Communication · head to head
Kakao Work vs Mattermost
Kakao Work
Communication
Korean business messaging built on the KakaoTalk interface for domestic enterprise teams
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Mattermost
Communication
Channel-centric collaboration for secure workflows
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Kakao Work has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Kakao Work the product, documentation, support and commercial materials are Korea-first, so a company with overseas offices ends up running a second messaging tool for non-Korean staff and splitting its conversation history across two systems.; Mattermost no published pricing on public website; requires sales contact for all tiers
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Kakao Work and Mattermost actually diverge.
| Attribute | Kakao Work | Mattermost |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | Per user per month | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Web |
Identical on both: 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 Kakao Work
- KakaoTalk-style messaging
- Organisation chart
- Video meetings
- Kakao Work Drive
- Approvals and workflow
- Bots and open API
- Admin retention controls
- Casper AI assistant
Only in Mattermost
Nothing recorded that Kakao Work does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Kakao Work
- A Korean manufacturer moving work conversations off staff personal KakaoTalk accounts and into a tenant with retention and audit controlsnot Mattermost
- A Korean public agency that must keep official communications on a domestically operated service with records exportnot Mattermost
- A mid-sized Korean firm whose warehouse and field staff will not adopt Slack but already use KakaoTalk dailynot Mattermost
- A Korean company that wants approvals, chat and the organisation chart in one tool rather than paying separately for groupware and messagingnot Mattermost
Mattermost
- Team messaging and collaborationnot Kakao Work
- Secure enterprise communicationnot Kakao Work
- On-premise or self-hosted deploymentnot Kakao Work
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Kakao Work
- The product, documentation, support and commercial materials are Korea-first, so a company with overseas offices ends up running a second messaging tool for non-Korean staff and splitting its conversation history across two systems.
- The third-party integration catalogue is small next to Slack or Microsoft Teams, so connecting a Western SaaS stack usually means writing against the open API yourself rather than installing an app.
- Prices are set and billed in Korean won with 10 percent VAT added on top, which makes cost forecasting awkward for any buyer whose budget is held in another currency.
- Kakao Enterprise has restructured repeatedly since 2023 and refocused around AI, which puts long-term roadmap certainty for the collaboration suite below that of a vendor whose only product this is.
- The deliberate resemblance to consumer KakaoTalk is a training advantage but a governance risk: staff move between the two apps by habit and a share of work conversation keeps leaking back to personal accounts, which is precisely what the tool was bought to stop.
Mattermost
- No published pricing on public website; requires sales contact for all tiers
- Three tiers (Professional, Enterprise, Enterprise Advanced) have feature differences but no cost transparency
- User scaling caps differ between tiers without public price justification
Pricing, plan by plan
Kakao Work
Free- FreeFree
- Core messaging
- Basic video meetings
- Limited shared storage
- Mini$2400/month
- Messaging-focused plan
- Message encryption and security controls
- Annual billing rate; monthly billing is 2,900 KRW
- Standard$6500/month
- Mail and collaboration tools
- Larger drive capacity
- Approvals and workflow
- Premium$9900/month
- Large storage allocation
- All user and administrator features
- AI assistant features
Mattermost
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Mattermost review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Kakao Work if
- You need kakaotalk-style messaging.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
- You also want organisation chart.
Choose Mattermost if
Nothing in the data separates Mattermost from Kakao Work on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Kakao Work or Mattermost better?
- Neither clearly leads. Kakao Work starts at Free and Mattermost at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Kakao Work or Mattermost?
- Kakao Work has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Kakao Work and On request for Mattermost.
- Does Kakao Work or Mattermost run on more platforms?
- Kakao Work runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Mattermost runs on Web.
- Can I use Kakao Work for free?
- Yes. Kakao Work has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mattermost starts at On request.
- What is Kakao Work best used for?
- Kakao Work is most often used for a korean manufacturer moving work conversations off staff personal kakaotalk accounts and into a tenant with retention and audit controls, a korean public agency that must keep official communications on a domestically operated service with records export, a mid-sized korean firm whose warehouse and field staff will not adopt slack but already use kakaotalk daily, a korean company that wants approvals, chat and the organisation chart in one tool rather than paying separately for groupware and messaging. Of those, a korean manufacturer moving work conversations off staff personal kakaotalk accounts and into a tenant with retention and audit controls and a korean public agency that must keep official communications on a domestically operated service with records export are not what Mattermost is typically brought in for.
- What can Kakao Work do that Mattermost cannot?
- Kakao Work covers KakaoTalk-style messaging, Organisation chart, Video meetings, Kakao Work Drive.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Kakao Work: Can a non-Korean company use Kakao Work?
Technically yes, and the app supports several interface languages, but support, billing and the integration catalogue assume a Korean entity. Most non-Korean buyers should not.
Mattermost: What user limits apply to each Mattermost pricing tier?
Professional tier supports maximum 250 users. Enterprise scales to 50,000 concurrent users. Enterprise Advanced scales to 200,000 concurrent users. Exact per-user costs not stated.
SourceKakao Work: Is there a genuinely free plan?
Yes. The Free tier gives core messaging and basic meetings with limited storage, no trial expiry.
Mattermost: What support response times are included with each plan?
Professional includes community support plus business hours professional support with next business day response. Enterprise includes 24x7 support with 4-hour response time. Enterprise Advanced includes 24x7 with Premier Support option.
SourceKakao Work: How does it differ from KakaoTalk?
KakaoTalk is a consumer messenger on personal accounts. Kakao Work is an administered tenant with an organisation chart, retention controls and approvals, in a near-identical interface.
Mattermost: How much does Mattermost cost for teams under 250 users?
Pricing for Professional tier with user counts under 250 is not disclosed publicly. Contact Mattermost sales for specific quotes.
SourceKakao Work: What does it actually cost?
From 2,400 KRW per user per month on annual billing for Mini, up to 9,900 KRW for Premium, all excluding 10 percent VAT, under the plan structure effective July 2026.
Related pages
Other head to heads
- Kakao Work vs Slack
- Kakao Work vs Microsoft Teams
- Kakao Work vs Lark
- Kakao Work vs Naver Works
- Kakao Work vs LINE WORKS
- Kakao Work vs Webex by Cisco
- Kakao Work vs Flock
- Kakao Work vs Sessions
- Kakao Work vs TeamViewer
- Kakao Work vs Chatwork
- Kakao Work vs Telegram
- Kakao Work vs Chanty
- Kakao Work vs Google Chat
- Kakao Work vs Grasshopper
- Kakao Work vs Zoom
- Kakao Work vs RingCentral Video
- Kakao Work vs Loom
- Kakao Work vs Novu
- Kakao Work vs Rocket.Chat
- Kakao Work vs KakaoTalk
- Kakao Work vs Quo
- Kakao Work vs Signal
- Mattermost vs Slack
- Mattermost vs Microsoft Teams
- Mattermost vs Lark
- Mattermost vs Naver Works
- Mattermost vs LINE WORKS
- Mattermost vs Webex by Cisco
- Mattermost vs Flock
- Mattermost vs Sessions
- Mattermost vs TeamViewer
- Mattermost vs Chatwork
- Mattermost vs Telegram
- Mattermost vs Chanty
- Mattermost vs Google Chat
- Mattermost vs Grasshopper
- Mattermost vs Zoom
- Mattermost vs RingCentral Video
- Mattermost vs Loom
- Mattermost vs Novu
- Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat
- Mattermost vs KakaoTalk
- Mattermost vs Quo
- Mattermost vs Signal