Office communication has changed drastically over the past few years. What used to be communicated in an office is now often shared via chat applications, email messages, or video conferencing calls. In the new world of hybrid working, the need to communicate effeciently online is greater than ever.

If you work with teammates— or even if you don’t —  chances are that you’re familiar with Slack, a communication platform used to send messages, store documents, and create new projects. While Slack was not the first platform to offer these services, it has become one of the most popular team chat apps due to its wide range of features and integrations with other common work tools.

However, while Slack has become a household name in the past few years, it’s not the only tool out there. Several other team chat tools offer similar features — and in some cases, much more functionality than Slack alone.

If you’re in the market for another chat option for your business, or you are just curious about what other tools are trying to de-throne Slack slack from its reign over workplace communication, here are some Slack alternatives that might be of interest.

How to choose a great Slack alternative

Chat software you pick can do more than help your teams communicate. It can pull reports, aggregate data, and even track productivity. So, before deciding what platform to move forward with, take time to evaluate each product based on its features. Aside from the obvious messaging features, try to get a program that includes the following:

• File sharing and collaboration
• Video and voice chat
• Integration with other tools
• Reporting and analytics
• Security and privacy

While Slack has all of the above features, there are a few competitors that compare and even others that go above and beyond the standard chat messaging features. Read on to learn about some of the top Slack alternatives on the market.

1. Hive

Hive is a popular Slack alternative for project management, as it offers chat as well as robust project management capabilities. In addition to both direct and group chats, Hive offers many collaboration features — such as in-app calendar syncing, note-taking, and task management — that allows users to streamline their workflow and manage team tasks from one interface. Plus, its integration with other third-party tools makes it an ideal choice for businesses that need to collaborate across multiple apps.

Key Features:

• Chat and messaging capabilities for direct and group communication
• Task management tools and HiveMindAI.
• File sharing and collaboration tools
• Integration with other third-party tools
• Security features, including data encryption

Pricing:

• Hive offers a 14-day free trial to get started today
• Hive Free Plan – Available for up to 10 users
• Hive Professional – $12/user/month
• Hive Enterprise – Custom pricing is available for larger organizations.

2. Microsoft Teams

As part of the Microsoft Office suite, Teams is an all-in-one collaboration platform that allows users to share files, chat, and collaborate on projects all in one place. Teams is on-par with Slack, as it offers all of the same features but with the added bonus of Office 365 integration.

Key Features:

• Chat and messaging capabilities for direct and group communication
• File sharing and collaboration tools
• Audio and video calling and conferencing
• Integration with other Microsoft Office 365 tools and apps
• Customizable channels and workspaces
• Project management and task-tracking tools
• Data encryption and multi-factor authentication

Pricing:

• Free version available with limited features
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $5/user/month
• Enterprise pricing available for larger organizations

3. Zoom

Although Zoom is primarily known as a video conferencing tool, it also has a chat feature that allows users to message each other and share files. Zoom’s popularity exploded during the pandemic, making it a top choice for businesses needing video conferencing and chat capabilities. While it is less robust than Slack with its features, it’s a great option for a team that wants to run their business with videos and chat.

Key Features:

• Video and audio conferencing for remote meetings
• Chat and messaging capabilities for direct and group communication
• File sharing and collaboration tools
• Screen sharing and virtual background options
• Integration with other tools and apps, including Microsoft Teams and Slack

Pricing:

• Basic (Free): for personal or small team meetings, limited to 40 minutes
• Pro: $14.99/host/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for large organizations and enterprise-level needs

4. Google Chat

Formerly known as Hangouts Chat, Google Chat is a team communication platform that integrates with other Google products like Google Drive and Google Meet. Google Chat is free as part of a Google Workspace account and is an excellent Slack alternative for businesses using other Google products. What’s great about Google Chat is that you can access it from any device with a web browser, making it one of the most versatile options.

Key Features:

• Chat and messaging capabilities for direct and group communication
• File sharing and collaboration tools
• Integration with other Google products like Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Meet
• Voice-calling capabilities with up to 25 participants in a voice chat
• Robust security and privacy features, including 2-step authentication

Pricing:

• Free with a Google Workspace account
• G Suite Basic – $6/user/month
• G Suite Enterprise – Custom pricing is available for larger organizations.

5. Chanty

Chanty is a team chat app used for collaboration for teams of all sizes. The solution is a great alternative to Slack, as it lets you create, manage and assign tasks from a text message.

The Kanban board lets you optimize your workflow with a flexible and visual way to execute agile methodology. With 20+ integrations, Chanty also offers audio and video calls with screen sharing available to the entire team or by individual team members.

