SELF-HOSTED IM
Why self-hosted
imcore is a realtime messaging engine you deploy yourself — not a usage-billed SaaS cloud. Your data, your keys, and your costs stay with you.
| imcore (self-hosted) | Usage-billed SaaS IM | |
|---|---|---|
| Where data lives | Your servers / VPC — never leaves your network | Third-party cloud, via the vendor |
| Billing model | Per-year license, decoupled from user count | Per MAU / DAU — grows with usage |
| Cost predictability | Fixed annual fee, budgetable | Scales linearly with active users |
| Source & lock-in | Binary delivery + custom dev — no lock-in | Black box, capped by the vendor |
| On-prem / offline | Yes — fully offline / intranet capable | Depends on the vendor's public cloud |
| Compliance boundary | Runs inside your own boundary | Bound by the vendor's region & policy |
| Deep customization | Custom development to fit your business | Only vendor-exposed configuration |
Cost trajectory (illustrative)
| Active users | Usage-billed SaaS | imcore |
|---|---|---|
| 10K | $ | flat annual |
| 100K | $$$ | flat annual |
| 1M | $$$$$ | flat annual |
Illustrative: usage-billed SaaS rises with active users while imcore is a flat annual fee — the larger you scale, the lower self-hosting costs per user. See each vendor's quote for actuals.
SaaS IM wins on zero-ops onboarding and elasticity. When data sovereignty, predictable cost, and deep customization matter more, self-hosting fits better.