Comparison

Synology Chat vs Rocket.Chat

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Synology Chat

This application provides a secure and private platform for real-time communication. It enables users to create dedicated channels for team discussions or temporary conversations, fostering efficient collaboration within an organization. Requires ownership of a Synology NAS device.

Highlights
  • Real-time conversations
  • Purpose-oriented channels
  • Temporary conversations
  • Secure communication
  • Synology NAS integration
Features
Read full description

**You must own a Synology NAS to run this app, and be running the latest Synology Chat 2.0.0 to get the complete set of features* Synology Chat allows you to create a safe and secure place where conversations can be held in real-time. Using Synology Chat to create a channel for purpose-oriented discussion or a conversation for temporary talk. Find all detailed features about the app on our website: https://www.synology.com/dsm/software_spec/synology_chat

About

Rocket.Chat

A secure communication platform that integrates messaging, voice, video, and AI for organizations requiring high security and compliance. It offers features like E2E encryption and two-factor authentication to protect sensitive communications.

Highlights
  • Unified messaging, voice, and video
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Open source software
  • On-premises or cloud hosting
  • Guest access
  • File sharing
Features
Read full description

Rocket.Chat Secure CommsOS™ is a communication platform that unifies messaging, voice, video, AI, and mission-critical applications—ensuring uncompromising security, compliance, and operational efficiency for governments, defense, and critical infrastructure organizations operating in high-stakes environments. The result is an increase in productivity and customer satisfaction rates. Everyday, tens of millions of users in over 150 countries and in organizations such as Deutsche Bahn, The US Navy and Credit Suisse trust Rocket.Chat to keep their communications completely private and secure. By opting for Rocket.Chat, users also benefit from free audio and video conferencing, guest access, screen and file sharing, LiveChat, LDAP Group Sync, two-factor authentication (2FA), E2E encryption, SSO, dozens of OAuth providers and unlimited users, guests, channels, messages, searches and files. Users can set up Rocket.Chat on cloud or by hosting their own servers on-premises. With thousands of contributors and stars on Github, Rocket.Chat has the world’s largest community of chat developers in the open source communication sector. When you choose Rocket.Chat, you join an ever-growing passionate community that constantly improves our platform with us :) KEY FEATURES: * Open Source Software * Hassle-free MIT license * BYOS (bring your own server) * Multiple Rooms * Direct Messages * Private & Public Channels/Groups * Desktop and Mobile Notifications * 100+ available integrations * Edit and Delete Sent Messages * Mentions * Avatars * Markdown * Emojis * Choose between 3 themes: Light, Dark, Black * Sort conversations alphabetically or group by activity, unread or favourites * Transcripts / History * File Upload / Sharing * I18n - [Internationalization with Lingohub] * Hubot Friendly - [Hubot Integration Project] * Media Embeds * Link Previews * LDAP Authentication * REST-full APIs * Remote Locations Video Monitoring * Native Cross-Platform Desktop Application

Screenshots

Synology Chat4 screens
Rocket.Chat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Rocket.Chat at 4.4 against Synology Chat's 3.7. Rocket.Chat also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (62% vs 40%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Rocket.Chat holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rocket.Chat has 3.7K ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Synology Chat's written reviews are positive against 62% of Rocket.Chat's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Synology Chat ships an update every 4 months, Rocket.Chat every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Synology Chat versus Rocket.Chat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSynology ChatRocket.Chat
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (67 ratings)4.4 (3.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.6% of reviews61.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings673.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size115 MB79 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperSynology Inc.Rocket.Chat Technologies Corp.

Customer experience

Synology Chat

All ratings67 ratings
Positive62.7%
Neutral10.4%
Negative26.9%
Written reviews227 reviews
Positive39.6%
Neutral21.1%
Negative39.2%

Rocket.Chat

All ratings3,747 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral5.3%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews858 reviews
Positive61.8%
Neutral10.5%
Negative27.7%

Bugs and requests

Synology Chat

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Rocket.Chat

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Messages not loading properly
  • Inability to stay logged in
  • Broken translation feature
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices
  • Admin panel not functioning on mobile

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved notification settings
  • Enhanced file sharing and management
  • Customizable notification sounds
  • Streamlined admin panel for mobile
  • Integrated video/audio calling

In-app purchases

None

Synology Chat

No in-app purchases

None

Rocket.Chat

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Synology Chat free?
Synology Chat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rocket.Chat free?
Rocket.Chat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Synology Chat or Rocket.Chat?
Rocket.Chat is rated higher. Synology Chat averages 3.7 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while Rocket.Chat averages 4.4 from 3.7K ratings.
Do Synology Chat or Rocket.Chat have ads?
Neither Synology Chat nor Rocket.Chat shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Synology Chat or Rocket.Chat?
Synology Chat ships an update every 4 months, and Rocket.Chat every 3 weeks. Most recently, Synology Chat was updated on October 25, 2026 and Rocket.Chat on October 26, 2026.

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