If I ask you, what makes a company grow faster? Per me, collaboration and productivity play an important role in helping with business expansion.
Collaboration is very essential for the company’s growth, and for that, you will need a good platform.
And this is where slack comes into play. Slack is a very good platform to communicate and establish collaboration. Slack is a platform to connect with everyone you work with.
In this article, we will talk about the top free alternatives to slack.
So let’s start our article.
What is Slack?
Slack is a messaging software specially designed for team collaboration and business purposes. Slack comprises organised spaces, also called channels, based on the project or department.
In this way, you can increase your project’s efficiency. You can share ideas, set deadlines, and make decisions together.
Slack was launched by Stewart Butterfield’s company Tiny speck in 2013, gaining 8,000 customers within 24 hours of its launch.
In 2015 slack reported 10,000 customers every day and had 135,000 paying customers. Currently, Slack has more than 10 million customers across 150 countries.
Slack was such a great success that the Financial Times wrote in its article that slack was the first business technology to have crossed from business into personal use after Microsoft office and Blackberry.
But it can’t be all good, right? Like every technology, Slack must have some shortcomings. So, what are they? And why are we suggesting Slack alternatives?
Slack Pros and Cons
Slack is an outstanding software to use, but it has some problems too. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of Slack, and later, if you think the cons weigh down on the advantages, you can proceed to the next section, where we’ll be talking about some fantastic and free Slack alternatives.
Pros
It makes collaboration very simple and easy. Both small and big companies can use Slack. It has a very easy-to-use interface. Searchable history.
Cons
The platform can cause little distraction if you are not careful. It has been attacked before by unauthorized actors. Slack works very well with small teams but has been seen as lacking in large discussions. It does not have end-to-end encryption.
Is there a free alternative to Slack?
Yes, many alternatives in the market are free, and in some cases, they are even better than Slack.
We will discuss them in detail in further sections. But for now, the alternative for slack is as follows:
Microsoft Teams
Facebook Workplace Groups
Pumble
Chanty
Bitrix24
Fleep
RingCentral Glip
Rocket chat
Troop Messenger
Zoom
Free Slack Alternatives That Are Secure
So you want to use a collaboration platform, but slack is a little expensive. Don’t worry. We have done thorough research and figured out Slack’s top 11 free alternatives. In this section, we will discuss some best free slack options.
#1 Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams was developed and launched for global customers in 2017. It is a chat-based collaboration platform. Microsoft Teams has observed an increase in its users from 75 million in April 2020 to 145 million users in 2021. And currently, it is the most used collaboration platform.
The best thing about Microsoft teams is that it can be easily integrated with every Microsoft 365 software.
Features
It provides more features than just chatting, like Video conferencing features for MS office users.
It has a Team channel: Microsoft team has a team channel feature through which you can create different spaces as per the projects.
Online meetings, audio-video conferencing options: Microsoft provide an Audio/video conferencing feature so that the team can collaborate better.
Document storage: It provides document storage with Share Point, which makes document management very easy. Share Point Server is a very secure place to upload and manage documents, allowing you to access the documents from any device.
Pricing
Its free plans include a feature like Unlimited group meetings for up to 60 minutes and 100 participants per meeting.
However, with premium plans, you’ll get some added features that will make a team collaboration better and more productive.
Facebook Workplace Groups
Facebook Workplace was launched in 2016 as a business-focused collaboration platform.
Facebook is the largest social media platform in terms of users, and now they have entered this market too. Currently, Facebook Workplace has more than 7 million paid users.
Facebook Workplace has grown remarkably, thanks to its previous audience on its social media platform.
Features
It is very much similar to a social media platform like Facebook. In the workplace, you can share news feeds and posts, and people can also react to them.
It allows the creation of unlimited channels.
It is more secure because it is based on end-to-end encryption.
It has a feature to react to the posts.
It provides a feature to track the status of a project.
Pricing
It offers only one plan for $4/per person/ month, but you can definitely have some add-ons.
You can get addons as per need, like enhanced admin support and the ability to manage a large audience.
Chanty
Chanty was launched in 2017 for business users, it provides a platform for teams to collaborate and communicate based on their respective projects.
The best part about chanty is that it is very user-friendly and affordable. It has 10 GB of storage per user for just $1.99.
