
| Compatible Platforms: | Android | macOS | iOS | Linux | Ubuntu | CentOS |
| Use cases: | Government, Enterprises, Service providers, Education, Pricing |
| Languages: | JavaScript, PHP, TypeScript, Shell, Vue |
8. Mattermost : The Highly Trusted Chat Software For Enterprises
Best For: Apps that are built for team communication
Mattermost is an open-source chat platform that supports features like self-hosted voice calling, messaging, video calling and file sharing. The platform is built on a modular architecture and its features are available under a MIT license.
Also, it lets you add its features to any existing chat infrastructure and allows complete customization as per your preferences.
What are the advantages of Mattermost?
- Allows feature-expansion with plugins and integrations
- Offer video conferencing features
- Lets users share files and media
- Offers end-to-end encryption
- Has almost all features in Slack and Microsoft Teams
What are the drawbacks of Mattermost?
- The chat UI is not as enriched as its competitors
Pricing:
Mattermost offers both self-hosted and cloud solutions and has the same pricing for both models:
- Self-hosted & Cloud
- Free: $0
- Professional: $10 USD per user/month
- Enterprise: Custom Pricing
Pricing:
- Wire Basic
- Wire For Enterprise (starting at $7.65)
- Wire For Government
What’s unique about Mattermost?
| Compatible Platforms: | iOS | macOS |Android | Windows | Linux | Web |
| Use cases: | Healthcare, Financial service, Government, Media & Entertainment |
| Languages: | Javascript, Swift, Python, Ruby, Objective-C, Node.js. |
9. Wire : The Most Secure & Customizable Instant Messenger
Best For: Collaboration apps that prioritize user privacy and security
Wire is a popular chat software for collaboration and messaging, founded in 2012 and based in Switzerland. The platform offers customizable messaging, voice and video calls, file sharing, and modern communication tools for user interaction.
It is available in a freemium pricing model and offers both a self-hosted solution and a cloud solution. Also, Wire ensures user data privacy with end-to-end encryption and by adhering to Swiss data protection laws.
What are the advantages of wire?
- Provides screen sharing capabilities
- Offers self-destructing messages
- Supports anonymous communication
- Flexible across different platforms and devices
- Protects user data with end-to-end encryption
What are the drawbacks of wire?:
- The collaboration features are quite limited
- Does not support many third-party integrations
Pricing:
- Wire Basic
- Wire For Enterprise (starting at $7.65)
- Wire For Government
What’s unique about Wire?
| Compatible Platforms: | iOS | macOS | Android | Windows | Linux | Web |
| Use cases: | Law, Science, Security, Culture, Economy |
| Languages: | Java, JavaScript, React, PHP |
10. Wickr : Easily Customizable Instant Messaging Platform
Best For: Apps that need easy installation of communication features
Wickr has been in the market since 2012 and was acquired by Amazon on June 25, 2021. Since then, it has been a part of Amazon Website Services-AWS supporting both SaaS and SaaP pricing models.
If you look closer into the market scenario, you’ll notice that some of the best self-managed apps widely used in the industry are built upon this platform. You can majorly use wickr for integrating collaboration features like chat, video calls, and voice calls, into your applications and easily deploy them on your own servers.
What are the advantages of wickr?
- Protects conversations with End to End Encryption
- Setup is easy
- Wickr is a secure business chat software
- Free plan is available
What are the drawbacks of wickr?
- The Free plan has only limited features
- Paid plans are not budget-friendly
- Wickr’s Github codes are not open-source
Pricing:
- Free Trial: $0/ 30 us
- Standard: $5/ user per month
- Premium: $15/ user per month
- Wickr Enterprise (Custom Pricing)
What’s unique about Wickr?
| Compatible Platforms: | iOS | Android | Mac | Windows | Linux |
| Use cases: | Enterprise, Healthcare, Military, State & Government, large corporation |
Conclusion
Well, I hope my article helped you in attaining clarity on which software you should use to build the best white-label chat platform for your business. This list is based on performance in recent months and the lineup may differ in the future. I’d love to take the privilege of updating the changes if any.
Moreover, If you like to know specific details about the providers I’ve listed above, go ahead and post your queries in the comments. I’d be glad to answer them for you. Until then, I wish you a happy development and take the leave now. Good luck!
Looking To Build Your Own Self-Hosted Chat App?
Get our enterprise-grade communication solution, that can be set up on your company servers.
