Best Slack Alternatives in 2026: Microsoft Teams, Open-Source and Self-Hosted Options

Mattermost and Rocket.Chat are the strongest Slack alternatives if you want to host workplace chat yourself, Zulip suits teams that prefer threaded conversations, and Microsoft Teams or Google Chat make sense when your company already pays for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Pumble and Chanty are cheaper hosted choices for small teams.

The picks below start with open-source and self-hosted tools, then move to hosted products. Every tool is listed on Enlisted, so the table shows who can self-host and which have a free plan. If you are leaving Microsoft Teams or Google Chat instead of Slack, the same list applies, and there is a short section on that near the end.

Why people look for Slack alternatives

Slack is a polished product with a large app directory, so the reasons for leaving tend to be specific. These are the ones Enlisted's data and Slack's own pages point to.

• Free-plan history limits. Slack's free plan keeps only a limited window of searchable message history, while paid plans keep all of it, according to Slack's pricing page. Teams that use chat as a record of decisions feel this first.
• Per-seat pricing. Slack's paid plans are charged per person, so the bill grows with headcount, and several tools below cost less per seat.
• Closed source, hosted only. Enlisted lists Slack as proprietary with no self-hosted version. Companies with strict data residency rules, air-gapped networks or a policy of running their own infrastructure cannot use it.
• A platform that keeps growing. Slack now describes itself as an AI work platform and is part of Salesforce, with canvases, lists, workflow automation and agents. Teams that want plain chat may prefer something smaller.
• Suite lock-in. Companies already on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace sometimes find a bundled chat tool is enough, and companies on neither may want a vendor-neutral one.

How we picked

Each tool had to cover the core of Slack: channels, direct messages and file sharing for a team at work. Enlisted's data decided the rest. For open-source tools the test was recent GitHub activity; licences appear as listed, and every pick says if it can be self-hosted and if there is a free plan. Facts come from Enlisted's listings and each vendor's own pages, with no benchmarks of our own. How Enlisted ranks tools explains the method across the directory. Community-first chat apps are covered separately in the Discord alternatives guide.

1. Mattermost: best self-hosted Slack alternative for engineering and security teams

Mattermost is an open-core collaboration platform you host yourself that combines team chat, workflow automation, voice calls and screen sharing. Where Slack runs only on Slack's servers, Mattermost's server ships as a single Linux binary that depends on PostgreSQL, so you choose where the data lives. It has native apps for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux as well as the web interface, and its use cases lean toward incident response, DevSecOps and IT service desk work.

Channels, threads, webhooks, slash commands, plugins and an API cover the integrations side. Enlisted lists the licence as Other, and the repository says compiled monthly releases are published under the MIT licence, so read the licensing terms for the edition you plan to run. Mattermost's pricing page lists Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Advanced editions plus a free edition for evaluation.

• Best for: engineering, DevOps and security teams that want chat on their own infrastructure.
• Watch out for: it is open core, so paid editions add features beyond the free one, and prices are quoted by sales rather than published.

2. Rocket.Chat: best for regulated organizations and air-gapped networks

Rocket.Chat is an open-source communications platform written in TypeScript that can run self-hosted, in a managed cloud or fully air-gapped. It covers real-time channels and video conferencing built on WebRTC, with identity management and security controls aimed at organizations that care about data sovereignty. Enlisted's listing also names customer and citizen communication as a use case, since the same platform can talk to people outside the company.

Rocket.Chat describes itself as highly customizable, so expect a platform you adapt rather than a finished app that looks like Slack on day one. See the Rocket.Chat page for current activity.

• Best for: public bodies, regulated companies and anyone who needs air-gapped or on-premises deployment.
• Watch out for: pricing is not published and the licence is listed as Other, so it suits organizations that will talk to sales rather than teams that want a quick free signup.

3. Zulip: best for threaded discussion across time zones

Zulip is an open-source team chat app that organizes conversations into topics inside channels, so several discussions can run at once and be caught up on later. The design is meant to blend the strengths of email and chat, which keeps busy channels readable for people who log on hours after the conversation started.

