- Slack alternatives at a glance
- The ten team chat apps, listed alphabetically
- What to look for when you choose a Slack replacement
- Questions to ask before your team leaves Slack
- Which type of chat app suits which kind of business
- Common mistakes when moving off Slack
- A simple plan for switching team chat without losing a week
- A quick checklist before you sign up for a Slack replacement
- Frequently asked questions
The right Slack alternative depends on where your team already works and how much noise it can take. Look for a free plan with usable history, the integrations you rely on, simple switching and calmer notifications. This page lists ten team chat apps in no particular order, so you can shortlist two and try them with a small group.
Slack made team chat feel normal. Channels, threads, emoji reactions and a tidy search box replaced a lot of messy email chains, and plenty of small businesses still love it. So why do so many owners go looking for something else? Usually it's one of three reasons: message history on the free plan disappears from view sooner than they'd like, the team already lives in Microsoft or Google and wants chat in the same place, or the constant pinging has started to eat the working day.
This page lists ten team chat apps that are still trading, in no particular order. I've put them in alphabetical order so no name gets a head start. I compared their features and documentation and read what users report on review sites, with a small business owner in mind. Below you'll find a quick table, a short entry for each app, then plain guidance on choosing and switching.
Slack alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chanty | Team chat with tasks | Small teams wanting chat and a task list together | Yes |
| Discord | Community chat | Communities, creator groups and voice-first teams | Yes |
| Element | Open standards chat | Organisations wanting self-hosting on open standards | Yes |
| Google Chat | Suite chat | Teams already working in Gmail, Docs and Drive | Yes |
| Mattermost | Self-hosted chat | Technical teams who want control of message storage | Yes |
| Microsoft Teams | Suite chat | Businesses already using Microsoft 365 | Yes |
| Pumble | Channel-style chat | Small teams wanting a familiar channel layout | Yes |
| Rocket.Chat | Open source chat | Privacy-minded organisations and customer chat | Yes |
| Twist | Threaded messaging | Remote teams who prefer calm, threaded discussion | Yes |
| Zoho Cliq | Suite chat | Teams already using Zoho apps | Yes |
The ten team chat apps, listed alphabetically
Chanty
Best for: small teams that want chat and a simple task list in one app.
Discord
Best for: communities, creator groups and teams who like always-open voice rooms.
Element
Best for: organisations that want secure chat they can host themselves on open standards.
Google Chat
Best for: teams who spend their day in Gmail, Docs and Drive.
Mattermost
Best for: technical teams that want control over where their messages are stored.
Microsoft Teams
Best for: businesses already using Microsoft 365 for email, files and meetings.
Pumble
Best for: small teams wanting a familiar channel layout and a full message history.
Rocket.Chat
Best for: privacy-minded organisations, and teams who also want customer chat.
Twist
Best for: remote teams who prefer calm, threaded conversations to constant pings.
Zoho Cliq
Best for: teams already using Zoho apps who want bots and simple automations.
What to look for when you choose a Slack replacement
Start with the problem you're solving, because what suits a noisy team isn't what suits a team that simply wants fewer logins. Don't pick on features alone. These criteria cover most small business decisions:
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- Where your team already works. If everyone lives in one office suite, chat that sits inside it saves a login and a monthly reminder to keep another app updated.
- How history behaves on the free plan. Some apps hide older messages after a set period. Check what stays searchable before you move anything across.
- Notification control. Look for muting by channel, scheduled quiet hours and a thread view, because the noise is why many teams leave.
- Integrations you rely on. List the five apps you connect to chat today and confirm each one has a native connection or a workable automation route.
- Guests and clients. If you chat with freelancers or customers, check how outside people join and what they can see.
- Data control. Some organisations need messages stored on their own servers. If that's you, self-hosted and open source options belong on the shortlist.
Questions to ask before your team leaves Slack
A short call with each shortlisted app, or a careful read of its help pages, answers most of these, and it's rarely a long job. Write the answers down so the decision doesn't rest on memory, and you won't be arguing about it later.
- Can we import our existing channels and history, and what gets left behind?
- What happens to files shared in old conversations?
- How do video calls work, and do we need a separate meeting tool? Our guide to Zoom alternatives can help if not.
- Who can add guests, and can we limit them to one channel?
- What does admin control look like if someone leaves the business?
- Is there a mobile app the team will open without being reminded?
Which type of chat app suits which kind of business
Suite chat, built into an office platform, suits businesses that already pay attention to one inbox, one calendar and one drive. It's the least effort to adopt, though it can feel busy if you only need messaging.
Channel-style apps copy the layout Slack made familiar. They suit small teams who liked how it worked but want a different set of limits. Threaded, calmer apps suit remote or part-time teams working across time zones, where an instant reply isn't expected.
Open source and self-hosted apps suit organisations with privacy duties or technical staff, and they ask more of you in setup and updates. Community chat apps suit groups of customers, members or fans, but they can feel odd for a formal office team.
Common mistakes when moving off Slack
- Switching everyone on the same day with no pilot group.
- Copying every old channel across instead of starting with the ten that matter.
- Forgetting to mute or archive the old workspace, so conversations split in two.
- Choosing on features the team never asked for, then ignoring the one they use daily.
- Skipping a short written guide on when to use chat and when to use email.
A simple plan for switching team chat without losing a week
- Pick two candidates and let a small group use each for a few working days.
- Agree what chat is for, how fast replies are expected, and what belongs in a task or document instead. Our guide to project management tools for small teams covers the task side.
- Import only active channels and pin a welcome message explaining the new house rules.
- Move the whole team on one agreed date and close the old channels to new posts.
- Review after two weeks: what's missing, what's too noisy, and who still hasn't joined?
If you're also tidying where notes and documents live, this comparison of note and wiki tools is a useful companion, and this one on video messaging tools helps when you want fewer live meetings.
Do you make a team chat app? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
A quick checklist before you sign up for a Slack replacement
Before you commit, check that the app is easy for the least technical person on your team, that history and search behave the way you need, and that your key integrations work. If two options still look level, choose the one your team finds calmer to use. You can always change again, and a good export option makes that far less painful.
Frequently asked questions
Why do small businesses look for Slack alternatives?
Common reasons are limits on message history in the free plan, wanting chat inside an office suite the team already uses, and notification overload. Some also need self-hosting for privacy reasons.
Is there a free team chat app?
Many team chat apps have a free plan, and the table on this page shows which ones do. Free plans often limit history, integrations or meeting length, so read the current plan details before you rely on one.
Can I move my Slack history to another app?
Most tools offer some import route, though how much carries across varies. Check what happens to files, private channels and threads before you commit, and keep an export of the old workspace.
Should a small team use a suite app or a standalone chat app?
If your team already works in one office suite, built-in chat means fewer logins. If you want a calmer or more flexible tool, a standalone app may suit better. Pilot both with a few people first.
How long does it take to switch team chat?
A small team can usually switch in a couple of weeks if it runs a short pilot, moves active channels only and agrees one start date. Larger teams should allow longer for training and integrations.