Request Demo
100% customizable-
White-label solution
-
Full source code
100% customizable
Frequently Asked Question
How much does it cost to host a chat app?
The cost to self-host a chat app depends on several factors like the size of the communication app, scalability factor, number of users in a chat platform, number of features, and other factors. Therefore, considering all the above factors, if you search in the market for the overall cost of self-hosting a chat app, you can expect somewhere between S50 to $10,000 per month.Â
However, if you are using MirrorFly’s self-hosted chat solution, you can self-host apps, avail 100% customizations, and make a secure and scalable white-label chat solution for custom pricing.Â
Does MirrorFly provide a sample app?
Yes. MirrorFly provides sample apps for website, iOS, and Android platforms that can be downloaded by contacting our support team.
Using our sample app, you can try and test all our 150+ customizable call and chat features, UI kits, and a lot more before getting started with our SDKs. Â
Can I self-host a white-label chat app?
Yes, you can self-host a white-label chat app using MirrorFly’s self-hosted chat SDK. A self-hosted chat solution always comes more beneficial than the cloud option because it lets you take complete control of your chat app and data, and can help you meet up with security or compliance requirements too. However, to host a chat app on your own, you may need a significant amount of resources and technical expertise.
Is an on-prem server mandatory for a self-hosted chat app?
No, not necessarily. While an on-premise server can be a great option to self-host chat apps, it is not the only way. You can always use a third-party server or self-host chat apps on any dedicated cloud servers like Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS).
How do I create an instant messaging platform?
There are 2 ways to create a real-time chat app. You can either build it from scratch by writing codes on your own or use a pre-built chat SDK that consists of all the modern messaging features your users need.Â
What is chat software?
Chat software is a tool that allows your users to communicate with each other via instant messaging features. The app/ platform also consists of other communication features such as group chat, file sharing, media sharing, voice notes and more.
What are white-label chat platforms?
A white-label chat platform is a messaging application that is built with features developed by a third party vendor. Developers can customize the features, add brand logos and host the solution on their own premise/ cloud, to make it look custom built for the business.Â
What are the benefits of hosted chat platforms?
A hosted chat platform provides fully customizable messaging features, provides white-label solutions, and gives complete control of the app infrastructure. It also lets you customize the security and privacy setup of your app, as per your business needs.Â
What is a chat API?
Chat API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of pre-buit protocols that allows you to integrate real-time chat functionalities into your web or app of any size. It allows you to increase user engagement, retention, and satisfaction across any platform.
What are the two types of chat?
Chat can be classified into two types, such as
Text-based chat: Any conversations between two or more users in the form of text messages are called text-based chat.
Call-based chat: It allows two or more users to communicate in a voice or video call over the internet. This is called call-based chat.
How do I create a chat server?
Creating a chat server involves several steps and can be done with various technologies. For example: Follow the steps to create a chat server with Discord.
1. Download the chat server application.
2. Create an account or login to your existing account.
3. Create a new server.
4. Choose a category for your server, or skip this step.
5. Name your server based on its category and customise your profile based on your preferences.
6. Click create, and now your new chat server is ready.
If you are building your own chat server, then you have to follow several more steps, like setting up databases, handling client-server communication, testing and deploying, etc.
Does a chat app need a server?
Yes, you definitely need a server for a chat app. Because a server is required to facilitate communications between users.
However, you can still use serverless chat architecture by integrating third-party chat APIs with your web or app that allow you to host on the cloud, and you don’t have to maintain the server.
How can I create my own chatting app?
Creating your own chat app nowadays can be easy and simple. Here are three simple steps to creating your own chat app.
Step 1: Choose from the list of chat API providers available in the market, like MirrorFly, ApphiTect, Apptha, etc.
Step 2: Setup your account and acquire a licence key by choosing your appropriate plans.
Step 3: Integrate those APIs into your web or app in a few minutes and just start chatting.
By following these steps, you can save time, money, and effort by creating a chat app from scratch.
Related Articles
- White Label Chat App: How To Create With Simple Steps in 2024
- How to Build a Custom Chat Platform In 2024 – Complete Guide
- Build Team Chat App for Android and iOS in 2024 – A Guide
- What is VoIP Phone? – A Complete Guide in 2024 for Beginners
- Real time Chat App – A Complete Guide in 2024
Abirami is a trendsetter in bringing marketing ideas to reality. She is very keen on creating impactful marketing campaigns and learning the newest technologies in white label messaging APIs. And during her leisure, she can't spend a day without singing and reading.
