The best Slack alternatives for a small business (2026)

Why do people look for alternatives to Slack?

• The free plan shows only 90 days of message history and connects up to 10 apps.
• Group huddles and unlimited history need Pro, at $7.25 a user a month billed yearly, or $8.75 monthly.
• Slack's advanced AI, including AI search, daily recaps and file summaries, is labelled on Business+, at $15 a user a month billed yearly.

What are the best Slack alternatives?

1. Microsoft Teams: best for chat and video meetings at the lowest price per user

Teams Essentials gives unlimited chat, guest access and unlimited meetings with recordings and transcripts, at $4 a user a month billed yearly. It connects to Outlook or Google calendars. It suits teams that spend as much time in calls as in chat.

• Microsoft Teams Essentials: $4 per user per month, paid yearly (annual subscription, auto renews)¹
• Microsoft Teams Essentials includes: Unlimited meetings with recordings and transcripts; Up to 300 participants per meeting, up to 30 hours per meeting; 10 GB cloud storage per user; Unlimited chat including guest access; Connect calendar with Outlook or Google; Data encryption for meetings, chats, calls and files²
• Feature: Unlimited chat with coworkers and customers, including guest access.³

2. Google Workspace: best for teams already on Gmail and Google Drive

Google Workspace includes Google Chat and Meet with business email, Calendar and Drive, so a team on Gmail may already pay for a Slack alternative. It suits teams that want chat where their files and mail already are, rather than one more app.

• Business Starter: $7 per user per month, annual commitment of 1 year, billed monthly; $8.4 billed monthly⁴
• Business Starter includes: 30 GB pooled storage per user; Custom business email ([email protected]); Gemini AI assistant in Gmail; chat with Gemini (company data not used to train models); Video meetings, 100 participants; Google Vids; Security and management controls⁵
• Feature: Video meetings hold 100 (Starter), 150 (Standard), 500 (Plus) or 1,000 (Enterprise) participants; recording starts on Standard.⁶

3. Basecamp: best for calm project chat at a flat price

Basecamp splits talk into each project's Campfire chat, Pings for direct messages, message boards for announcements, and scheduled check-ins that ask the team questions. It suits teams who found Slack too noisy, and its flat price covers everyone up to the plan's user limit.

• Pro Plus: $99 flat per account per month (not per user), billed monthly; Annual billing is marked unavailable in the package comparison⁷
• Feature: Campfire group chat and Pings (direct messages).⁸
• Feature: Automatic Check-ins that ask the team recurring questions on a schedule.⁹

4. Mojobase: best for chat where the AI answers from the whole business

Mojobase Team chat has Slack's channels, DMs and threads, plus Needs you, Catch up and an AI that answers from email, files, tasks and the Handbook. Agents join as members and guests are free. There are no huddles or calls; meetings get a pasted Zoom or Meet link in Calendar.

• Price: $39 a month for the first person and $25 for each after; the first 10 companies pay $29 and $19, for life
• AI: included, with your choice of model, or bring your own

5. ClickUp: best for chat that sits beside your tasks and docs

ClickUp Chat lives in the same workspace as tasks, docs and goals, with SyncUps for video calls, so a message can become a task without switching apps. It suits teams already running projects in ClickUp who pay for Slack only to talk about them.

• Feature: ClickUp Chat and SyncUps video calls; email in ClickUp (Core and up).¹⁰
• Core includes: Unlimited storage and Spaces; Custom fields and task types, unlimited forms, Gantt charts, ClickUp Chat; 1K automations per month; Guest permissions, goals; ClickUp Brain trial: 1K credits per user per month, pooled¹¹
• Business: $17 per user per month, billed yearly ('Regular price $25'); $25 billed monthly¹²

6. Missive: best for team chat around shared email and SMS

Missive puts internal chat and comments on the same screen as shared email, SMS and WhatsApp, so the team discusses a customer's message right next to it. It suits teams whose Slack is mostly about emails, and its AI assistant drafts replies from Productive.

• Productive: $24 per user per month, up to 50 users, billed yearly (20% off); $30 billed monthly¹³
• Feature: Collaboration: internal threads, collaborative drafting, assignment, internal chat, guest access, shared contact books, calendar and contact syncing for Gmail and Office 365¹⁴

7. Bitrix24: best for free chat and video calls inside a larger suite

Bitrix24's free plan for one or two users includes chat, video calls, tasks, calendars and a basic CRM, and its paid plans charge per organization rather than per user. It suits teams that want one inexpensive suite with chat, tasks and a CRM together.

• Free plan: Yes: Free, 'a no-cost way to explore Bitrix24', 100% free for 1-2 users; 5 GB storage, basic CRM (deals, contacts), tasks (Kanban, Gantt), shared calendars, chat and video calls.¹⁵
• Essentials: Basic: $49 flat per organization per month (not per user), billed annually (US$69 billed monthly); page says 'Save up to 40%' with annual; $69 billed monthly¹⁶
• Feature: Collaboration: chat, video calls with recording, company drive and online documents, shared calendars.¹⁷