Your team chat, on your own server.
Chatstead is a private, real-time messenger you install on one server in minutes. No Firebase, no Agora, no outside services — your messages, files and accounts never leave your box.
Runs on a small VPS, on-premise, or even an offline internal network.
Live in three simple steps
No DevOps team required. If you can copy and paste one command, you can run Chatstead.
Install with one command
Upload the package to a fresh Ubuntu server and run a single line. It sets up everything — the app, the service, the firewall.
Finish in your browser
Open the address it gives you and a friendly setup wizard creates your admin account and workspace name. No default passwords.
Invite your team & chat
Add people or let them sign up themselves. Start messaging, sharing files and calling — instantly.
Everything a team needs, nothing it doesn’t
A complete messenger — the features your team already expects, delivered privately on your own infrastructure.
Real-time messaging
1:1 and group chats with typing indicators, presence, read receipts, replies, forwards, edits and emoji reactions.
Voice & video calls
Crystal-clear 1:1 calls over WebRTC — peer to peer, no external calling service.
Files, images & voice notes
Share documents and photos with instant thumbnails, record voice messages, and search everything.
Admin panel
Manage users and groups, review usage stats, audit logs, moderate content, and control who can join.
White-label branding
Set your own name, logo and icon in a click. Make it look like your company’s own product.
Installable app
Add to home screen (PWA) on phone and desktop, or ship the native Android app. Push notifications included.
Why self-hosted matters
Most chat tools send your conversations through someone else’s cloud. Chatstead doesn’t.
Your data stays yours
Everything lives in a single database file on your server. Nothing is sent to a vendor — ever.
Privacy by design
A natural fit for GDPR / KVKK. No trackers, no analytics calls, no third-party push gateways.
Works offline too
After install it runs on an isolated internal network with no internet at all.
No per-seat fees
One purchase, unlimited users. No monthly bill that grows with your team.
Included out of the box
One package. No add-ons to buy, no services to sign up for.
See it for yourself
A full, live copy of Chatstead is running right now. Open it, look around, and try the setup.
Common questions
Do I need to be technical to install it?
No. You copy one command onto a fresh Ubuntu server, then finish setup in your browser with a simple wizard.
Is any data sent to third parties?
No. Chatstead is fully self-hosted — messages, files and accounts live only on your server.
How many users can it handle?
A small VPS comfortably serves a typical team. There’s no separate database server to run or tune.
Can I make it look like my brand?
Yes — set your name, logo and icon from the admin panel. No code changes needed.
Own your team’s conversations
Install Chatstead on your server today and keep every message where it belongs — with you.