Slack competitors

Updated: August 01, 2023

Slack competitors are digital communication and collaboration platforms that offer similar features and functionalities to Slack, but with distinct offerings that cater to specific business needs and preferences. Some notable competitors include Microsoft Teams, which integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft Office suite and provides robust team collaboration features; Google Chat and Google Meet, which offer chat and video conferencing capabilities integrated into the Google Workspace (formerly G Suite); and Discord, initially popular among gaming communities, but increasingly adopted by businesses for its voice, video, and text communication tools. These Slack alternatives often provide additional integrations, security measures, and customization options that differentiate them from Slack, allowing organizations to choose the platform that best aligns with their communication and collaboration requirements. As the demand for remote work and virtual collaboration continues to grow, Slack competitors play a vital role in the modern workplace, enabling efficient team communication and coordination across various industries and business environments.

See also: Top 10 Team Messaging platforms

2019. Slack competitor Facebook Workplace has raised its prices for the first time


After a span of three years and an impressive sign-up count of 2 million paying users, Facebook Workplace is revamping its pricing structure. In the past, Facebook's approach to pricing Workplace was straightforward, setting it apart as a paid service unlike the free Facebook platform. The pricing model was based on the fundamental concept of Facebook as a consumer product: a basic version was available for free, while an upgraded premium edition incurred a flat fee of $3 per active user per month. Now, the standard tier will be rebranded as Workplace Essential and will continue to be free. Simultaneously, the premium tier will be renamed Workplace Advanced and will carry a charge of $4 per person per month. Additionally, Facebook is introducing a new tier called Workplace Enterprise, which will be priced at $8 per person per month. This new tier will provide a range of specialized services, including guaranteed and expedited support, as well as exclusive early access to new features.


2018. Google's Slack competitor Hangouts Chat became available



After extensive testing, Google has made its business messaging platform, Hangouts Chat, available to all users. This Slack-like service designed for team communication is now accessible to all of Google's business customers who utilize G Suite services. Despite entering the business-messaging software market later than competitors such as Slack and Microsoft with Teams, Google aims to distinguish itself in several key areas. Hangouts Chat offers direct integration with Google services like Drive and Google Calendar, enabling streamlined tasks such as file sharing and meeting scheduling. For instance, Google's meeting-scheduling bot can automatically arrange team meetings based on individual calendars. By leveraging its existing ecosystem, Google aims to provide a comprehensive and efficient team communication solution.


2018. Stride opened its API



Stride, Atlassian's competitor to Slack, has announced the opening of its API to all developers. This exciting development grants Stride developers access to a user-friendly app management console, facilitating easier management of their app's credentials and other related tasks. Additionally, Atlassian has introduced a new documentation interface specifically designed for Stride developers. With this API, developers can create innovative experiences such as Bots that enable the exchange of messages. Moreover, apps can utilize a JavaScript API to display their own user interface within the Stride sidebar, presenting contextual information. Atlassian reports that approximately 1,000 developers have already signed up for early access to the API.


2017. Microsoft Teams added guest access



Microsoft has made several feature updates to its service Teams. As of today, users can invite individuals with an Azure Active Directory account to join a team as guests. However, this currently poses a slight entry barrier for guest access. In the near future, Microsoft intends to address this issue by enabling Teams users to invite anyone with a basic Microsoft Account to join their Teams. Additionally, Microsoft proudly announced that Teams, their Office 365 subscriber alternative to Slack, is now being utilized by 125,000 organizations across 181 markets.


2017. Atlassian launched Stride - its new Slack competitor



Atlassian, known for its team communications service HipChat, has recently unveiled a new service called Stride, which bears resemblance to Slack. Stride offers users a comprehensive solution that combines a smart text-based messaging service with a robust video and audio conferencing service, enabling seamless meetings without requiring any plug-in installations. The free version of Stride provides unlimited user capacity, group audio and video capabilities, as well as support for bots and third-party integrations. However, it has certain limitations, such as storing only the most recent 25,000 messages and offering 5GB of file storage. By opting for the $3 per user/month plan, these limitations are completely eliminated, and users gain additional benefits such as guest access, screen sharing, and advanced user management features.


2016. Microsoft introduced Teams - the main Slack competitor


At the start of the year, Microsoft initially expressed interest in acquiring the highly popular group chat software Slack. However, the company eventually decided to develop its own similar service from scratch. Thus, Microsoft Teams was born, bearing striking resemblance to Slack. With Microsoft Teams, users can create dedicated rooms for projects or departments, engage in communication from desktop or mobile devices, and seamlessly share files and other content. Similar to Slack, it incorporates bots for notifications and automated responses. Microsoft highlights the key advantages of Teams as its strong security measures and seamless integration with other Microsoft applications such as Skype, Word, SharePoint, Planner, and OneNote. Teams will be available for free within business subscription plans of Office 365, as Microsoft aims to encourage adoption among companies that have yet to embrace Office 365. Currently in preview mode, Teams is expected to be widely accessible in early 2017.


2015. Jive launched Slack competitor - Chime



Jive Software has introduced Chime, a real-time messaging app that aims to bring fresh competition to Slack while revitalizing an aging platform. Unlike the comprehensive functionality of the previous Jive mobile app, Chime focuses on streamlining a specific communication task. Over the years, the Jive platform has offered communication capabilities through features like microblogging and activity streams, which have been accessible via the Jive mobile app on Android and iOS devices. With the launch of Chime, Jive now enters the competitive landscape against companies such as Yammer, Socialcast, Salesforce Chatter, Asana, and other tools that aim to enhance communication within enterprises by introducing innovative approaches.