Software directory
8 Slack alternatives for 2026
The tools buyers compare with Slack, side by side on price, pricing model and what each one is built for.
Why teams look beyond Slack
- Notification overload and channel sprawl.
- Limited message history on free plan.
- Teams that need long free message history (Free keeps 90 days)
- Buyers wanting group video on the free plan (1:1 huddles only)
From Slack's published plan limits and recurring themes in public reviews. See the Slack review for sources.
Slack vs. its alternatives
| Tool | Pricing model | Starting price | G2 rating | Channels and threading | Built-in video and huddles | Security and admin controls | Pricing model and transparency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Slack Current | per user | $8.75/user/month monthly, about $7.25/user/month billed annually (Pro) | 4.5 (37,812 reviews) | Channels, threads and huddles; Slack Connect for external 1:1 messaging on Free. | Free: 1:1 huddles only; Pro and up: group huddles/meetings (limits not published on pricing page) | SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3, ISO 27001/27017/27018/27701/42001, HIPAA configurable, FedRAMP Moderate (Enterprise/Enterprise+), GovSlack FedRAMP High, C5, ENS High. | Per user, monthly or annual; Free forever tier. |
 Microsoft Teams | per user, bundled in Microsoft 365 or standalone | $4.00/user/month paid yearly (Teams Essentials) | 4.4 (19,192 reviews) | Standard, private and shared channels; up to 1,000 channels per team; teams up to 25,000 members. | Calls from chat up to 20 people; meetings up to 300 people on Essentials and Business plans, up to 1,000 on enterprise plans. | Built on Entra ID and Microsoft 365 compliance; certification list not verified. | Per user, bundled with Microsoft 365 or standalone Essentials. |
 Zoom Workplace | per user | $14.16 per user/month billed annually (Pro); $16.99 billed monthly | 4.5 (56,500 reviews) | Team Chat with channels and threads (not verified in detail) | Native Zoom Meetings: 100 to 1,000 participants depending on plan. | Trust center lists SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate, PCI DSS. | Per user, monthly or annual; free Basic tier. |
 Google Chat | per user (bundled in Workspace) | $7 per user/month (Workspace Starter, annual commitment billed monthly) | No G2 rating found | Spaces with threaded replies and direct messages. | Google Meet built in; participant cap depends on Workspace plan (100 Starter to 1,000 Enterprise) | Workspace supports SAML and OIDC SSO; Secure LDAP on Plus; DLP and context-aware access on Enterprise. | Bundled per-user Workspace license; no separate Chat price. |
 Mattermost | per user | Contact sales | 4.3 (368 reviews) | Channel-centric with threads. | Calls built in; Entry (free) edition limited to 40-minute calls. | SSO (SAML) from Professional; AD/LDAP sync; advanced logging, audit logs with export and compliance export on Enterprise. | Prepaid annual seat licenses; extra seats bought quarterly true-forward; each server needs its own license. |
 Google Meet | per user (Workspace edition) | $7 per user/month (Business Starter, annual commitment) | 4.6 (47,643 reviews) | Google lists FedRAMP, HIPAA and ISO/IEC programs for Workspace; client-side encryption and data regions offered; specific SOC reports not verified. | Per user via Google Workspace edition; no standalone paid Meet license. | ||
 GoTo Meeting | per organizer | USD 12 per organizer/month billed annually (Professional) | 4.2 (17,000 reviews) | SSO, encrypted sessions, end-to-end encryption, meeting lock; certifications not listed on the page. | Per organizer per month; attendees do not need licenses. | ||
 Connecteam | flat base + per user | Free for up to 10 users; paid from $29/month (Basic, first 30 users) per hub | 4.6 (3,505 reviews) | Group chats and updates; channels and threads not verified. | SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA; SSO on Enterprise. | Base fee per hub covering 30 users plus per-extra-user fee. | |
 Dialpad Meetings | per user | $15 user/month (Dialpad Connect Standard) | 4.4 (2,101 reviews) | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001/27017/27018, HIPAA-ready with one-click BAA. | Bundled in Dialpad Connect, per user. |
The alternatives in detail
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft's chat, meetings and calling app, sold standalone as Teams Essentials or bundled in Microsoft 365 plans.
- Starting price
- $4.00/user/month paid yearly (Teams Essentials)
- Pricing model
- per user, bundled in Microsoft 365 or standalone
- G2 rating
- 4.4 (19,192 reviews)
- Channels and threading
- Standard, private and shared channels; up to 1,000 channels per team; teams up to 25,000 members.
- Built-in video and huddles
- Calls from chat up to 20 people; meetings up to 300 people on Essentials and Business plans, up to 1,000 on enterprise plans.
