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» What exactly does Slack help with?
Slack is a communication tool built exclusively for the workplace. This is a single platform that allows you to exchange messages, files, and other things instantly. It will enable you to exchange items, but it also consists of a lot of add-ons that can be handy tools. The add-ons are the additional features and not very necessary. The interaction between various people on a single platform continues to be the primary use of Slack.» Why opt for Slack Alternatives?
Slack is an excellent platform for instant messaging, but it comes with its drawbacks. It's 2020, and there are many other competitors of this company who seem to provide us with better prospects than Slack. So what are the setbacks of Slack?› Team Centric
Slack seems to be team-centric, where one platform may end up with 10 Slack teams that have each new inboxes to check. This becomes a very confusing and tiring task.› Limit on Messages
Some people might find this crippling. The free version of Slack allows only 10,000 messages per account, and this limit may become bothersome after a certain point.› Expensive
The premium version of Slack starts at $6 per user monthly. While this may seem reasonable for certain people, but for small and medium-sized businesses who tend to have limited resources, this amount may seem costly.› No Read Indicators
This platform does not notify you if the other person has read your message. This way, you will never come to know if the other party has received some critical piece of information.› Extra Unnecessary Functionality
This platform offers too many features that your company may not even require, but you still have to pay for it. This also makes your team's collaboration chat a long and convoluted road.› One-to-one video/audio calls
In the free version of this platform, you can make only one-to-one audio/video calls and cannot conduct a conference call with many people at a single time.Top 11 Slack Alternatives 2020
The fact that Slack has numerous competitors on the market makes it easy for us to opt for better options. While some of them have almost similar inclinations as that of Slack, others seem to be quite diverse. This means that you can integrate these into your way of the workflow may be in better ways than Slack. Hence, we did a quick research and have selected the top 11 Slack Alternatives you can try. You can check out their top features and pricing to know which suits the best for you and your organization.1. Chanty
Chanty is a spontaneous and straightforward team chat for small and medium-sized businesses. They are provided with unlimited messaging and searchable history. This tool allows you to have public or private chats, which can be one-to-one or one-to-many conversations. It has a feature called Teambook, which organizes all your files, links, messages, and tasks into one single folder.› Key Features:
• Simple, clean, and eye-catchy interface. • Easy file sharing. • Unlimited message history. • Search across your workspace. • AI-powered messaging and replies. • Single notification center for all applications. • Faster and cheaper as compared to other apps.
› What sets it apart from other platforms?
Chanty has users to use smart responses, which are entirely based on Artificial Intelligence. You do not need to type generic replies, which can be predicted by the tool and automatically generated.
› Pricing:
• It is free up to 10 users per 10 integrations. • It also has a business plan for $3, which offers unlimited members, integrations, and storage space.
2. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is available to anyone who has an existing Microsoft Office 365 plan. In case you don't, you can opt for the free version of this platform, which allows up to 300 users. This free plan consists of all the basic and essential features that any company may require. They allow you to instantly message, make hassle-free audio/video calls, and have many other integrations. They also provide you 2GB storage per user and 10 GB that can be shared among your team.› Key Features:
• Unlimited chat messages. • Search option available. • Team file storage of 10GB and an additional 2GB per person. • Audio and video calling for one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many interactions. • Real-time content creation using built-in tools like Word, Powerpoint, OneNote, and Excel. • More than 140+ Business apps to choose from, for example, Adobe, Evernote, etc. • They allow threaded messaging. • You can join multiple internal teams and schedule meetings.
› What sets it apart from other platforms?
Since it's Microsoft's product, the whole user experience is hugely optimized for large and medium-sized enterprises. This is an excellent choice for a chat-based tool if you are working at a big scaled company.› Pricing:
• The core features are free up to 300 users. • The pro version starts at $6 per month and additional chargeable features.
3. Flock
Flock is a communication and task management platform that offers a broad set of features. It has the options of private and public channels and also allows users to convert discussions into tasks. It will enable secure audio and video calling options, which can be accessed by all the members of a team/organization. There is a feature where you can create and share code snippets on the go, which is a fantastic feature for all the developers. You can also upload files in any format, bookmark essential things and even create polls.› Key Features:
• One-on-one messaging allowed with private or public channels. • Convert discussions into tasks. • Video calls directly from conversations, audio conferencing, and screen sharing • Editable notes that can be taken down during a meeting that is accessible by the whole team • Upload and share content including Google Drive links, images, videos, apps and files • Create and share code fragments. • Bookmark any vital thing. • Poll creations that can use text/images. • Reminders for personal as well as team tasks. • The announcement channel consists of news and updates. • Company/Team directory available offline.
