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Communication · head to head

LINE WORKS vs Twist

LINE WORKS logo

LINE WORKS

Communication

Business chat built on the LINE interface, aimed at Japanese firms whose staff and customers already use LINE

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Twist logo

Twist

Communication

Distraction-free team communication

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: LINE WORKS the external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.; Twist the free plan only exposes the last 1 month of comments and messages; older history is hidden until you upgrade
  • They diverge on capability: LINE WORKS covers External LINE messaging, Twist covers Topic-based chat.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LINE WORKS and Twist actually diverge.

Attributes where LINE WORKS and Twist differ
AttributeLINE WORKSTwist
Pricing modelPer user per monthfreemium
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, macOSWeb, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android
FoundedUnknown2014

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 LINE WORKS

  • External LINE messaging
  • Chat and channels
  • Voice and video calls
  • Shared address book
  • Calendar and bulletin board
  • Drive
  • Business email
  • Admin controls

Only in Twist

  • Topic-based chat
  • Threading
  • File attachments
  • Search
  • Notifications control
  • Integrations
  • Mobile apps
  • Slack

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

LINE WORKS

  • A Japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over LINE rather than emailnot Twist
  • A clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on LINE but under corporate retention and auditnot Twist
  • A Japanese SME under 30 staff that wants managed business chat at no licence cost on the free tiernot Twist
  • The Japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that needs a local tool for front-line staff alongside the group standardnot Twist

Twist

  • Asynchronous team communication and project collaborationnot LINE WORKS
  • Teams requiring unlimited message history and integrationsnot LINE WORKS
  • Remote-first organizations minimizing synchronous meetingsnot LINE WORKS
  • Distributed teams across multiple time zonesnot LINE WORKS

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

LINE WORKS

  • The external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.
  • The free tier caps total storage at 5GB across the whole organisation, not per user, so a team sharing photos or documents exhausts it within weeks and is pushed onto a paid plan.
  • Business email is only on the Advanced plan at 800 yen per user, so an organisation wanting both chat and mail pays nearly double the Standard rate for every seat including staff who only chat.
  • Developer documentation, support and the integration catalogue are strongest in Japanese, which makes it awkward to administer from a non-Japanese IT function.
  • It has no serious developer or engineering workflow story, so organisations that also run Slack or Teams for technical teams end up maintaining two chat systems and two directories.

Twist

  • The free plan only exposes the last 1 month of comments and messages; older history is hidden until you upgrade
  • The free plan caps integrations at 5 and file storage at 5 GB
  • Full message history, unlimited integrations, unlimited storage and priority support all require the Unlimited plan at US$6 per user per month
  • Both plans cap the workspace at 500 internal member accounts and 500 external guest accounts

Pricing, plan by plan

LINE WORKS

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 30 users
    • 5GB total storage
    • Chat, calls, calendar and address book
  • Standard$450/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 1TB shared storage
    • Annual contract price, 540 yen monthly
  • Advanced$800/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Business email
    • 100TB shared storage

Twist

Free
  • Free PlanFree
    • Access up to 1 month of comments and messages
    • Up to 5 integrations
    • 5 GB storage
  • Unlimited Plan$6/month
    • Full history of comments and messages
    • Unlimited integrations
    • Unlimited file storage

Which should you pick?

Choose LINE WORKS if

  • You need external line messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want chat and channels.
LINE WORKS review

Choose Twist if

  • You need topic-based chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
  • You also want threading.
Twist review

Questions people ask

Is LINE WORKS or Twist better?
Neither clearly leads. LINE WORKS starts at Free and Twist at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LINE WORKS or Twist?
LINE WORKS starts at Free and Twist at Free.
Does LINE WORKS or Twist run on more platforms?
LINE WORKS runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS. Twist runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
Can I use LINE WORKS for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is LINE WORKS best used for?
LINE WORKS is most often used for a japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over line rather than email, a clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on line but under corporate retention and audit, a japanese sme under 30 staff that wants managed business chat at no licence cost on the free tier, the japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that needs a local tool for front-line staff alongside the group standard. Of those, a japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over line rather than email and a clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on line but under corporate retention and audit are not what Twist is typically brought in for.
What can LINE WORKS do that Twist cannot?
LINE WORKS covers External LINE messaging, Chat and channels, Voice and video calls, Shared address book. Twist covers Topic-based chat, Threading, File attachments, Search.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LINE WORKS: Can LINE WORKS really message ordinary LINE users?

Yes. That is its core differentiator and the reason Japanese customer-facing businesses buy it.

Twist: How much does Twist cost?

Twist offers a free plan with access to 1 month of message history and 5 GB storage. The Unlimited plan costs $6 per user per month with full message history and unlimited storage.

Source
LINE WORKS: Is there a free plan?

Yes, up to 30 users with 5GB of total organisation storage.

Twist: What is included in Twist's free plan?

The free plan includes access to up to one month of comments and messages, up to 5 integrations, 5 GB storage, and standard support.

Source
LINE WORKS: Does the Standard plan include email?

No. Business email is Advanced only, at 800 yen per user per month on an annual contract.

Twist: How is Twist priced for large teams?

Organizations with 200+ employees should contact [email protected] for custom enterprise pricing. Single-channel guests remain free on both tiers, while multi-channel guests on Unlimited are billed as regular members.

Source
LINE WORKS: Is it worth buying outside Japan?

Generally no. Without the consumer LINE bridge it competes poorly against Slack, Teams or Lark on features and ecosystem.

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