Chanty has a very easy-to-use interface, making it a better option than its competitors.
Features
The best part about chanty is that it provides video and audio calls along with a screen.
Video and audio call feature: Chanty also provides video and audio call features for better collaboration.
Code snippets with the dev-friendly format: A code snippet is a small space where you can write a code sample to share in the messages.
Voice message feature: Chanty has a voice message feature so that if a member miss the video or audio meeting, then you leave a voice message to him.
Pricing
Just like Pumble, chanty also offers very affordable plans.
Bitrix24
Bitrix24 was launched in 2012 with the aim to provide the best and easy-to-use collaboration platform, and they are accomplishing it too.
Unlike other service providers, Bitrix24 has many different features like website builder and CRM marketing.
Chanty focuses on Small and Mid-size Businesses (SMBs), but some big companies are also using it.
Features
Bitrix24 provides storage 3% above average; since its launch, it has expanded its services. It also offers free CRM software.
Provide web builder platform
CRM: Birtrix24 also provides CRM( Customer Relation Management) feature to manage your company’s relationship with your customers.
Time management feature o calculate time allocation.
Pricing
Fleep
Fleep was launched on 2013 to build a next-generation messaging platform. It is used to collaborate with the team members you work with; Fleep is suitable for any type of organization.
Fleep provides features like audio/video conferencing, creating channels according to projects and many more.
Fleep is popular because of its budget-friendly plans and simple Interface.
Features
Fleep provides many different features that other products don’t. Those features are as follows.
End-to-end encryption: It provides end-to-end encryption, which means your chats and documents are safe.
Taskboard feature: You can check the status of a particular project and check whether it is in progress or done.
Pinboard: by this feature, you can pin a message and directly jump to that message.
Pricing
Fleep provides many features at a very low price, it provides free services to students in which they provide 1 GB storage and unlimited one-to-one messages. But if you want more upgraded features, then you go with their Custom plan in which they provide a lot of features, which you can even customize as per your needs.
RingCentral Glip.
RingCentral Glip was launched in 1999 in Calafornia, USA. Ringcentral also provides a collaboration platform.
RingCentral Glip provides better quality, reliability, and security because it has 23 Years of expertise.
The best part about the RingCentral Glip is that it provides a meeting option with a 24-hour limit.
Features
VOIP Phone system feature: it has a secure and reliable cloud communication platform for better and fast communication.
Video/audio conferencing: Along with the chat option, it also provides a video/ audio conferencing feature.
QoS feature: It has a quality of service feature through which you can check the report of team members. It provides real-time information.
Pricing
It doesn’t have a free plan but it offers some free services like Online video meetings.
And if we talk about its paid plans then they offer Four plans, the cheapest plans come with all the necessary features you will need, but still, if you want more upgraded features, then you can go with their other plans.
Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger is India based startup built under the Make in India initiative; It is a SaaS-based team collaboration platform. Troop Messenger is best in the class instant messaging platform in terms of security, ease of use, and privacy. It also provides the same services as slack but has many different features that slack does not have.
Features
To-do list: Troop messenger has a to-do list feature through which you can assign tasks with deadlines to your team members.
Fork out: It gives you the ability to send bulk messages in one go.
It provides the feature of joined code editor.
Integration with cloud storage platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox.
Pricing
Its cheapest plan comes at just $1.88, making it the most affordable option on the list. It provides features like Unlimited group chats, global search and many more. But if you want more upgraded features, then you choose their Enterprise plan for just $3.75.
Rocket.Chat
Rocket. Chat is an open-source platform helping the organization by making a better communication platform.
RocketChat is the most trusted platform in the world. It has 12 million customers in over 150 countries. The World Bank and the US navy are also using it.
Features
Rocket.chat is very conscious about security. They have some fantastic features that other platforms don’t, and they are as follows.
They provide a robust notification system so the users never miss the notification.
Real-time monitoring dashboard: Rocket.chat also provides a dashboard to check the activities of the team members.
Livechat offline feature: this feature allows you to access live chat messages even when you are offline.
Pricing
It has only two plans, but you have some ad-ons, per your needs.
