Communication · head to head
Line vs Mattermost
Line
Communication
Messaging app that dominates Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, now run by LY Corporation under joint SoftBank and Naver ownership
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Mattermost
Communication
Channel-centric collaboration for secure workflows
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Line has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Line line has negligible market share outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, so it is the wrong choice for reaching contacts in most other regions.; Mattermost no published pricing on public website; requires sales contact for all tiers
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Line and Mattermost actually diverge.
| Attribute | Line | Mattermost |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | Free to download, paid stickers and business messaging tiers | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web | 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 Line
- Line Pay
- Official Accounts
- Stickers and themes
- Line News
- Group and open chat
- Timeline
Only in Mattermost
Nothing recorded that Line does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Line
- A business selling to consumers in Japan that needs an Official Account rather than email or SMS to reach customersnot Mattermost
- An individual keeping in touch with contacts in Japan, Taiwan or Thailand where Line, not WhatsApp, is the defaultnot Mattermost
- A brand running promotions through Line stickers or Timeline content aimed at a Japanese audiencenot Mattermost
- A company processing consumer payments in Japan through Line Pay integrationnot Mattermost
Mattermost
- Team messaging and collaborationnot Line
- Secure enterprise communicationnot Line
- On-premise or self-hosted deploymentnot Line
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
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
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
Mattermost
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Mattermost review.
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Mattermost if
Nothing in the data separates Mattermost from Line on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Line or Mattermost better?
- Neither clearly leads. Line 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, Line or Mattermost?
- Line has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Line and On request for Mattermost.
- Does Line or Mattermost run on more platforms?
- Line runs on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web. Mattermost runs on Web.
- Can I use Line for free?
- Yes. Line has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mattermost starts at On request.
- What is Line best used for?
- Line is most often used for a business selling to consumers in japan that needs an official account rather than email or sms to reach customers, an individual keeping in touch with contacts in japan, taiwan or thailand where line, not whatsapp, is the default, a brand running promotions through line stickers or timeline content aimed at a japanese audience, a company processing consumer payments in japan through line pay integration. Of those, a business selling to consumers in japan that needs an official account rather than email or sms to reach customers and an individual keeping in touch with contacts in japan, taiwan or thailand where line, not whatsapp, is the default are not what Mattermost is typically brought in for.
- What can Line do that Mattermost cannot?
- Line covers Line Pay, Official Accounts, Stickers and themes, Line News.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Line: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
SourceRelated pages
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