Is Mattermost free to use?

Yes, Mattermost offers two free tiers: Mattermost Team Edition, which is a self-hosted open-source version, and Mattermost Cloud Free, a managed cloud service with basic features and limitations.

What is the primary difference between Mattermost Cloud and Self-Hosted editions?

Mattermost Cloud is a fully managed service where Mattermost handles the infrastructure, while Self-Hosted editions require the customer to deploy and manage the software on their own servers or cloud infrastructure, providing more control over data.

How much does Mattermost Cloud Professional cost?

Mattermost Cloud Professional costs $10 per user per month when billed annually. Monthly billing options may be available at a different rate.

Does Mattermost offer enterprise pricing?

Yes, Mattermost offers custom enterprise pricing for both its Cloud Enterprise and Self-Hosted Enterprise Editions. These plans include advanced features, security, compliance, and dedicated support, requiring a direct quote from Mattermost sales.

What are the common limitations of the Mattermost free tiers?

The Mattermost Cloud Free tier typically has limitations on storage, the number of integrations, and advanced features. The self-hosted Team Edition has no user or history limits but requires the organization to manage its own server infrastructure and relies on community support.

Can I deploy Mattermost on my own servers without paying a license fee?

Yes, you can deploy Mattermost Team Edition on your own servers without paying a software license fee. This open-source version provides core collaboration functionalities, though you will incur costs for your infrastructure and IT administration.

How do Mattermost prices compare to Slack or Microsoft Teams?

Mattermost's self-hosted free tier offers a significant cost advantage over cloud-only alternatives like Slack and Microsoft Teams by eliminating licensing fees. Its paid cloud plans are competitively priced, often providing similar or enhanced features focused on security and control, which can be a differentiator compared to the broader feature sets of its rivals.

Mattermost Pricing: Cloud, Self-Hosted & Enterprise (2026)

Pricing overview

Mattermost offers a tiered pricing structure that accommodates various deployment preferences and organizational sizes. Users can select between self-hosted editions, which provide complete control over data and infrastructure, and Mattermost Cloud, a managed service. The pricing model includes a free tier for basic usage, paid plans with enhanced features, and a custom enterprise option for advanced requirements and large-scale deployments. The primary billing metric for paid cloud plans is the number of users per month, typically with an option for annual billing that may reduce the per-user cost compared to monthly billing schemes on other platforms like Twilio's API pricing structureTwilio's SMS pricing and details.

Mattermost's approach to pricing aligns with its open-source foundation, providing a free, self-hosted Team Edition alongside its commercial offerings. This allows organizations to evaluate the core platform without an initial financial commitment or to operate a fully functional communication system with internal resources. For organizations requiring dedicated support, advanced security, or specific compliance features beyond those provided in the free tier, Mattermost offers commercial subscriptions.

Plans and tiers

Mattermost's commercial offerings are divided into Mattermost Cloud and Mattermost Self-Hosted, each with distinct plans. The Mattermost Cloud service is managed by Mattermost, while the self-hosted editions require the customer to manage their own infrastructure.

Mattermost Cloud Plans

Mattermost Cloud provides a fully managed service, eliminating the need for customers to manage server infrastructure. It includes the following plans:

Mattermost Cloud Free: Designed for small teams, offering essential messaging features.
Mattermost Cloud Professional: Targeted at growing teams requiring advanced collaboration tools, guest accounts, and improved support.
Mattermost Cloud Enterprise: Built for large organizations needing enterprise-grade security, scalability, and dedicated support.

Mattermost Self-Hosted Editions

For organizations that prioritize data control and customization, Mattermost offers self-hosted editions:

Mattermost Team Edition: An open-source, self-hosted version that includes core collaboration features, suitable for teams that manage their own infrastructure.
Mattermost Enterprise Edition: Provides advanced features for large enterprises, including compliance, security, and scalability options. This edition requires a commercial license per user and is typically deployed on customer-managed infrastructure.

The following table summarizes the key plans and their general characteristics, based on information from the Mattermost pricing page:

Plan	Price (per user/month, billed annually)	Key Features & Limits	Best For
Mattermost Cloud Free	$0	Unlimited public & private channels Unlimited message history Integrations with up to 5 apps Limited storage	Small teams, personal use, basic team communication
Mattermost Cloud Professional	$10	All Free features Unlimited integrations Guest accounts Custom user groups Advanced access controls Increased storage	Growing teams, organizations requiring more control and integrations
Mattermost Cloud Enterprise	Custom Quote	All Professional features Enterprise-grade security (e.g., AD/LDAP sync, advanced SSO) Advanced compliance features (e.g., data retention policies) High availability & disaster recovery Dedicated support	Large enterprises, highly regulated industries, advanced security needs
Mattermost Team Edition (Self-Hosted)	$0	Core collaboration features Unlimited users & message history Requires customer-managed infrastructure Community support	Teams with IT resources, desire for full data control, open-source preference
Mattermost Enterprise Edition (Self-Hosted)	Custom Quote	All Team Edition features Enterprise-grade security, scalability, and compliance features Advanced administrative controls Professional support	Large organizations with strict security/compliance needs, self-hosting preference

Free tier and limits

Mattermost provides two distinct free tiers: Mattermost Team Edition and Mattermost Cloud Free. Both allow users to access core collaboration functionalities without charge, but they differ significantly in deployment, feature sets, and scalability.

