12 Slack alternatives. Find your team’s fit.

Slack is the reference point: channels, DMs, threads, huddles, and a large integration ecosystem. It is worth evaluating alongside alternatives if a particular app or established workflow is essential to your team.

Consider before choosing. Separate the free plan’s searchable-history window from data retention: access is limited to 90 days, and content older than one year is deleted. Pro removes the free history restriction.

First notification. Create a Slack app, enable Incoming Webhooks, select a channel during installation, then POST JSON to the webhook URL.

Fryll combines familiar channels, DMs, and threads with up to four conversations side by side on desktop. Developers can generate a personal conversation token and start posting build results, deployment updates, and agent messages through a small HTTP endpoint.

Consider before choosing. Fryll is an early, Mac-first product. Chat runs in the desktop app; the website handles accounts and onboarding. Teams that need browser chat, voice/video, self-hosting, or a large integration catalog should compare the other options below.

First notification. In a channel or DM, open Details → Your conversation token. Generate your token and POST plain text, form data, or JSON. No separate app registration for this flow.

Teams belongs on the shortlist when meetings and Microsoft tools are already central to work. Essentials provides a paid business entry point, while Microsoft 365 subscriptions can bundle meetings, email, documents, and collaboration.

Consider before choosing. Teams Free is not the same offering as the business product. Microsoft sells plans both with and without Teams; compare the exact edition and region before calculating savings from an existing subscription.

First notification. Create a webhook workflow from a channel’s Workflows app, configure its trigger and posting destination, then use the generated URL. Check authentication and tenant policy.

Google Chat is included in Google Workspace and connects with Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and Meet. A team already buying Workspace should evaluate it before adding a separate chat subscription.

Consider before choosing. The listed price is for a productivity suite, not a standalone chat license. Webhook eligibility and admin controls depend on the account and edition. Consumer Chat is not interchangeable with a managed business workspace.

First notification. With apps and webhooks allowed by the administrator, open a space’s Apps & integrations in a browser, add a webhook, copy its URL, and POST JSON.

Discord makes it easy to spend time together in text and voice channels. It can suit a small team that values drop-in calls or also runs a community, with a familiar bot and webhook model.

Consider before choosing. Evaluate how company work is separated from personal accounts and communities, and whether its administration meets your requirements. Nitro subscriptions are optional individual purchases, not a mandatory business seat license.

First notification. Open Server Settings → Integrations → Create Webhook, choose a channel, then POST to the generated URL. Creating webhooks requires the relevant server permission.

Zulip gives conversations explicit topics within channels. That structure is useful for parallel technical discussions and asynchronous work: a teammate can return to one topic without reading every message in the channel.

Consider before choosing. Topic-based chat is a different habit from a flat channel feed. Cloud and self-hosted plans have different economics. Self-hosting still needs maintenance, and mobile push for commercial organizations above ten users requires a paid plan.

First notification. Use a supported integration or create a bot/API key, then send a message to the appropriate channel and topic through the API.

Mattermost emphasizes operational collaboration, deployment control, and integrations for technical teams. It is a candidate when your organization needs to manage its environment and can support that operational work.

Consider before choosing. Do not assume an old published per-seat price or treat a technical evaluation as an unrestricted production plan. Confirm the current edition, licensing, infrastructure, and support needs before comparing total cost.

First notification. Create an incoming webhook from Integrations, choose the destination channel, and POST JSON. The server administrator controls whether users can create webhooks.

Rocket.Chat offers a configurable team communication environment with self-managed deployment options. Its current plans emphasize secure communication, while Starter provides a smaller deployment path.

Consider before choosing. Starter, Community, and paid editions are different offerings. Confirm concurrency, usage, support, and mobile-push limits. A zero software price still leaves infrastructure and maintenance costs.

First notification. Under workspace Integrations, create an incoming integration, choose a posting user and channel, and copy the generated URL. Optional scripts can transform incoming payloads.

Element is built around Matrix and offers communication with strong deployment-control options. It is relevant when sovereignty and infrastructure requirements drive the decision more than the fastest possible hosted setup.

Consider before choosing. The current enterprise plan starts at 100 users. Its Community offering is positioned for evaluation and non-professional deployments. Separate the Matrix ecosystem’s options from the vendor’s commercial support and hosting offer.

First notification. A common route is Hookshot plus room configuration. The required setup depends on who runs your Matrix environment and which integration components are available.

Pumble offers familiar channels and direct messages with unlimited history on its free plan. That makes it a useful option for small teams that want to retain searchable conversations without immediately buying seats.

Consider before choosing. Group meetings and screen sharing require Pro. Storage and integration limits vary by plan. Check how invited members and multi-channel guests count toward paid seats.

First notification. Create an incoming webhook in workspace settings, choose its channel, and POST JSON. The guide specifies one request per second per webhook and a 10,000-character message limit.

Chanty combines team messaging with task management and the ability to turn a message into a task. It suits teams that want to keep lightweight coordination close to their conversations.

Consider before choosing. A ten-person team needs a paid plan because Free supports five members. Check the supported integration for your developer workflow; we did not find a documented generic incoming-webhook setup in the official material reviewed.

First notification. Review the supported integrations and edition-specific API access. The current pricing page lists an Enterprise API; do not assume arbitrary webhook posting is included in every plan.

Twist puts longer-lived, threaded discussions at the center of team communication. It is worth considering when people work on different schedules and want to follow a subject without constantly watching a live channel.

Consider before choosing. The free plan hides history older than a month; the vendor says the data is retained and becomes accessible after upgrading. Evaluate the conversation style with your team, and account for a separate meeting tool.

First notification. Create and install a Channel Updates or Thread Updates integration, then POST to its URL to create threads or add comments to a thread.

Flock combines direct messages and channels with polls, reminders, notes, and tasks. It offers a free Starter plan and a Pro tier with more history, channel, and meeting capabilities.

Consider before choosing. Starter has message-search and public-channel limits, and private channels are listed under paid plans. The current pricing page did not expose a verifiable numeric Pro price, so we have not repeated older prices from other articles.

First notification. In the Developer Dashboard, add an incoming webhook, select its channel, name, and icon, then POST to the generated URL. The guide lists ten webhooks per user.