Free alternatives
7 free Slack alternatives
Losing message history after 90 days is the main reason teams leave Slack's free plan. These chat apps keep your full history, run on your own servers, or add free voice and video.
Short answer
The best free Slack alternatives are Pumble, Zulip, Discord and 4 more. Slack has a free plan, but each pick here is free or has a usable free plan.
Updated
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Is Slack free?
Slack pricing
Slack is a team chat app that organises conversations into channels, with huddles, apps and search.
Pro, Business+ and Enterprise+ are paid per user a month, billed monthly or yearly. Prices vary by country.
Free plan
Yes, but messages are saved and searchable for only 90 days, you can connect up to 10 apps, and huddles are 1:1 only.
Checked on Slack's official pricing page on . Prices change, so check before you buy.
The 7 best free Slack alternatives
Every pick is free or has a usable free plan, and is listed in our directory. Free-plan limits change, so check each tool's site before you switch.
Why switch: Slack-style chat with unlimited users and unlimited history on the free plan.
Team chat with a free plan for unlimited users and unlimited message history.
Works on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Why switch: Open-source chat with topics, free to self-host with every feature.
Open-source team chat where every conversation has a topic, so threads stay readable.
Works on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Why switch: Free text, voice and video chat with always-on voice rooms.
Free voice, video and text chat for communities, friends and small teams.
Works on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Why switch: Open-source, Matrix-based messaging you can host yourself.
Open-source, Matrix-based messaging you can self-host for free.
Works on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Why switch: Free chat, files and video meetings for personal use and small groups.
Microsoft's free chat and video meetings for personal use.
Works on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Why switch: Open-source, self-hosted Slack-style chat, free for small teams.
Self-hosted, open-source team chat with a free edition for small teams.
Works on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Why switch: Self-hosted chat with premium features free for up to 50 users.
Open-source team chat you host yourself, free for up to 50 users.
Works on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Frequently asked questions
- Is Slack free?
- Yes, but messages are saved and searchable for only 90 days, you can connect up to 10 apps, and huddles are 1:1 only.
- How much does Slack cost?
- Pro, Business+ and Enterprise+ are paid per user a month, billed monthly or yearly. Prices vary by country. Checked on Slack's own pricing page in October 2026; prices can change.
- What is the best free alternative to Slack?
- Pumble is our top pick, followed by Zulip and Discord. Each one is free or has a usable free plan.
- Are these Slack alternatives really free?
- Yes. Every tool on this page is either completely free or has a free plan you can keep using. Paid upgrades exist on some of them, and free-plan limits change, so check each tool's site.
Keep exploring
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