Choosing the Right Company Chat Software for Modern Teams

Company chat software is no longer just a convenient alternative to email. It has become part of the core communication infrastructure used by modern organizations.

The selected platform affects employee productivity, data control, regulatory compliance, integration with business systems, and long-term IT costs. The right choice therefore depends on more than interface design or brand recognition.

Organizations should first determine where their communication data may be stored, which applications must be connected, how employees work, and whether the company needs a cloud-based or self-hosted platform.

Platform	Deployment	Best for	Security level	Pricing model
TrueConf	On-premises or private cloud	Organizations requiring complete data control	Very high	Server-based or perpetual licensing
Slack	Cloud	Technology teams, startups, and agencies	High	Per-user subscription
Microsoft Teams	Cloud or hybrid	Microsoft 365 environments	Very high	Included with or added to Microsoft 365
Flock	Cloud	Small teams with limited budgets	Medium	Free and low-cost paid plans
Connecteam	Cloud	Frontline and non-desk workers	Medium to high	Subscription
Mattermost	On-premises or cloud	DevOps and regulated organizations	Very high	Open-source and enterprise plans
Rocket.Chat	On-premises, private cloud, or SaaS	Organizations requiring flexible deployment	High	Open-source and enterprise plans
Twist	Cloud	Distributed teams using asynchronous communication	Medium to high	Free and paid plans
Lark	Cloud	Global teams seeking an all-in-one suite	High	Free and enterprise plans
Zulip	On-premises or cloud	Developers, researchers, and open-source communities	High	Free cloud and self-hosted options
Chanty	Cloud	Small teams replacing email	Medium	Free and paid plans
Pumble	Cloud	Budget-conscious teams	Medium	Free and paid plans
Wire for Business	On-premises or cloud	Security-sensitive organizations	Very high	Per-user subscription
Brosix	Cloud or on-premises	Small businesses requiring controlled communication	High	Per-user subscription
Spike	Cloud	Teams that primarily communicate through email	Medium	Free and paid plans

Company chat software is a business communication platform that allows employees to exchange messages, share documents, hold meetings, organize discussions, and coordinate tasks.

Unlike traditional email, company chat usually organizes communication into channels, groups, threads, and direct conversations. This makes it easier to separate discussions by team, department, customer, or project.

Modern platforms may also include:

• Audio and video calls

• Screen sharing

• File exchange

• Message search

• User and access management

• Task assignment

• Meeting recording

• Workflow automation

• Integration with business applications

• Data-retention and compliance controls

The goal is not necessarily to eliminate email completely. Company chat is generally better suited to frequent internal communication, while email remains useful for formal correspondence and communication with external parties.

TrueConf puts all these tools together in one place. The main difference is that it can be set up within a company’s own network. This means that communication data can stay within the company’s private network instead of being processed by a public cloud service.

The platform can also operate offline, which makes it useful for government agencies, industrial companies, healthcare organisations, financial institutions, and other organisations that need to control their data and network isolation.

TrueConf supports large video conferences, group messaging, centralised administration, role-based access controls, and integration with SIP and H.323 equipment. You can access the platform through desktop, web, and mobile applications.

The system was originally developed for video communication, with messaging added later as part of a wider collaboration environment. So TrueConf is perfect for companies that already have meeting rooms, video conferencing equipment, and a central system for managing communication.

The platform can be set up on-premises or in a private cloud. It allows internal communication even when there is no internet access. It also has server-based licensing without having to pay extra for each user. But it needs special computer equipment and someone to keep it running. It also has fewer integrations with other apps than popular cloud platforms, and its interface and features might be more than small teams need.

TrueConf is best for organisations that need to host their own communications, run their own networks, have central control and do enterprise video conferencing.

Slack is one of the most popular company messaging platforms. It helps you to send messages to the right people by organising them into channels, direct messages, threaded conversations, and a searchable message history.

Its main advantage is that it works well with lots of other systems. Slack works with tools for managing projects, cloud storage services, developer platforms, systems for managing customer relationships, and tools for automating workflows. Workflow Builder lets employees automate routine processes without having to write code, while Slack Canvas adds document-style content to channels and conversations.

The platform is known for its clear channel structure, strong search capabilities, mature developer ecosystem, and interface that is already familiar to many users. These features make it particularly useful for teams that work with lots of cloud applications and need to bring communication around projects, departments, or workflows together.

