Novu
Notification infrastructure for developers.
Novu vs Rocket.Chat
Two self-hosted Communication - Custom Communication Systems apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| Novu | Rocket.Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Notification infrastructure for developers. | Communications platform that puts data protection first (alternative to Gitter.im and Slack). |
| GitHub stars | 40,274 | 46,373 |
| Forks | – | 14.1k |
| Open issues (incl. PRs) | – | 4.3k |
| Commits (12 months) | 2.4k | 2.4k |
| Last activity | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-05 |
| Latest release | @novu/framework@v2.14.0 (2026-09-28) | 9.0.0-rc.4 (2026-11-03) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language / platform | Docker, Nodejs | Nodejs, Docker, K8S |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $10/mo | $10/mo |
| Categories | Communication - Custom Communication Systems | Communication - Custom Communication Systems |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Novu and Rocket.Chat have a similar number of GitHub stars (40.3k vs 46.4k).
- Rocket.Chat published a release more recently (9.0.0-rc.4 on 2026-11-03; Novu's latest is @novu/framework@v2.14.0 on 2026-09-28).
- Both are licensed under MIT.
- Both are written in Nodejs.
- Deployment options listed upstream: Novu: Docker; Rocket.Chat: Docker, K8S.
Summary: On the numbers we track, Novu and Rocket.Chat are evenly matched. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is Novu or Rocket.Chat more popular?
They are close: Novu has 40,274 GitHub stars and Rocket.Chat has 46,373 (as of 2026-11-05).
Which is more actively maintained, Novu or Rocket.Chat?
Commits in the last 12 months: Novu 2,446, Rocket.Chat 2,435. The last recorded activity was 2026-11-04 for Novu and 2026-11-05 for Rocket.Chat. Our health labels: Novu is “Active”, Rocket.Chat is “Active”.
What licenses do Novu and Rocket.Chat use?
Both use MIT.
Can I run Novu and Rocket.Chat with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for Novu and Rocket.Chat. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Rocket.Chat
Communications platform that puts data protection first (alternative to Gitter.im and Slack).
Browse all self-hosted Communication - Custom Communication Systems apps.