Team collaboration apps have become a necessity in recent times. Slack is a popular choice for many small companies due to its ease of use, streamlined interface, and handy communication tools. However, there are a few free Slack alternatives that you may want to consider.
When choosing your team management app, it’s smart to look out for features such as private and group chats and the ability to organize your conversations into channels or threads. It also helps to be able to access your entire message history, create and assign tasks, and hop on a video call with another team member to resolve a problem quickly.
In this article, we’ll discuss our top free Slack alternatives that will suit various users. Let’s dive right in!
In a hurry? These are the best free Slack alternatives that we’re showcasing:Why you may want to use an alternative to Slack
Slack is an excellent collaboration tool for small and medium-sized teams. It comes with various features, such as:
- A clean and intuitive interface
- Team management options (groups, channels, tasks)
- Communication tools (private and group chat, voice and video calls)
- Various third-party integrations (Google Drive, Zapier, Dropbox, and more)
However, Slack’s features may not be sufficient for everyone. For instance, Slack offers limited project management tools, so you might have to navigate between multiple apps and screens to keep track of your progress and to-do lists. Also, group calls are only available for up to 15 people at a time, even on premium plans. You’ll have to look for additional video conferencing tools if you manage a larger team.
Besides that, Slack’s pricing may be a barrier to many small businesses. The entry-level Standard plan costs $6.67 per user per month, which can be costly as your team expands. Otherwise, the free version only enables you to access up to 10,000 messages in your search history, so you might lose important information as you chat away with your team members.
Plus, the freemium version does not include any security or data protection features. This could be an issue if you deal with sensitive information or collaborate with guests from outside your organization.
Therefore, it’s worth shopping around for other options to ensure that you get the best value for your money. There are several free Slack alternatives that enable you to access your entire messaging history, conduct group calls with unlimited participants, or even create tasks and to-do lists. Plus, if you need more advanced features, you can access them at more affordable prices than those offered by Slack.
Finally, not everyone may be a fan of Slack’s interface and its dependence on channels, which can get messy quickly when there’s a lot to discuss. If you prefer to view your team’s communications as a timeline or organize your projects into threads instead, we have a few solutions for you.
Best free Slack alternatives
Now that we’ve discussed where Slacks falls short, let’s look at some excellent alternatives for your team management needs. Hopefully, you’ll find the ideal solution below:
1. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a feature-rich communication tool that offers almost the same feature set as Slack while integrating seamlessly with other Microsoft products. Therefore, it’s an excellent choice if your team already relies on the Office 365 suite.
Teams is an excellent online productivity app, which your team can use to exchange files and work on them collaboratively in real-time. If you like channels in Slack, you can replicate that setup with this tool and organize your projects in a similar way.
Teams also lets you organize your communications into tabs, helping you collaborate with multiple groups more effectively. For instance, there is a separate tab for private chats, group channels, file exchange, and calls where you can speed-dial frequent collaborators.
Besides that, this app comes with powerful video conferencing capabilities and a popular ‘together mode,’ which features your entire team in a shared background. You can also share your screen or access other web conferencing tools, such as video recording, live captions, or virtual waiting rooms.
⚙️ Features:
Unlimited message search // Private and group chat // Guest access // Various web, desktop, and mobile apps // Third-app integrations (Evernote, Trello, and more)
💵 Pricing:
Microsoft Teams comes bundled with Microsoft 365. Otherwise, you can use the freemium version, which gives you unlimited chats, video calls, and 10 GB of team file storage. If you need more, you can upgrade for $5 per user per month and enjoy 1 TB storage along with advanced security and compliance.
2. Workplace from Facebook
If Microsoft Teams is too business-like for you, Facebook’s Workplace might be an excellent option. This collaboration suite replicates the social aspect of the popular social networking platform, enabling your team members to share information in a familiar way. Also, it comes with a Groups feature, which can be a solid replacement for Slack.
As you might expect from Facebook, each group’s default view looks like a timeline with posts. This feature can be handy if you’re collaborating with team members located in different timezones. In addition, you can expect all the engagement tools typical of Facebook, such as comments and reaction buttons.
If a timeline seems too general, you can also create a separate chat room for each project or group, which resembles a Slack channel. Plus, your team can exchange private messages and send files, voice clips, or gifs, just like they would in Messenger.
