Short answer: Slack Pro costs a 25-person team $2,175.00 for 12 months billed yearly. Of the plans in this guide that list unlimited searchable history, group calls and guest access, Zoho Cliq Professional is the lowest at $540.00, saving $1,635.00, then Chanty Business at $900.00 and Pumble Business at $1,197.00. Microsoft Teams Essentials is $1,200.00. Prices checked 20 Oct 2026.
Nine Slack alternatives priced for 25 people on yearly billing, with the plan limits that change the bill and a 100-user single sign-on check, read on vendor pages on 20 Oct 2026.
Seven plans in this guide list unlimited searchable history, group calls and guest access for 8.0% to 75.2% less than Slack Pro costs a 25-person team. That team pays $2,175.00 for 12 months billed yearly (25 users x $7.25 x 12), or $2,625.00 billed monthly, and nine alternatives are priced below for the same headcount. Toolradar data: of the 47 team chat tools we track, 77% offer a free or freemium plan and 21% are paid only, so paying less than Slack is mostly a matter of picking the right plan, not of giving up chat.
The first buyer is a 25-person team on yearly billing that needs unlimited searchable history, group calls and guests. We call that the basket. Slack Free is not the baseline, because it keeps 90 days of history, 10 apps and one-to-one huddles only. The second buyer is a 100-person company that needs single sign-on, priced against Slack Business+, the plan that lists SAML-based sign-on. Methodology: we weighed 47 team chat tools in the team chat category, kept nine whose own pages print a plan a 25-person team can buy, and read every price and limit on those pages on 20 Oct 2026. Rows run from the lowest to the highest 12-month cost of the plan priced, and a plan that misses part of the basket says so in its row and in its card.
The savings change if your team needs phone calling, bigger file storage or video beyond what a plan lists. Slack bundles huddles, Microsoft Teams sits inside the Microsoft 365 plans you may already pay for, and storage per user differs widely, for example 10 GB on Teams Essentials, 20 GB on Chanty Business and 100 GB on Zoho Cliq Professional. For features rather than cost, see Slack vs Microsoft Teams and the team communication guide.
Top Picks
Picked by editorial review, informed by G2 and Capterra review volume and rating and by media mentions, the signals behind our category rankings. How we rate
Standard is priced at $16.20 a month for up to 25 users; Professional adds guest chat and 1,000-person meetings at $1.80 per user.
Starting price
Std $16.20/mo flat; Pro $1.80/user/mo
4.5 (377 reviews)
Best for
Small teams that want a low bill and can accept a 10-user minimum on per-user plans.
One flat price covers the whole team, so 25 people or 100 pay the same $899.00 a year on yearly billing.
Starting price
$74.92 /mo flat, billed yearly
Best for
Teams of 11 or more that want chat, tasks and notes in one workspace for one fee.
Business lists unlimited group calls, 20 GB per user and three free guest seats per member, and stays low per user on yearly billing.
Starting price
$3 /user/mo yearly; Free to 5 users
4.4 (57 reviews)
Best for
Teams above 5 people that want group calls and guests at a low per-user price.
| Tool | Starting price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Cliq | Std $16.20/mo flat; Pro $1.80/user/mo | 4.5 377 reviews | Small teams that want a low bill and can accept a 10-user minimum on per-user plans. |
| Rock | $74.92/mo flat, billed yearly | n/a | Teams of 11 or more that want chat, tasks and notes in one workspace for one fee. |
| Chanty | $3/user/mo yearly; Free to 5 users | 4.4 57 reviews | Teams above 5 people that want group calls and guests at a low per-user price. |
| Pumble | Free; Business $3.99/seat/mo yearly | 4.7 374 reviews | Teams that want guests, meetings and unlimited history for under $4 per seat per month billed yearly. |
| Microsoft Teams | $4.00/user/mo, paid yearly | 4.4 30,473 reviews | Teams already on Microsoft 365 or that want meetings and chat from one vendor. |
| Flock | Free (1-20); Pro $4.50/user/mo yearly | 4.5 644 reviews | Teams of 20 to 100 that want group video and guests without paying Slack Pro rates. |
| Troop Messenger | Premium $2.50/user/mo | 4.7 126 reviews | Teams that want group calling and SSO without moving to a quote-only plan. |
| Twist | Free; Unlimited $6/user/mo yearly | 4.3 36 reviews | Remote teams that prefer threaded, asynchronous discussion to real-time chat. |
| Zulip | Free; Standard $6.67/user/mo yearly | 4.8 313 reviews | Open-source projects, research groups and non-profits that qualify for free Standard, or teams that value threads. |
- Starting price
- Std $16.20/mo flat; Pro $1.80/user/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.5 (377 reviews)
Best for: Small teams that want a low bill and can accept a 10-user minimum on per-user plans.
