Compare

Self-host, polished.

Mattermost pioneered self-hosted team chat. TheChatApp keeps that deployment control while focusing on a modern desktop experience, built-in voice and video, responsive notifications, and predictable self-hosted licensing.

Download freeSee pricing
  • UI
    Modern desktop experience.
  • Meetings
    Video calls built in. No extra app.
  • Price
    Per-user cloud. Self-host licence.
  • Setup
    Up and running in 30 seconds.

Mattermost got the self-hosted category right. TheChatApp focuses on the gaps teams often feel after self-hosting: modern UX, built-in voice and video at every tier, clearer notifications, and a perpetual self-host licence option.

Feature-by-feature

Feature
TheChatApp
Mattermost
Edge
Desktop UI
Modern. Polished. Looks like this decade.
Users commonly report the interface feels dated.
TheChatApp
Voice and video
Built in. Every tier. No plugins, no workarounds.
Gated to Professional+. Free/Starter lean on Jitsi or Zoom.
TheChatApp
Initial setup
30 seconds to get started. Not a weekend project.
Technical effort. Non-IT teams struggle.
TheChatApp
Mobile notifications
Arrive instantly.
Delayed by seconds vs desktop.
TheChatApp
Notification clarity
You know when a message is waiting.
Users commonly report it's not obvious when someone messaged them.
TheChatApp
Thread organization
Nested threads + per-meeting threads.
Thread UX is a common user complaint.
TheChatApp
End-to-end encryption
Default. Every channel. Every DM.
Not by default — server operator can read content.
TheChatApp
Zero-knowledge mode
Available. Server holds no long-term keys on disk.
Not offered.
TheChatApp
GDPR-native
Built in the EU, hosted in the EU.
US-based. DPA on request.
TheChatApp
Pricing
Lower per-user cloud, plus one-time self-host licence option.
Per-user subscription.
TheChatApp
Perpetual licence
One-time licence available on self-host.
Subscription-only for premium features (Enterprise Edition reverts to free Team Edition behaviour on expiry).
TheChatApp
Search
Runs on your device. No AI vendor reading your chat.
Paid AI add-on.
TheChatApp
Self-hosting
First-class.
First-class.
Tie

Don't take our word for it — self-host it free and see for yourself.

Download freeSee features

Pricing at common team sizes

Annual billing. Cloud is per billed user; self-hosted is a server licence with optional maintenance.

Team size
TheChatApp plan
Price
Mattermost plan
Price
10 users
Cloud Team
€300 / year
Mattermost Professional
$1,200 / year
50 users
Cloud Business
€2,500 / year
Mattermost Professional
$6,000 / year
50 users
Self-host Business (year 1)
€3,490 (€2,495 one-time + €995 maintenance)
Mattermost Professional
$6,000 / year
200 users
Cloud Enterprise
€16,000 / year
Mattermost Professional
$24,000 / year

The bill, over time

5 years, 50 users. Cumulative list-price spend. Both lines plotted in €; competitor converted at $1 ≈ €0.92.

TheChatApp — Cloud Business
Mattermost Professional
Mattermost Pro + Zoom Pro
€0€25,000€50,000€75,000€100,000StartYr 1Yr 2Yr 3Yr 4Yr 5$69,990$30,000€12,500
5-year TheChatApp
€12,500
5-year Mattermost
$30,000
5-year Mattermost Pro + Zoom Pro
$69,990
You keep
€51,891

List prices, annual billing. Discounts, negotiated terms, and FX drift may vary.

Why teams choose TheChatApp

  • →Modern desktop experience that feels current and focused for everyday team communication.
  • →Voice and video that just work. Every tier. No plugins. No workarounds. No extra Zoom subscription.
  • →Setup in 30 seconds. Not a weekend project.
  • →Notifications that arrive instantly and that you can actually see. No 'wait, did someone message me?'
  • →Cloud priced fairly per user; self-hosted priced by server edition. Your 15th hire doesn't trigger a fixed-tier cliff.
  • →Buy it once. Keep it forever. One-time perpetual licence option on self-host — Mattermost is subscription-only for its paid features.
  • →GDPR-native. Built in the EU, hosted in the EU. Mattermost is US-based.

Frequently asked questions

Is TheChatApp really a Mattermost alternative?

Yes. Both target self-hosted team chat for security-conscious teams. The differences: TheChatApp emphasizes a modern desktop experience, voice and video bundled at every tier, simpler first-run setup, and capacity-based self-hosted pricing instead of per-user subscriptions. You can also buy a perpetual self-host licence.

How much cheaper is TheChatApp than Mattermost Professional?

Materially. At 50 users on annual billing: TheChatApp Cloud Business is €2,500/yr. Mattermost Professional at $10/user/month is $6,000/yr — about 2.4× more. And that's just Mattermost. Most teams also pay for Zoom (or Google Meet, or Jitsi) because the native calling plugin is either missing on Free/Starter or found limited at Professional — add Zoom Pro ($7,998/year at 50 users) and you're looking at $13,998/year vs our €2,500. On self-host, TheChatApp year one is €3,490 (€2,495 one-time + €995 optional maintenance), then €995/yr after. Skip our maintenance and the software keeps running. Mattermost has no perpetual-licence equivalent — once your subscription ends, premium features (SSO, advanced compliance, etc.) turn off.

Do I need a separate app for video calls?

No. Voice and video are built into every tier, including Free. No plugin, no add-on, no extra Zoom subscription. Mattermost only includes native calling from the Professional tier ($10/user/month) — below that, most teams end up paying for Zoom on top.

Can I buy TheChatApp as a perpetual licence?

Yes, on self-host. One-time licence, optional annual maintenance for security updates and relay. Stop paying? The software keeps running — you just stop getting security patches. Mattermost has no perpetual-licence option — once your paid subscription ends, premium features (SSO, advanced compliance, data retention policies, etc.) turn off and the Enterprise build reverts to free Team Edition behaviour.

Can I get my data out if I want to leave?

Yes — always. On self-host, your data is already on your infrastructure — export anytime. On cloud, GDPR export gives you a full machine-readable archive of messages, files, and metadata at any time. No paywall, no sales call. Your chat history is yours.

See how TheChatApp fits your team

Try the Free tier on your own server, or start a managed Cloud workspace in minutes.

Download TheChatAppSee pricing

Comparison drawn from publicly available pricing and documentation as of April 2026. Mattermost pricing fetched from mattermost.com/pricing. User-experience characterisations paraphrase common themes from Capterra, G2, and community-forum reviews — not direct quotations. Re-verify vendor pricing before quoting in procurement.

Also available: Slack · Microsoft Teams · Mattermost · Rocket.Chat