Slack is popular, but many teams hit free plan constraints fast. This list focuses on free options you can actually use for team chat, with limits pulled from each tool’s official pricing or support docs. If you are comparing broader collaboration tools or building a stack for remote teams, start here, then validate your must-haves in a pilot.
Use this quick list to shortlist options, then scroll for verified limits and tool-by-tool notes.
Most comparisons fail because they treat every feature as equal. Instead, decide what must be true for your team, then validate each tool’s limits and workflows. If you are chat-first, also evaluate integrations and how you will run project management in chat.
Some free plans cap history by time, message count, or searchable history. Decide if your team needs durable knowledge, then pick accordingly.
Free tiers often hide limits in file size caps, storage quotas, or upload throttles. Confirm both per-file and total storage rules.
Some free plans only support 1 to 1 calls, while others include group meetings with time limits. Map this to how your team actually meets.
If your chat is your command center, integrations and automation reduce manual updates. Make sure the free plan supports your minimum workflows.
Free tiers may not include admin controls, exports, or retention settings. If you need governance, verify admin and compliance capabilities early.
Cloud chat is fast to adopt. Self-hosting gives maximum control. Your choice depends on compliance needs, budgets, and your willingness to maintain infrastructure.
This table only includes free-tier limits that are explicitly stated on vendor pricing or support pages. If a vendor does not publish a specific limit, it is marked as not stated.
| Tool | Best for | Hosting | History or search (verified) | Files or storage (verified) | Calls or meetings (verified) | Notes (verified when possible) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams (Free) | Teams already using Microsoft accounts and Microsoft-first workflows | Cloud | Not stated on the free plan feature list | 5GB cloud storage per user | Up to 60 minutes per meeting, up to 100 attendees | Good default for Microsoft-centric teams |
| Discord | Community-style chat, voice rooms, and informal team collaboration | Cloud | Not stated on official support pages | Non-Nitro upload limit: 10MB per file | Server video chat: limited to 25 participants | Strong for voice-first teams, weaker for corporate admin controls |
| Google Chat | Gmail-first teams that want spaces, threads, and Meet links | Cloud | History can be turned on or off in direct messages; in spaces organized by topics, history is always on | Google Account includes 15GB shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos | Google Meet at no cost: up to 60 minutes and up to 100 participants | Good for teams living inside Google Workspace style workflows |
| Zoom Team Chat (Zoom Workplace Basic) | Teams that already use Zoom and want chat alongside meetings | Cloud | Team Chat cloud retention on free accounts: 2 years (and cannot be changed) | Not stated on retention docs as a fixed storage quota | Basic group meetings: 40 minutes; meeting participant cap: 100 | Great for meeting-first orgs that also want chat retention clarity |
| Pumble | Teams that want a Slack-like chat experience with generous free tier limits | Cloud | Unlimited message history | 10GB storage per workspace | 1 to 1 voice and video meetings | Up to 3 apps and integrations on free plan |
| Chanty | Very small teams that want simple chat plus 1 to 1 calls | Cloud | Unlimited searchable history | 20GB storage per team | Unlimited 1 to 1 audio calls and 1 to 1 video calls | Free plan caps team size at 5 members; up to 10 integrations |
| Zoho Cliq | Zoho users who want structured chat and channels with defined limits | Cloud | Searchable messages: 10,000 | File storage: 100GB per organization | Meeting duration: 60 mins; meeting participants: 100 | Max participants per channel group: 100 |
| Bitrix24 | Teams that want chat inside a broader business suite | Cloud | Not stated on pricing pages as a message cap | 5GB online storage on free plan | Not stated on the cited pricing sources as a fixed free meeting limit | Free plan is listed as free forever and supports unlimited users; inactive accounts may be deleted after 50 days without activity |
| Mattermost (Entry) | Teams that want a self-hosted Slack alternative with a clearly defined free cap | Self-hosted | Usage up to 10,000 messages | Not stated in the Entry edition summary as a storage quota | Not stated in the Entry edition summary as a meeting limit | Entry edition summary states support up to 100 users |
| Rocket.Chat (Starter) | Security-focused teams that want self-managed chat with a published free plan | Self-managed hosting only | Searchable message history is listed, but a message cap is not stated on the pricing page | File sharing is listed, but a storage quota is not stated on the pricing page | Video conferencing integrations are listed, but a built-in meeting limit is not stated for Starter | $0 user/month; one workspace per organization; peer-to-peer community assistance: up to 50 users |
| Element (Matrix) | Teams that want Matrix-based chat and self-hosting options | Self-hosted, plus hosted Matrix.org plans | Not stated as a message cap on the cited pricing pages | Matrix.org Free plan: 10MB max attachment; total attachments and data usage: 100MB per 24 hours (up to 500MB per 28 days) | Element Server Suite Community includes Element Call | Element Server Suite Community is listed as open source and free of charge |
| Zulip (Free) | Teams that prefer topic-based chat and threaded organization | Cloud | 10,000 messages of search history | File storage up to 5GB total | Not stated on pricing page as a built-in meeting limit | Strong for structured discussions via topics |
| Nextcloud Talk | Teams that want self-hosted chat and calls inside Nextcloud | Self-hosted | Retention depends on your server configuration | Uses your Nextcloud storage, so quotas depend on your deployment | Chat and video calls are core features; meeting caps depend on deployment and scaling choices | Positioned as a fully self-hosted audio, video, and chat communication service |
Each tool below includes a practical best-fit summary and only the free-tier limits that are explicitly documented.