- Pro: Standard is $16.20 a month for up to 25 users billed annually, which is $194.40 over 12 months
- Pro: Professional is $1.80 per user per month billed yearly and lists unlimited searchable messages and guest chat
- Pro: Professional meetings take 1,000 active participants and run up to 24 hours
- Con: Standard prints one price for up to 25 users and has no guest chat
- Con: Professional needs at least 10 users, so a 6-person team pays for 10
Zoho Cliq's pricing is quite fair and competitive, especially with its generous free tier supporting unlimited users.
Rock
One flat price covers the whole team, so 25 people or 100 pay the same $899.00 a year on yearly billing.
- Starting price
- $74.92/mo flat, billed yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
Best for: Teams of 11 or more that want chat, tasks and notes in one workspace for one fee.
- Pro: Unlimited is $74.92 a month billed yearly whatever the headcount, or $89 a month billed monthly
- Pro: The page says clients and freelancers join at no extra cost, so guests add no seats
- Pro: Unlimited lists unlimited group spaces, tasks, notes and storage, with 500 members per space
- Con: Meetings run through Zoom, Google Meet or Jitsi integrations, and the page lists no built-in group calls
- Con: The page says unlimited messaging but prints no message-history or search rule
Rock's pricing is quite generous, especially with its robust Free Forever plan offering significant features for small teams.
- Starting price
- $3/user/mo yearly; Free to 5 users
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.4 (57 reviews)
Best for: Teams above 5 people that want group calls and guests at a low per-user price.
- Pro: Business is $3 per user per month billed yearly, so 25 people pay $900.00 for 12 months
- Pro: Business lists unlimited group audio and video calls, unlimited screen sharing and 20 GB of storage per user
- Pro: Three guest seats per paid member are free, so 10 paid seats allow 30 single-conversation guests
- Con: Free stops at 5 team members and lists one-to-one calls only
- Con: Billed monthly, Business is $4 per user, a third more than the yearly rate
Chanty's pricing is quite generous, especially with its robust Free tier for up to 5 users.
Watch out
No mention of storage limits, could be a future cost.
Pumble
Business is $3.99 per seat per month billed yearly and adds guests and 100-member meetings; even the Free plan keeps unlimited history.
- 4.7 on Capterra (234 reviews)
- 4.9 on SourceForge (100 reviews)
- 4.5 on G2 (40 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free; Business $3.99/seat/mo yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.7 (374 reviews)
Best for: Teams that want guests, meetings and unlimited history for under $4 per seat per month billed yearly.
- Pro: The Free plan lists unlimited message history for an unlimited number of users, with one-to-one meetings and 3 apps
- Pro: Pro at $2.49 per seat per month billed yearly adds group meetings for up to 50 members
- Pro: Enterprise at $6.99 lists SSO with SAML2 and OAuth2, audit logs and data retention
- Con: Pro has no guest access, so guests start at Business
- Con: Every active member, admin and multi-channel guest occupies a paid seat, with 5 free single-channel guests per seat
Pumble's pricing is incredibly generous, especially with its robust Free tier offering unlimited users and history.
Watch out
Guest access only in Pro tier, could add up for large teams.