It is released under Apache-2.0 and comes as a hosted service or a server you run yourself, with web, desktop and mobile clients. According to Zulip's plans page, the cloud free plan limits searchable message history and file storage, while the self-hosted free plan has no usage limits. Deployment options include Docker and Kubernetes.

• Best for: remote and distributed teams, and open-source projects that want discussions to stay searchable.
• Watch out for: the topic model feels different if your team is used to one fast-moving stream per channel, and it takes a little habit change to start.

4. Element: best for encrypted, federated team chat

Element is a web and desktop client for Matrix, the open protocol for decentralized messaging, so your team's chat is not tied to a single vendor's network. People register on a homeserver and can still talk to users on other Matrix servers, and Enlisted describes the app as offering encrypted chat, rooms and collaboration. For phones and tablets, the maintainers recommend the native Element X apps for Android and iOS.

Element is the client, not the server. To host your own, you run a homeserver such as Synapse, a Matrix homeserver written in Python and Rust under AGPL-3.0, or use a hosted one. Element's own Enterprise and Sovereign offerings are priced by quote.

• Best for: organizations that want end-to-end encryption, federation with other Matrix servers and control over their own server.
• Watch out for: you need to choose and run a homeserver, and rooms and spaces take longer to learn than Slack's channels. Pricing for Element's hosted offerings is not published.

5. Campfire: best simple self-hosted chat with no subscription

Campfire is a web-based group chat application from Basecamp that you run yourself, with no subscription. It covers rooms with access controls, direct messages, @mentions, search and file attachments with previews, plus Web Push notifications and an API for bots.

The Docker image bundles the web app, background jobs, caching, file serving and SSL, so a single machine is enough for a complete deployment. It is released under MIT, and Enlisted lists no hosted version, so self-hosting is the only route.

• Best for: small teams that want private, no-frills chat on one server and no per-seat bill.
• Watch out for: it is deliberately simple. The listing does not mention video calls, workflow automation or a large app directory, so teams that live in Slack integrations will miss them.

6. Microsoft Teams: best if your company already runs on Microsoft 365

Microsoft Teams is Microsoft's collaboration app that combines persistent team chat, video meetings, calling and shared files, as part of Microsoft 365. It works alongside Outlook, SharePoint and the Office applications, which is the main reason to choose it. If your company already licenses Microsoft 365, chat, meetings and document co-editing arrive in one product.

It is a hosted, proprietary service and cannot be self-hosted. Enlisted's entry could not read Microsoft's site when it was prepared, so confirm current plans and licensing bundles at the Microsoft Teams page before you decide. For other options, see all Microsoft Teams alternatives.

• Best for: organizations that already use Microsoft 365 and want chat and meetings in the same suite.
• Watch out for: it is tied to the Microsoft ecosystem and closed source, so it does nothing for data-residency or self-hosting goals.

7. Google Chat: best for companies on Google Workspace

Google Chat is the messaging product in Google Workspace, with direct messages, group conversations and persistent spaces. It links to Google Meet for calls and to Docs and other Drive files, so shared documents can be opened from the conversation. Google's page says Chat is included with Workspace at no additional cost, and Enlisted lists a free plan.

It is a hosted Google service with no self-hosted version. Google's page frames it around Workspace, so it works best when your team already lives in Gmail, Calendar and Drive. See Google Chat alternatives for the full list.

• Best for: teams that already use Google Workspace and want chat built into it.
• Watch out for: it is closed source and designed around Workspace, so it is a weaker fit for companies on other suites.

8. Pumble: best low-cost Slack-style chat for small teams

Pumble is a hosted team chat app that copies Slack's familiar model of channels, threads, direct messages and voice and video calls. It is a commercial product with no self-hosted version. Enlisted's pricing data lists a free plan with unlimited users and message history, and paid per-seat tiers priced well below Slack's; check the live pricing section below before relying on that.

