Communication · alternatives
Alternatives to Slack
21 communication tools sit alongside Slack in this directory. Below is what separates each from Slack on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 21
- With a free tier
- 17
- Cheaper to start
- 6
- Slack starts at
- Free, then $7.25/month
Why people look past Slack
Nothing on the record flags a reason to move. Slack has a free tier, and starts at $7.25/month against a category median of $16.49/month. People still switch over fit and workflow, and those are not things a catalogue entry can measure, which is what the comparisons below are for.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Video conferencing that's easy, reliable, and secure
- Starts $7.74 a month dearer, at $14.99/month.
Pure instant messaging — simple, fast, secure, and synced across all your devices
- Starts $2.26 a month cheaper, at $4.99/month.
Messaging app that dominates Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, now run by LY Corporation under joint SoftBank and Naver ownership
Priced and rated the same as Slack on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Chinese super-app combining messaging, payments, mini programs and identity, effectively required infrastructure in mainland China
Priced and rated the same as Slack on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Meta's standalone messaging app for Facebook, with end to end encryption on by default since 2023
Priced and rated the same as Slack on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Messaging app with its strongest user base in Eastern Europe and the Philippines, owned by Japans Rakuten
Priced and rated the same as Slack on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Every Slack alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slack (this page) | Free, then $7.25/month | - | - | |
| ZoomVideo communication and collaboration platform with screen sharing and meeting recording capabilities. | Free, then $14.99/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Slack |
| TelegramMessaging platform with group chat and channel capabilities, free and open-source. | Free, then $4.99/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Slack |
| Line | Free | Free to download, paid stickers and business messaging tiers | 1 | vs Slack |
| Free | Free to download, transaction fees on payments | 1 | vs Slack | |
| Messenger | Free | Free, funded by Meta's advertising business | 1 | vs Slack |
| Viber | Free | Free to download, paid business messaging and out calls to landlines and mobiles | 1 | vs Slack |
| KakaoTalk | Free | Free to download, paid emoticons, gifting and business messaging | 1 | vs Slack |
| Sessions | Free | Per user per month | 4 | vs Slack |
| Naver Works | Free, then 3000/month | Per user per month | 4 | vs Slack |
| Kakao Work | Free, then 2400/month | Per user per month | 4 | vs Slack |
| Novu | Free, then $30/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Slack |
| Courier | Free | Usage-based | 3 | vs Slack |
| Textline | Free | Freemium | 3 | vs Slack |
| Twist | Free, then $6/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Slack |
| Vowel | Free, then $16.49/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Slack |
| Microsoft Teams | Free, then $4/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Slack |
| Disciple | £599/month | Per month, flat fee with no transaction charge | 3 | vs Slack |
| Gupshup | $0.001/message | Per message sent | 1 | vs Slack |
| Mattermost | On request | Quote | - | vs Slack |
| Google Chat | On request | Subscription | - | vs Slack |
| LINE WORKS | Free, then 450/month | Per user per month | 3 | vs Slack |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Slack badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Cheaper than Slack (6)
Entry price under Slack's $7.25/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
What you would be giving up
Slack is most often brought in for team communication, project coordination, customer support, remote work, cross-functional collaboration. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Slack is broadly right and the question is cost, the Slack pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Communication category lists everything the directory holds, and best communication tools ranks them.
Slack runs on web, ios, android, macos, windows, linux. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Slack alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Slack?
- 21 other communication tools are listed in this directory, led by Zoom, Telegram, Line, WeChat. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Slack?
- 17 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Zoom, Telegram, Line, WeChat, Messenger.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Slack?
- Yes. 6 of the alternatives below start under Slack's $7.25/month: Telegram at Free, then $4.99/month, Courier at Free, Textline at Free, Twist at Free, then $6/month.
- Is there a reason to switch away from Slack?
- Nothing in the data flags one. Slack has a free tier, and starts at $7.25/month against a category median of $16.49/month. Fit and workflow are the usual reasons to move, and those are not things this record can measure.
- What would I give up by switching from Slack?
- Slack is most often brought in for team communication, project coordination, customer support, remote work, cross-functional collaboration. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Slack?
- None of the communication tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Slack alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Communication, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Slack against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Slack covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every communication tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Communication category, 21 tools beside Slack. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.