What Is Mattermost Used For: Complete Guide

Mattermost is an open-source team communication platform designed for organizations that need control over their data and integrations. It replaces Slack with a self-hosted alternative: you run the infrastructure, you own the data, you shape the workflows. It's built for DevSecOps teams, regulated industries, and companies where data sovereignty matters more than out-of-the-box ease.

What Is Mattermost?

Mattermost is a self-hosted, open-source messaging platform built for mission-critical team communication. Unlike Slack or Microsoft Teams, which run on vendor infrastructure, Mattermost runs on your servers. You control the deployment, the data, the encryption, and the integrations. It started as an internal tool at SpinPunch (a mobile game studio) and is now maintained by an active open-source community.

The platform has 39.1K GitHub stars and 9.0K forks, signaling healthy community adoption and engagement. It's written in Go and React, requires PostgreSQL as a database, and releases monthly updates on the 16th of each month. It's licensed under MIT for the core open-source version, with commercial enterprise options available for organizations needing dedicated support.

Mattermost positions itself as the Slack alternative for teams that can't (or won't) store communications on a vendor's servers. It's not a Slack clone--it has its own architecture, feature set, and philosophy--but it occupies the same functional space: real-time channels, direct messages, file sharing, search, and integrations. The key difference is ownership. Slack owns the infrastructure; you own Mattermost's.

Who Uses Mattermost and Why

Four main groups run Mattermost in production environments.

DevSecOps and incident response teams. These groups handle high-velocity operational crises. Mattermost's Playbooks feature (workflow automation built into chat) lets you codify incident response procedures and run them from Slack-like threads. You get integrated runbooks, status updates, and remediation steps all in one place. No switching between Slack and PagerDuty or Jira. When an alert fires, you start a Playbook, and your team follows predefined steps automatically.

Government and defense organizations. Mattermost is built for air-gapped deployments--networks isolated from the internet. Agencies handling classified information, national security work, or sensitive operations run Mattermost on disconnected networks where no external cloud connection is possible. The open-source code means security audits can happen on your terms, in your time. You can review every line before deploying.

Financial services and regulated industries. Banks, healthcare organizations, and compliance-heavy companies need audit trails, data residency, and message retention policies they control. Storing chat history on US-only servers or EU-only servers is non-negotiable. Mattermost runs where you need it. You can encrypt all messages with your own keys, control backup locations, and manage data deletion policies without negotiating with a vendor.

Enterprise IT teams. Large organizations with heterogeneous infrastructure--multiple cloud providers, on-premises systems, air-gapped networks--use Mattermost as a unified communication layer across silos. One deployment, one search index, one audit log. Learn more about self-hosted deployment options to understand how this works at scale.

The common thread across all these users: they need control. Slack's model--pay per user, vendor manages everything--doesn't work when compliance, sovereignty, or deep integration is non-negotiable.

Core Features and Capabilities

Mattermost includes most of what Slack offers, plus some operational features Slack reserves for enterprise tiers.

Channels and threads. Public channels for team-wide discussion, private channels for restricted topics, and threads that nest conversations under a message. Pinned messages, message reactions, editable message history, and muting options.

Direct messages and groups. One-on-one chats and group direct messages. Read receipts and typing indicators so you know if someone saw your message.

Playbooks. This is Mattermost's signature feature. Playbooks are codified workflows: a checklist, a runbook, or a procedure encoded as a template. Start a Playbook when an incident fires, and your team executes pre-written steps, updates status automatically, assigns tasks, and archives the result. It's incident management built into chat, removing the context-switching overhead.

Boards. A native project tracking tool similar to Trello or Asana. Kanban-style cards, templates, and inline editing. Boards live inside Mattermost channels, so you don't need a separate tool tab. Your team sees project updates in the same place where they communicate.

Voice and video calls. Built-in voice and one-on-one video, with screen sharing. Desktop and mobile apps support it. No external call tool required. You can go from text conversation to video call in one click.

File sharing and storage. Upload files directly to channels or messages. Built-in file search. S3-compatible object storage support if you want to use your own buckets instead of local disk.

Search. Full-text search across all channels you have access to, with date filters and file search. Message history is searchable and owned by you.

