LayersvsMattermost Complete comparison
Both run on your own server. We compare what runs on it: chat and calls, meeting recordings, tasks and mail, AI, free edition limits and the cloud. Based on public data.
Where Layers goes further than Mattermost
More than chat
The same server runs calls, projects, pages, mail, calendar and drive behind one sign-in. Mattermost handed its Boards over to community support in version 9.0.
Recordings without Enterprise
Group calls come with every license. Self-hosted recording works with the LiveKit Egress recording service, installed separately; in the cloud recording is from the Plus plan. In Mattermost group calls start at Professional, and recording and transcripts are Enterprise only.
Free for up to 20 people
The Layers cloud has no time limit and needs no card. The free Mattermost Entry is meant for teams under 50 people and shows the last 10,000 messages.
Your server or an EU cloud
Your own server on Docker, or a cloud in an EU data center from $9 per person. Mattermost’s air-gapped workflows are in Enterprise Advanced; its cloud is dedicated, on request.
Why teams switch
What Layers has out of the box
On your own server, calls, tasks and mail run next to chat, with no higher-tier license. Call recording needs the LiveKit Egress service, installed separately.
Calls
Call the whole group, no higher license needed
Mattermost gives everyone one-to-one calls; group calls are on Professional, Enterprise and the cloud. In Layers, Start a call sits in the group header on every plan: you join with camera and mic off, and colleagues follow.
All about communication →
Meeting recordings
After the call, see who spoke and for how long
In Mattermost call recording and transcripts are on Enterprise and Enterprise Advanced. In Layers a group moderator turns on recording — in the cloud from Plus, self-hosted with the LiveKit Egress recording service, installed separately. The meeting gets Summary, Speakers and Notes: each person’s talk time and share.
More about Calls →Projects
Tasks as a ready module next to chat
Mattermost Boards has been community supported since version 9.0. In Layers projects are a module of their own: one click on the Board tab and the same tasks line up in status columns.
More about Projects →
Mail on the same server as chat
In Layers mail is a module of its own: connect work mailboxes over IMAP and SMTP or EWS, and the inbox, folders, labels and threads sit in one window with chat and tasks.
More about Mail →Point by point
Layers vs Mattermost, feature by feature
Eleven capabilities across communication, free editions, tasks, AI and deployment. Based on public data as of October 4, 2026.
Communication
Chat
Team messaging
Yes. Channels, DMs and threads are the core of Mattermost
Yes. Groups, threads, mentions, reactions and pins
Group calls
Team meetings
Partly. One-to-one for everyone; group calls on Professional, Enterprise and cloud
Yes. Group calls from chat on every plan
Recording and transcripts
What was said in the meeting
Partly. Enterprise and Enterprise Advanced only; transcripts in beta
Yes. Self-hosted — every license, with the LiveKit Egress service (installed separately); cloud — from Plus; transcripts need a speech model
Free editions and sign-in
Free team size
How many people
Yes. Entry — under 50 people and 10,000 messages; Team Edition — under 250, no SSO
Partly. Up to 20 people in the cloud; self-hosted — a 90-day trial
Single sign-on (SSO)
SAML, OpenID Connect, Entra ID
Partly. From Professional; removed from Team Edition in v11
No. Not yet; password, Google, Yandex, VK, Gosuslugi
Work next to chat
Tasks and projects
Sprints, boards and deadlines
Partly. Boards is a plugin, community supported since version 9.0
Yes. The Projects module: sprints, board, milestones, task keys
AI and agents
AI assistant
Your own model
Yes. Mattermost Agents on Entry and paid plans; you connect the model
Yes. On every plan; self-hosted — a model with an OpenAI-compatible API, such as Ollama
MCP
Agents and tools
Yes. Embedded MCP in Mattermost Agents
Yes. Tasks, pages and forms via a scoped token
Deployment
Self-hosting
Run it yourself
Yes. The main option: Entry, Team Edition and paid licenses
Yes. Docker; a 90-day trial, pricing on request
Air-gapped network
No internet access
Partly. Air-gapped deployment workflows in Enterprise Advanced
Partly. The license is checked on the server itself; AI and speech recognition run on your models
Cloud
No server of your own
Partly. Cloud Enterprise — a dedicated cloud, on request
Yes. EU data center, free for up to 20 people, then from $9
One window for the whole team
Chat, calls, tasks, docs and mail in one workspace.
