Best team messaging apps can help teams stay in touch, and stay productive, even if they can't come in to the office.
pumble.com | slack.com | microsoft.com | discord.com | mattermost.com | chat.google.com | skype.com | flock.com | |
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OVERVIEW | ||||||||
Price (per month) |
Free Pro $2.49 Business $3.99 Enterprise $6.99 |
Free Pro $8 Business+ $12.50 |
Free Essentials $4 Business Basic $6 Business Standard $12.50 |
Free Basic $2.99 Classic $4.99 Nitro $9.99 |
Free Professional $10 Enterprise |
Starter $6 Standard $12 Plus $18 |
Free |
Free Pro $6 Enterprise |
Reviews (Capterra) |
4.7 |
4.7 |
4.5 |
4.7 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
4.3 |
4.5 |
Ease of use | Very easy | Very easy | Difficult | Easy | Very easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
Perfect for | Small teams, agencies, freelancers | Small teams, agencies, freelancers | Large organizations, governmental bodies | Gaming industry, small business teams | Large enterprises, governmental bodies | Enterprises involved with Google workspace | Personal use | Businesses, educational institutes |
TEAM MESSAGING | ||||||||
Channels & threads | Have channels, no threads | Have channels, no threads | Have channels, no threads | |||||
Direct messages | ||||||||
Unlimited messages history | $ Paid feature | $ Paid feature | ||||||
File storage |
Free: 10GB Pro: 10GB/seat Business: 20GB/seat Enterprise: 100GB/seat |
Free: 5GB Pro: 10GB/user |
Free: 2GB/user Business: 1TB/user |
Unlimited cloud storage | Unlimited cloud storage |
Starter: 30GB/user Standard: 2TB/user Business: 5TB/user |
Free: 2GB/user Business: 1TB/user |
Free: 5GB Pro: 10GB/user |
Share and find files | ||||||||
Notifications | ||||||||
Customizable sidebar | $ Paid feature | $ Paid feature | ||||||
Mentions | ||||||||
Emoji reactions | ||||||||
Themes | Through extension | |||||||
Pin messages | ||||||||
Mark as unread | ||||||||
Mute channels | ||||||||
Archive channels | ||||||||
TEAM MANAGEMENT | ||||||||
Unlimited users | $ Paid feature | $ Paid feature | $ Paid feature | |||||
Permissions | $ Paid feature | |||||||
User groups | $ Paid feature | $ Paid feature | $ Paid feature | $ Paid feature | ||||
Guest access | $ Paid feature | $ Paid feature | $ Paid feature | $ Paid feature | $ Paid feature | |||
PLATFORMS | ||||||||
Web | ||||||||
Mac desktop app | ||||||||
Windows desktop app | ||||||||
Linux desktop app | ||||||||
iPhone mobile app | ||||||||
Android mobile app | ||||||||
OTHER | ||||||||
Support | ||||||||
Video tutorials |
It might be tough to pick the ideal team messaging software because there are so many to choose from, each with its own set of capabilities. The fundamentals are typically the same, however, some apps prioritize file storage and usability, while others prioritize unlimited chat history.
When making a decision, think about the size and kind of your company, the size of your team, which features you'll need the most, and whether you'll need some extra features like self-hosting.
The pricing is the most crucial factor to consider - team messaging is designed to save you money, and you won't be able to do so if you have to spend a lot of time waiting for answers from your colleagues or partners.
To assist in making your choice, we've put together a list of the most popular team messaging apps, along with a full comparison of the most common team messaging features.
Pumble's subscription plan, which starts at $2.49 per seat/month, comes with several additional features, including video conferencing and voice calls, a customizable sidebar, and, most importantly, additional free file storage.
A feature that also places Pumble among unique team messaging apps, and makes it suitable for enterprise businesses, are guest access, single sign on as well as the data retention.