Integrations. Over 700 integrations via webhooks, incoming and outgoing integration points, and bot frameworks. Connect to GitHub, Jira, Datadog, PagerDuty, Jenkins, Kubernetes, and hundreds of other tools. If the tool has a webhook, you can connect it.

API and bot framework. Extensive REST API for custom automation. Slash commands let you trigger external systems from within Mattermost. You can build workflows that are impossible in Slack without a third-party tool.

Mobile apps. Native iOS and Android apps with push notifications, offline messaging, and full feature parity with desktop.

All of this runs on servers you control, in your data center or your VPC, with encryption you manage.

Mattermost vs. The Alternatives

Slack. Slack is easier to set up: pay per user, vendor handles infrastructure, you're productive in an hour. Mattermost requires infrastructure knowledge and ongoing maintenance. Slack has more third-party integrations and polish in the UI. Mattermost gives you data sovereignty and lower per-user cost at scale (no per-user subscription). Slack for 100 users costs around $1,000/month at $10/user on the Standard plan. Mattermost, if you self-host on existing infrastructure, costs roughly your DevOps labor plus hosting--often $500-2,000/month depending on scale and redundancy requirements. Slack wins on ease; Mattermost wins on control. Explore the tradeoffs between Slack and Mattermost to clarify which fits your team.

Microsoft Teams. Teams is built into Microsoft 365 and targets enterprise deployments already paying for Office. It has deep Outlook and OneDrive integration. Mattermost is independent and integrates with whatever you already run: Kubernetes, Jenkins, Datadog, custom internal tools. Teams for a 50-person Microsoft 365 organization might cost $5-7/user/month; Mattermost avoids the Microsoft tax if you don't already need Office.

Discord. Discord is free and designed for communities and gaming. It's not a workplace communication tool in the structured sense. Mattermost is purpose-built for work, with compliance features, audit logs, and administrative controls Discord lacks. Discord lacks Playbooks, Boards, and API depth for integrations. If you're using Discord for work communication, you're missing operational workflows that catch issues before they escalate.

Rocket.Chat. Rocket.Chat is the other major open-source team chat platform with similar architecture (self-hosted, open-source, integrations). Mattermost has stronger GitHub community signals (39.1K stars), larger adoption in DevOps-heavy environments, and tighter Kubernetes integration. Rocket.Chat is a valid alternative; Mattermost has more momentum and better operational features for incident-driven teams.

What Self-Hosting Really Means

This is where Mattermost's advantage becomes an operational burden.

When you run Mattermost, you are responsible for everything a vendor normally handles:

Infrastructure. You provision servers, configure networking, set up SSL certificates, and ensure the database is backed up. You choose: Docker on a VPS, Kubernetes on EKS/GKE/AKS, or Ubuntu packages on bare metal. Each path requires different expertise. You also choose your host: AWS, Azure, GCP, on-premises, or a combination.

Security patching. Mattermost ships monthly updates. You pull them, test them, and deploy them. If a zero-day drops and Mattermost releases a fix in three hours, you deploy in three hours (or you don't). Security is your responsibility now. You can't defer to a vendor's compliance timeline.

Data backups and disaster recovery. The database holds all messages, users, and audit logs. You back it up, test restore procedures, and ensure you can recover in hours if hardware fails. Slack handles this for you automatically; you handle it now. A failed restore drill is worse than a failed backup.

Compliance and audit. If you're in a regulated industry, Mattermost's audit log is yours to manage. You control retention, access, and export. You're responsible for GDPR data-subject requests, data deletion, and audit trail integrity. Slack handles compliance requests at scale; you handle your own.

Ongoing operations. Monitor uptime, troubleshoot performance issues, manage user onboarding, clean up unused accounts. It's not complicated for a 20-person team, but it's not zero-effort. For larger deployments, it's a part-time role.

The advantage: complete control and data sovereignty. The cost: operational burden.

For a 20-person team on one server, setup takes 4-8 hours and maintenance is minimal (30 minutes per month for updates). For 500 users across a Kubernetes cluster with high availability, you need someone on your ops team who owns this. That person costs more than a Mattermost license, but likely less than the Slack bill for the same headcount.

Is Mattermost Right for You?

