TL;DR
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What is changing: Starting with the release of Rocket.Chat 9.0, all Identity Management integrations (including LDAP, SAML, Social Logins, and Custom OAuth) will transition to become available only on Starter, Commercial, Government, and Defense Licenses. Community Edition workspaces will still be able to use the following OAuth login options: Apple, GitHub, GitLab, Google, and Nextcloud.
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Why we are making this change: Identity management requires continuous, rigorous engineering to meet evolving security standards. This shift allows us to maintain enterprise-grade compliance for external directory connections while ensuring the long-term sustainability of the open-source ecosystem.
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Who is impacted: Community Edition workspaces currently utilizing basic LDAP, SAML, Custom OAuth, or Social Logins for user authentication.
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Your options: Prior to the 9.0 update, affected workspaces must either migrate their users to native local authentication or upgrade to a premium plan (Starter, Commercial, Government, or Defense) to retain uninterrupted access to external identity management services.
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Smaller organizations: Our free Starter plan already supports over 10,000 deployments and will continue to be an option for up to 50 users (limited to one workspace per organization).
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Non-profits: We’re introducing a formal program that gives eligible non-profit organizations a reduced-price Commercial plan subscription. Learn more about eligibility and how to apply.
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As we prepare for the release of Rocket.Chat 9.0, our team has been heavily focused on platform security, scalability, and preparing our architecture for the next generation of secure communications. Today, we are sharing an important update regarding our Identity Management deployment model to help workspace administrators plan their environments effectively.
Historically, Rocket.Chat has offered basic LDAP, SAML, and OAuth capabilities within the Community Edition, while reserving advanced identity features (such as background sync and role mapping) for our Starter, Commercial, Government, and Defense plans.
Starting with Rocket.Chat 9.0, we are streamlining this architecture. Identity Management functionalities—including LDAP, SAML, and Custom OAuth—will be available exclusively on Starter, Commercial, Government, and Defense plans. Community Edition workspaces will rely on Rocket.Chat’s native local authentication and will still be able to use the following OAuth login options: Apple, GitHub, GitLab, Google, and Nextcloud.
As part of our commitment to supporting non-profit organizations, we’re also introducing a formal non-profit program that gives eligible organizations a reduced-price Commercial plan subscription. Additionally, if you’re a smaller organization, our free Starter plan—which already supports 10,000+ free deployments—will continue to be an option (for up to 50 users and one workspace per organization).
Identity management is the security backbone of any organization. Maintaining, updating, and securing integrations with external directories and third-party identity providers requires continuous engineering effort, extensive security audits, and strict adherence to global compliance standards.
By consolidating enterprise external identity integrations into our paid tiers, we can dedicate the resources necessary to deliver the frictionless, highly secure directory syncing that complex environments demand. Beyond technical requirements, this change is a matter of ecosystem sustainability. It ensures that organizations leveraging Rocket.Chat for complex, commercial, or large-scale operations actively contribute to the ongoing evolution and health of the open-source project.
We want to assure our community that our commitment to offering a free, open-source communication platform remains. The core Rocket.Chat platform is under the MIT license. For teams, communities, and organizations that do not require directory or custom identity integration, the Community Edition will continue to provide a rich collaboration platform.
We are announcing this policy in advance of the 9.0 release (planned for early November) to ensure you have ample time to evaluate your workspace and plan a smooth transition. If your Community Edition workspace currently uses LDAP, SAML, Social Logins, or Custom OAuth, or a social login provider not listed above, you have three clear paths forward:
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Upgrade to a Paid Plan (or Move to Starter): You can seamlessly maintain all your current identity management configurations—and unlock advanced capabilities like background synchronization and automated group mapping—by upgrading to our Commercial, Government, or Defense plans. If you’re under 50 users, moving to our free Starter plan is also an option.
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Transition to Local Authentication or a Supported OAuth Provider: If a premium license is not the right fit for your organization, you can transition your user base to native local authentication, or to one of the supported OAuth options (Apple, GitHub, GitLab, Google, or Nextcloud), prior to applying the 9.0 server update.
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Maintain Your Current Version (Grace Period): You may choose to delay the 9.0 update and remain on your current version of Rocket.Chat until it reaches the end of its official support window. This provides additional time to execute your internal migration strategy. You can check your specific version’s end-of-life support window by locating your active version in your workspace settings and cross-referencing it with the official Rocket.Chat Version Durability Matrix.
We are deeply grateful for the continued support of our community. These structural changes are vital steps in ensuring Rocket.Chat remains a secure, sustainable, and powerful platform for years to come.