Your team of five doesn't need to pay $7.25 per user per month just to chat. In fact, Slack has already started to feel like a tool designed for larger teams. That's why looking for free alternatives to Slack makes sense when the budget is tight and team conversations are simple. Here we review three real options that cost nothing, with their real limits and features, so you can choose with data and not just out of habit.
This guide on alternatives to Slack summarizes the criteria that should be reviewed before choosing. This guide on free slack alternatives summarizes the criteria that should be reviewed before choosing. Free Slack Alternatives – This guide summarizes criteria, limits, and steps for choosing with context.
free slack alternatives allows you to compare features, limits and context before deciding. free slack alternatives allows you to compare features, limits and context before deciding. free slack alternatives allows you to compare features, limits and context before deciding. free slack alternatives allows you to compare features, limits and context before deciding.
alternativas gratuitas slack: esta guía reúne criterios, límites y pasos para elegir con contexto.
free slack alternatives requires comparing features, limits and context before deciding.
free slack alternatives: criteria and guide
alternatives to Slack: criteria and guide
Table of Contents
What the free Slack plan limits you
Slack's free plan retains only 90 days of message history. It also limits connected external applications to 10. We already covered those limits in depth in our Slack vs Microsoft Teams comparison. So if your team already feels those restrictions, looking for free alternatives to Slack starts to make real sense. In fact, for small teams with simple conversations, that limited history is almost never noticeable.
Discord: the most flexible and free alternative
Discord was born for online communities video games, but many small teams adopted it as a work chat. Among the free alternatives to Slack, it stands out because it is free forever, with no history or member limits. It includes unlimited text and voice channels, something Slack doesn't offer in its free plan. The main limit is on the file size per message: 10MB on the free plan. To upload larger files, there is Nitro Basic, starting at $2.99 per month, which raises the limit to 50MB. So if your team mostly shares messages and light files, Discord covers almost everything for free.
Free alternatives to Slack in practice: what each type of team chooses
A freelance design team that barely coordinates three projects at once rarely needs more than Discord. An accounting firm that already lives within Google Workspace earns more by staying in Google Chat. A team that bills with Microsoft and uses Excel daily finds less friction in Teams. None of these free alternatives to Slack are superior in the abstract. The right decision almost always depends on what other tools your SMB already pays for, rather than an isolated list of features.
Google Chat: the option if you already use Gmail or Google Workspace
Google Chat is the most natural alternative if your team already uses a Google account. As one of the most integrated free alternatives to Slack with Gmail, it allows basic messaging and team spaces even with a free personal account. Of course, shared storage is limited to Google's general free plan, 15GB between Gmail, Drive and Photos. If your SME already pays for Google Workspace, Google Chat is included at no additional cost. The Business Starter plan, starting at $7 per user per month, already adds 30GB of dedicated storage. That's why Google Chat is rarely an isolated decision: it depends on whether you already use the rest of Google Workspace.
Free Microsoft Teams: another alternative if you don't want to pay
Microsoft Teams also has a free plan, although less known than Slack or Discord. Among the free alternatives to Slack, it fits especially well when the team already works with Outlook, Word or Excel. Allows meetings of up to 100 people, with a limit of 60 minutes per session. It also includes 10GB of shared storage, plus 2GB personal storage per user. However, that free plan does not allow you to record meetings or integrate advanced external applications. Even so, if your team already uses Outlook or Word, this alternative avoids adding another tool to the daily workflow.
Comparison table: free alternatives to Slack
| Tool | Main limit (free) | Plan paid from | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discord | 10MB per file, no history or members limit | Nitro Basic: 2.99 USD/month (single use) | Informal or technical teams that prioritize voice and chat at no cost |
| Google Chat | 15GB shared with Gmail and Drive (personal account) | $7/user/month (annual, with Google Workspace) | Teams that already use Gmail or Google Workspace |
| Microsoft Teams | 10GB shared + 2GB per user, 60 min meetings | $7/user/month (annual, Business Basic) | Teams that already use Office or Outlook |
Before migrating your entire team's history, test each alternative with real conversations for a week. This hands-on test helps you compare free Slack alternatives with your team's daily usage, not just a table of features. This way you confirm if any file or storage limits are really holding you back before you commit.
What to look at besides the price
Zero cost is not everything. When evaluating free alternatives to Slack, also check how easy it is to invite someone external to a specific channel, without giving them access to the entire team. It's also a good idea to check if searching for old messages works well, especially if your team relies on finding past decisions quickly. On the other hand, think about the learning curve. Discord may feel unprofessional to some teams, even though it works just as well. Of course, none of these alternatives require contracts or a credit card to get started.
Free tool: Operational Tasks and Projects
Before paying for a platform, define tasks, responsible parties and dates. A simple flow allows you to evaluate software with a real process, not just a list of features.
How to choose based on how your team communicates
If your team already lives within Google Workspace, Google Chat is the lowest friction option. If instead you are looking for something informal, with voice channels included at no cost, Discord tends to be a better fit for young or technical teams. When the team already uses Office daily, Microsoft Teams avoids adding another app. In other words, free alternatives to Slack work best when they fit into the ecosystem your SMB already uses. Therefore, before completely deciding, also check our comparison of the best video calling tools for remote teams. That's where meetings come into play, not just text chat.
Mattermost: Self-hosted alternative for teams that control their data
Mattermost offers an open source, self-hosted alternative for teams that need greater control over data, extensions, and interoperability. Their approach involves taking on hosting, updates, backups and operational security; It's not just a free Slack run by another company. Check out the official explanation of Mattermost open source approach.
| Alternative | It fits best when | Operating cost that you should not forget |
|---|---|---|
| Discord | Communities and startups | Moderation, server structure and separation between community and internal work. |
| Mattermost | Technical equipment or sensitive to data sovereignty | Server, maintenance, updates, copies and access controls. |
| Slack Free | Teams that prioritize rapid adoption | Free plan limits, history, and future management needs. |
It can be used for communities, startups or teams that prioritize voice, video and screen sharing, but it is advisable to separate customer spaces and define permissions and moderation.
Its open source proposal allows self-hosting, but the team must assume infrastructure, updates, security and support. Check the edition and the chosen services.
Slack Free is the closest option in channel experience; Discord prioritizes communities and voice, while Mattermost prioritizes control and self-hosting.
Free Slack Alternatives FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Slack for a small team? It depends on the context. Discord if you are looking for total simplicity, Google Chat if you already use Gmail or Workspace.
Do these alternatives have a member limit? Not in most cases. Discord and Google Chat allow large teams even in their free version.
Can I migrate my Slack history to another tool? Partially. Some allow you to export conversations, but the process is not always automatic or complete.
Is Slack worth paying for if my team is small? Not always. If your team doesn't rely on advanced integrations, a free alternative is usually enough.
Free alternatives to Slack: in summary
Finding free alternatives to Slack doesn't require sacrificing core features for a small team. It depends on what ecosystem your team already uses and how much weight you give to casual versus corporate. Try two options in parallel before fully committing. In the next article we compare Zoom against Google Meet, to complete the other half of your SME's communication.