Also, you can make pixel-perfect video calls with up to 50 participants, share your screen, and access other hosting options. On top of that, you can create live streams to communicate with your team in real-time.
⚙️ Features:
Unlimited message search // Mobile apps // Security options for outsider collaboration // Surveys // Various APIs and third-party integration options
💵 Pricing:
You can try Workplace for free for 30 days. Otherwise, pricing is competitive at just $4 per user per month and includes 1 TB of storage per person.
3. Fleep
Next, we have Fleep, a user-friendly collaboration app with some project management features. This tool is an excellent choice if you like Slack’s interface, as it’s almost identical.
Besides typical communication features, Fleep also gives you handy planning tools. For instance, you can create pinboards where you can track the progress of each of your projects. Plus, your team will appreciate the ‘file drawer’ feature, where you can access all shared photos or documents in a tab next to the conversation flow.
You can also arrange all your tasks into categories and to-do piles, minimizing the risk of overlooking or forgetting important assignments. Plus, you can use the video or audio calling functionality to sync up with your team quickly.
⚙️ Features:
Writing and Read message indicators // Private and group chat // Screensharing options // API and third-party integrations with Google Drive, Dropbox, and more // Access to full message history
💵 Pricing:
Fleep offers a freemium version with 10 GB of storage. However, it only enables you to create three groups, and you won’t be able to add tasks. For unlimited conversation and team management options, pricing starts at $6 per user per month.
4. Chanty
Our next recommendation is Chanty. Its primary focus is on simplicity and providing an intuitive interface, so it’s an excellent option if you need to onboard new members fast. It also comes with powerful project management features, which is where Chanty outshines the other free Slack alternatives.
Like Slack, Chanty gives you an overview of all channels (or ‘public conversations’) on the left-hand side. You can also highlight important messages with pins or mention specific team members if you need a quick answer.
Chanty enables you to organize your workday with a handy Teambook, helping you to manage all your tasks, conversations, or pinned messages from one place. The platform provides access to your full message history and you can speed-dial any team member without having to switch between screens.
Finally, Chanty enables you to collaborate using a Kanban board view, helping you monitor your scrum flow and manage all tasks more effectively. Additionally, you can share code snippets and switch to a dark theme to reduce eye strain, making this a developer-friendly choice.
⚙️ Features:
Unlimited message history // Private calls and voice messages // Advanced task management features // Various third-party integrations // Desktop and mobile apps // Video conferencing tools (premium only)
💵 Pricing:
Chanty is free to use for up to ten members with 20 GB of storage per team. If you need more advanced features, the Business plan is competitively priced at just $3 per user per month.
5. Zulip
Our final recommendation is Zulip, an open-source, real-time collaboration tool that enables you to organize your conversations in email-style threads. This way, you can keep your communications more organized without getting overwhelmed with countless messages in a group chat.
If you’re not a fan of Slack’s channel-based interface, Zulip might be right up your alley. It lets you subscribe to ‘streams’, divide them into sub-topics, and follow each conversation in logical threads. This way, your team members can filter out information that isn’t relevant to them.
On top of that, you can set up private streams and collaborate with guests from outside your organization without opening new channels. Plus, Zulip comes with over 100 integrations, so rest assured your team will still be able to use their favorite apps.
⚙️ Features:
Message search function (limited in the free version) // Word alerts // Video conferencing tools (integrated with Zoom) // Desktop and mobile apps // Emoji reactions // Code and quote blocks // Stream-wide announcements //
💵 Pricing:
The free plan is limited to 5 GB of total storage and 10,000 messages of search history. The premium version comes with 10 GB of storage and costs $6.67 per user per month.
Conclusion
Slack is an excellent communication and productivity app, and it’s popular for a reason. It helps you streamline your team’s workflows, thanks to its many integrations and intuitive chat options. However, the freemium version is limited in features, and the entry-level pricing can become costly as your team expands.
In this article, we’ve discussed our top five free Slack alternatives. To recap:
- 💪 If you’re already using Office 365, Microsoft Teams is a feature-rich option with powerful video conferencing capabilities.
- 🤼 Workplace by Facebook is another excellent choice that enables you to replicate the classic social media experience that everybody recognizes from Facebook.
- 🌟 Otherwise, try Fleep, Chanty, or Zulip if you prefer a tool that’s more directly similar to Slack.
Do you have any questions about any of these free Slack alternatives? Let us know in the comments section below!
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