SlackBest overall
The deepest integrations, Slack Connect channels with partners and AI included in paid plans since June 2025, from $7.25 per user; the free plan forgets after 90 days.
Team chat apps
A team chat app is a workplace messaging service that organises conversations into channels, threads and direct messages, usually with calls and file sharing. These team chat reviews compare nine apps on what their free plans keep, real per-user prices, AI costs and who controls your messages.
Microsoft TeamsBest for Microsoft 365 businesses
Chat, 300-person meetings and Office co-editing in one licence from $4 (Essentials) or $7 with Microsoft 365, plus a HIPAA BAA and FedRAMP options; Copilot costs extra.
ZulipBest for async and open-source teams
Topic-based threads that make catching up easy, Apache 2.0 open source, free self-hosting and Cloud Standard at $6.67 per user; calls link out to Jitsi or Zoom.
Google WorkspaceBest for Google Workspace teams
Google Chat comes with every Workspace plan from $7 per user, with Huddles powered by Meet and Gemini from Business Standard; fine for quick messages, lighter than Slack.
PumbleBest free plan and best budget pick
Unlimited users and message history free, Pro at $2.49 per user and SOC 2 Type II plus ISO 27001; small app directory and SSO only on Enterprise.
Rocket.ChatBest free self-hosted plan for small teams
Starter is free for up to 50 users on your own server and includes SSO, optional end-to-end encryption, retention and DLP; paid plans are quote-only.
MattermostBest for DevOps and defence teams
Self-hosted or air-gapped chat with Playbooks, built-in Calls and a US Department of Defense record; quote-only annual pricing and a free tier capped at 10,000 messages.
ChantyBest for small teams that want tasks in chat
Chat plus a Kanban task board for $3 per user, with a signed HIPAA BAA from the Business plan; the free plan stops at five users.
ElementBest for end-to-end encryption
Matrix-based chat with encryption on by default for messages and calls, used by the German armed forces and French government; self-hosted, from 100 seats for paid support.
Compare side by side
Every score and price in one table. Select a column to sort. Prices are US list prices; hover a price for the full terms.
| Slack | 8.7 | 9.4 | 9.7 | 8.6 | 6.6 | 9.2 | $7.25/user/mo | Yes | – |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams | 8.6 | 9.0 | 8.4 | 9.4 | 7.8 | 7.6 | $4/user/mo | Yes | – |
| Zulip | 8.4 | 8.4 | 7.6 | 8.6 | 9.0 | 7.6 | $6.67/user/mo | Yes | – |
| Google Workspace | 8.3 | 8.0 | 7.6 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 8.6 | Included in Google Workspace from $7/user/mo | – | – |
| Pumble | 8.1 | 7.8 | 6.6 | 8.0 | 9.6 | 8.6 | $2.49/user/mo | Yes | – |
| Rocket.Chat | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 8.8 | 7.4 | 6.8 | Free Starter plan | Yes | – |
| Mattermost | 7.8 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 9.2 | 5.8 | 7.4 | About $10/user/mo | Yes | – |
| Chanty | 7.7 | 7.6 | 6.4 | 7.6 | 8.6 | 8.4 | $3/user/mo | Yes | – |
| Element | 7.5 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 9.6 | 5.6 | 6.6 | Free self-hosted ESS Community | Yes | – |
What does a team chat app replace?
Internal email, mostly. Conversation moves into channels by team, project or client, with direct messages, threaded replies, file sharing and, in most products, voice and video calls. Decisions stop getting buried in reply-all chains.
Slack made the category mainstream. Microsoft Teams and Google Chat now come bundled with office suites, while open-source products such as Zulip, Mattermost and Rocket.Chat let you run chat on your own servers. Element adds end-to-end encryption by default.
Which team chat app fits your company?
Suite first, rules second, price third. For companies on neither suite, the default is Slack: the largest app directory, shared channels with partners, and AI summaries included in paid plans since June 2025. Pro costs $7.25 per user a month on annual billing. Skip the free plan if history matters.
- If you pay for Microsoft 365, Teams is already in your licence, with 300-person meetings and a HIPAA business associate agreement in the standard terms. Copilot costs extra.
- If you pay for Google Workspace, start with Google Chat, which comes with every plan, and move to Slack only when you need more integrations, automation or channels shared with partners.
- If you want free chat for a growing team, Pumble keeps unlimited users and message history free. Pro costs $2.49 per user.
- If your team spans time zones, use Zulip, which files every message under a channel and a named topic, so people who were offline catch up one conversation at a time.
- If chat must stay on your own servers, pick Rocket.Chat, free for up to 50 users self-hosted, or Mattermost for DevOps and defence work.