Because the layout is so close to Slack's, onboarding a team that already knows Slack is easy. See Pumble alternatives for tools to compare it with.

• Best for: small and growing teams that want Slack's layout at a lower price.
• Watch out for: it is closed source and hosted only, so check its plan limits and the integrations your team relies on in Slack before you switch.

9. Chanty: best for small teams that want tasks and unlimited history in the chat

Chanty is a hosted team chat tool for small teams that adds built-in task management to channels, voice and video calls, and AI agents. Its vendor emphasizes unlimited message history, which addresses one of the main complaints about Slack's free plan, and it publishes a page that compares Slack alternatives.

The free plan is aimed at very small teams, with a per-seat Business plan above it and a quoted Enterprise tier. Desktop and mobile apps are available, and integrations connect other tools. More at the Chanty listing and Chanty alternatives.

• Best for: small teams replacing email threads and a task list with one app.
• Watch out for: the free plan caps team size, and it is closed source with no self-hosted version.

10. Zoho Cliq: best for teams already on Zoho apps

Zoho Cliq is a hosted team messaging app from Zoho with channels, voice and video calls and bots, designed to connect with the rest of Zoho's business apps. Notifications and automations from Zoho products can flow into conversations, which is the main draw.

It has a free plan and free trials of its paid tiers, and some paid tiers require a minimum number of users. Review the Zoho Cliq entry for details.

• Best for: companies that already run CRM, books or projects in Zoho.
• Watch out for: most of the value comes from the Zoho connections, so it adds less if you use none of their products. It is closed source and hosted only.

11. Macro: best open-source workspace that bundles chat with email and docs

Macro is an open-source team workspace that brings chat, email, documents, tasks, calls and CRM into one app, with AI agents that share team-level memory. Its founders built it after finding that Slack, Linear, Notion, HubSpot and Superhuman did not work together as one system.

The code is released under AGPL-3.0 and can be self-hosted, and there is a hosted version with a free plan for personal use. It is a different bet from the pure chat tools above, and a newer one.

• Best for: small startups that want one workspace instead of several subscriptions.
• Watch out for: a broad scope can mean thinner depth than a dedicated chat tool, and the paid plan is per seat.

Other team chat tools in the catalogue

Flock is a hosted workplace messenger that pairs channels with video calls, to-do lists and file sharing, and has a free plan. Wire publishes the AGPL-3.0 server code behind its secure messaging platform, with a free tier for small teams and quoted enterprise and on-premises options. Openfire is a Java server for the open XMPP messaging protocol, useful if you need a standards-based backend rather than a finished Slack lookalike.

Microsoft Teams and Google Chat alternatives

If you are replacing Teams or Google Chat, the decision starts with what else the product does for you. Teams also carries video meetings, calling and file co-editing, and Google Chat links to Meet and Docs. Slack is the best-known hosted chat-first alternative to both, and Mattermost, Rocket.Chat and Zulip are the picks if the goal is hosting your own. Meetings are a separate job, so see the Zoom alternatives guide for video, and browse the video conferencing category.

Free Slack alternatives and message history

Free plans differ more in what they limit than in what they offer. Slack's free plan limits how far back you can search, and its paid plans lift that. Pumble's free plan, as Enlisted lists it, does not limit history, and Chanty advertises unlimited message history, so both address that complaint directly. Zulip's cloud free plan caps searchable history and file storage, but its self-hosted free plan has no usage limits. Self-hosted tools such as Campfire and Mattermost do not charge per seat for the software, and you cover the server and the upkeep instead. Plan terms change, so confirm limits on each vendor's pricing page before you move a team.

Which Slack alternative should you choose?

For a wider view, see all open-source Slack alternatives on Enlisted, or browse the team chat category. If the group you are building is a community rather than a company, start with the Discord alternatives guide, and if you are looking for personal messaging apps instead of workplace chat, read the WhatsApp alternatives guide.