Alternatives to Slack

{"intro": "Slack organizes work in channels and direct messages, with guest access and integrations spanning Salesforce, Jira, Google Drive, Zoom and many other services. Its free plan includes one-to-one audio and video meetings with screen sharing, one-to-one external messaging and up to ten apps. Searchable history lasts 90 days on free workspaces, while paid plans provide unlimited history. Slack runs on web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and adds workflow automation, AI features and security controls. Annual paid pricing starts at $7.25 per user per month; monthly Pro costs $8.75 per month.\n\nPeople look elsewhere when those limits or costs do not fit, or when another collaboration model suits their organization better. A switch can mean unlimited history on a free plan, tighter connections to a work suite, self-hosting, community-focused servers, or documents and meetings in the same workspace. Compare each option’s message retention, integrations, channels, guest access and supported platforms. Check whether its free tier covers your team, whether its paid price beats Slack’s, and whether its communication style matches internal work, customer collaboration or broader communities.", "rows": [{"ref": "sw:microsoft-teams", "name": "Microsoft Teams", "best_for": "Microsoft 365-centered organizations", "pricing": "Free plan", "key_difference": "Teams offers unlimited message history and Microsoft 365 integrations, while Slack’s free history is limited to 90 days.", "choose_when": "Choose it when SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook and other Microsoft 365 services are central to your work."}, {"ref": "sw:zoho-cliq", "name": "Zoho Cliq", "best_for": "Large teams using Zoho apps", "pricing": "Free plan; 14-day trial", "key_difference": "Zoho Cliq supports up to 100,000 members and connects to Zoho services, unlike Slack’s smaller free app allowance.", "choose_when": "Choose it when Zoho People, Projects, Calendar or Notebook should sit alongside team conversations."}, {"ref": "sw:pumble", "name": "Pumble", "best_for": "Teams wanting low-cost unlimited history", "pricing": "Free plan; from $2.49/user/mo annual; 7-day trial", "key_difference": "Pumble provides unlimited message history and threaded team chat at a lower starting price than Slack’s annual rate.", "choose_when": "Choose it when unlimited history, threaded replies and a lower paid starting price matter more than Slack’s larger app directory."}, {"ref": "sw:lark", "name": "Lark", "best_for": "Workspaces combining chat and documents", "pricing": "Free plan", "key_difference": "Lark combines chat, calendars, document creation and cloud storage, while Slack centers those functions on integrations.", "choose_when": "Choose it when shared Docs, calendars and storage should be built into one workplace platform."}, {"ref": "sw:rocket-chat", "name": "Rocket.Chat", "best_for": "Self-hosted teams and small communities", "pricing": "Free plan", "key_difference": "Rocket.Chat supports self-hosting and unlimited history, whereas Slack offers limited free history and hosted service.", "choose_when": "Choose it when self-hosting or integrations such as WhatsApp and Telegram outweigh Slack’s broader app ecosystem."}, {"ref": "sw:zulip", "name": "Zulip", "best_for": "Topic-based team discussions", "pricing": "Free plan; from $3.50/user/mo", "key_difference": "Zulip offers unlimited-history paid plans and integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams, while Slack’s free history lasts 90 days.", "choose_when": "Choose it when its lower paid starting price and topic-oriented channel workflow fit your discussions."}, {"ref": "sw:discord", "name": "Discord", "best_for": "Gaming-focused communities", "pricing": "Free plan; from $2.99/user/mo", "key_difference": "Discord centers voice, video and text servers for communities, unlike Slack’s workplace channels and business integrations.", "choose_when": "Choose it when community servers and informal voice communication matter more than Slack’s workplace tooling."}]}