Key Features: 

• Audio Calls
• Public & Private Conversations
• Voice Messages
• Built-In Task Management
• File Storage
• Group Video Calls

Pricing:

• Free for the basic version (up to 10 members)
• Business version is $3/month/user and $4/annual/user.
• Download For: iOS, Android, Mac and Windows Desktop

6. Flock 

Flock is a communication app and a great alternative to Slack as it combines messaging, video and voice calls in one platform. In comparison to Slack, Flock offers the best cost-benefit. Its basic plan starts at $6 per month, while Slack starts at $8 per month/user. 

However, most Flock users report a cluttered dashboard and very basic notification settings and integrations. Both tools offer a limited history search, however, Flock lets you have unlimited group members in their basic plan.

The software allows users to convert discussions into tasks, streamlining and automating workflow. Its advanced searching features and an option to bookmark messages allow better organization, facilitating documentation and team collaboration. Flock has a free starter plan that accommodates up to 20 members. 

Key features: 

• Public company’s directory, closed channels and private messages 
• Native voice and video calls
• Document sharing 
• Integrations and add-ons
• Manage mailing lists 
• Create and share code snippets on the go

Pricing: 

• Free for up to 20 members. 
• Pro: $4.50/user/month ideal for teams with 20-100 members
• Enterprise (+100 members): Organizations with more than 100 members can request a quote.
• Download App for: iOs and Android.

7. RingCentral

RingCentral is a cloud-based communication platform that gives you the capability to interact with clients and colleagues through: video, message, or a phone call — for free.

The flexibility of the solution is one of its biggest perks: with RingCentral you can work anytime, anywhere and across different devices, including your phone, tablet, laptop, or computer. The tool also integrates with Zapier, Hubspot and has a Google Chrome browser extension.

RingCentral also offers secured file sharing, task creation, and tracking. The solution includes  reporting and analytics features. RingCentral’s free plan has some limitations, such as a limit of 100 users,1000 outbound calling minutes per user per month, unlimited video conferencing meetings with up to 100 participants, but meetings are limited to 40 minutes per meeting. If you get a RingCentral free plan you may also face limited integrations and no customer support.

Key features: 

• Host RingCentral HD video meetings for up to 50 minutes at a time with up to 100 participants. 
• AI-powered noise reduction to keep distractions out of meetings.
• Share files, create notes, and manage tasks across direct messages and teams.
• Send and receive instant messages.

Pricing: RingCentral has three different plan tiers: core ($20), advanced ($25) and ultra ($35). All prices paid per user/monthly paid annually. Download app for iOs or Android.

8. Spike

Spike is a unified platform for email, AI chat, notes, video meetings and collaboration. The tool has features that Slack lacks, such as integration with notes and a priority inbox. Spike’s priority inbox feature helps you to maximize your time responding to important messages first, and leaving low priority emails for your spare time. Spike also saves you time with its super search feature, which instantly looks through all your conversations, emails, files, notes and attachments giving you results in seconds. When it comes to interacting with external stakeholders, Spike also offers a smoother path than Slack. You can access Spike on web, mobile and desktop and use any domain for secure messaging.

Key features: 

• Priority inbox and unified inbox
• Super search and translation 
• Voice messages, calendar and file management
• Collaborative tasks and bulk actions
• Multimedia messaging, undo send, send later, snooze, quick reply, multimedia and text to speech.
• Smooth interaction between teams and external stakeholders.
• Available on web, mobile, and desktop

Pricing: 

Free for small teams (up to 3 members). Paid Team plan starts at $6 per member/month with limited features and Business plan starts at $9 per member/month with 1TB storage space and VIP tech-support.

9. Pumble

Pumble is a free team alternative to Slack with powerful features such as video chat, conference calls and file sharing. Pumble has a generous free plan with unlimited users, message history, voice and video messages and 1:11 meetings. The app lets you import your chats from Slack and holds up to 10GB storage per workspace. Now, if you need screen sharing for your meetings, you will need to pay for this feature. Pumble has a pro, business and enterprise plans.

Key features: 

• Channels and threads
• Direct messages and notifications
• Video chat and conference calls
• File sharing
• Fully searchable history
• Find files and information
• Connect with others apps

Pricing: Free with unlimited users and message history. Pro plan costs $2.49 per user/month billed annually and has all features from free plan, plus group meeting (voice and video), screen sharing, customizable sections and 10GB storage per seat. Pumble’s business plan starts at $3.99 per user/month billed annually and includes permissions, guest access, usr groups and up to 20GB storage per seat. If you need more privacy and safety, their enterprise plan offers single sign-on (SSO) with data retention and 100GB storage per seat for $6.99 per user/month billed annually.

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Communication platforms like Slack have become essential for remote workforces to collaborate, share files, and stay connected. While Slack is a popular choice, several other chat tools offer similar or even unique features.

Among others, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Chat, and Hive are a few popular Slack alternatives that offer various communication and collaboration capabilities, making it essential to assess each product’s features before choosing the right one for your business.