Slack and Microsoft Teams are giants in the world of workplace communication, boasting millions of users. However, they aren’t perfect. Many competitors have identified key limitations, such as pricing, data security, user experience, and integration with other tools like email and task management. If you’re looking for alternatives that offer unique advantages over Slack and Teams, you’re in the right place. Here’s a breakdown of 30 collaboration tools that might better fit your needs.
1. Google Chat
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2017
- Starting Price: €6.80/user/month
- Users/Companies: 9M workspaces
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Seamless integration with Google Workspace
- Website: Google Chat
2. Rocket.Chat
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2015
- Starting Price: $4/user/month
- Users/Companies: 12M+ users
- Free Plan: Yes (<250 users)
- Main Advantage: Open-source, self-hosted, strong focus on security and data privacy
- Website: Rocket.Chat
3. Mattermost
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2015
- Starting Price: $10/user/month
- Users/Companies: Not specified
- Free Plan: Yes
- Main Advantage: Open-source, self-hosted, highly customizable
- Website: Mattermost
4. Discord
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2015
- Starting Price: $2.99/user/month
- Users/Companies: 10M+ users
- Free Plan: Yes
- Main Advantage: Community-driven platform with fun and interactive chats
- Website: Discord
5. Zoom
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2011
- Starting Price: €12.49/user/month
- Users/Companies: 300M+ users
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Specializes in video conferencing
- Website: Zoom
6. Webex
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2014
- Starting Price: $11/user/month
- Users/Companies: Not specified
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Strong video conferencing features
- Website: Webex
7. Zulip
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2012
- Starting Price: $8/user/month
- Users/Companies: Not specified
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Threaded conversations for structured team discussions
- Website: Zulip
8. Element
- Nationality: UK
- Creation Date: 2016
- Starting Price: $5/user/month
- Users/Companies: 125M+ users
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Uses Matrix protocol for decentralization
- Website: Element
9. Flock
- Nationality: India
- Creation Date: 2014
- Starting Price: $4.50/user/month
- Users/Companies: 30K+ users
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: More affordable than Slack and Teams
- Website: Flock
10. Twist
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2017
- Starting Price: $5/user/month
- Users/Companies: 450K+ users
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Asynchronous communication for deep work
- Website: Twist
11. Ryver
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2015
- Starting Price: $2.80/user/month
- Users/Companies: Not specified
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Message + task management, cheaper than Slack
- Website: Ryver
12. pebb.io
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2019
- Starting Price: $3.50/user/month
- Users/Companies: Not specified
- Free Plan: Yes
- Main Advantage: Intranet-like features (clubs, calendar, docs)
- Website: pebb.io
13. Glue
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2024
- Starting Price: $7/user/month
- Users/Companies: Not specified
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: No channels, only threads
- Website: Glue
14. Campfire
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2024
- Starting Price: $299 one-time
- Users/Companies: Not specified
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Self-hosted, no subscription
- Website: Campfire
15. Pumble
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2020
- Starting Price: $2.99/user/month
- Users/Companies: Not specified
- Free Plan: Yes
- Main Advantage: Low-cost alternative to Slack
- Website: Pumble
16. Roam
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2019
- Starting Price: $10.5/user/month
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Virtual office environment
- Website: ro.am
17. Citadel
- Nationality: France
- Creation Date: 2017
- Starting Price: N/C
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Security-focused
- Website: Thales Citadel
18. Tchap
- Nationality: France
- Creation Date: 2019
- Starting Price: N/A
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Matrix protocol client
- Website: Tchap
19. Wickr
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2011
- Starting Price: $5/user/month
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Strong security and compliance
- Website: Wickr
20. Jandi
- Nationality: Korea
- Creation Date: 2014
- Starting Price: $6/user/month
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: Yes
- Main Advantage: Strong presence in Korea & Japan
- Website: Jandi
21. Struct
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2023
- Starting Price: $29.95 (unlimited users)
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Built for open-source communities
- Website: Struct
22. Spike
- Nationality: Israel
- Creation Date: 2013
- Starting Price: $4/user/month
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: Yes
- Main Advantage: Email integration
- Website: Spike
23. Troop Messenger
- Nationality: India
- Creation Date: 2017
- Starting Price: $2.5/user/month
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Affordable team messaging
- Website: Troop Messenger
24. Fleep
- Nationality: Estonia
- Creation Date: 2012
- Starting Price: €5/user/month
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: European alternative
- Website: Fleep
25. Inline
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2024
- Starting Price: N/A
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Promising fast UX
- Website: Inline
26. Chanty
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2017
- Starting Price: $3/user/month
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: Yes
- Main Advantage: Affordable and simple
- Website: Chanty
27. Highside (formerly ClearChat)
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2015
- Starting Price: €11.50/user/month
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: No
- Main Advantage: Security & compliance
- Website: Highside
28. Clariti
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2017
- Starting Price: $9/user/month
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: Yes
- Main Advantage: Context-based conversations
- Website: Clariti
29. Rock
- Nationality: US
- Creation Date: 2019
- Starting Price: $74.92 (up to 50 users)
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: Yes
- Main Advantage: Task integration
- Website: Rock
30. Wire
- Nationality: Germany
- Creation Date: 2018
- Starting Price: €7.45/user/month
- Users/Companies: N/A
- Free Plan: Yes
- Main Advantage: Secure and easy to use
- Website: Wire
Each of these solutions brings its own vision of collaboration, offering distinct features that might better align with your needs compared to Slack and Teams. However, one major drawback remains: they require external users to adopt the same platform, which isn’t always convenient for freelancers or businesses working with multiple partners across different tools.
Thankfully, convly provides a seamless solution, allowing users to continue using their favorite collaboration tools while communicating with external professionals who use different platforms. No more switching tools, just effortless collaboration.