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Comparison · Collab
Rocket.Chat vs Immich
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Rocket.Chat and Immich — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:self-hosted
Rocket.Chat vs Immich: at a glance
What is Rocket.Chat?
All the substance lands in rc.0 — this cycle it's phishing-resistant MFA
Rocket.Chat publishes a release candidate per patch, and the shape is consistent: rc.0 carries the actual changes and every candidate after it is a Meteor version bump with dependency updates. In the 8.7 cycle, rc.0 introduced phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication via a server-side OAuth flow, plus a current field on DeviceManagementSession so the sessions endpoint can flag the caller's own active session. The 8.6 candidates in this window carry nothing but version bumps. Engine versions are pinned across the line at Node 22, Deno 2.3 and MongoDB 8.
What is Immich?
Immich is four release candidates into v3 with every feature note published somewhere else.
The visible release stream is a v3.0.0 RC series — rc.0 through rc.3, cut over eleven days in June — and each entry is the same template: a release-candidate disclaimer, a database and library backup warning, and instructions to move IMMICH_VERSION from v2 to v3 or the rolling v3-rc tag. The actual release notes live on a work-in-progress preview page outside the changelog.
Rocket.Chat vs Immich: editorial side-by-side
Rocket.Chat
6.3COLLAB
All the substance lands in rc.0 — this cycle it's phishing-resistant MFA
◆ Current state
Rocket.Chat publishes a release candidate per patch, and the shape is consistent: rc.0 carries the actual changes and every candidate after it is a Meteor version bump with dependency updates. In the 8.7 cycle, rc.0 introduced phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication via a server-side OAuth flow, plus a current field on DeviceManagementSession so the sessions endpoint can flag the caller's own active session. The 8.6 candidates in this window carry nothing but version bumps. Engine versions are pinned across the line at Node 22, Deno 2.3 and MongoDB 8.
◆ Where it's heading
The work visible here is identity and session control rather than messaging features — who is authenticated, how strongly, and which device is asking. Phishing-resistant MFA and caller-session identification are both procurement concerns for the regulated and self-hosting buyers Rocket.Chat competes for, and they arrive together. The release-candidate pattern means the feed's cadence overstates activity: six entries in this window represent two substantive changes.
◆ Prediction
Expect the 8.7 line to reach general availability with the MFA flow as its headline, and further session and device-management controls to follow on the same identity track.
Immich
0.0COLLAB
Immich is four release candidates into v3 with every feature note published somewhere else.
◆ Current state
The visible release stream is a v3.0.0 RC series — rc.0 through rc.3, cut over eleven days in June — and each entry is the same template: a release-candidate disclaimer, a database and library backup warning, and instructions to move IMMICH_VERSION from v2 to v3 or the rolling v3-rc tag. The actual release notes live on a work-in-progress preview page outside the changelog.
◆ Where it's heading
What the feed does show is a project running a disciplined pre-release: a rolling RC tag so testers do not have to chase point versions, and two-to-seven day turnarounds between candidates as bugs come in. What it does not show is a single feature, which means anyone tracking Immich through its changelog learns only that a major version is close, not what it changes.
◆ Prediction
A v3.0.0 stable release follows once the RC turnaround lengthens; the entries give no basis for predicting what it contains, because none of them describe it.
Alternatives to Rocket.Chat and Immich
Other Collab products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Rocket.Chat or Immich.
Jellyfin
Jellyfin drops the 10. prefix and puts 12.0 through a three-candidate preview.
PhotoPrism
PhotoPrism swapped in an ONNX vision pipeline, then opened the library to 360° media at 16K.
EGroupware
Two branches, one deadline: 23.1 security coverage ends August 15th and 26.x is the only exit.
SOGo
SOGo's 5.12 line has become a CVE conveyor belt while the team's attention sits on SOGo 6.
File Browser
File Browser is shutting down — the repo archives on 2026-09-01 and no security fixes follow.
See all Rocket.Chat alternatives → · See all Immich alternatives →
Recent activity from Rocket.Chat and Immich
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 2d agoRocket.ChatRelease candidate bumps the Meteor version only
- 10d agoRocket.ChatRelease candidate bumps the Meteor version only
- 10d agoRocket.ChatRelease candidate bumps the Meteor version only
- 12d agoRocket.ChatRocket.Chat 8.7 adds phishing-resistant MFA and caller-session flagging ⚡
- 1mo agoRocket.ChatRelease candidate bumps the Meteor version only
- 1mo agoRocket.ChatRelease candidate bumps the Meteor version only
- 1mo agoImmichThird v3 candidate fixes issues found in rc.2
- 1mo agoImmichSecond v3 candidate fixes issues found in rc.1
- 1mo agoImmichRolling v3-rc tag introduced for prereleases
- 1mo agoImmichFirst v3 release candidate opens the major-version cut
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Rocket.Chat and Immich?
Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within Collab. Rocket.Chat is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Rocket.Chat better than Immich?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Rocket.Chat is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Rocket.Chat?
Top Rocket.Chat alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Rocket.Chat alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rocket-chat for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Immich?
Top Immich alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Immich alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/immich for the full list with editorial commentary on each.