What it costs
Both Mattermost and Layers quote self-hosted pricing on request. Layers cloud prices are on the site: free for up to 20 people, then from $9 per person.
Mattermost
On request
Professional, Enterprise, Enterprise Advanced — through sales
- Entry is free: under 50 people, 10,000 messages
- Team Edition is free: under 250 people, no SSO
- Group calls from Professional
- Call recording on Enterprise
From mattermost.com/pricing and docs.mattermost.com as of October 4, 2026.
Layers
On request
Self-hosted: we’ll discuss your team size, support and licence terms
- The first 90 days are a trial
- Modules aren’t locked by license; the admin turns them on
- EU cloud — from $9 per person per month
- Cloud is free for teams of up to 20
From layers.md/pricing.
Free for teams of up to 20, no time limit, no card.
Self-hosted
Both self-host. Layers runs all the work there
Layers installs with Docker, and the license is checked on the server itself. The same server runs calls, projects, mail and AI on your own model, and the admin panel shows who signed in and from which devices. Call recording needs the LiveKit Egress service, installed separately.
How to start
There is no import from Mattermost yet: conversations in Layers start fresh.
Your own server
Runs on Docker, the license is checked on the server itself; the first 90 days are a trial.
Deploy on your server →Free for up to 20 people
Cloud with no time limit, no card: 5 GB per workspace, files up to 25 MB.
Start free →EU cloud
When the team grows — from $9 per person per month; modules aren’t locked by plan.
Pricing →How is Layers different from Mattermost?
Mattermost is self-hosted chat: channels, calls, playbooks and AI agents. On the same server Layers also runs projects, pages, mail, calendar and drive, and the desktop app adds the SumDoc and SumSheet editors. Self-hosted, group call recording comes with every license and needs the LiveKit Egress service, installed separately; in the cloud it is from the Plus plan.
How much does Layers cost compared with Mattermost?
Self-hosted Layers pricing is on request: we’ll discuss your team size, support and licence terms; the first 90 days are a trial. The cloud is free for up to 20 people, then from $9 per person per month. As of October 4, 2026 Mattermost doesn’t publish Professional and Enterprise prices either: sales quotes them.
What are the limits of Mattermost’s free editions?
According to Mattermost’s docs, Entry is meant for teams under 50 people and shows the last 10,000 messages across all channels. Team Edition is for under 250 people and has no SSO: version 11 removed it.
Does Layers suit an air-gapped network?
The license is checked on the server itself, without contacting us. AI connects to your own model with an OpenAI-compatible API, such as Ollama, and the admin connects your own speech recognition model for meeting transcripts.
Where is the data stored?
On your own server — with you. In the Layers cloud — in an EU data center, on every plan. Mattermost’s main option is your own server, and its dedicated Cloud Enterprise is available on request.
What doesn’t Layers have yet?
Single sign-on via SAML, LDAP or SCIM — Mattermost has it from Professional. There is no import from Mattermost yet either. You sign in with a password, or with Google, Yandex, VK or Gosuslugi.
Which devices does Layers run on?
In the browser, on macOS, Windows and Linux, on iPhone, iPad and Android. And on your own server.
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Mattermost is a trademark of Mattermost, Inc. Compared using public data as of October 4, 2026. Layers is not affiliated with Mattermost, Inc.; Mattermost’s editions, limits and features may change. Logos and names belong to their owners and are used only to identify the product in this comparison.
Sources on Mattermost: mattermost.com/pricing, docs: editions and offerings, docs: make calls, docs: removed and deprecated features, docs: Agents admin guide, docs: AI Agents.