Microsoft Teams
Teams Essentials is $4.00 per user per month paid yearly and lists unlimited chat and search, guest access and 300-person meetings.
- Starting price
- $4.00/user/mo, paid yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.4 (30,473 reviews)
Best for: Teams already on Microsoft 365 or that want meetings and chat from one vendor.
- Pro: Essentials lists unlimited chat messages, file attachments and search, plus guest access
- Pro: Meetings run up to 30 hours with 300 participants on Essentials
- Pro: Business Basic at $7.00 per user per month paid yearly bundles Teams with web Office apps, business email and 1 TB of storage per user
- Con: Essentials has 10 GB of cloud storage per user, against 1 TB on Business Basic
- Con: The page shows only the yearly price, with no monthly-billing rate
Microsoft Teams is the most cost-effective business communication platform when bundled with Microsoft 365.
- Starting price
- Free (1-20); Pro $4.50/user/mo yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.5 (644 reviews)
Best for: Teams of 20 to 100 that want group video and guests without paying Slack Pro rates.
- Pro: Pro is $4.50 per user per month billed yearly, so 25 people pay $1,350.00 for 12 months
- Pro: Pro lists unlimited searchable messages and channels, against 10,000 searchable messages on Starter
- Pro: Pro lists screen sharing, 10 GB per team member and a 30-day free trial with no credit card
- Con: Starter is for teams of 1 to 20 members, so a 25-person team needs Pro
- Con: Group video calls stop at 20 participants on Pro
Flock's pricing structure is quite generous, especially with a robust free 'Starter' tier for small teams.
Watch out
Guests free for only 90 days
Troop Messenger
Premium lists unlimited search history and guest controls; group calling and SSO start at Enterprise, at $5 per user per month.
- Starting price
- Premium $2.50/user/mo
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.7 (126 reviews)
Best for: Teams that want group calling and SSO without moving to a quote-only plan.
- Pro: Two paid tiers are priced plainly: $2.50 for Premium and $5 for Enterprise per user per month
- Pro: Premium at $2.50 per user per month lists unlimited search history, guest user access controls and one-to-one video
- Pro: Enterprise lists group calling, unlimited video conferencing, remote screen sharing and LDAP, Active Directory and SSO
- Con: Group calling sits on Enterprise, double the Premium rate
- Con: There is no yearly discount: the Yearly toggle shows $60 per user per year on Enterprise, equal to 12 months of the monthly rate
The Premium tier at $2.5/user/month offers good value for smaller teams needing basic collaboration.
Watch out
Potential overage fees for cloud storage beyond 1TB.
Twist
Unlimited lists full history and free single-channel guests on the yearly toggle, but the pricing page lists no calling.
- 4.1 on G2 (34 reviews)
- 5.0 on Trustpilot (2 reviews)
- Starting price
- Free; Unlimited $6/user/mo yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.3 (36 reviews)
Best for: Remote teams that prefer threaded, asynchronous discussion to real-time chat.
- Pro: Unlimited is $6 per user per month on the yearly toggle, so 25 people pay $1,800.00 for 12 months
- Pro: Unlimited lists full history, unlimited integrations and unlimited file storage
- Pro: Single-channel guests are always free, and the Free plan allows up to 500 members and 500 guests
- Con: The pricing page lists no voice or video calling, so it misses part of the basket
- Con: Free hides threads and messages older than one month
Twist's pricing is quite fair, especially with a generous Free tier that supports up to 500 members.
- Starting price
- Free; Standard $6.67/user/mo yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Rating
- 4.8 (313 reviews)
Best for: Open-source projects, research groups and non-profits that qualify for free Standard, or teams that value threads.
- Pro: Standard lists unlimited search history, against 10,000 messages of search history on Free
- Pro: Guests are included at 5 times the number of other users, then one extra license per 5 more guests
- Pro: Plus at $10 per user per month billed annually lists SAML single sign-on, SCIM and a custom domain
- Con: It saves only $174.00 against Slack Pro for 25 people, the smallest saving in the table
- Con: Group calls go through a call provider you choose, such as Zoom or Jitsi
Zulip's pricing is quite fair and competitive, especially with a generous free tier.