- If you need a HIPAA agreement on a small budget, Chanty signs one. Business costs $3 per user.
- If you need end-to-end encryption by default, use Element.
Price matters more as headcount grows. For 25 people on annual billing:
| App and plan | Per user a month | 25 users a year |
|---|---|---|
| Slack Pro | $7.25 | $2,175 |
| Pumble Business | $3.99 | $1,197 |
| Chanty Business | $3 | $900 |
When should you not buy a separate chat app?
When Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace is already on the invoice. Teams comes with Microsoft 365 Business plans and Google Chat with every Workspace plan from $7 per user, so a second chat subscription is often money spent twice.
If you’ve got under five people and a shared inbox works, don’t bother at all. Chanty’s free plan covers five users and Pumble’s has no user cap, so a paid seat only earns its keep once outside partners join or when you need decisions from last year.
What traps catch team chat buyers?
Three come up most: free plans that forget, AI priced as an add-on, and bundles that hide what you pay for chat. The first one is the costliest to discover late.
- Disappearing history. Slack’s free plan shows 90 days of messages, and its help center says data older than a year is deleted. Mattermost’s free Entry edition hides everything beyond the latest 10,000 messages. Pay for full history.
- AI fine print. Slack includes its summaries in paid plans. Microsoft charges $21 to $30 per user for Copilot in Teams, and Pumble and Chanty ask you to bring and pay for your own AI provider.
- Bundled pricing. Under commitments the European Commission made binding on 12 September 2025, Microsoft must sell Microsoft 365 with and without Teams, with a wider price gap. A Slack company can now drop Teams and save.
Most people forget one more: Discord is not a business tool. It has no business admin tier, single sign-on or compliance certifications. Keep it for public communities.
How do we build our team chat reviews?
Every app gets a research score from official pricing, plan limits, help-centre documents, security pages, regulator decisions and independent reporting. We don’t run usage trials. Affiliate commissions never change a score.
Messaging, calls and AI carry 30%, security and data control 25%, price 20%, integrations 15% and ease of use the last 10%. In practice the data-control weight explains why self-hosted tools rank close to Slack despite rougher apps. Related: video conferencing and business phone systems.
How we score team chat apps
Every product here is scored 0 to 10 on the same criteria, using published evidence. The overall score is the weighted average.
Messaging, calls & AIThreads or topics, search and message history, voice and video calls (built in or linked out), huddles, docs or canvases, workflow automation, and which AI features are included versus sold as add-ons.weight30%
Integrations & external collaborationSize of the app directory, API and bot support, shared channels with other companies, guest accounts and what they cost, federation or bridges to other chat systems.weight15%
Security, compliance & data controlSSO and 2FA, retention settings, who can export what, end-to-end encryption, self-hosting and data residency, certifications such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and HIPAA or FedRAMP options where they apply.weight25%
Price & free planPer-user price on monthly and annual billing, what the free plan keeps (history, users, apps, calls), minimum seats, whether prices are published at all, and recent price rises.weight20%
Ease of use & appsLearning curve, admin effort, and native apps for web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.weight10%
Questions people ask
What is the best free team chat app?
Pumble has the strongest free plan: unlimited users and unlimited message history. Slack's free plan is more polished but shows only 90 days of history and deletes data older than a year. Chanty's free plan keeps history but stops at five users, and Rocket.Chat is free for up to 50 users if you host it yourself.
Is Slack or Microsoft Teams better for a small business?
If you already pay for Microsoft 365, Teams is the better value, because it is included and adds 300-person meetings and Office co-editing. Slack is better when you use neither suite, rely on many third-party tools or share channels with clients and partners. In practice, check which suite you already pay for before you compare anything else.
How much does team chat software cost per user?
Paid plans in our ranking run from $2.49 per user a month on Pumble Pro to $7.25 on Slack Pro, on annual billing. Monthly billing usually costs about 20% more. Teams and Google Chat come with their suites, and Rocket.Chat, Mattermost and Element sell larger paid plans by quote only.
Which team chat apps are end-to-end encrypted?
Element is the only app we rank with end-to-end encryption on by default for messages and group calls, and Rocket.Chat offers it as an option. Slack, Teams and Google Chat do not. If a contract requires end-to-end encryption, Element or a self-hosted Rocket.Chat setup is the realistic choice.
Is team chat HIPAA compliant?
Some apps can be, with a signed business associate agreement. Microsoft's standard terms include a HIPAA BAA for Teams, and Chanty signs one from its $3 Business plan, the cheapest we found. Don't use a free plan without a BAA for patient information.