The free version lets you test the platform, but there are limits on message history and integrations. As the number of employees grows, the subscription costs may also increase a lot. Also, if you get too many notifications, you might not get as much work done because you’re distracted. Slack does not offer a way to set up your own system, so companies still have to rely on Slack’s cloud services.

Slack is best for technology companies, start-ups, creative agencies, and teams that use a lot of cloud-based business applications.

Microsoft Teams combines chat, video meetings, file sharing, channels and document collaboration into one place. It is particularly useful for organisations that already use Microsoft 365, since the platform connects directly with Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Its main advantage is that it works really well with Microsoft’s business applications. Employees can communicate, join meetings, share files and edit documents without having to switch between different systems. Teams also provides centralised administration, data retention controls, auditing, electronic discovery, and legal-hold capabilities, making it relevant to enterprises, universities, and organisations operating under regulatory requirements.

The platform is often included in existing Microsoft 365 licences, which can make it easier for organisations already using the ecosystem to start using it. However, it has a lot of features that are a bit similar, which can make it tricky to use. Employees may need to be shown how to use the channels, files, meetings and applications so that they can use them consistently.

It works best when used with Microsoft 365, and if a lot of people are going to use it, it needs strict rules about how it’s used. Teams also use up a lot of system resources, especially during video meetings and when several applications are running at the same time.

Microsoft Teams is best for businesses and schools that already use Microsoft 365.

Flock is a company chat platform that is affordable and designed primarily for small and medium-sized teams. It combines channels, direct messages, video meetings, file sharing, polls, task lists and basic productivity tools into one simple interface.

One of the best things about it is how easy it is to use. The platform is not as complicated as many other business communication suites, which can make it easier for teams to start using it when moving from email to more organised internal communication. Built-in tasks and polls also let employees manage simple workflows without using other applications.

Flock works with popular services like Google Workspace, Trello, GitHub, and Asana. Although it has fewer integrations than Slack, it covers many standard workflows used by small businesses.

The platform offers affordable paid plans, simple navigation, messaging, video calls, and basic collaboration features. However, it has fewer tools to help with compliance and administration than larger enterprise platforms. There are also fewer users and developers, so it might not be right for organisations that need a system with certain features.

Flock is best for small organisations that want to replace their old and complicated email system with a new team messaging platform that is easy to manage.

Connecteam is designed for employees who don’t work in an office or use a company computer all day. As well as messaging, the platform includes shift scheduling, task management, time tracking, training, digital forms and HR tools.

Its mobile-first design makes it suitable for organisations whose employees work across stores, construction sites, warehouses, hotels, customer locations, or other field environments. Typical users include retailers, hotels, logistics companies, construction firms, and field service organisations.

The platform combines communication with features for managing your workforce. This allows companies to coordinate schedules, assign tasks, track working hours, distribute training materials, and manage routine HR processes from one system. It can also help organisations when the number of staff or their working patterns change.

However, Connecteam offers fewer integrations with broader business systems than some general-purpose collaboration platforms. Some of the more advanced features are only available on the more expensive plans. The platform isn’t really designed for office-based knowledge workers or teams that need complex technical workflows.

Connecteam is perfect for companies in retail, logistics, hospitality, construction, field services and other organisations that have workers who don’t always have desks.

Mattermost is a free messaging platform made for technical teams and organisations that need more control over security, how it’s used, and storing data. It can be installed on an organisation’s own servers and used within private or isolated networks without a connection to the public internet.

The source code is available, so organisations can check the platform, adapt it to their own needs, and add it to the development, security and operational systems they already have. Mattermost works with tools like GitLab, Jira, Jenkins, and PagerDuty. This makes it particularly useful for DevOps, software development, incident response, and IT operations teams.

Enterprise plans add features for things like keeping your data up to date, following rules, getting your data out if you need to, managing everything from one place, and making sure everything works all the time. The platform can also be configured in a way that suits your company’s security and regulatory needs.

However, using it is more complicated than with fully managed cloud services. Mattermost needs technical support, and its interface may not be as polished as Slack’s. Its mobile apps might also be less reliable than those of major cloud-based competitors.

