Mattermost

Active

Country: United States (US)
Founded: 2015
Developer: Mattermost, Inc.
Pricing: Freemium (free open-source core, paid enterprise plans)
Open source: Yes
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web

Indexes

Community/Forums Messaging

Overview

Mattermost is a collaboration platform that provides messaging, forums, and workflow tools for technical and operational teams. It supports self-hosted deployment with integration of people, processes, tools, and AI infrastructure on a single platform. Key differentiators include sovereign data control, adaptive security features, and compatibility with directory services like AD/LDAP and SAML for user profile management.⁵²

Key Features

Profile Management - Users manage name, username, nickname, email, position, and profile picture via web, desktop, or mobile apps.¹⁴
Custom User Attributes - Admins define up to 20 organization-specific profile attributes synced with AD/LDAP or SAML providers.²⁶
System Information View - Displays server version, database schema, license, and load metrics from profile menu.³
Desktop App Customization - Options to send usage data and configure app experience on desktop platforms.⁸
Mobile Profile Editing - Mobile users edit profile attributes if enabled by admin settings.²
Apps Framework - Supports building and deploying apps using Docker for local development.¹⁰
Notification Preferences - Configurable settings for notifications and display options in account settings.⁷

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Team Edition	Free	Open-source self-hosted messaging and basic collaboration features.
Enterprise Edition	Contact sales	Advanced security, custom attributes, AD/LDAP sync, and AI workflows.
Professional	Starting at $10/user/month	Cloud-hosted with enhanced support and integrations (pricing inferred from standard models).

Platforms & Requirements

Mattermost runs on web browsers, native desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Profile picture uploads require at least 128x128 pixels in BMP, JPG, JPEG, or PNG formats; GIF not supported. Mobile editing of attributes depends on admin permissions.¹²

Integrations & Ecosystem

AD/LDAP for user attribute sync
SAML identity provider mapping
Docker for app development
Desktop app usage telemetry
System Console for attribute management
API access via apps framework

Alternatives

App	Difference
Slack	Slack is primarily cloud-hosted with less emphasis on self-hosting and sovereign control.
Microsoft Teams	Teams integrates deeply with Microsoft ecosystem but lacks open-source self-hosted option.
Rocket.Chat	Rocket.Chat offers similar open-source messaging but fewer enterprise-grade attribute sync features.
Zulip	Zulip focuses on threaded conversations with open-source base but limited AI workflow tools.

Reputation

Mattermost is regarded as a reliable open-source alternative to Slack for teams needing data sovereignty and self-hosting. Strengths include customizable user profiles and directory integrations, supporting mission-critical workflows.⁵² Criticisms involve occasional profile editing errors in certain versions and complexity in attribute management.⁹ It maintains an active community forum for troubleshooting.⁶

Sources (10)