Cloud chat and meetings for Microsoft accounts, with a clear meeting time cap and per-user storage quota.
Fast chat plus persistent voice rooms, popular with communities and teams that talk frequently.
Spaces and threads tied into Gmail and Google Meet, with shared Google Account storage.
Team chat combined with Zoom meetings, with a clearly published retention window for free accounts.
A Slack-style team chat app with an unusually generous free plan on users and message history.
Simple team chat with a small free team size cap, plus 1 to 1 audio and video calls.
Channel-based chat inside the Zoho ecosystem, with explicit caps on searchable messages and org storage.
Team chat bundled with a broader business suite, with an unlimited user claim and a small published storage quota on free.
Self-hosted team chat with a newly defined free edition that includes published caps for evaluation and small teams.
Self-managed team chat with a published Starter plan and a clear self-hosting stance.
Matrix-based chat with a free self-hosted community distribution, plus published usage limits for Matrix.org hosted plans.
Topic-based chat that keeps discussions organized, with a clearly defined search history cap on the free plan.
Chat and calls inside Nextcloud, positioned as a fully self-hosted communication service.
Switching tools is not just about features. It is about behavior change.
If you move from Slack to a free alternative without a plan, adoption drops and shadow Slack channels reappear.
Here is a practical migration sequence that works.
Before moving anything, document:
If your team heavily relies on integrations, confirm the alternative supports them before switching.
Most teams do not need their entire Slack history.
Choose one of these strategies:
A clean break often improves adoption.
Do not move the entire organization on day one.
Pick:
Run the new tool for two to four weeks and document friction points.
Before launch, define:
This prevents clutter from day one.
Announce a date when Slack becomes read-only.
If you allow both tools to run indefinitely, Slack will win through habit.
Migration succeeds when the new tool becomes the default place for updates.
Free does not mean insecure.
But free does mean you must read the fine print.
Before adopting any alternative, verify three things.
Cloud-hosted tools store your data on vendor infrastructure.
If your organization has:
You may need self-hosted options like Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Element, or Nextcloud Talk.
Some free plans:
If you need audit trails or regulatory documentation, confirm retention policies before rollout.
Zoom Team Chat, for example, publishes fixed retention rules for free accounts.
Free plans sometimes restrict:
If your team includes contractors, vendors, or clients, test permission workflows early.
Most mainstream tools advertise encryption in transit.
Fewer clarify encryption at rest or enterprise-grade controls on free tiers.
If security is mission-critical, confirm:
Do not assume feature parity between free and paid plans.
Common questions teams ask when switching from Slack to a free chat platform.
Based on vendor-published limits, Pumble lists unlimited message history on free, and Chanty lists unlimited searchable history on free. Several others publish caps on searchable messages or usage, like Zoho Cliq, Zulip, and Mattermost Entry.
Microsoft Teams (Free) and Google Meet (via Google Chat) publish 60-minute meeting limits with up to 100 participants. Zoom Workplace Basic publishes a 40-minute limit for group meetings and a 100 participant cap, and also publishes Team Chat retention.
Verify message history and search caps, file upload limits, retention controls, integrations, and whether your team needs group calls or only 1 to 1 calls. If you rely on automations, validate the minimum workflows you need, not the maximum feature list.
Rocket.Chat Starter, Nextcloud Talk, Element Server Suite Community, and Mattermost Entry are positioned with self-hosted deployment options. Self-hosting puts storage and retention under your control, but also adds responsibility for uptime and maintenance.
Start with the quick list, shortlist 2 or 3 options, then validate message history, file limits, meeting constraints, and integrations with a real pilot. The best Slack alternative is the one your team adopts daily and trusts as the source of truth.
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