- Search and message history limits
- Chat stored in Exchange Online mailboxes; admin search and hold needs Exchange Online mailbox.
- App integrations and bots
- Teams apps available on Business and Enterprise plans; Loop integrations.
Choose it if
- Organizations already on Microsoft 365 and Entra ID.
- Small businesses wanting meetings for up to 300 people at about $4/user/month.
Skip it if
- Teams wanting a lightweight tool; reviewers report slow, resource-heavy clients.
- Buyers needing group video calls beyond 20 people from a chat.
Worth knowing
- Teams Essentials ($4/user/month) is cheaper than Business Basic ($7) but does not include the rest of Microsoft 365 apps.
- Meeting cap is 300 people on Essentials and Business plans, 1,000 on enterprise plans.
- Teams live events retired June 30, 2026; events scheduled earlier run until Feb 28, 2027.
Zoom Workplace
Video meetings platform that bundles team chat, whiteboard and AI note-taking into per-user Pro and Business plans.
- Starting price
- $14.16 per user/month billed annually (Pro); $16.99 billed monthly
- Pricing model
- per user
- G2 rating
- 4.5 (56,500 reviews)
- Channels and threading
- Team Chat with channels and threads (not verified in detail)
- Built-in video and huddles
- Native Zoom Meetings: 100 to 1,000 participants depending on plan.
- Security and admin controls
- Trust center lists SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate, PCI DSS.
- Pricing model and transparency
- Per user, monthly or annual; free Basic tier.
Choose it if
- Teams whose main need is reliable video meetings with chat attached.
- Companies that want recording and AI summaries on every paid seat.
Skip it if
- Teams that want a chat-first workspace with a large app ecosystem.
- Free-tier users needing meetings longer than 40 minutes.
Worth knowing
- Free Basic caps meetings at 40 minutes; paid plans allow 30 hours.
- Cloud recording is only 10 GB per license on Pro and Business.
- Webinars and Large Meetings (1,000 participants) are separate paid add-ons.
Google Chat
Google's team chat with spaces and threads, included in every paid Google Workspace plan alongside Gmail, Drive and Meet.
- Starting price
- $7 per user/month (Workspace Starter, annual commitment billed monthly)
- Pricing model
- per user (bundled in Workspace)
- G2 rating
- No G2 rating found
- Channels and threading
- Spaces with threaded replies and direct messages.
- Built-in video and huddles
- Google Meet built in; participant cap depends on Workspace plan (100 Starter to 1,000 Enterprise)
- Security and admin controls
- Workspace supports SAML and OIDC SSO; Secure LDAP on Plus; DLP and context-aware access on Enterprise.
- Pricing model and transparency
- Bundled per-user Workspace license; no separate Chat price.
Choose it if
- Teams already on Google Workspace that want chat without a second license.
- Small companies under 300 users that want one bundled bill.
Skip it if
- Teams on Microsoft 365 that would run two suites.
- Buyers who want a deep app marketplace and advanced workflow tooling comparable to Slack.
Worth knowing
- Chat is not sold separately: you pay for a Workspace seat starting at the Starter plan.
- Starter, Standard and Plus can be bought for at most 300 users; above that you need Enterprise.
- Annual commitment saves 16% per Google's pricing page, but billing is still monthly.
Mattermost
Self-hostable team chat and collaboration platform sold in Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Advanced editions, aimed at security-sensitive organizations.
- Starting price
- Contact sales
- Pricing model
- per user
- G2 rating
- 4.3 (368 reviews)
- Channels and threading
- Channel-centric with threads.
- Built-in video and huddles
- Calls built in; Entry (free) edition limited to 40-minute calls.
- Search and message history limits
- Entry edition 10,000 channel messages; unlimited searchable history on Professional.
- Guest and external access
- Guest accounts on Professional with custom user groups.
Choose it if
- Organizations that must self-host or run air-gapped chat.
- Technical and DevOps teams wanting data under their own control.
Skip it if
- Buyers wanting a public price list or self-serve checkout.
- Small teams wanting a polished hosted free tier (free edition caps history at 10,000 messages)
Worth knowing
- Licenses are prepaid annual seats and every server (including staging) needs its own license key.
- Seats above purchase are added quarterly, prorated to annual cost.
- Support tiers: Professional business hours next-business-day, Enterprise 24x7 with 4-hour target, Premier is a paid add-on.
Google Meet
Video meetings built into Google Workspace, with participant limits and recording set by the Workspace edition.
- Starting price
- $7 per user/month (Business Starter, annual commitment)
- Pricing model
- per user (Workspace edition)
- G2 rating
- 4.6 (47,643 reviews)
- Pricing model
- Per user via Google Workspace edition; no standalone paid Meet license.
