Best 10 Slack Alternatives in 2026: Free and Paid Team Chat Picks

Microsoft Teams is the best overall Slack alternative for most teams, especially those already on Microsoft 365. This guide covers 10 slack alternatives, from big suites to self-hosted, open-source and async options.

Why people look for Slack alternatives

Teams switch for a few common reasons:

• Cost: per-seat pricing adds up as a team grows.
• Bundling: some teams want chat, video, docs or email in one suite.
• Data control: regulated or security-focused teams often need self-hosting.
• Calmer conversations: some prefer async or topic-based discussion to constant real-time chat.

Quick comparison table

1. Microsoft Teams

Best for: organizations already using Microsoft 365.

Microsoft Teams bundles chat, channels, meetings and file collaboration with Microsoft 365, while Slack stands on its own. If your company already pays for Microsoft's suite, you may get a capable chat tool without adding another vendor.

Platforms: Web, Desktop, iOS, Android. Standout feature: Office 365 integration.

2. Discord

Best for: communities and casual or voice-heavy teams.

Discord started in gaming and is built around servers, text channels and voice rooms. Next to Slack, it is free and strong on voice, but it offers fewer workplace integrations.

Standout feature: always-open voice rooms that people can drop into.

3. Mattermost

Best for: security-conscious and regulated organizations.

Mattermost is open-source team messaging you can self-host, so your team controls its own data. That is the main difference from Slack's vendor-hosted model.

It offers an API and runs on Web, Desktop, iOS and Android. Standout feature: self-hosted deployment.

4. Rocket.Chat

Best for: teams needing data sovereignty plus customer messaging.

Rocket.Chat is an open-source communications platform that you can self-host. It gives you more say than Slack over deployment and where your data lives.

It also handles customer conversations alongside internal chat. Standout feature: omnichannel messaging.

5. Zoom Workplace

Best for: meeting-heavy teams.

Zoom Workplace combines team chat, meetings, phone and docs in one suite built around Zoom's calling. Video is the strength. Chat is just one piece of a wider package.

Standout feature: meetings and phone in the same app.

6. Google Chat

Best for: teams already on Google Workspace.

Google Chat offers spaces and direct messages, with links into Gmail, Meet and Docs. The catch: it is tied to Workspace and doesn't stand alone.

Platforms: Web, iOS, Android. Standout feature: Workspace integration.

7. Zulip

Best for: busy, high-volume discussions.

Zulip sorts conversations into topics within channels. In busy channels, that is easier to follow than Slack's threads, which are easy to lose track of.

It is open-source and has an API. Standout feature: topic-based threading.

8. Element

Best for: privacy-first teams and organizations that want federation.

Element is a secure messaging app built on the decentralized Matrix protocol, with end-to-end encryption. It supports self-hosting and federation, which Slack does not.

Standout feature: end-to-end encryption.

9. Twist

Best for: remote and async-first teams.

Twist, from Doist, is a thread-based tool that favors organized, less interruptive conversations over real-time chat. Slack handles quick back-and-forth better, so Twist is a poor fit if that's how your team works.

Standout feature: async, thread-first design.

10. Chanty

Best for: small businesses on a budget.

Chanty is lightweight team chat with built-in tasks and calls. It costs less than Slack and has a simpler feature set, though with less depth.

Standout feature: built-in tasks.

How we picked these tools

We chose tools that cover Slack's core job of team messaging and give you a distinct reason to switch. The list mixes suites, open-source and self-hosted options, async tools and budget picks.

This is a research-based roundup. We did not hands-on test these tools, and we make no ratings or scores. No tool here is sponsored or owned by us.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free Slack alternative?

The open-source options, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat and Zulip, are good places to start, and Discord is also free to use. Check each vendor's current plan details before committing.

Which Slack alternatives can be self-hosted?

Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Zulip and Element can all be self-hosted.

Which alternative is best for async teams?

Twist and Zulip. Twist is async by design, and Zulip's topics make it easy to catch up later.

Is Microsoft Teams or Google Chat better if we already use their suite?

Pick the one that matches your suite. Teams fits Microsoft 365, and Google Chat fits Workspace with Gmail, Meet and Docs.

The verdict

Microsoft Teams is the strongest overall pick for most teams, since chat, meetings and files come together in one suite. Mattermost is the runner-up for control and security. Zulip is the runner-up for busy, topic-heavy conversations.

For niche needs, try Twist for async work and Chanty for small budgets.