Team Communication Apps Tier List: 19 Ranked
Every office (remote or not) runs on one of these now. We're looking at the whole field here: the chat apps, the video call tools, the all-in-one suites that try to do everything at once. Some of these you use every day without thinking about it. Others you've maybe only heard of because a client insisted on it.
This ranking leans on what actual users and reviewers say across forums, review sites and our own testing. Where people genuinely disagree (and they do, a lot, over a couple of these), we say so and tell you which way we leaned.
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SS Tier: The ones everyone reaches for
Slack
Still the gold standard for how a chat app should feel. Threads, channels and search all just make sense once you've used it for a week, and the integrations list is enormous. It's gotten pricier and busier over the years, but nothing else has quite matched the vibe.
About Slack
A workplace messaging app launched by Slack Technologies, later acquired by Salesforce. Known for channels, threads and its huge library of third-party integrations.
- Launched
- 2013
- Owner
- Salesforce
Microsoft Teams
Love it or hate it, if your company runs on Microsoft 365, Teams is where you live all day. The chat side used to be clunky but it's genuinely improved, and bundling it with Office apps makes it an easy default for huge organizations.
About Microsoft Teams
Microsoft's chat, video and collaboration hub bundled into Microsoft 365. Grew massively during remote-work shifts in the early 2020s.
- Launched
- 2017
- Owner
- Microsoft
Zoom
Became a verb for a reason. Video quality and reliability under load are still better than most competitors, and it expanded into chat and phone without losing the thing it's actually famous for: calls that don't drop.
About Zoom
Video conferencing platform founded by Eric Yuan, which became a household name for remote meetings. Also offers Zoom Phone and Zoom Chat.
- Founded
- 2011
AA Tier: Genuinely excellent, small catches
Google Meet
If you're in Google Workspace already, Meet is the obvious, friction-free choice. It's not trying to be flashy, it just opens fast from a Calendar invite and works, which is exactly what most meetings need.
About Google Meet
Google's video conferencing tool, part of Google Workspace and tightly integrated with Calendar and Gmail.
- Owner
Discord
Built for gaming communities, quietly adopted by startups and creative teams who like its looser, voice-channel-first feel. Some companies find it too informal for client-facing work, but for internal team culture it's hard to beat.
About Discord
A voice, video and text chat platform originally built for gamers, now widely used by communities and some businesses for internal chat.
- Launched
- 2015
Webex
Cisco's veteran video platform, long trusted by enterprises and government for its security chops. It's not the most exciting interface you'll use, but it's dependable in the way IT departments actually care about.
About Webex
Cisco's video conferencing and collaboration suite, one of the longest-running players in the enterprise video call space.
- Owner
- Cisco
Not built for office work at all, yet it's become the default team channel for small businesses, field teams and entire countries' worth of freelancers. Simple, fast, and everyone already has it installed.
About WhatsApp
Meta-owned messaging app, globally dominant for personal chat and widely adopted informally by small businesses and field teams.
- Owner
- Meta
BB Tier: Solid, dependable, a bit unglamorous
RingCentral
A strong phone-first unified comms platform that handles calls, messaging and video in one subscription. It covers a lot of ground, which is exactly why it can feel like a lot to configure for a smaller team.
About RingCentral
A unified communications platform combining phone systems, messaging and video conferencing for businesses of all sizes.
Loom
Async video messages instead of another meeting. Loom carved out a real niche for quick walkthroughs and updates, and plenty of teams swear it's cut their meeting load noticeably.
About Loom
A screen and video recording tool for asynchronous messaging, letting teams share quick video updates instead of scheduling meetings.
- Owner
- Atlassian
GoTo Meeting
A reliable, no-frills video conferencing tool that's been around long enough to feel a little overshadowed by Zoom and Teams now. It still does the core job fine, it just doesn't excite anyone anymore.
About GoTo Meeting
A long-standing video conferencing tool from GoTo (formerly LogMeIn), aimed at business meetings and webinars.
Dialpad
AI-assisted call transcription and a clean phone system make this a favorite for sales and support teams specifically. Outside of that use case it's less of an obvious pick.
About Dialpad
A cloud communications platform focused on business phone systems with AI-powered call transcription and analysis.
Zoho Cliq
Cheap, capable, and an easy add-on if you're already in the Zoho ecosystem. It won't wow anyone coming from Slack, but it covers channels, calls and threads without complaint.
