The Best Slack AlternativesTop Group Chat Apps & Instant Messengers like Slack

Slack is described as 'Facilitates teams' real-time collaboration with versatile chat interface and advanced search in configurable channels across multiple platforms' and is a leading Group Chat app in the social & communications category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Slack for a variety of platforms, including Web-based, Android, iPhone, Windows and Mac apps. The best Slack alternative is Element. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Element or Zulip. Other great apps like Slack are Rocket.Chat, Discord, Matrix and Wire.

filter to find the best alternatives

Slack alternatives are mainly Group Chat Apps, but if you're looking for Team Collaboration Tools or Video Calling Apps you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Self-Hosted, Self-Hosted + Open Source and Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Slack.
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Alternatives list

  1. Element icon

    Element

     780 likes

    Provides secure collaboration with end-to-end encryption, supporting chat, voice, and video calls. Available on all major platforms, it enables digital sovereignty with a decentralized design and interoperability through bridges to systems like Slack and Teams. Includes enterprise-grade SaaS.

    307 Element alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Matrix.org
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Snapcraft
    Video calls for desktop and mobile
     
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    13
    Element vs Slack Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    brinerustle
    6

    because its open source, decentralised, and end-to-end secure. Plus the folks at matrix.org are working to get us out of our communication silos by creating standards for communication interoperability!

    Top Negative Comment
    davaga6837
    1

    Element is way too buggy and slow. It's actually totally free unlike the description which says it's not free. But, free isn't enough when the software is just buggy and slow.

    Dserver Hosting
    Positive
    1

    this is a open source and free software that is very useful for me

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 13 comments
    • Element is Free Personal and Open SourceSlack is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Element is Privacy focused and LightweightSlack is not according to our users
  2. Zulip icon

    Zulip

     267 likes

    Threaded group conversations combine live and asynchronous messaging, separating topics for organized collaboration, supporting open-source, cloud, and self-hosted deployments, secure communication with encryption, and multi-platform access for diverse teams.

    226 Zulip alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Zulip screenshot 1
     
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    77
    Zulip vs Slack Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Paulo Coghi
    10

    More than feature parity with Slack, it's better because of Streams and Topics. It offer the same free tier with 10.000 max messages and better paid plans to the hosted version, and also provide the open source self-hosted option to install it on your own server and also remove the max messages limits. 5 stars

    Nakul Verma
    Positive
    0

    Zulip is a very good free and open source software that helps people to conversation to each other on random and some important topics separately. A usercan see who is online or ofline at the real time that is awesome.

    gilbertbw
    Positive
    0

    Zulip's threading model is no much richer than Slacks (where it feels like a bolted feature). This starts to become noticable at even just three person organisations and only gets more important as you grow. In addition the ability to self host gives smaller businesses more flexability than Slack.

    3 of 77 comments
    • Zulip is Free Personal and Open SourceSlack is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Zulip is Privacy focusedSlack is not according to our users
  4. Mattermost icon

    Mattermost

     254 likes

    Self-hosted collaboration platform featuring chat, workflow automation, voice and video calling, screen sharing, AI capabilities, broad third-party integration support, cross-platform apps, compatibility with Slack imports, and flexible deployment options for secure team communication.

    134 Mattermost alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • JavaScript
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Go (Programming Language)
    • Cloudron
    Mattermost screenshot 1
     
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    22
    Mattermost vs Slack Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    shelehovchanin
    6

    Same functionality. Same interface. At the same time, there are much fewer restrictions. IN my experience, the free version is great enough for a team of 100 people

    Top Negative Comment
    Alex Hoyau
    6

    Beware this is not free/libre software, not even fully open source, mattermost is open core (like freemium is not fully free/gratis)

    Indiana Lake
    Positive
    0

    Same with more emphasis on privacy.

    3 of 22 comments
    • Mattermost is Paid and ProprietarySlack is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Mattermost is LightweightSlack is not according to our users
  5. Ad
  6. Rocket.Chat icon

    Rocket.Chat

     159 likes

    Open-source chat server supporting real-time group, direct, and private messaging, video calls, file sharing, helpdesk chat, API integrations, desktop notifications, emojis, LDAP authentication, cross-platform apps, and customizable extensions for teams.