- Target company size
- Starter, Standard and Plus capped at 300 users; Enterprise has no user cap.
- Participant and meeting length limits
- 100 (Starter), 150 (Standard), 500 (Plus), 1,000 (Enterprise); meetings up to 24 hours.
- Security and compliance
- Google lists FedRAMP, HIPAA and ISO/IEC programs for Workspace; client-side encryption and data regions offered; specific SOC reports not verified.
Choose it if
- Teams already on Google Workspace that want meetings tied to Calendar and Gmail.
- Small teams that can live with 100 to 150 attendees per meeting.
Skip it if
- Buyers who do not want to buy a full Workspace suite just for video.
- Teams that need recording on the cheapest plan (not supported on Starter)
Worth knowing
- G2 4.6 (47,643) is for Google Workspace as a whole, not Meet alone; Capterra 4.5 (12,079) is for Meet.
- Recording to Drive is not available on Business Starter, the cheapest plan.
- Meeting length is 24 hours on all paid plans, but the participant cap rises only with the pricier edition (100 to 1,000).
GoTo Meeting
Per-organizer meeting tool with 150 to 250 attendee plans and SSO on every plan.
- Starting price
- USD 12 per organizer/month billed annually (Professional)
- Pricing model
- per organizer
- G2 rating
- 4.2 (17,000 reviews)
- Pricing model
- Per organizer per month; attendees do not need licenses.
- Target company size
- SMB to mid-market.
- Participant and meeting length limits
- 150 (Professional), 250 (Business), Enterprise up to 250 per vendor page.
- Security and compliance
- SSO, encrypted sessions, end-to-end encryption, meeting lock; certifications not listed on the page.
Choose it if
- Small and mid-size businesses that want per-organizer pricing instead of per-attendee.
- Teams needing 250 attendees without separate webinar licensing.
Skip it if
- Buyers needing more than 250 attendees on standard plans (a review site says Enterprise supports 3,000, unverified)
Worth knowing
- Recording and transcription look gated to Business (USD 16 to 19), not the entry plan.
- SSO appears on all plans, unusual at this price point (inferred from checkmarks).
- Pricing is per organizer, so only hosts need seats.
Connecteam
Employee management app for deskless teams where chat sits alongside scheduling, time tracking, tasks and HR hubs.
- Starting price
- Free for up to 10 users; paid from $29/month (Basic, first 30 users) per hub
- Pricing model
- flat base + per user
- G2 rating
- 4.6 (3,505 reviews)
- Channels and threading
- Group chats and updates; channels and threads not verified.
- App integrations and bots
- Integrations page exists; specific names not extracted.
- Security and admin controls
- SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA; SSO on Enterprise.
- Mobile app and frontline fit
- Mobile-first app (App Store 4.8, 70,000+ reviews per vendor); shifts, time clock, forms; read receipts for managers.
Choose it if
- Frontline and deskless teams needing scheduling, forms and chat in one mobile app.
- Businesses with under 10 employees (free plan)
Skip it if
- Teams that want a Slack-style chat tool only.
- Larger teams sensitive to per-user cost growth (G2 summary flags this)
Worth knowing
- Base price covers the first 30 users per hub; hubs are bought separately.
- Free plan limited to 10 users but includes all hubs.
- SSO is Enterprise-only.
Dialpad Meetings
Meetings module of Dialpad's AI communications platform, bundled with calling and messaging.
- Starting price
- $15 user/month (Dialpad Connect Standard)
- Pricing model
- per user
- G2 rating
- 4.4 (2,101 reviews)
- Pricing model
- Bundled in Dialpad Connect, per user.
- Participant and meeting length limits
- Large Meetings add-on raises limit to 1,500; base limit not stated.
- Security and compliance
- SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001/27017/27018, HIPAA-ready with one-click BAA.
- Recording and AI transcription
- Live AI transcription included; recordings and chat transcripts accessible.
Choose it if
- Teams already buying Dialpad for calling that want meetings in the same app.
- Regulated buyers needing SOC 2, ISO and a one-click BAA.
Skip it if
- Teams wanting a standalone meetings-only price.
- Buyers requiring EU data storage (stored in US per trust page)
Worth knowing
- Permanent data (recordings, transcripts) is stored in the US on Google Cloud; EU storage not stated.
- SAML and SCIM supported (Okta, Azure, Google Workspace, OneLogin named)
- Public DPA and BAA can be signed with one click.
When to stay with Slack
- Teams wanting channel-based chat with a large app ecosystem.
- Companies already on Salesforce.
- Organizations needing SAML SSO plus SCIM on a self-serve plan (Business+)