Use Mattermost if:

• You have data sovereignty or compliance requirements Slack can't meet (air-gapped networks, EU data residency, HIPAA scope, PCI DSS).
• You need deep integration with internal systems (CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes, custom APIs) and Slack's integration model isn't flexible enough.
• You operate at a scale where per-user SaaS costs become prohibitive. For 300+ users, self-hosted costs often undercut Slack.
• Your team has the operational capability to run a Mattermost deployment (Docker, Kubernetes, or Linux package management).
• You need Playbooks or Boards integrated into chat and don't want to buy a separate tool.

Do not use Mattermost if:

• You need a tool that "just works" with zero infrastructure knowledge. Slack is the right choice.
• Your team is small (fewer than 20 people) and you don't have compliance constraints. The administrative overhead isn't worth it.
• You depend on integrations Mattermost doesn't have. (Rare, but check the integration marketplace first.)
• You need in-vendor support and SLAs. Mattermost has community support; paid support exists but is not Slack-tier.
• Your ops team has no bandwidth for new infrastructure.

Getting Started: Deployment and Hosting Options

Option 1: Self-hosted (DIY). Deploy Mattermost yourself on Docker, Kubernetes, or Ubuntu. You manage all infrastructure, patching, backups, and scaling. Time: 4-8 hours initial setup. Cost: hosting fees plus your time. Tools: Docker Compose, Helm (for Kubernetes), or Linux packages. You own the entire operational burden but pay only for compute.

Option 2: Managed hosting. Use a third-party provider to run Mattermost for you. They handle infrastructure, backups, patching, updates, and scaling. You focus on usage. Time: 30 minutes signup to first message. Cost: monthly hosting fee. Opsily, for example, offers managed Mattermost hosting with automatic backups, SSL certificates, and updates included. No infrastructure to manage.

Option 3: Free trial. Mattermost publishes official Docker images and cloud deployment templates (AWS CloudFormation, Azure templates, Google Cloud Marketplace). You can spin up a trial version in minutes on any major cloud.

For a founder evaluating Mattermost, start with Option 3 or Option 2: get hands-on experience, understand the feature set, then decide if you need full control (Option 1) or prefer operational simplicity (Option 2).

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Microsoft Teams or Mattermost?

Teams integrates deeply with Microsoft 365 and Office. Mattermost integrates deeply with DevOps tooling and gives you infrastructure control. If you're already paying for Microsoft 365, Teams is simpler. If you need data sovereignty or deep integration with non-Microsoft systems, Mattermost wins. They're not directly comparable; it depends on your constraints.

Is Mattermost better than Slack?

Slack is easier to deploy, has more integrations out-of-the-box, and has better UX polish. Mattermost gives you data control, lower per-user cost at scale, and better operational automation via Playbooks. "Better" depends on your priorities. For most small teams, Slack. For regulated industries or DevOps-heavy organizations, Mattermost.

Is Mattermost like Discord?

Mattermost and Discord both have channels and messaging. That's where the similarity ends. Discord is designed for communities and gaming. Mattermost is designed for workplace operations, with audit logs, compliance features, Playbooks, and administrative controls Discord lacks. They're not alternatives.

Is Mattermost free to use?

The core Mattermost server is open-source and free. You can download it, deploy it, and run it without paying a license fee. Hosting costs and operational labor are separate. Enterprise versions with premium features are paid.

Why use Mattermost?

Use Mattermost if you need control over your data, want to integrate deeply with internal systems, have compliance constraints Slack can't meet, or operate at a scale where self-hosted costs undercut SaaS. Use Slack if you want simplicity and are willing to let a vendor manage infrastructure.

Can you use Mattermost for free?

Yes. Download it, deploy it, run it. No licensing fees. You pay for hosting, storage, and any labor to maintain it.

The Bottom Line

Mattermost is a powerful team communication platform built for organizations that can't or won't use Slack. It's not easier than Slack, but it gives you control: control over your data, your integrations, your compliance posture, and your operational workflows. If you have the infrastructure capability and the operational needs, Mattermost is worth evaluating. Start with a trial deployment on Docker, experience the Playbooks and Boards features, then decide if you need self-hosted control or if managed hosting meets your needs. The decision framework is simple: do you need data sovereignty and deep integration more than you need ease of use? If yes, explore managed Mattermost hosting options to offload operations while keeping control.