    144 Rocket.Chat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    Rocket.Chat screenshot 1
     
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    3
    Rocket.Chat vs Slack Comments
    John Fastman
    Positive
    10

    Does everything Slack does AND it's open source. However, it's also self-hosted. This means you have to put in the effort to set it up, but you control your own data, which is a huge advantage to your privacy - your chats and files don't sit on someone else's servers, ready for them or hackers to look at.

    Guest
    Positive
    7

    Rocket.Chat comes very close to slack regarding it's core features and handling.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    2

    open source, locally hosted so you own your data.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Rocket.Chat is Freemium and Open SourceSlack is Freemium and Proprietary
  7. Discord icon

    Discord

     1112 likes

    An integrated platform for text and voice communications. Offers tailored channels for different topics, customizable moderation tools, low latency for fluency, and managed user roles for optimal community facilitation.

    192 Discord alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Snapcraft
    • Epic Games Store
    • Flathub
    • Electron
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
    Desktop UI
     
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    15
    Discord vs Slack Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    James Brown
    10

    Very very similar in terms of use and features. Of course, discord is marketed as for gamers while slack is for teams but usage is almost identical.

    Top Negative Comment
    thompsonmj
    10

    Slack is a project productivity and communication enhancement tool with integrating with other collaborative tools like GitHub, document editors, storage, etc. Discord is for recreational chatting.

    KazimirPodolski
    Negative
    1

    Slack is a work tool, Discord is common chatting and communities.

    3 of 15 comments
    • Discord is Freemium and ProprietarySlack is also Freemium and Proprietary
  8. Matrix icon

    Matrix

     388 likes

    Open standard protocol enabling decentralized, encrypted instant messaging, VoIP signaling, IoT device connectivity, and persistent data management across federated servers without central control or single points of failure, bridging communication platforms.

    170 Matrix alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • WebRTC
    • Python
    • JavaScript
    • Go (Programming Language)
    • Cloudron
    • Java
    • Perl
    Main Page
     
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    7
    Matrix vs Slack Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Vladimir Studinsky
    2

    Open source, fecentralized, federation, chat-voice-video function.

    Top Negative Comment
    somegirlfromit
    18

    Matrix is a protocol, not a client.

    Guest
    Positive
    4

    Respects your Freedom. Increasingly popular

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 7 comments
    • Matrix is Free and Open SourceSlack is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Matrix is Privacy focused, Security-focused and LightweightSlack is not according to our users
  10. Wire icon

    Wire

     317 likes

    Wire is the most secure collaboration platform featuring messenger, voice, video, conference calls, file-sharing, and external collaboration –all protected by the most secure end-to-end-encryption.

    284 Wire alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    Wire screenshot 1
     
  11. Stoat Chat icon

    Stoat Chat

     108 likes

    Instant messaging platform supporting text and voice channels, live video calls, secure screen sharing, private group chats, customizable permissions, moderation tools, bot integration, privacy-focused design, open-source development, and cross-platform use.

    50 Stoat Chat alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Rust
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    User settings page, on "Appearance" tab
     
  12. Threema icon

    Threema

     137 likes

    Threema is a new mobile messaging app that puts security first. With true end-to-end encryption, you can rest assured that only you and the intended recipient can read your messages.

    124 Threema alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • iPad
    • F-Droid
    • Flathub
    Threema screenshot 1
     
  14. AirSend icon

    AirSend

     53 likes

    AirSend is a simple collaboration space for professionals and small teams that brings all your conversations, files, notes, and to-do lists into one place so that you can get work done faster and easier.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    AirSend screenshot 1
     
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    18
    AirSend vs Slack Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    mio
    2

    Slack limits itself to specific workspaces of teams. If you want to communicate between organizations or teams, shared channels are hard to setup and manage. AirSend doesn't have those issues.

    Thiago Oliveira
    Positive
    0

    I think the combination of communication and task/file management makes Airsend an excellent tool. They are always including new features. Best of all it is Free.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    hazzelle721
    Positive
    0

    Collaboration is made easy

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 18 comments
    • AirSend is Freemium and ProprietarySlack is also Freemium and Proprietary
  15. Echoed icon

    Echoed

     20 likes

    Lightweight communication platform with unlimited channels, seamless voice and video, screen sharing, private file sharing, advanced task and calendar tools, robust privacy features, emoji and thread support, and multi-platform efficiency for gaming or team communities.

    59 Echoed alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    Chat Channels
     
12 of 230 Slack alternatives