Slack’s Free plan covers only basic features and has its limitation in terms of messages history (you can see only the last 90 days) and file storage (limit is 5GB). When you have a bigger team, you’ll reach those limits in less than a month.
This means that you have to pay for more space and messages each month. Slack is one of the more expensive team communication apps on the market, with a starting price of $8 per user per month for the Pro Plan. When added up, it can cost you up to $800 per month for 100 users, or $9600 for an entire year. And that’s the first paid plan. The second plan, with more features, costs $15 per user per month (if you pay monthly) and when you add that you have 100 users, it is $1500 per user per month.
The Free plan is perfect for businesses that need to get started quickly with secure online meetings, chat, and cloud storage — all in one app, for free. But, once you reach the limit of users, you’ll need an upgrade. The first paid plan - Microsoft Business Basic Plan - costs $5 per user per month, but there you have a limit on users - only 250 users on a video call.
The second paid plan is the Microsoft Business Standard plan. The Business Standard edition costs $12.50 per user each month to get started.
Discord was firstly made for gamers, however, over the years, it has become increasingly popular as a business team communication tool. The platform lets teams communicate via text, voice, and video, either one-to-one or as part of a community (called a “Server”).
Discord pricing includes the free plan and 2 Nitro plans (paid plans). With the free plan, users can enjoy basic text, voice, and video meetings, along with screen sharing completely free. What’s more, Discord allows you to communicate with up to 250,000 co-workers (although we doubt that’ll be necessary) at no extra cost. Discord Nitro costs users $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. With Discord Nitro, you get 100 MB file uploads, two Discord server boosts, custom emojis, personal profiles, HD video capability, screen sharing, and Go Live streaming. Nitro Classic costs $4.99 billed monthly. It includes all Nitro features except the Discord server boosts.
Since Mattermost is an open-source solution, it is easy to extend the platform with server-side and client-side plugins and integrations to unlock additional capabilities and drive productivity gains. Plugins enable you to do everything from customizing the user interface and launching tightly integrated services to automatically linking certain text and even intercepting and modifying text in fight to protect users from posting sensitive information (e.g., for PCI compliance purposes).
The Free Plan of the app offers limited features, and the pricing starts at $10/month for the Professional Plan. It amounts to $12000 per year for 100 users.
This app is part of Google Workspace, which is a complete platform for businesses. You can use Chat on the browser, mobile app, or computer app, giving you the mobility to access it anywhere. So to use it, you must have any of the Google Workspace plans.
Google Chat —or Google Workspace— doesn’t have a free version, which can be an obstacle for teams that don’t want to spend with this kind of software. The Basic Plan starts at $6 per user per month, Business Plan costs $12 per user per month, and if you want to use all features of the Enterprise Plan, you’ll have to pay $25 per user per month.
The free version of Skype is primarily intended for individuals or small groups who do not require advanced workplace collaboration capabilities. Instant messaging, Skype-to-Skype audio and video conversations, as well as phone and conference call functions, are all included. It does not, however, provide a full communications solution for business users because it lacks integrated task management tools, file storage, and business app interfaces.
Skype for Business, Skype's premium subscription, has been replaced by Microsoft Teams. Prices start at $5 per user, however, because this is invoiced per person, costs can soon pile up. Aside from that, Skype's price plan is a little confusing. Pay-as-you-go, subscriptions, and the opportunity to pay for a Skype number are all available.
Flock offers a free plan, with the basic functions of an instant messaging app and 1:1 video calls. It has unlimited third-party app integrations with the likes of Trello, Twitter, MailChimp, Zendesk, and Airbrake – plus 5GB of file storage, and handy features like polls, notes, and reminders.
Speaking of paid plans, Flock has two at the moment. The cheaper Pro plan is $4.50 per user per month and unlocks unlimited messages and an unlimited searchable history, as well as 10GB of storage per member. The more expensive Enterprise plan unlocks 20GB of storage, Single Sign On (SSO), and 24/7 dedicated support.
Unlimited users • Unlimited chat history • Free forever
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