About Zoho Cliq
Zoho's team chat app, built to integrate tightly with the rest of the Zoho suite of business software.
- Owner
- Zoho
Mattermost
The open-source, self-hosted answer for teams (often in tech or government) who need full control of their data. Setup takes real effort, but that's the tradeoff people choose it for.
About Mattermost
An open-source, self-hostable team messaging platform popular with developers, government agencies and security-focused teams.
CC Tier: Works, but you'll notice the compromises
Rocket.Chat
Another self-hosted option with a loyal following among privacy-focused and regulated industries. The interface and mobile experience lag behind the big commercial players, though.
About Rocket.Chat
Another open-source team chat platform designed for self-hosting and customization, often used where data residency matters.
Google Chat
Technically solid, practically an afterthought next to Meet and Gmail inside Workspace. Most teams end up defaulting to Slack or Teams anyway and Chat quietly becomes the tool nobody opens.
About Google Chat
Google Workspace's dedicated messaging app for team chat, spaces and direct messages, positioned alongside Meet and Gmail.
- Owner
Twist
Built by Doist specifically to fight back against real-time chat anxiety, with an async-first, no-red-dot-notifications philosophy. Fans genuinely love the calmer pace; everyone else finds the lack of urgency frustrating when they actually need a fast answer.
About Twist
An asynchronous-first team messaging app made by Doist, built around reducing the pressure of constant real-time chat.
- Owner
- Doist
Element
A Matrix-protocol based chat client built around decentralization and end-to-end encryption. Great principles, but the learning curve and smaller ecosystem keep it mostly in privacy-minded and open-source circles.
About Element
A secure messaging client built on the decentralized Matrix protocol, emphasizing end-to-end encryption and interoperability.
DD Tier: Niche fits only
Chanty
A budget Slack alternative with unlimited message history as its headline feature. It does the basics fine, it just doesn't give most teams a strong reason to switch from what they already use.
About Chanty
A team chat app marketed as a budget-friendly Slack alternative, with unlimited searchable message history as a key selling point.
Pumble
Another low-cost Slack-style chat tool, mostly notable for a generous free tier. Functional, forgettable, and clearly aimed at small teams counting every dollar rather than anyone chasing features.
About Pumble
A team messaging app known for its generous free plan, aimed at small businesses and budget-conscious teams.
How we ranked them
We weighed how reliable the core experience is (chat, calls, notifications actually working), how much friction there is to get a team using it well, pricing versus what you get, and how it holds up for both small teams and bigger companies. We also factored in long-term reputation: tools that have earned trust over years count for more than ones riding a trend.
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
What's the best free team communication app?
Google Meet and Google Chat are hard to beat for free if you're already on Gmail, and Slack's free tier still covers small teams well, though message history gets limited.
Which app is best for video calls specifically?
Zoom remains the consensus pick for raw call reliability and quality, with Webex and Google Meet as strong alternatives depending on what ecosystem you're already in.
Is Discord actually used by businesses, or just gamers?
Both. It started as a gaming chat app but plenty of startups, creative agencies and online communities now run their whole internal chat through it.
What's a good Slack alternative for small teams on a budget?
Chanty, Pumble and Zoho Cliq are all built specifically to undercut Slack on price while keeping similar channel-and-chat basics.
What's the best option for teams that need full data control?
Mattermost and Rocket.Chat both let you self-host, which matters a lot for government, healthcare or security-sensitive teams.
Is Microsoft Teams worth it if we don't use Office 365?
It's a much harder sell outside the Microsoft ecosystem. Without Office 365 already in place, Slack or Google Chat tend to feel more natural.
More rankings
Image credits
- SlackLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Microsoft TeamsLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- ZoomLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Google MeetLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- DiscordLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- WebexLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- WhatsAppLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- RingCentralLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- LoomLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- GoTo MeetingLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- DialpadLogo: dialpad.com, © Dialpad, Inc. · Source
- Zoho CliqLogo: zoho.com, © Zoho Corporation · Source
- MattermostLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Rocket.ChatLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Google ChatLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- TwistLogo: twist.com, © Doist · Source
- ElementLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- ChantyLogo: chanty.com, © Chanty · Source
- PumbleLogo: pumble.com, © CAKE.com · Source