Mattermost is best for software development and IT teams, security departments, government contractors, and regulated organisations that need self-hosted communication and support for isolated networks.

Rocket.Chat is a free communication tool that can be used by companies to chat with their customers, answer their questions and talk to other people outside the company. It can be used on an organisation’s own servers, in a private cloud, or through a hosted service.

The platform lets organisations manage employee communication and customer-facing conversations in one place. It also works with popular services like email and social media. This can help bring all the discussions together so they’re not spread across different tools.

Rocket.Chat offers a range of deployment options, an active user community, an integration marketplace, and broad customisation capabilities. Its open-source model also allows technical teams to adapt the platform to specific operational, security and communication requirements.

But managing this can get complicated as the number of users increases. Large installations may need server optimisation, and implementation and maintenance often depend on technical specialists. Some important functions are only available with an enterprise licence.

Rocket.Chat is perfect for medium-sized companies that need open-source flexibility and want to manage all their internal and external communication on one platform.

Twist is a team messaging platform that allows users to send messages to each other at any time. Instead of encouraging employees to follow a continuous stream of real-time messages, it organises discussions into topic-based threads that users can read and answer when their schedules allow.

The platform doesn’t focus as much on presence indicators, typing notifications, and immediate replies. This approach can reduce interruptions and help teams who are spread out protect times when they are working, especially when employees work in different time zones.

Twist lets you look back on conversations and work with other services like Todoist, GitHub, Asana and Zapier. Its structured thread system makes it easier to keep long discussions organised and to understand what is going on.

However, the same communication model makes Twist less suitable for urgent situations, such as when employees need to respond to an incident or work in an environment where they need immediate answers. The platform also has fewer integrations than larger collaboration services and does not include video conferencing. If you want to be successful, you need to have a work culture that is okay with delayed responses and does not expect employees to be available all the time.

Twist is perfect for teams who like to communicate in an organised way, but not all at the same time. It helps them to avoid getting too many notifications and to work in a more focused way.

Lark is a business collaboration platform developed by ByteDance. It combines messaging, video calls, documents, calendars, email, approval processes, project coordination, and workflow tools into one place.

Lark Docs lets you work on documents with other people at the same time, and you can also use it as a shared workspace for teams. The platform also includes approval workflows, a strong mobile application, and a broad set of integrated tools that can reduce the need for separate communication and productivity services.

Lark is becoming more popular with companies in the Asia-Pacific region and other international markets. Many of these companies are looking for an alternative to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. It is reasonably priced and has lots of features, which could be good for companies that want a package that includes messaging, meetings, documents and calendars.

But people who might want to use it should think about where the data is stored, how to get it, and what the local rules are before they use it. Lark also has a smaller integration ecosystem in Western markets and may be less familiar to established enterprises. It has a lot of functions, which might be more than small teams need.

Lark is best for international teams and companies that want to improve how their offices work together by combining communication, documents, scheduling, and managing workflows.

Zulip is a free team chat platform that organises conversations into streams and topics. A stream is like a channel, and topics are like separate discussions within a stream. This two-level structure helps users manage large volumes of messages without losing context.

The platform is used by lots of different people, like software development communities, research teams, academic departments, and open-source projects. You can use it as a hosted service or as a self-hosted deployment, which gives you more control over your infrastructure and data storage.

Zulip is great for ongoing technical chats because you can easily find and follow older messages. Its search functions and way of organising information by topic can help teams that share a lot of detailed information. Some communities and open-source projects also offer free plans.

However, the stream-and-topic model may take some time to learn, especially for users familiar with conventional channel-based messengers. Zulip also has a smaller range of integrations than major business communication platforms and does not include video conferencing. This means that its interface and communication model may be less familiar to general business users.

Zulip is best for software developers, research groups, academic teams and open-source communities that need to be able to communicate in a structured way and keep an eye on past discussions.

Chanty is a simple team messaging platform designed primarily for small organisations. It includes channels, direct messages, threaded replies, voice messages, task management, and basic video calling.

The platform is easy to use and can be adopted without needing to do a lot of training. It has a built-in system for managing tasks, which allows teams to assign and track simple work without having to use a separate application. Paid plans also let you see all past messages, which can be useful for teams that need to keep track of previous discussions.

