Cheapest Team Chat & Messaging software
13 products with sourced pricing and capability data, 11 with a free plan. Entry paid plans median $4/mo; the cheapest product covering the 7 most common capabilities here is Slack from $8.75/mo. Pick the one you pay for today to find a cheaper replacement.
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Team Chat & Messaging price ladder
Every product's entry point, cheapest first: the free plan if there is one, otherwise the lowest paid plan as a monthly equivalent (yearly-billed plans divided by 12). Prices as observed on official pricing pages.
| Product | Free plan | Paid from | Plan | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementteam chat | Free | not shown | — | 2026-10-26 |
| Mattermostteam chat | Free | not shown | — | 2026-10-26 |
| Rocket.Chatteam chat | Free | not shown | — | 2026-10-26 |
| Zoho Cliqteam chat | Free | $1.80/mo | Standard · billed yearly | 2026-10-29 |
| Discord | Free | $2.99/mo | Nitro Basic | 2026-10-26 |
| Pumbleteam chat | Free | $2.99/mo | PRO | 2026-10-29 |
| Zulipteam chat | Free | $3.50/mo | Self-hosted Basic | 2026-10-28 |
| Chantyteam chat | Free | $4/mo | Business | 2026-10-26 |
| Microsoft Teamscollaboration suite | — | $4/mo | Teams Essentials · billed yearly | 2026-10-28 |
| Flockteam chat | Free | $4.50/mo | PRO | 2026-10-26 |
| Twistteam chat | Free | $6/mo | Unlimited | 2026-10-26 |
| Google Workspacecollaboration suite | — | $7/mo | Business Starter | 2026-10-26 |
| Slackteam chat | Free | $8.75/mo | Pro | 2026-10-26 |
Cheapest team chat & messaging tool for each capability
For every capability at least a third of these products support: the cheapest product that covers it, free plans counted at $0.
- Need AI search & summaries, compliance exports & audit logs or SAML single sign-on?
- Rocket.Chat — free plan
- Need app integrations, audio/video calls & screen sharing, channels & group messaging or 2 other capabilities?
- Chanty — free plan
- Need self-hosted deployment?
- Element — free plan
- Need threaded conversations?
- Discord — free plan
- Need workflow automation?
- Flock — free plan
Frequently asked
What is the cheapest team chat & messaging software?
Zoho Cliq has the lowest paid entry price we have sourced, from $1.80/mo (Standard plan), billed yearly. 11 of the 13 products also offer a free plan.
Which team chat & messaging tools have a free plan?
11 of the 13 we track: Chanty, Discord, Element, Flock, Mattermost, Pumble, Rocket.Chat, Slack, Twist, Zoho Cliq, Zulip. Free plans carry limits; each product page lists them.
How much does team chat & messaging software cost?
Paid entry plans in our data run from $1.80/mo to $8.75/mo, with a median of $4/mo across 10 priced products (monthly equivalents; yearly-billed plans divided by 12).
Which team chat & messaging tool is cheapest with ai assistant, compliance export or sso saml?
Rocket.Chat, free plan.
Which team chat & messaging tool is cheapest with app integrations, audio video calls and 3 other capabilities?
Chanty, free plan.
Is there an open-source team chat & messaging option?
Yes: Element, Rocket.Chat, Zulip. Self-hosting removes the subscription but not the hosting and maintenance cost.
When were these prices checked?
Between 2026-10-26 and 2026-10-29, on the vendors' official pricing pages.