› What sets it apart from other platforms?
Flock is very similar to Slack. The key differentiating factor is that you can turn discussions into tasks by generating to-do lists for you and your team. You can also add due dates into these. Also, Flock is way more affordable than all the other options out there.
› Pricing:
• For the free package, you get limited usage. • For full functionality, it costs around $3 per month for one user.
4. Fleep
Fleep is an excellent tool for project management. It has an interactive, efficient, and intuitive UI interface. It has the basic functionalities of chat, audio, and video calling along with screen sharing. It also has various task making and tracking options. You can add a considerable amount of details to your conversations ranging from links, meeting notes, files, etc. You can also highlight specific messages which will be visible to all the members in the group. It prompts last seen, read recipients, or when a person is typing. You can also have conversations without having a Fleep account by only using your email.› Key Features:
• Team communication • Lightweight task administration • Audio-video calling and screen-sharing • Communicate & collaborate with other users • Integrations with Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive for file sharing • Pin important messages
› What sets it apart from other platforms?
Fleep is an ideal platform if you wish to work with people both inside your organization and outside. This platform does not confine you to team-only space. Here, you can communicate as well as collaborate with any other user belonging to different teams.
› Pricing:
• Pricing starts at €5 per user every month.
5. Ryver
Ryver is a team communication platform. It has a built-in task manager. It allows you to participate in open forums, exchange messages, and much more in private groups and one-to-one chats. It will enable audio, and video calls for up to 400 people.› Key Features:
• Single Sign-On (SSO). • Connect with other apps using existing plugins or by using API’s and webhooks to create custom integrations and bots. • News Streaming • Robust Encryption • Strictly-Regulated Data Storage
› What sets it apart from other platforms?
Ryver allows you to interact in an open forum, which is not such a common feature among other similar apps. This enables the users to interact with more people and meet their requirements (if any) quickly.
› Pricing:
• It has a 14-day free trial. • The usual cost starts at $49 per month that can be used by 12 users at most. • It has an unlimited plan for unlimited users at $99.
6. Google Meet
Google meet allows for a wide variety of people to have conversations online. It has three plans, for personal use, for business use, and G-Suite uses. The personal use platform can be easily accessed if you have a primary Gmail account. Although, for business accounts, you need to have a G-Suite account. You can access this platform from any device. Although, the free version only allows meeting for an hour, and the G-Suite plans offer 300 hours.› Key Features:
• Live captioning during audio/video calls. • Unlimited number of meetings. • Compatibility across various devices. • Hosts can have controls over the calls. • It has integration with Google and Microsoft apps.
› What sets it apart from other platforms?
Google never fails to amaze us with new features now and then. The G-Suite platform will have a live streaming feature that will allow up to 100,000 viewers at a time. They are also planning to develop an intelligent system that uses Artificial Intelligence to cancel noise cancellation.
› Pricing:
• The free version allows only one hour of the call and can have up to 100 meeting participants. • G-Suite essentials start at $10 per month for 150 users.
7. RocketChat
RocketChat is intricately designed for people who wish to host their chat service. It is a free, fully customizable and an open-source platform. You can easily migrate from any other platform by merely exporting your files. This tool also offers a real-time translation of 50+ languages automatically. It also has a voice messaging feature and calls and messages with end to end encryption.› Key Features:
• Live-chat widgets are available for websites. • Audio and video conferencing, screen sharing • Voice messages and messages end to end encrypted • Real-time automatic translation • Allows endless customization of themes, integrations, etc. • Marketplace for apps.
› What sets it apart from other platforms?
RocketChat is entirely free to use, and you can ultimately make it your utilizing customization. The downside of open source projects is that there's no official customer service
› Pricing:
• The community package is free. • The pro package is for $3 per month for a single user. • They have tiered pricing and volume discount for enterprise usage. • They also offer a cloud solution starting at $3 per user.
8. Discord
Discord is an excellent platform for team communication, especially for gamers. This platform doesn't feel new, even if you are new to it. It has a very familiar UI and features that you may have already seen on other tools/platforms. It is fascinating to use while participating in Dota 2 battles, but it also meets all the collaboration challenges that most companies face.› Key Features:
• An invite-only place with plenty of room to talk about. • Different channels for text and voice. • Public and private channels available. • If you are looking for office use, it only offers text, voice, and video communication. • Doesn’t offer any extra office tools. • Send instant chat invites.
› What sets it apart from other platforms?
This is the only platform in this list that offers features like push-to-talk and instant invite links. The instant invite links help you to share your chat server with anyone.
