7 Best Slack Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 24 min read
Slack is a popular tool for teams of all sizes. While it offers a free tier (90-day message history), its paid plans start at $8.75/user/mo. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 7 best Slack alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 7
- Free alternatives: 7 (Microsoft Teams, Discord, Mattermost)
- Open-source options: Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Element, Zulip
- Best overall: Microsoft Teams
- Best free: Microsoft Teams
Why Look for Slack Alternatives?
People commonly look for Slack alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: While Slack has a free tier, its paid plans starting at $8.75/user/mo can add up quickly for growing teams.
- Feature gaps: Expensive at scale and can be distracting are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Slack overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Data ownership: Organizations wanting data sovereignty prefer open-source, self-hosted alternatives.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slack | ✓ 90-day message history | $8.75/user/mo | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Teams of all sizes |
| Microsoft Teams | ✓ Free with basic features | $4/user/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | No | Organizations using Microsoft 365 |
| Discord | ✓ Free with all core features | $2.99/mo (Nitro Basic) | ⭐ 4.5 | No | Communities and informal team communication |
| Mattermost | ✓ Free (self-hosted) | $10/user/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | ✓ Yes | Security-conscious organizations |
| Rocket.Chat | ✓ Free (self-hosted) | $4/user/mo | ⭐ 4 | ✓ Yes | Organizations needing open-source, compliant chat |
| Element | ✓ Free (self-hosted or matrix.org) | $5/user/mo | ⭐ 3.9 | ✓ Yes | Privacy-focused organizations |
| Zulip | ✓ Free (self-hosted or cloud) | $6.67/user/mo | ⭐ 4 | ✓ Yes | Teams needing organized, threaded conversations |
| Pumble | ✓ Free with unlimited history | $2.49/user/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | No | Teams wanting free Slack alternative with unlimited history |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft's integrated communication and collaboration platform.
Microsoft Teams is an all-in-one communication platform that combines chat, video meetings, file storage, and app integration. Deeply integrated with Microsoft 365, Teams is the default choice for organizations already using Microsoft's ecosystem and is the most widely used business communication tool globally.
Pros
- ✓ Included with Microsoft 365
- ✓ Full-featured free tier
- ✓ Great video meetings
- ✓ Deep Office integration
Cons
- ✗ Can be slow
- ✗ Complex interface
- ✗ Resource heavy
- ✗ Confusing navigation
Discord
Communication platform originally for gamers, now used by communities and teams.
Discord started as a gaming communication platform but has evolved into a versatile tool for communities, teams, and businesses. With voice channels, text channels, forums, and stage events, Discord offers a unique approach to communication that's especially popular with younger demographics and community-driven organizations.
Pros
- ✓ Mostly free
- ✓ Great voice quality
- ✓ Bot ecosystem
- ✓ Community features
Cons
- ✗ Not business-focused
- ✗ Can be distracting
- ✗ No professional features
- ✗ Server management complex
Mattermost
Open-source, self-hosted Slack alternative for secure team communication.
Mattermost is an open-source messaging platform that provides a secure, self-hosted alternative to Slack. It's popular among organizations with strict security requirements, including government agencies and financial institutions. Mattermost offers channels, direct messaging, file sharing, and integrations while keeping all data under your control.
Pros
- ✓ Open source
- ✓ Self-hosted
- ✓ High security
- ✓ Slack-like interface
Cons
- ✗ Requires hosting
- ✗ Fewer integrations
- ✗ Complex setup
- ✗ Smaller ecosystem
Rocket.Chat
Open-source communication platform for teams.
Rocket.Chat is an open-source team communication platform offering channels, direct messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing. It's highly customizable and can be self-hosted, making it popular among organizations needing data sovereignty and compliance with regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.
Pros
- ✓ Open source
- ✓ Self-hosted option
- ✓ Feature rich
- ✓ Good for compliance
Cons
- ✗ Resource heavy
- ✗ Complex setup
- ✗ Performance issues
- ✗ UI not as polished
Element
Secure messaging app built on the Matrix protocol.
Element is a secure messaging platform built on the open Matrix protocol. It offers end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice, and video calls with the ability to bridge to other platforms like Slack, Discord, and Teams. Element can be self-hosted and is used by governments and enterprises for secure communication.
Pros
- ✓ End-to-end encrypted
- ✓ Open protocol
- ✓ Bridges to other apps
- ✓ Self-hostable
Cons
- ✗ Complex setup
- ✗ Smaller user base
- ✗ UI needs work
- ✗ Performance issues
Zulip
Open-source team chat with unique topic-based threading.
Zulip is an open-source team chat application with a unique topic-based threading model that makes it easier to follow conversations than traditional channel-based chat. Used by large open-source projects and companies, Zulip excels when teams need organized, threaded discussions.
Pros
- ✓ Unique threading model
- ✓ Open source
- ✓ Free self-hosted
- ✓ Good for async
Cons
- ✗ Unfamiliar UI
- ✗ Smaller community
- ✗ Learning curve
- ✗ Fewer integrations
Pumble
Free team messaging app with unlimited history.
Pumble is a free team messaging platform by CAKE.com that offers unlimited message history on its free plan — something competitors like Slack don't provide. It offers channels, direct messages, voice/video calls, and file sharing, making it a compelling Slack alternative for budget-conscious teams.
Pros
- ✓ Free unlimited history
- ✓ Very affordable
- ✓ Slack-like interface
- ✓ All core features free
Cons
- ✗ Fewer integrations
- ✗ Less polished
- ✗ Smaller community
- ✗ Limited advanced features
🏆 Our Recommendations
Best Overall Alternative:
Microsoft Teams — Organizations using Microsoft 365
Best Free Alternative:
Microsoft Teams — Free with basic features
Best Open-Source Alternative:
Mattermost — Security-conscious organizations
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Slack?
The best free alternative to Slack is Microsoft Teams, which offers Free with basic features.
Is there an open-source alternative to Slack?
Yes! Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Element, Zulip are open-source alternatives to Slack that you can self-host for free.
What is the cheapest alternative to Slack?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: Microsoft Teams, Discord, Mattermost. For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $2.49/mo.
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