Watch out
Storage limits per user could add up for heavy media users.
Other Team Chat tools worth considering
More published tools from our Team Chat category, ordered by our category ranking. They are not part of the editorial picks above.
What a Slack alternative has to match to be a fair comparison
Slack Pro sells three things that matter to a 25-person team: unlimited message history, huddles for more than two people, and group channels with other organizations through Slack Connect. The Free plan keeps 90 days of history and 10 apps, and its huddles and external messages are one-to-one only. Slack's help center adds that guests exist on paid plans only: single-channel guests are free, up to 5 per paid member, and multi-channel guests are billed like members.
A fair alternative has to offer the same three things on a paid plan: unlimited searchable history, calls for more than two people, and guest access. Where a plan misses one, its row says which. Single sign-on is a fourth test for larger companies, because Slack lists Google sign-in on Pro and SAML-based sign-on from Business+. The full list of replacements sits on the Slack alternatives page.
Why the seat count and the billing toggle decide the bill
Per-user prices grow in a straight line and flat prices do not, so the lowest row changes with headcount. Rock charges $899.00 billed yearly for the whole team, which undercuts Slack Pro from the 11th seat, Pumble Business and Microsoft Teams Essentials from the 19th, and Chanty Business from the 25th. Zoho Cliq Standard is one price for up to 25 users, so it stops being an option at user 26.
The billing toggle moves a bill as much as the vendor choice does. Slack Pro is 17.1% cheaper billed yearly than billed monthly. Flock, Chanty and Twist are 25.0% cheaper yearly, Pumble Business 20.0% and Zulip Standard 16.6%. Every total here uses the yearly rate, so a team that pays monthly should add the gap back.
At 100 people who need single sign-on, Slack Business+ costs $18,000.00 for 12 months (100 x $15 x 12). Zoho Cliq Professional comes to $2,160.00, Chanty Business $3,600.00, Troop Messenger Enterprise $6,000.00, Pumble Enterprise $8,388.00 and Zulip Plus $12,000.00, so each saves at least $6,000.00. Pumble and Troop Messenger swap places, because Pumble keeps single sign-on on Enterprise while Troop Messenger lists it on the plan that already holds its group calls. Rock and Twist list no single sign-on, Microsoft's plan page does not name it, Flock sells it only on a quote-only plan, and Zoho Cliq Standard stops at 25 users. The vendors also use different words: Slack says SAML-based, Pumble SAML2 and OAuth2, Zulip SAML, while Zoho, Chanty and Troop Messenger say only SSO.
Key Features to Look For
Message history and search (Essential)
Slack Free keeps 90 days of history and its paid plans keep all of it. Pumble Free lists unlimited message history and Chanty Free unlimited searchable history for up to 5 team members. Zulip Free, Zoho Cliq Free and Flock Starter cap searchable history at 10,000 messages, and Twist Free at one month.
Group calls (Essential)
Slack Pro lists group huddles. Zoho Cliq Professional lists meetings for 1,000 active participants, Microsoft Teams Essentials 300 participants, Pumble Business 100 members and Flock Pro 20. Chanty Business lists unlimited group calls and Troop Messenger Enterprise lists group calling with unlimited video conferencing. Zulip and Rock use providers such as Zoom and Jitsi, and Twist lists no calling.
Guest access (Important)
Slack gives each paid member up to 5 free single-channel guests and bills multi-channel guests as members. Pumble Business matches the 5 per seat, Chanty Business gives three guest seats per member, Zulip 5 guests per other user, and Flock Pro keeps multi-channel guests free for 90 days. Rock invites clients and freelancers at no extra cost.