› Pricing:
• Free for all essential features. • Paid plan starts at $5 per month for a user with custom emojis, GIF avatars, and larger file uploads in your group chats.
9. Mattermost
Mattermost is an open-source and profoundly customizable communication tool with a private cloud option. Though this platform majorly targets larger enterprise companies, it also offers a free version for smaller groups/teams with features like unlimited message history and multi-language support along with various integrations.› Key Features:
• Threaded discussions. • Customizability on a whole level. • Multi-language support is available. • Custom emojis are also available. • A small enterprise edition is available.
› What sets it apart from other platforms?
Mattermost is the only Slack Alternative in this list that is open-source and also can be self-hosted.
› Pricing:
• Free plan available for small teams. • Enterprise plans start at $39 per year for a single user.
(Note: You need to have at least ten users to purchase this tool)
10. Glip
Glip is an excellent tool if you wish to simplify communication. It offers messaging for local and remote teams, file sharing, and task management options. Standard features like video/audio calling and screen sharing are available. You can track everyone's progress in your team by a central calendar. You can assign tasks on this calendar, mark events, take notes, etc. It has an unlimited storage option, which allows you to save files in all formats.› Key Features:
• Unlimited team messaging, audio and video calls, and chat for unlimited users. • Share and collaborate on files. • Task management includes task creation, assignment, sharing, and tracking. • Notes for text editing in conversations • File upload, sharing, and storage • Centralized team calendar for notes, events, and tasks.
› What sets it apart from other platforms?
It has built-in features like document collaboration, calendar, and tasks that are not available on Slack.
› Pricing:
• The free plan includes everything, but the shared video chat is limited to 500 minutes. • The standard plan starts at $5 per month for a single user, allowing 1000 minutes of shared video along with advanced admin controls and data retention policies.
11. Cisco Webex Teams
Cisco Webex Teams, previously known as Cisco Spark, is a communication tool for managing and administrating teams/groups. They provide tools for project managers even though their roots are mainly embedded in hardware development. These tools allow multiple communication options and collaborations. It can be ideally used by organizations internally. Since it is a cloud-based computing paradigm, you can work anywhere with it.› Key Features:
• One-to-one and many-to-many communication via texts, voice, and video. • A Whiteboard is available for sharing ideas and sketching. • Allows scheduling and file sharing. • It has end-to-end encryption.
› What sets it apart from other platforms?
It is a very secure and end-to-end encrypted platform. It also supports a wide range of collaboration tools, for example, the whiteboard feature.
› Pricing:
• It has a basic package which is free for some features. • The premium package starts at $24 per month for eight people to $69 per month for up to 100 people.
Communication tools are a new concept for many companies, and they are still in the evolving stage. These platforms make remote working easy and allow people to work effortlessly without any communication mishaps between the groups. In the near future, we can expect nearly all companies to integrate these platforms and tools into their systems.Buyer’s Guide
[sc_fs_multi_faq headline-0="h3" question-0="What is Slack used for?" answer-0="Business communication platform slack is used for various communication needs and individual or group video and audio calls. You can organize chat rooms according to topics, have private groups, and also direct messaging with the help of this application." image-0="" headline-1="h3" question-1="How much does Slack cost?" answer-1="Slack offers a free version that offers you access to 10000 latest message of your teams and individual video and audio calling. In the Standard version, you have to pay $6.67 per month to access all the chats and do group voice and video calls with up to 15 people. The Plus plan enables you to do around-the-clock teamwork and advanced identity management for $12.50 per month." image-1="" headline-2="h3" question-2="Is there a free version of Slack?" answer-2="Slack has a free version that can give you access to the 10000 latest messages of your teams, integrations with ten other platforms like Google Drive, Office, and also offers individual video and audio calling features. This version does not have an expiry date. But to unlock the advanced features or have all the chats of your team, you have to upgrade to the pro version." image-2="" headline-3="h3" question-3="What are the best Slack alternatives?" answer-3="
- Chanty
- Microsoft Teams
- Flock
- Fleep
- Ryver
- Google meet
- RocketChat
- Discord
- Mattermost
- Glip
- Cisco Webex Teams
" image-3="" headline-4="h3" question-4="What other free alternatives to Slack?" answer-4="Chanty can be the best alternative to Slack, as it can accommodate ten members per 10 integrations at the free version and cost only $3 for the business plan. Microsoft teams have a Premium plan for $1 per month and an Enterprise plan for $5 per month apart from its free version." image-4="" count="5" html="true" css_class=""]