Great article team, keep up the good work. I loved your blog. Can you list out the secure chat providers in 2023? And if you have any reference, can you share?
Hello, thank you for such positive feedback on my blog post. Really appreciate your comment. To answer your question, there are several secure chat providers in 2023 that you can opt for like Signal, Wickr, Threema, Wire, and many others. And to get detailed insight on these, you can check our post exclusively on secure chat apps.
Hello, I am building a chat application for my client who is into designing e-learning use cases and after looking at your post, I’m interested in your chat SDKs. So, can you explain any individual feature of the Mirrorfly self-hosted chat app so that I can move further?
thanks for your comment on my article, and appreciate your interest in MirrorFly’s chat SDKs for your e-learning project! When it comes to a particular standout feature of our self-hosted chat solution, then it has to be 100% customization support for Android, iOS, and Web apps for a one-time license cost that may help developers to tailor their as per the needs of the business.
Additionally, our solution also gives you the flexibility to host apps on your servers thus serving as a prime benefit for security. And, all our SDKs are highly scalable and come with 99.999% uptime SLA with ultra-low latency. If you are ready to take off with us, give us a call
Hi team, is there any possible way to develop a secure and scalable chat platform with MirrorFly? Because, I am a mobile app developer and wanted to learn more about it.
Hello Sparron,
Thank you for your comment and interest toward MirrorFly chat SDKs! Really appreciate it!! Yes, it is possible to develop a secure and scalable chat app with us. And the best fact is that security and scalability are our twin focus toward any development. So, you may not worry about these aspects.
Our in-app communication SDKs are secured with E2E encryption protocols like AES – 256, SSL, TLS to safeguard user data and privacy. And we come with 99.999% uptime SLA with ultra-low latency levels. If you are interested to learn more about us, please give our experts a call.
Thanks. I found some good ideas in your article and chose the best video conferencing platform for my mobile app.
Hi Jenny,
Thank you for such kind words on my article, you can go without MirrorFly video calling API you can get something better than you expect.
I am building a self-hosted chat app and I wish to know how much it costs to build the self-hosted chat platforms?
Hello Shivin,
It is great news to hear about your self-hosted chat app development and my best wishes for it. To answer your question,
The basic estimate or the market price to build a simple self-hosted chat app can cost you anywhere between $10,000 to $50,000. Whereas, if you go to add complex features like white- labeling or others, the app cost can be somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000.
Must say that it is a great article. Both articulation and thought process is amazing. But, I am just curious as to how do you create a custom chat application so easily?
Thanks a lot PeeCee for such kind words. Really appreciate your compliment on my blog post. And to answer your question, creating a custom chat app is relatively easy with MirrorFly’s chat SDK. Our self-hosted solution allows developers to easily build a fully customizable chat application with the features they need and security they desire for a one-time license cost. Additionally, they may take full control of our call and chat capabilities, and get the flexibility to host chat apps on their own servers.
With these, our self-hosted chat SDK is compatible with multiple platforms, including Android, iOS, and the Web, thus making the development process easier.
What technical skills do I need to set up a self-hosted chat platform?
Hi Kavin,
The required skills depend on the platform, but generally, you should be familiar with:
Server Administration: Setting up servers, configuring ports, managing security, etc.
Networking: Understanding networking concepts, DNS setup, and firewall configurations.
Database Management: Configuring and managing databases, which these platforms often require.
Linux/Unix Command Line: Basic command-line operations for server management.
Hi,
This is really useful information and I could get more ideas from this blog, Can I customize the appearance and features of these platforms?
Hi rosh,
Yes, most self-hosted chat platforms allow extensive customization. You can usually modify themes, layouts, and often even add new features through plugins or extensions.
hi team,
can anyone tell me why would I choose a self-hosted chat platform
Hello,
I really like your question Choosing a self-hosted chat platform offers several benefits, including:
Data Privacy: You have full control over your data and can ensure it’s kept private.
Customization: You can tailor the platform’s features, design, and integrations to your specific needs.
Security: You can implement your own security measures and protocols.
Scalability: You can scale the platform according to your requirements.
so the features make you to choose this if you want more clarity free to contact us.
Hi,
Nice Article, would you tell me what are the exact programming languages supported by chat platforms?