Should You Consider Alternatives to Slack?

Slack is a cloud-based communication platform that was launched in 2009 and developed by Slack Technologies. The company has been owned by Salesforce since 2020, and it’s been widely adopted in recent years.

The platform helps employees communicate effectively and efficiently with each other by means of messaging, voice calls, video calls, file sharing, building workflow and many more services.

Of course, the importance of professional communication is nothing new, but it’s also changed over recent years, especially in the wake of COVID-19 and the increasing popularity of remote and hybrid working scenarios.

But, Slack isn’t the only cloud-based communication platform designed to increase efficiency and general operations within professional environments. In fact, there are plenty of alternatives to Slack that offer services that are similar, as well as a few others that provide additional extended features too.

 

Why to Consider Alternatives to Slack 

 

Slack was one of the first platforms of its kind, having gained a large number of users very early on. The platform was used by both businesses and other types of organisations as a messaging app, but it’s become so much more since then.

However, as the technology has become more and more widespread and commonly used, more and more similar platforms have popped up as competitors. Not only are they providing Slack with competition, but some of them have been able to develop extra features and capabilities that make them more appealing, in some ways, to specific users.

This has led both Slack and other industry professionals to have to properly evaluate exactly what Slack’s weaknesses are and where there may be room for improvement.

Some issues with Slack include:

 

• Lack of extended security features has been a bit of a downside for both users and investors.
• Can be quite expensive.
• Doesn’t offer much room for customization.

 

Depending on your company, what you’re looking for and what your priorities are, these things may not be too problematic. But if they are, it may be time to start considering options other than Slack.

 

 

Top Alternatives to Slack

 

Since Slack launched in 2014, several other companies have popped up offering similar services, but they all differ in one way or another – some, in fact, are very different to the others.

 

 

Here are some of the top alternatives to Slack that you ought to consider.

 

Microsoft Teams

 

 

Microsoft Teams, developed as part of the Microsoft 365 family of products, is a team collaboration application that offers chat services, video conferencing, file storage as well as the integration of both proprietary and third-party services and applications.

Teams has become one of the most popular alternatives to Slack, providing a service that organises team collaboration through channels, teams and private conversations. This makes it easier for projects to be properly tracked. However, Microsoft Teams does have a limit of 200 public channels and 30 private channels per person – although, for most users, that’s more than adequate.

The platform uses bots to automate certain tasks, reminders, items on your agenda and more. They can all be fairly easily customised without knowledge of coding. However, having said that, Microsoft is an open-source platform, so it prevents a great deal of improvements including serious personalisation.

In addition to this, this Slack alternative has bots to automate tasks, reminders, agendas, and more. These bots are built on the open-source Bot Framework Composer, which allows you to customize them without requiring great coding knowledge.

So, depending on how much personal customisation you require, Teams may be a great, well-rounded alternative for your company.

 

Google Chat

 

 

Google Chat is, obviously, Google’s version of Teams or Slack, providing users with a platform for chatting. Chats can be ad hoc and recipient-specific, or they may be topic-based. Users have the choice between two functions – direct messaging and group chats, and while the former is always kept private, users can choose between having the latter private or public.

One thing that makes Google Chat so useful is that doesn’t need to have all its own features built into it. Since Google Workspace already has so many other applications, including Gmail, Sheets, Drive and more, Google Chat can simply be integrated with any of these for users to be able utilise their features.

Google Chat is a great option if you’re looking for an alternative to Slack that’ll allow you to easily have access to plenty of other types of applications, giving you the ability to do just about whatever you need to do by means of the platform.

 

MatterMost

 

 

MatterMost is a chat app that allows and encourages team collaboration in a similar way to Slack, but what makes it different is its data protection policies. The platform can be run behind the organisation’s firewall, ensuring that messaging is protected and safe. However, while it’s more secure than Slack, it doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption

Now, MatterMost can be cloud-based or self-hosted making it flexible, but a noteworthy issue that some users have pointed out is that the platform doesn’t support voice ad video calls in a native way. So, if you’re wanting to use it to conduct regular team calls and more, you’ll have to use a third-party plugin which isn’t the end of the world, but it’s worth being aware of.

Also, while MatterMost does have a free plan available, it’s fairly limited – you won’t necessarily be able to use push notification, permissions or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) features.

So, ultimately, if you’re looking for an option that is functional in a very basic sense – basically just for messaging but with heightened security – MatterMost may be a good option for you.

 

Fleep

 

 

Fleep is an excellent alternative to Slack as a more comprehensive project management platform that allows staff to turn tasks into to-do lists and track progress through the days and weeks.

Indeed, this platform isn’t merely limited to communication with team members within the company – it also allows external users to participate if they’re added by employees (they simply need to add their email addresses).

Fleep organises conversations and chats by people rather than topics, making it easier to trace, organise and track, if necessary. The platform also provides the use of pin boards for highlighting important information, allowing easy integration with other project management apps and more.

 

ActiveCollab

 

 

ActiveCollab provides dual functionality in terms of being a communication platform as well as a means for task and project management and organisation.

The platform allows employees to communicate with each other and with clients, and this can be done via the chat service (including notes, comments, discussions and more) as well as the sharing of projects. Furthermore, the platform also allows users to track work progress as well as manage finances in terms of budgets, invoices and more.

ActiveCollab provides plenty of useful features internally – that is, without the need for additional plugins and integrated applications – and it can be used by means of a few differently priced plans. However, there’s not free option, other than a two-week trial period.

If you’re looking for an alternative to Slack that can provide you with an all-encompassing service, from workflow management to chat options and so much more, ActiveCollab is an excellent option.

So, Is Slack Still the Best? 

 

Whether or not it’s necessary for you to consider an alternative to Slack really depends on the size of your company, what features you need, the size of your budget and plenty of other things.

Slack is a great platform for workflow management and communication, among other things, but its security measures aren’t necessarily as great as some other options.

Indeed, there are alternatives to Slack that can provide features that Slack can’t. So, if you like the idea of Slack and the idea of using a platform that can help you mange everything you do, chat to your colleagues (or employees) and make sure that everything happens in one place, then it may be worth exploring your options to find the best one to suit your specific needs.