What is the main difference between Hazel and Rocket.Chat?

Hazel and Rocket.Chat are both team chat & messaging tools but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Hazel or Rocket.Chat?

The choice between Hazel and Rocket.Chat depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Hazel to Rocket.Chat?

Migration between Hazel and Rocket.Chat is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Hazel vs Rocket.Chat

Learn how Hazel and Rocket.Chat differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these team chat & messaging tools is best for you.

Hazel

Team chat for developers with threads, full-text search, keyboard-first navigation, GitHub and Linear previews, desktop apps, and message sync with Slack and Discord.

Visit Hazel Read more

738stars+12(+1.7%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
6 hours ago
Repository age
2 years
Version
v1.1.3
License
FSL-1.1-ALv2
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
mapletechlabs/hazel

Rocket.Chat

Open source communication platform combining messaging, voice, video, and AI for organizations that need full data control, air-gapped deployments, and zero-trust security.

Visit Rocket.Chat Read more

46,516stars+236(+0.5%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
1 day ago
Repository age
12 years
Version
9.0.0
License
MIT
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
rocket.chat

Detailed Comparison

Rocket.Chat appears to have several advantages over Hazel, particularly in popularity, maturity and licensing. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Rocket.Chat wins

Community & Popularity

Rocket.Chat significantly outpaces Hazel in community adoption with 46,516 stars compared to 738 stars on GitHub. This 63.0x difference suggests Rocket.Chat has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Rocket.Chat has 14,148 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Hazel wins

Growth Momentum

Hazel is growing faster, adding 12 stars in the last 30 days (+1.7%) against adding 236 stars for Rocket.Chat (+0.5%). Hazel is the smaller project of the two, so it is closing the gap rather than extending a lead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Hazel last updated 6 hours ago and Rocket.Chat 1 day ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Bash, Typescript, JSX. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Hazel uses Rust, Kotlin, Tauri, Tanstack Start while Rocket.Chat leverages SCSS, Meteor.

Rocket.Chat wins

Project Maturity

Rocket.Chat has been in development longer, starting 12 years ago, compared to Hazel which began 2 years ago. This 10.1-year head start suggests Rocket.Chat may have more mature features and established processes.

Rocket.Chat wins

Licensing

Rocket.Chat uses the MIT license, which is more permissive than Hazel's FSL-1.1-ALv2 license, potentially offering greater flexibility for commercial use and integration.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Team Chat & Messaging. However, they also have distinct specializations: Rocket.Chat extends into Collaborative Workspaces, Video Conferencing & Virtual Office.

Comparable