What is Mattermost?
Mattermost is a team collaboration platform you deploy yourself. Messages, channels and files live on a server you run — on Kubernetes, on a cloud provider, from a Linux package or in a container — rather than on a vendor's infrastructure, which is the reason organisations with strict data requirements choose it over a hosted messenger. The desktop client for macOS is free and Apache-licensed, and it is what most people actually see: channels, direct messages, threads, search and notifications, with a mobile client for iOS and Android alongside it. The platform can be extended with webhooks, slash commands and plugins from a marketplace. The free edition is a limited-use build for technical evaluation; production use means buying a per-seat subscription.
Verified product facts
- Type
- team collaboration appEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Apple Silicon
- Yes
- Pricing
- FreemiumDeveloper-stated
- Open source
- Yes
- Developer
- Mattermost, Inc.Developer-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Current version
- 6.3.0Developer-stated
- Official website
- mattermost.com/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Mattermost does at a glance.
Channel-based team collaboration
With direct messages and threads
Self-hosted server
Kubernetes, Azure, Oracle, Ubuntu packages, RHEL/CentOS, tarball or Docker
Desktop clients
For macOS, Windows and Linux, plus iOS and Android apps
A Mac App Store build
Alongside the direct download
Webhooks, slash commands and plugins
For building custom functionality
A marketplace of integrations to extend an instance
Federation
Between separate Mattermost servers, on the paid plans
Auditing, retention policies and compliance controls
On the paid plans
Air-gapped and disconnected deployment options
On the highest plan
Single sign-on and identity-management integration
On the enterprise plans
What you can use Mattermost for
- Running team chat on infrastructure you control rather than a hosted service
- Deploying collaboration software into an environment with no internet connectivity
- Extending chat with in-house webhooks, slash commands and plugins
- Replacing a hosted messenger in an organisation with data-residency requirements
Who is Mattermost for?
- Organisations that need to self-host their team messaging and can run a server
- Teams that want to extend chat with their own integrations and automation
Who is Mattermost not for?
- Small teams that just want a chat app without running a server — the hosted options are less work
- Anyone who needs a published price before talking to sales, because none of the paid plans list one
Limitations
- No list prices are published for the paid plans; Enterprise and Enterprise Advanced both route through a sales conversation
- The vendor's download page states the desktop app supports macOS 14 and later, while the Mac App Store listing for the same version states macOS 12.0 — neither page explains the difference
- The free edition is described as a limited-use build of Enterprise Advanced intended for technical evaluation rather than unrestricted production use
- The desktop client is one part of a platform; using it at all means having a server to connect to
- Federation, compliance controls, air-gapped deployment and SSO are paid-plan features rather than part of the free edition
Strengths and trade-offs
What Mattermost does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- The server can be deployed on Kubernetes, on Azure or Oracle cloud infrastructure, from signed Linux packages, from a tarball, or in Docker.Developer-stated
- Because it is self-hosted, the conversation and its data stay on infrastructure the organisation controls.Derived
- The desktop client is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 licence.
- Published for macOS on the Mac App Store as well as as a direct download, and for Windows and Linux.
- Extensible with webhooks, slash commands and plugins, with a marketplace of ready-made integrations.Developer-stated
- Paid plans add federation between separate Mattermost servers, auditing, retention policies and compliance controls.Developer-stated
- Supports air-gapped and disconnected deployments for environments with no internet connectivity.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- No paid plan publishes a price; Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Advanced all require contacting sales for a figure.
- The free edition is a limited-use build of Enterprise Advanced for technical evaluation, not an unrestricted free tier.
- Running it means running a server, which is a real operational commitment compared with a hosted messenger.Derived
- The minimum macOS version is contradictory across the vendor's own sources: the download page says 14 and later, the App Store listing says 12.0.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- The desktop client is available from the Mac App Store or as a direct download; the server is installed separately, from Kubernetes manifests, cloud marketplaces, signed Linux packages, a tarball or Docker.
- First launch Developer-stated
- The desktop client expects a server URL, which normally arrives in an invitation email from your organisation; there is a one-hour trial sign-up for people who do not have one yet.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Desktop and mobile clients for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android, plus webhooks and plugins that let other systems post into channels.