Mattermost Team Edition (Self-Hosted)

The Mattermost Team Edition is an open-source, self-hosted product. This means organizations can download and deploy the software on their own servers without licensing fees. It offers unlimited users, channels, and message history, providing a fully functional team communication platform. The primary cost associated with this edition is the server infrastructure, maintenance, and IT administration required for deployment and ongoing operations. Support is primarily community-driven through forums and documentation, as detailed in the Mattermost documentation portal.

Mattermost Cloud Free

Mattermost Cloud Free is a managed service hosted by Mattermost. It is designed for small teams and offers basic communication features. Key limitations for the Cloud Free tier typically include:

Storage: Limited file storage capacity per workspace.
Integrations: A restricted number of third-party integrations (e.g., up to 5 apps).
Advanced Features: Absence of advanced security, compliance, and user management features found in paid tiers.
Support: Basic community support with no dedicated service level agreements (SLAs).

This tier is suitable for teams evaluating Mattermost or those with minimal requirements that do not need extensive integrations or enterprise-grade features. The primary benefit is zero upfront cost and no server management overhead.

Real-world cost examples

To illustrate Mattermost's pricing, consider several common organizational scenarios:

Scenario 1: Small Startup (15 users)

A small startup with 15 users needs a reliable communication platform but has a limited IT budget. They prefer a managed service to avoid infrastructure overhead.

Choice: Mattermost Cloud Professional
Cost: 15 users * $10/user/month (billed annually) = $150/month
Annual Cost: $1,800
Justification: This tier provides advanced collaboration features, unlimited integrations, and guest accounts, suitable for rapid growth without the burden of self-hosting.

Scenario 2: Developer Team (50 users)

A software development team of 50 within a larger enterprise requires a secure, customizable platform for code collaboration and incident response. They have internal IT resources and strict data sovereignty requirements, making self-hosting preferrable.

Choice: Mattermost Team Edition (Self-Hosted)
Cost: $0 for software licensing
Estimated Infrastructure Cost: Varies significantly based on hardware, cloud provider (e.g., AWS EC2 instances, Google Cloud Compute Engine), and operational expenditure. For a 50-user deployment, a basic cloud VM could range from $50 - $200 per month, plus storage and bandwidth.
Justification: Full control over data, high customizability through open-source access, and no per-user licensing fees for the software itself.

Scenario 3: Large Enterprise (500 users, regulated industry)

A large enterprise with 500 users operates in a highly regulated industry (e.g., finance, healthcare) and requires robust security, compliance features (like SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA), and dedicated support for a mission-critical communication platform.

Choice: Mattermost Enterprise Edition (Self-Hosted) or Mattermost Cloud Enterprise
Cost: Custom Quote; likely involves a significantly higher per-user/annual fee than professional plans due to specialized features and support. For example, similar enterprise-grade communications platforms can cost from $20 to $50+ per user per month depending on features and volume.
Justification: Access to AD/LDAP synchronization, advanced compliance controls, high availability, dedicated account management, and enterprise-level SLAs, which are critical for regulated environments.

How the pricing compares

Mattermost's pricing model positions it as a competitive option, particularly for organizations valuing open-source flexibility and data control. Compared to alternatives like Slack and Microsoft Teams, Mattermost offers distinct advantages in specific scenarios.

Slack

Slack's paid plans typically start around $7.25 per user/month (billed annually) for its Pro plan, offering unlimited history, integrations, and group calls. Its Business+ plan is priced higher at around $12.50 per user/month (billed annually) and includes features like SAML-based SSO and 24/7 support. Slack primarily offers a cloud-only solution, without a self-hosted option. For organizations prioritizing a fully managed cloud experience and extensive third-party app ecosystem, Slack is a strong contender. However, for those requiring self-hosting or greater data control, Mattermost's free self-hosted Team Edition presents a significant cost advantage where only infrastructure costs apply.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is often bundled with Microsoft 365 subscriptions, making its standalone pricing less direct. For example, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which includes Teams, is around $6 per user/month (annual commitment). Its Business Standard plan, which adds desktop apps, is around $12.50 per user/month. Teams offers deep integration with the Microsoft ecosystem and is a strong choice for organizations already heavily invested in Microsoft products. However, like Slack, it is primarily a cloud-based solution. Mattermost provides a compelling alternative for organizations seeking a non-Microsoft ecosystem solution or those with strict self-hosting requirements.

Rocket.Chat

Rocket.Chat also offers both self-hosted and cloud solutions, similar to Mattermost. Its self-hosted community edition is free, much like Mattermost Team Edition. Rocket.Chat's paid plans, such as its Bronze plan for cloud, start around $7 per user/month (billed annually), offering similar features to Mattermost's Cloud Professional. Rocket.Chat also offers enterprise plans with custom pricing. Both Mattermost and Rocket.Chat cater to organizations that prioritize open-source flexibility and self-hosting capabilities, often competing directly for customers who require extensive customization and data sovereignty. Pricing can be very close, with feature sets often driving the final decision between these two open-source-first alternatives.

In summary, Mattermost stands out with its robust self-hosted options and open-source foundation, which can lead to significantly lower direct licensing costs for organizations willing to manage their own infrastructure. Its cloud plans are competitively priced against other managed communication services, particularly for those who value Mattermost's focus on enterprise-grade security and developer collaboration features.