Updated November 6, 2026
Google Chat: Team messaging built into Gmail and Google Workspace. People look for alternatives when they need a lower price, a free plan or a better fit for a specific job.
These 5 tools cover similar ground. Each entry explains who it suits, how pricing works and what to watch out for.
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discord | Online communities, gaming groups and creator audiences | Freemium | Yes |
| Mattermost | Engineering, government and regulated teams that need control over data | Freemium | Yes |
| Microsoft Teams | Organisations that use Microsoft 365 | Freemium | Yes |
| Rocket.Chat | Organisations that want a self-hosted Slack alternative | Freemium | Yes |
| Slack | Most teams that want fast internal communication | Freemium | Yes |
Voice, video and text chat for communities and groups.
Free plan available. Paid plans add more features and limits.
Who it suits: Online communities, gaming groups and creator audiences.
Open-source, self-hostable team chat for security-conscious organisations.
Free plan available. Paid plans add more features and limits.
Who it suits: Engineering, government and regulated teams that need control over data.
Chat, meetings and calls integrated with Microsoft 365.
Free plan available. Paid plans add more features and limits.
Who it suits: Organisations that use Microsoft 365.
Open-source communication platform you can host yourself.
Free plan available. Paid plans add more features and limits.
Who it suits: Organisations that want a self-hosted Slack alternative.
The leading team chat app with channels, huddles and thousands of integrations.
Free plan available. Paid plans add more features and limits.
Who it suits: Most teams that want fast internal communication.
Team chat apps replace internal email with channels, threads and direct messages. Look at how well they integrate with the rest of your tools and how much message history the free plan keeps.
Prices and features change often. Check each vendor’s website for current plans before you buy.