Single sign-on (Important)
Slack lists Google sign-in on Pro and SAML-based sign-on on Business+. Pumble lists SAML2 and OAuth2 on Enterprise, Zulip SAML on Plus, Troop Messenger LDAP, Active Directory and SSO on Enterprise, and Chanty SSO on Business with SAML on a quote-only Enterprise plan. Flock keeps SSO on a quote-only Enterprise plan.
Flat or per-user pricing (Important)
Rock Unlimited is one price for the team and Zoho Cliq Standard is one price for up to 25 users. Every other row multiplies a per-user rate by seats, so its cost rises with each hire while the flat rows hold until a cap.
Seat minimums and caps (Important)
Zulip Plus and Zoho Cliq Professional need 10 users. Zoho Cliq Standard stops at 25 users, Flock Starter is for teams of 1 to 20, Chanty Free holds 5 team members. Rock Unlimited allows 500 members per space.
Before you switch from Slack
-
Price your real headcount on both billing toggles first. The 25-user totals here are a reference, not your invoice.
-
List the basket items you use. If nobody needs guests, Pumble Pro at $2.49 keeps history and adds group meetings for up to 50 members; if nobody needs group calls, Troop Messenger Premium at $2.50 keeps history and guest controls.
-
Ask where single sign-on sits. Pumble keeps it on Enterprise, Zulip on Plus, and Flock behind a quote.
-
Run the import before you commit: Pumble lists import from Slack on every plan, and Zulip lists imports from Slack, Teams, Mattermost and Rocket.Chat.
Evaluation Checklist
Write down your seat count and billing term, then multiply each yearly rate by seats and by 12.
Mark which of unlimited searchable history, group calls and guests each plan lists.
Check seat minimums and caps against the headcount you expect in 12 months.
Find the plan that lists single sign-on and price it for your full headcount.
Count your guests and decide which are single-channel, since those are free on several plans.
Run the Slack import on a copy of your workspace before you cancel.
Pricing Overview
Slack Free
Teams that accept 90 days of searchable history, 10 apps and one-to-one huddles only.
$0
Slack Pro
Unlimited history, group huddles and group Slack Connect, with Google sign-in as the only single sign-on.
$7.25 per user per month billed yearly; $8.75 billed monthly
Slack Business+
SAML-based single sign-on, SCIM and data exports for companies that need them.
$15 per user per month billed yearly; $18 billed monthly
Flat team price
Teams where an extra hire should not raise the bill, accepting integrations for calls or no guest chat.
$74.92 a month billed yearly (Rock)
Per-user plans with the whole basket
Zoho Cliq Professional, Chanty Business, Pumble Business, Microsoft Teams Essentials, Flock Pro, Troop Messenger Enterprise and Zulip Standard.
$540.00 to $2,001.00 for 25 users over 12 months
Per-user plan without group calls
Remote teams that work in threads and use a separate tool for calls.
$1,800.00 for 25 users over 12 months (Twist Unlimited)
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Plan priced | Rate per user per month | Billing basis | 25 users, 12 months | Saving vs Slack Pro | Free plan limit | 100 users with SSO, 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Slack (reference) | Pro: unlimited history, group huddles, group Slack Connect, guests | $7.25 | Billed yearly; $8.75 billed monthly | $2,175.00 | Reference row | 90 days of history, 10 apps, one-to-one huddles | Business+ at $15: $18,000.00 (SAML-based); Pro lists Google sign-in |
Zoho Cliq (Standard) | Standard: unlimited searchable messages, 100-person meetings, no guest chat | $16.20 a month for up to 25 users | Billed annually; $18 a month billed monthly | $194.40 | $1,980.60 (91.1%) | 10,000 searchable messages, 60-minute meetings | Not available above 25 users |
Zoho Cliq (Professional) | Professional: unlimited searchable messages, 1,000-person meetings, guest chat | $1.80 | Billed yearly; $2 billed monthly; 10-user minimum | $540.00 | $1,635.00 (75.2%) | Same Free plan as above | $2,160.00; page ticks SSO on every plan, SAML not named |