Chanty is quite cheap and works well for small groups that need simple communication and basic tools for working together. However, it doesn’t offer as many integrations as larger platforms and isn’t designed for complex enterprise deployments. It has limited video calling features, and its administration, compliance, and governance tools are less extensive than those offered by business communication systems.

Chanty is perfect for teams of between 2 and 50 people who need an easy and cheap alternative to Slack.

Pumble is a tool for team communication that was created by the same company that developed Clockify and Plaky. Its interface and channel-based structure are similar to Slack, which can make it easy for teams that have already used comparable messaging tools.

The platform supports channels, direct messages, audio calls, video calls, and integration with Clockify. One of the best things about it is that it’s free, and you can send an unlimited number of messages and see all of your messages in the past. This makes Pumble a practical choice for small teams and organisations that need to communicate in a structured way without spending a lot of money on software.

The simple interface and basic calling features can support everyday collaboration, while the Clockify integration may be useful for teams that already use the company’s time-tracking software. However, Pumble has a smaller range of integrations than Slack or Microsoft Teams and offers fewer advanced administration and compliance features. The platform is also less well-known than its larger competitors.

Pumble is best for start-ups, non-profit organisations and small teams that need an affordable messaging platform with unlimited message history.

Wire for Business is a communication platform that focuses on security. It is designed for organisations that place strict requirements on privacy and data protection. Messages, calls, files and other communications are protected with end-to-end encryption by default.

The platform can be set up on both the cloud and on your own computer network. The way it is designed is especially focused on privacy rules in Europe, making sure it complies with the GDPR, and keeping the amount of communication data available to service providers low.

Wire combines secure messaging and calling with deployment flexibility, making it relevant to organisations that need greater control over their communication infrastructure and stored data. However, it has fewer integrations and a smaller application ecosystem than Slack or Microsoft Teams. Video conferencing is not the main feature of the platform, so organisations may need to check whether it can support more complex ways of working together.

Wire for Business is perfect for law firms, banks, government organisations and European companies that have strict rules about privacy, encryption and data control.

Brosix is a private team communication platform designed for small and medium-sized organisations. Administrators set up a private communication network and decide who can join, stopping unauthorised external users from getting into internal conversations.

The platform includes instant messaging, file transfer, screen sharing, a virtual whiteboard, voice and video calls, and broadcast announcements. You can use it as a hosted service or install it yourself, depending on how important security and management are to you.

Brosix provides centralised administration and relatively simple controls for managing users and communication. Its private network model can be useful for organisations that need a controlled environment without the complexity of a large enterprise collaboration suite.

However, the platform has fewer integrations with third-party software and a smaller product ecosystem than major cloud services. It is also not as good for very large projects, and its interface may look less modern than those of its main competitors.

Brosix is perfect for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers private internal messaging, centralised user control and basic collaboration tools. It’s not as complicated as other enterprise platforms.

Spike is a communication platform that presents email conversations in a chat-style interface. It works with Gmail, Outlook and other email services using the usual mail protocols. This means that employees can keep using their usual email addresses and see discussions as message threads.

The platform also includes calendars, video meetings, collaborative notes, and team communication tools. The best thing about it is that companies can use email and chat-like communication at the same time, without asking customers, contractors, or other outside contacts to join a different internal workspace.

Spike can help you switch between applications more easily by bringing messages, meetings, notes and scheduling into one place. It is especially useful for teams that talk to people outside the organisation a lot and want to keep using the email system they already have.

However, Spike does not completely replace the organised team channels that are used for departments, projects, or ongoing internal discussions. It also depends on the email service you use. The privacy and data handling of your emails are partly determined by the email provider you use. This means that the platform may not be as good for organisations that want to use email less often.

Spike is best for teams that use a lot of external email and want a more conversational way to manage it.

Instant messaging reduces the delay associated with long email exchanges. Employees can ask questions, confirm assignments, and share brief updates without scheduling a meeting.

Modern chat platforms support file sharing, screen sharing, video calls, collaborative documents, and task management.

This allows teams to discuss work and complete related actions in the same environment.

Public channels and topic-based groups make decisions and project updates visible to relevant employees.

This reduces fragmented communication and helps new participants understand the history of a discussion.

Chat platforms can connect to project management systems, cloud storage, calendars, customer-management tools, and development services.

Notifications and updates can then appear directly in the relevant channel.

