Best Slack Alternatives
Looking for Slack alternatives? Compare team chat platforms with self-hosting, better pricing, and data sovereignty.
Why Teams Leave Slack
Per-User Pricing Adds Up
Slack's per-user model means costs grow linearly with your team. At scale, you're paying thousands monthly for chat.
Message History Limits
Free Slack limits searchable message history. Even paid plans can have retention limits that affect compliance.
Data Sovereignty Concerns
Slack stores your data on their servers. For regulated industries or data sovereignty requirements, this is a problem.
Enterprise Features Cost Extra
SSO, compliance exports, and advanced admin features require expensive enterprise tiers.
Best Slack Alternatives in 2026
OpenChat
Self-hosted Slack alternative with enterprise features
Full-featured team chat with self-hosting option. Flat-rate pricing with all enterprise features included.
Pros
- Self-hosting available
- Flat-rate pricing
- Enterprise SSO included
- Data sovereignty
- No message limits
Cons
- Smaller app ecosystem
- Fewer integrations
Best for: Teams wanting self-hosted chat with Slack-like features
Microsoft Teams
Enterprise chat from Microsoft
Bundled with Microsoft 365. Great for Microsoft shops but heavy and complex.
Pros
- Included with M365
- Deep Office integration
- Enterprise features
- Video conferencing
Cons
- Resource heavy
- Microsoft lock-in
- Complex to administer
Best for: Organizations already using Microsoft 365
Mattermost
Open-source Slack alternative
Self-hosted, open-source team messaging. Good features but can be complex to manage.
Pros
- Open source
- Self-hosted
- Good security features
- DevOps integrations
Cons
- Complex setup
- Enterprise features cost extra
- Resource intensive
Best for: DevOps teams wanting open-source solution
Discord
Chat platform for communities
Popular for gaming and communities. Can work for teams but lacks business features.
Pros
- Free tier available
- Good voice chat
- Large user base
- Easy to use
Cons
- Not business-focused
- Limited admin controls
- No compliance features
- Gaming-oriented branding
Best for: Small teams or developer communities
Ready for Self-Hosted Team Chat?
Try OpenChat free and experience team messaging with full data control.