Productivity
Team chat apps
Team chat apps replace internal email with channels, threads and direct messages that the whole team can search. Most add voice and video calls, file sharing, and integrations that post updates from other tools into a channel; some can be self-hosted, and many now summarise long threads with AI.
Slack
Team messaging built around channels, with huddles, canvases and workflow automation
Google Chat
Direct messages and spaces inside Google Workspace, with Meet and Gemini built in
Discord
Group chat with text, voice and video, built around gaming and community servers
Mattermost
Self-hosted team messaging and workflow platform for security-sensitive organizations
Rocket.Chat
Self-hostable secure messaging platform with Matrix and XMPP federation
Element
Secure messaging and calls built on the decentralised Matrix standard
Pumble
Team chat with a free plan that keeps unlimited users and message history
Microsoft Teams
Chat, meetings and calling, sold alone or inside Microsoft 365
Side by side
How to choose
- 1
What does the free plan keep: how much message history, how many integrations, and how long calls can run?
- 2
Is it priced per active user, and does it include guests or people from other companies in shared channels?
- 3
Does it come with tools you already pay for, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace?
- 4
Do you need to host it yourself, or control where messages are stored, for compliance?
Also worth a look
Tools listed elsewhere that do this job too.
Zoom Workplace
Video meetings with team chat, mail, calendar, docs and an AI companion in one app
Webex
Video meetings, calling and messaging from Cisco
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Questions
What are team chat apps?
Team chat apps replace internal email with channels, threads and direct messages that the whole team can search. Most add voice and video calls, file sharing, and integrations that post updates from other tools into a channel; some can be self-hosted, and many now summarise long threads with AI.
Which team chat apps have a free plan?
Of the 8 listed here, 4 have a free plan: Slack, Rocket.Chat, Element and Pumble. Free plans are limited; each tool's page lists the limits.
Which of these team chat apps costs least to start?
Of the tools here with a published price, the lowest entry price is Pumble's Pro plan at $2.49/seat/mo billed annually, as published on its pricing page on 7 November 2026. The cheapest plan is not always the best value: check what each plan includes.