All alternatives › Slack
Indie alternatives to Slack
11 products made by independent developers and small teams that do what Slack does, 11 of them with a free plan. Free and open-source options come first.
At a glance
| Product | Price | Open source | Self-host | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campfire | Free | – | Yes | Web, Self-hosted |
| Chanty | Free plan | – | – | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Element | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted |
| Flock | Free plan | – | – | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Huly | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, Self-hosted |
| Mattermost | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted |
| Pumble | Free plan | – | – | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Rocket.Chat | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted |
| Twist | Free plan | – | – | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Wire | Free plan | – | – | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Zulip | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Web, Self-hosted, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
The alternatives
5. Huly
All-in-one open-source platform: tracker, docs, chat and meetings
An open-source platform combining issue tracking, docs, team chat, video meetings and planning in one app, available as cloud or self-hosted. For teams consolidating Linear, Slack and Notion.
Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, Self-hosted · Website ↗
6. Mattermost
Open-source, self-hosted team messaging
An open-source collaboration platform with team chat, calls, playbooks and boards, deployable self-hosted for security-focused organizations.
Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted · Website ↗
8. Rocket.Chat
Open-source secure communications platform
An open-source team chat and omnichannel communication platform that can be self-hosted, with federation and end-to-end encryption options.
Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted · Website ↗
11. Zulip
Open-source team chat organized by topic threads
Zulip is an open-source team chat app that organizes conversations into streams and topics, making async discussion easier to follow. Available as cloud or self-hosted.
Free plan · Web, Self-hosted, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗
Questions
Is there a free alternative to Slack?
Yes. 11 of the 11 indie alternatives listed here have a free plan or are free: Campfire, Chanty, Element, Flock and 7 more.
Is there an open-source alternative to Slack?
Element, Huly, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat and 1 more are open source.
Can I self-host an alternative to Slack?
Yes: Campfire, Element, Huly, Mattermost and 2 more can run on your own server.
Which Slack alternatives work on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android?
On Mac: Chanty, Element, Flock and 7 more. On Windows: Chanty, Element, Flock and 7 more. On Linux: Chanty, Element, Flock and 7 more. On iPhone and iPad: Chanty, Element, Flock and 6 more. On Android: Chanty, Element, Flock and 6 more.
What makes these alternatives to Slack “indie”?
They are built by independent developers or small teams rather than large companies. Each one is listed because it does the same core job as Slack.
Ask your AI instead
Add Indie Alternatives to ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor and ask “a cheaper Slack alternative that works on my Mac” in your own words, with your budget and platform. Set it up
Related
- Alternatives to Jira · 9
- Alternatives to Trello · 8
- Alternatives to Microsoft Teams · 7
- Alternatives to Asana · 6
- Alternatives to monday.com · 5
- Alternatives to Discord · 4
- Alternatives to Linear · 3
- Alternatives to Notion · 18
Browse: Team Communication · Security & Privacy · Project Management
Made one? List your product, it's free.