Zoom
Yes, Zoom also provides business collaboration. Zoom has Unified business communication and collaboration tools. Many big MNCs also use Zoom’s collaboration platform, like Walmart and many more. It offers a variety of features to make your work more simplified. Let’s discuss the features of Zoom.
Features
Virtual meetings: Zoom provide much better quality for video meeting. It has more intelligent and inclusive video conferencing features than its competitors.
Team chat: It has a chat option for collaboration and communication outside the virtual meeting.
Digital Whiteboard: In between the virtual meeting, zoom has a digital whiteboard feature for brainstorming, making the discussion easier and smoother.
Phone system: it has a feature-rich cloud phone system, intelligent call routing, IVRs, call recording shared line and more robust VOIP phone system.
Pricing
Zoom has many features for free, but their pay has no time limitations.
Our Verdict: Which is the better Slack Alternative?
Now it’s time for our verdict.
For those companies which are very price-conscious, Pumble will be the best option because it provides almost everything that slack provides in almost Zero price. But it also has paid plan which just cost $1 and provides everything.
But in terms of quality, the Microsoft team has worldwide customers and are used by many big MNCs. There are a total of 173 companies around the world which use the Microsoft team, which includes Infosys, Mc Afee and many more.
And in terms of security and privacy, Microsoft teams and Facebook workplace groups are better because they have end-to-end encryption, which slack doesn’t.
But still, for better understanding, we will compare all mentioned service providers.
Microsoft Teams vs Slack
For some features, slack seems to be a very good option, but in terms of active users, the Microsoft team is a market leader.
Although the start of slack was amazing, the way it captured the market was very fast and amazing.
But why slack is losing the market? Let’s answer this question in detail.
Slack has better integration and bots. But it is failing due to its price and security. Slack does not have end-to-end encryption.
And this is why the Microsoft team is better than slack. Microsoft team is more secure because of end-to-end encryption.
So in terms of security Microsoft team is better than slack.
Facebook Workplace Groups vs Slack
Both slack and the Facebook workplace have better communication and chat feature. They both provide individual and group communication, with react and delete options.
But facebook lacks in Task management feature. Facebook does not provide this feature, and you will have to download a third-party app if you want to enjoy this feature.
Although slack also needs to integrate with a third-party app, you can do so without leaving the app. You can integrate with a third-party app within the app.
Slack has many features that Facebook’s workplace doesn’t have. So here, slack is better because it provides a lot more features than the workplace.
Pumble vs Slack
Pumble and slack are the same in features, but the difference lies in the price.
Pumble has the most affordable plans in the market, it gives you almost everything in its free plan. But it also has a paid plan which costs just $1.99, which is the cheapest on our list.
So if you are looking for a cheap collaboration platform, then pumble is a very good option for you. Pumbles also win the comparison in terms of security.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Microsoft teams better than Slack?
Yes, the Microsoft team is much better because it is much more secure than slack, which is why it is used by many big companies like Infosys and Mcafee.
What is Slack is used for?
Slack is used for team collaboration and communication. It is used primarily for business purposes. On slack, you can create a channel and add people to them according to their projects.
Why Slack is so popular?
Slack is very popular because of its easy-to-use interface and simple file transfer method.
Which Slack Alternative is most secure?
Microsoft Team is the most secure alternative to slack because it has end-to-end encryption, which is why many big MNCs like Infosys use it.
Which is better, Slack or Zoom?
Slack is very good when it comes to chatting, but in terms of video conferencing, Zoom is far better than Slack.
Is Slack Open Source?
No, slack is not open source.
Conclusion
Slack is a very good option in terms of more features, an easy-to-use interface, and better chat options. Since its launch, it has been one of the most used collaboration platforms, but it is not suitable for everyone.
If you are looking for free slack alternatives, we recommend you go with Microsoft teams or Pumble, as they offer unique features necessary for collaboration and communication.
But suppose you have a good budget and still looking for an alternative to slack, then you should try the Microsoft team. The best part about Microsoft Teams is that it can be easily integrated with any Microsoft 365 software.
To provide you with this information, we have done thorough research and analysis, so if you are planning to use a collaboration platform, then we will recommend you to choose one of the mentioned above. If you have any suggestions or queries, then you comment down below.We Love Cricket
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