Factor	Cloud platform	On-premises platform
Initial setup	Usually completed quickly	Requires server preparation
Internal IT resources	Limited	Moderate or high
Data location	Depends on provider infrastructure	Controlled by the organization
Internet connection	Usually required	May not be required internally
Compliance	Based partly on provider certifications	Managed and audited internally
Costs	Recurring subscription	Infrastructure and licence costs
Updates	Managed by provider	Managed by internal administrators
Customization	Usually limited to available APIs	Deeper server-level control
Vendor dependence	Higher	Lower
Disaster recovery	Managed by provider	Managed by the organization

Cloud platforms are easier to introduce and maintain. They are generally appropriate for organizations without dedicated infrastructure teams.

On-premises platforms provide more control over data, network architecture, updates, and access. However, they require internal servers and administration.

The number of integrations should not be treated as the only measure of platform quality. Every integration creates another potential data flow. Regulated organizations may benefit more from a smaller number of controlled connections than from thousands of applications that are difficult to audit.

People use channels and group chats to organise projects, share updates, assign responsibilities, and record decisions.

Support teams can work together to answer questions or use chat software to talk to customers.

IT and DevOps technical teams use company chat for:

• responding to incidents

• system alerts

• deployment notifications

• integration with development tools

Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Slack and Zulip are particularly relevant to these workflows.

Human resources teams can share information like announcements, materials to help new employees, updates to company rules, training, and surveys about employees.

Connecteam is perfect for teams who don’t have regular access to desktops.

The sales and marketing teams use chat platforms for a number of things:

• to coordinate campaigns

• to review customer information

• to exchange files

• to receive updates from CRM systems

Review encryption, access controls, audit logs, retention policies, and regulatory support.

Organizations that cannot allow communication data to leave their own infrastructure should prioritize on-premises deployment.

Cloud services require less maintenance, while self-hosted platforms provide greater infrastructure control.

The choice should reflect the organization’s IT capacity and data-governance requirements.

Identify the systems employees already use, such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Trello, Salesforce, GitHub, or Jira.

Do not select a platform only because it advertises a large integration catalogue. Check whether the specific required connections are available and auditable.

A platform will not improve communication if employees avoid using it.

Evaluate navigation, mobile access, search, notifications, onboarding, and accessibility for non-technical users.

The selected platform should support future increases in users, messages, departments, storage, integrations, and administration requirements.

Consider more than the advertised monthly price.

The full cost may include:

• User subscriptions

• Storage

• Compliance plans

• Support

• Integrations

• Migration

• Training

• Server infrastructure

• Internal administration

• Backup and disaster recovery

Every company is different, so there is not one chat platform that is best for all of them.

TrueConf is perfect for companies that need to install and run their own version of the software, keep their communications private, and have video calls that include all participants. Slack works with lots of other apps and systems, while Microsoft Teams is a great choice for people who use Microsoft 365.

Connecteam helps people who work on the front line. Mattermost, Rocket.Chat and Zulip are all open-source. Twist is great for teams who don’t work at the same time, while Wire is perfect for teams who want to talk to each other in secret.

Smaller organisations may prefer Flock, Chanty, Pumble, or Brosix because they are simpler to manage and cheaper. Lark is a comprehensive system, while Spike is designed for organisations that want to keep email-based communication.

The final decision should be based on things like what is needed for deployment, security policies, how employees work, integrations, how much administration is needed, and the total cost over time.

Company chat software is a way for businesses to talk to each other. It provides channels, direct messages, file sharing, user administration, search and collaboration tools. It is different from a consumer messenger because it usually includes things like centralised access management, retention policies, audit functions and integration with business systems.

A cloud platform is hosted by the vendor and accessed through the internet. It requires less internal administration, but stores and processes data in infrastructure managed by the provider. An on-premises platform is installed inside the organisation’s own infrastructure. This gives you more control over where your data is stored, how your network traffic is managed, your security policies, and auditing.

If your organisation needs to keep communication data inside its own network, you could try TrueConf, Mattermost, Wire or Rocket.Chat. Microsoft Teams also has lots of features that help organizations that are allowed to use certified cloud services to meet important rules and regulations.

Using company chat instead of email can greatly reduce the amount of internal email sent. This is because it can be used for routine discussions, updates and project coordination.