15 Best Team Chat & Messaging in 2026
Team chat software provides channel-based messaging, direct messages, and file sharing for coworkers, used by remote and office teams to coordinate daily work.
Top team chat & messaging
| Tool | Best for | License | Price | Reviews | Likes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8x8 | mid-size and enterprise businesses that want phone, video, and team chat bundled into one vendor and billed per user per month | Paid | From $24/mo | 0 | |
| Dialpad | Distributed sales and support teams that want VoIP calling, video meetings, and AI-generated call transcripts/summaries in one app instead of stitching together a separate phone system, video tool, and call-recording add-on. | Paid | From $15/mo | 0 | |
| Discord | gaming and hobbyist communities that want an always-on voice hangout with unlimited free members, rather than a scheduled-meeting or formal workplace chat tool | Freemium | Free tier · paid from $2.99/mo | 0 | |
| Element | government, defense, and enterprise organizations that need self-hosted, end-to-end encrypted chat with the option to federate across organizational boundaries | Open core | Free | 0 | |
| GoTo Connect | Small to multi-location businesses replacing an on-premise PBX with a cloud phone system that also needs built-in video meetings and call queues. | Paid | Custom pricing | 0 | |
| Mattermost | regulated, government, or defense organizations that need self-hosted, air-gapped, or sovereign-cloud team chat with compliance controls a SaaS-only tool like Slack can't provide | Open core | Free | 0 | |
| Microsoft Teams | organizations already using Microsoft 365 that need chat, video meetings, and calling tightly integrated with Word, Excel, Outlook, and SharePoint, from small teams under 300 people up to large enterprises | Freemium | Free tier · paid from $4/mo | 0 | |
| Nextiva | Small-to-mid-size businesses that want a single vendor for business phone lines, team messaging, video meetings, and a basic customer support/contact center in one subscription. | Paid | From $15/mo | 0 | |
| RingCentral | mid-size to large businesses replacing a legacy office phone system with a single platform for calling, video meetings, and team chat | Paid | From $20/mo | 0 | |
| Rocket.Chat | regulated and security-conscious organizations (government, defense, healthcare, financial services) that need a self-hostable or air-gapped team chat platform, plus teams wanting a free, open-source Slack alternative | Open core | Free | 0 | |
| Slack | teams that need organized, searchable chat with channels, quick huddles, and workflow automation, from small teams on the free tier up to large enterprises needing compliance controls | Freemium | Free tier · paid from $8.75/mo | 0 | |
| Stoat (formerly Revolt) | communities and friend groups who want a Discord-style chat app that is open source, self-hostable, and free of a paid subscription tier | Open source | Free | 0 | |
| Twist | distributed teams that want threaded, async-first communication instead of a real-time chat firehose like Slack | Freemium | Free tier · paid from $6/mo | 0 | |
| Zoho Workplace | Small and midsize teams that want business email, office documents, chat, and video meetings from a single vendor at a lower per-seat cost than Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. | Freemium | Pricing not verified | 0 | |
| Zulip | distributed and remote teams, open-source projects, and research groups who need many parallel conversations to stay organized without a flat, scrolling chat feed | Open source | Free tier · paid from $3.50/mo | 0 |
8x8
Dialpad
Discord
Element
GoTo Connect
Mattermost
Microsoft Teams
Nextiva
RingCentral
Rocket.Chat
Slack
Stoat (formerly Revolt)
Twist
Zoho Workplace
Zulip3 of 3 sponsor slots open
Reach people actively switching tools — your card on every page, from $10/day.
Book a sponsor slotFind alternatives to a specific tool
Alternatives to 8x84Alternatives to Dialpad3Alternatives to Discord4Alternatives to Element4Alternatives to GoTo Connect4Alternatives to Mattermost6Alternatives to Microsoft Teams5Alternatives to Nextiva3Alternatives to RingCentral6Alternatives to Rocket.Chat5Alternatives to Slack5Alternatives to Stoat (formerly Revolt)3Alternatives to Twist5Alternatives to Zoho Workplace3Alternatives to Zulip5
Frequently asked questions
What is the best team chat & messaging tool right now?
- 8x8 leads this list by user signals — it is best for mid-size and enterprise businesses that want phone, video, and team chat bundled into one vendor and billed per user per month. Dialpad is the strongest runner-up.
Which team chat & messaging are free?
- 10 of the 15 tools here have a usable free tier or are fully free: Discord, Element, Mattermost, Microsoft Teams, Rocket.Chat and 5 more.
Are there open-source team chat & messaging?
- Yes — Element, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Stoat (formerly Revolt), Zulip are open source.