- Apple Silicon
- Supported
What it does
Mattermost is team chat that you run yourself. Channels, direct messages, threads, search and notifications work the way they do in any modern messenger; the difference is that the server holding all of it belongs to your organisation. The vendor documents deployment on Kubernetes with its own operator, on Azure and Oracle cloud infrastructure, from signed Ubuntu packages, on RHEL/CentOS, from a tarball, or in Docker. For organisations with data-residency or classification requirements, that is the entire reason to choose it.
The desktop client for macOS, Windows and Linux is what most people see, with iOS and Android apps alongside it. It is free and open source under Apache-2.0, and available both from the Mac App Store and as a direct download. Connecting it to a server normally means opening an invitation link from your organisation; there is a one-hour trial sign-up for anyone who does not have a server yet.
Extending it, and what the paid plans add
An instance can be extended with webhooks, slash commands and plugins, and the vendor runs a marketplace of ready-made integrations, so chat can be wired into other systems rather than standing alone. That extensibility is available on the free edition.
The paid plans add the things larger organisations need: federation between separate Mattermost servers, real-time and federated communications, compliance and administration controls, retention policies, workflow automation, high availability, and single sign-on with identity-management integration. The highest plan, Enterprise Advanced, adds air-gapped and disconnected deployment, security-optimised mobility and ultra-high resiliency.
Licensing and pricing
The desktop client is Apache-2.0. The server is a mixed-licence product, and the practical consequence for buyers is the shape of the free tier: installing a server gives you Mattermost Entry, which the vendor describes as a free limited-use edition of Enterprise Advanced for technical evaluation, with the option to upload a licence to unlock full access.
Beyond that, the plans are Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Advanced. None of them publishes a price. Enterprise offers “Get Pricing” and Enterprise Advanced offers “Request Quote”, both leading to a sales conversation; the vendor states that licences are sold as prepaid annual subscriptions based on the number of annual seat licences, with additional seats purchased quarterly on a “true forward” basis if usage exceeds the licence. Non-profit, open-source and educational subscriptions are available on request.
One inconsistency is worth flagging: the vendor’s download page states that the desktop app supports macOS 14 and later, while the Mac App Store listing for the same version states macOS 12.0. Neither page explains the difference, so the stricter figure is the one recorded here.
Questions about Mattermost
Is Mattermost free?
The desktop client is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Installing a server gives you Mattermost Entry, which the vendor describes as a free limited-use edition of Enterprise Advanced for technical evaluation, with the option to upload a licence to unlock full access. Production use means one of the paid plans.
How much does Mattermost cost?
No list prices are published. The plans are Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Advanced, sold as prepaid annual subscriptions based on the number of annual seat licences; Enterprise uses a 'Get Pricing' link and Enterprise Advanced a 'Request Quote' link, both of which lead to sales.
Does Mattermost have to be self-hosted?
Self-hosting is the point of the product, and the vendor documents deployment on Kubernetes, Azure and Oracle cloud infrastructure, from signed Ubuntu packages, on RHEL/CentOS, from a tarball, or in Docker. Mattermost Cloud Enterprise is offered as a single-tenant managed service for organisations that would rather not run it themselves.Developer-stated
Which macOS versions does the Mattermost desktop app support?
The vendor's download page states macOS 14 and later for version 6.3.0. The Mac App Store listing for the same version states macOS 12.0. Neither page explains the difference, so the stricter figure is recorded here.
Can Mattermost run without an internet connection?
Yes, on the highest plan. Enterprise Advanced adds air-gapped and disconnected deployment options for environments that cannot reach the internet, along with security-optimised mobility and ultra-high resiliency.Developer-stated
Competitors
Direct competitors: overlapping features aimed at the same users.
Slack
Team messaging with channels, huddles and integrations.
Both are channel-based team collaboration tools, but Slack is a hosted service while Mattermost is deployed on infrastructure the organisation controls, which is the reason most teams pick it.
Element
Open-source Matrix chat client with end-to-end encryption by default.
Both are self-hostable messaging platforms, but Element is a client for the decentralised Matrix network with end-to-end encryption by default, while Mattermost is a single server an organisation runs for its own teams.
Microsoft Teams
Chat, meetings and collaboration, free for personal use.
Both are collaboration platforms aimed at organisations, but Microsoft Teams is bundled with Microsoft 365 and hosted by Microsoft, while Mattermost is self-hosted and sold as its own subscription.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