Rock | Unlimited: unlimited messaging, free guests, meetings through Zoom, Meet or Jitsi | $74.92 a month for the whole team | Billed yearly; $89 a month billed monthly | $899.00 | $1,276.00 (58.7%) | 3 group spaces, 5 members per space, 250 MB per space | No SSO listed; the same flat price at 100 users |
Chanty | Business: unlimited searchable history, unlimited group calls, 3 guest seats per member | $3 | Billed yearly; $4 billed monthly | $900.00 | $1,275.00 (58.6%) | Up to 5 team members, one-to-one calls only | Business: $3,600.00, lists SSO; SAML on quote-only Enterprise |
Pumble | Business: unlimited history, guests, group meetings up to 100 members | $3.99 | Billed yearly; $4.99 billed monthly | $1,197.00 | $978.00 (45.0%) | Unlimited history, one-to-one meetings, 3 apps | Enterprise at $6.99: $8,388.00 (SAML2, OAuth2) |
Teams Essentials: unlimited chat and search, guest access, 300-person meetings | $4.00 | Paid yearly; no monthly price shown | $1,200.00 | $975.00 (44.8%) | One-month trial; Teams Free is for individuals | Plan page does not name single sign-on | |
Flock | Pro: unlimited searchable messages, group video up to 20 people, guests | $4.50 | Billed yearly; $6 billed monthly | $1,350.00 | $825.00 (37.9%) | Starter for teams of 1 to 20: 10,000 searchable messages | SSO on quote-only Enterprise |
Enterprise: group calling, video conferencing; unlimited history and guest controls from Premium | $5 | Monthly toggle; Yearly toggle shows $60 per user per year | $1,500.00 | $675.00 (31.0%) | Unlimited search history starts at Premium | $6,000.00; lists LDAP, Active Directory, SSO | |
Twist | Unlimited: full history, free single-channel guests, no calling listed | $6 | Yearly toggle; $8 on the Monthly toggle | $1,800.00 | $375.00 (17.2%) | 1 month of history, 5 integrations, 5 GB | No SSO listed |
Zulip | Standard: unlimited search history, guests, group calls through your call provider | $6.67 | Billed annually; $8 billed monthly | $2,001.00 | $174.00 (8.0%) | 10,000 messages of search history, 5 GB total | Plus at $10: $12,000.00 (SAML, 10-user minimum) |
Prices read on vendor pages on 20 Oct 2026: Slack pricing and Slack guest roles, Zoho Cliq pricing and Zoho Cliq plan comparison, Rock pricing, Chanty pricing, Pumble pricing, Microsoft Teams plans and Teams Free, Flock pricing, Troop Messenger pricing, Twist pricing, Zulip plans and Zulip billing help. Dollar prices are the US view of each page; several vendors show euros to visitors in Europe. Totals are the rate x 25 users x 12 months. Rock and Zoho Cliq Standard are flat team prices: Rock's total is the yearly price its page prints, Zoho Cliq Standard's is 12 months of its monthly figure, and Zoho adds local taxes on top.
Mistakes to Avoid
- ×
Pricing Slack Free as the baseline. It keeps 90 days of history and 10 apps, so the fair comparison is Slack Pro.
- ×
Mixing billing toggles. A 25-person team that sets an alternative's yearly rate against Slack's monthly rate overstates the saving by $450.00 a year.
- ×
Buying a plan below the basket. Pumble Pro lists no guests and Troop Messenger Premium lists no group calling; the plans that complete the basket are $3.99 and $5.
- ×
- ×
- ×
Comparing a bundle with a stand-alone. Teams Essentials is chat and meetings, while Business Basic adds web Office apps, email and 1 TB of storage per user for $7.00.
Expert Tips
- →
Multiply your own headcount before you read the ranking. Rock's flat price beats Slack Pro from the 11th seat.
- →
Check guest rules before call limits. A client-heavy team can fill Pumble's 5 free single-channel guests per seat quickly, while multi-channel guests need a paid seat.
- →
If your company already pays for a Microsoft 365 plan that lists Teams, compare Teams chat with Slack Pro as a licence you already hold.
