Communication · head to head
Flock vs Line
Line
Communication
Messaging app that dominates Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, now run by LY Corporation under joint SoftBank and Naver ownership
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Flock the Starter plan only makes the most recent 10,000 messages searchable and caps public channels at 10; Line line has negligible market share outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, so it is the wrong choice for reaching contacts in most other regions.
- They diverge on capability: Flock covers Team chat, Line covers Line Pay.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Flock and Line actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Communication).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Flock
- Team chat
- Channels
- Threads
- File sharing
- Polls
- Integrations
- Mobile apps
- Slack
Only in Line
- Line Pay
- Official Accounts
- Stickers and themes
- Line News
- Group and open chat
- Timeline
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Flock
- Team messaging with channels, direct messages and file sharingnot Line
- Running polls, to-dos and reminders inside a chat workspacenot Line
- Video conferencing and screen sharing for small teamsnot Line
Line
- A business selling to consumers in Japan that needs an Official Account rather than email or SMS to reach customersnot Flock
- An individual keeping in touch with contacts in Japan, Taiwan or Thailand where Line, not WhatsApp, is the defaultnot Flock
- A brand running promotions through Line stickers or Timeline content aimed at a Japanese audiencenot Flock
- A company processing consumer payments in Japan through Line Pay integrationnot Flock
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Flock
- The Starter plan only makes the most recent 10,000 messages searchable and caps public channels at 10
- Starter storage is 5 GB for the entire team, against 10 GB per member on Pro and 20 GB per member on Enterprise
- Starter allows a single team admin and a single approved domain
- Group video calls and screen sharing require the Pro plan; Starter is limited to 1-1 video calls
- Group video calls are capped at 20 participants even on Enterprise
- Single Sign-On and Active Directory sync are Enterprise only
- Enterprise is quote only, with no published rate, and is positioned for organisations with 100 or more members
- Unlimited auto-join and announcement channels require Enterprise; Starter and Pro get one of each
Line
- Line has negligible market share outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, so it is the wrong choice for reaching contacts in most other regions.
- A 2021 incident exposed that some user data had been accessible from servers operated in China, which led to a formal restructuring of data governance and remains a reference point for privacy sensitive users.
- Standard chats are not end to end encrypted by default in the way Signal is; Letter Sealing, an opt-in encryption feature, has to be manually enabled per chat.
- Business messaging through Official Accounts becomes expensive quickly once a company exceeds the free monthly message allowance and moves to a metered plan.
- Ownership sits inside a SoftBank and Naver joint venture with a history of governance disputes between the two partners, which creates strategic uncertainty for enterprise customers relying on the platform long term.
Pricing, plan by plan
Flock
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited chats
- Channels
- File sharing
- Pro$5/month
- Everything in Free
- Advanced search
- API access
Line
Free- LineFree
- Free messaging, voice and video calling
- Individual sticker sets typically cost a few hundred yen each
- Line Official Account has a free tier with message volume limits, then paid tiers by monthly message count
Which should you pick?
Choose Flock if
- You need team chat.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
- You also want channels.
Choose Line if
- You need line pay.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
- You also want official accounts.
Questions people ask
- Is Flock or Line better?
- Neither clearly leads. Flock starts at Free and Line at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Flock or Line?
- Flock starts at Free and Line at Free.
- Does Flock or Line run on more platforms?
- Flock runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android. Line runs on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
- Can I use Flock for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Flock best used for?
- Flock is most often used for team messaging with channels, direct messages and file sharing, running polls, to-dos and reminders inside a chat workspace, video conferencing and screen sharing for small teams. Of those, team messaging with channels, direct messages and file sharing and running polls, to-dos and reminders inside a chat workspace are not what Line is typically brought in for.
- What can Flock do that Line cannot?
- Flock covers Team chat, Channels, Threads, File sharing. Line covers Line Pay, Official Accounts, Stickers and themes, Line News.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Flock: Does Flock offer a free plan?
Yes, Flock's Starter plan is free and supports teams with 1-20 members, including 10,000 searchable messages and 5 GB storage.
SourceLine: Is Line encrypted by default?
Chats use standard transport encryption, but full end to end Letter Sealing encryption must be turned on manually per conversation, it is not the default.
Flock: What does Flock's Pro plan include?
The Pro plan supports teams with 20-100 members and offers unlimited messages, 10 GB per team member storage, and a 30-day free trial with no credit card required.
SourceLine: Does Line work well outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand?
Technically yes, but almost nobody uses it as their primary messenger outside those markets, so it is the wrong choice to reach most other audiences.
Flock: How does Flock charge for external guests?
External guests are free for 90 days from date of invitation. After 90 days, guests are charged at the same rate as other team members.
SourceLine: Who owns Line now?
LY Corporation, formed from a merger of Line and Yahoo Japan businesses, controlled by A Holdings, a joint venture between SoftBank and Naver.
Related pages
Other head to heads
- Flock vs Microsoft Teams
- Flock vs RingCentral Video
- Flock vs Zoom
- Flock vs Loom
- Flock vs Kakao Work
- Flock vs Slack
- Flock vs Webex by Cisco
- Flock vs LINE WORKS
- Flock vs Naver Works
- Flock vs Courier
- Flock vs Chatwork
- Flock vs Twist
- Flock vs Chanty
- Flock vs Disciple
- Flock vs Google Chat
- Flock vs Grasshopper
- Flock vs WeChat
- Flock vs KakaoTalk
- Flock vs Viber
- Flock vs Messenger
- Flock vs Gupshup
- Flock vs Rocket.Chat
- Flock vs Sessions
- Flock vs Signal
- Flock vs TeamViewer
- Flock vs Textline
- Flock vs WhatsApp
- Line vs Microsoft Teams
- Line vs RingCentral Video
- Line vs Zoom
- Line vs Loom
- Line vs Kakao Work
- Line vs Slack
- Line vs Webex by Cisco
- Line vs LINE WORKS
- Line vs Naver Works
- Line vs Courier
- Line vs Chatwork
- Line vs Twist
- Line vs Chanty
- Line vs Disciple
- Line vs Google Chat
- Line vs Grasshopper
- Line vs WeChat
- Line vs KakaoTalk
- Line vs Viber
- Line vs Messenger
- Line vs Gupshup
- Line vs Rocket.Chat
- Line vs Sessions
- Line vs Signal
- Line vs TeamViewer
- Line vs Textline
- Line vs WhatsApp