- →
Ask for single sign-on pricing in writing. Flock keeps SSO and Chanty keeps SAML on quote-only Enterprise plans.
- →
Check the Slack import before you switch. Pumble lists it on every plan, including Free, and Zulip lists it alongside Teams, Mattermost and Rocket.Chat imports.
- →
Red Flags to Watch For
-
A promotion shown as the price: Slack's Pro card shows $4.38 under a 50% off for 3 months banner on monthly billing, while the list price is $8.75.
-
A flat price that stops at a user count: Zoho Cliq Standard is printed for up to 25 users.
-
A plan page that never names single sign-on: the Microsoft Teams, Twist and Rock pages do not.
-
Guest wording that says free without a time limit: Flock multi-channel guests turn paid after 90 days.
The Bottom Line
For 25 people billed yearly, start with Zoho Cliq Professional, Chanty Business or Pumble Business if you need unlimited searchable history, group calls and guests. Choose Rock once headcount reaches 11 and calls can run through Zoom or Meet. At 100 people with single sign-on, Zoho Cliq Professional, Chanty Business and Troop Messenger Enterprise stay far below Slack Business+. Slack Pro is the highest total in the table, so re-price your own headcount each quarter. See also Slack alternatives and the open-source team chat guide.
Cite this: Toolradar, "Cheaper Slack Alternatives in 2026", Oct 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest Slack alternative for a 25-person team in 2026?
Among the plans that list unlimited searchable history, group calls and guest access, Zoho Cliq Professional is the lowest for 25 people billed yearly: $540.00 for 12 months, which is $1,635.00 (75.2%) under Slack Pro's $2,175.00. Chanty Business is $900.00 and Pumble Business $1,197.00. Zoho Cliq Standard has no guest chat, and Rock runs calls through integrations. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
How much does Slack cost per user in 2026?
Slack Pro is $7.25 per user per month billed yearly or $8.75 billed monthly, and Business+ is $15 billed yearly or $18 billed monthly, in the US view of slack.com/pricing. A banner offers 50% off Pro for 3 months on monthly billing, which is a promotion, not the list price. Slack Free is $0 with 90 days of history and 10 apps. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
Is there a free Slack alternative that keeps unlimited message history?
Yes, with limits. Pumble Free lists unlimited message history for an unlimited number of users, with one-to-one meetings and 3 apps. Chanty Free lists unlimited searchable history for up to 5 team members. Zulip Free caps search history at 10,000 messages, though many open-source, research and non-profit groups qualify for a free Standard plan. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
How much does single sign-on cost for 100 people on Slack and its alternatives?
Slack lists SAML-based sign-on on Business+, which is $18,000.00 for 100 people over 12 months billed yearly. The same headcount costs $2,160.00 on Zoho Cliq Professional, $3,600.00 on Chanty Business, $6,000.00 on Troop Messenger Enterprise, $8,388.00 on Pumble Enterprise and $12,000.00 on Zulip Plus. Flock keeps SSO on a quote-only Enterprise plan.
Is Microsoft Teams cheaper than Slack?
Teams Essentials is $4.00 per user per month paid yearly, so 25 people pay $1,200.00 against Slack Pro, a saving of $975.00 (44.8%). Essentials lists unlimited chat and search, guest access and meetings for 300 people up to 30 hours, with 10 GB of storage per user. Business Basic at $7.00 adds web Office apps and email. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
Are guests free on Slack alternatives?
Partly. Slack gives each paid member up to 5 free single-channel guests and bills multi-channel guests like members. Pumble Business gives 5 free single-channel guests per seat, Chanty Business three guest seats per member, and Zulip 5 guests per other user. Flock keeps multi-channel guests free for 90 days, and Rock lets clients and freelancers join at no extra cost.
Cite this page: Toolradar, "Cheaper Slack Alternatives in 2026: What a 25-Person Team Saves", updated October 2026, https://toolradar.com/guides/cheaper-slack-alternatives
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