Discover the top collaboration software that can help teams communicate faster, share files securely, and collaborate more effectively.

Contemporary project management is not just about tracking tasks and milestones, but also about team collaboration: sharing files via online workspaces, setting up online meetings with video conferencing, or connecting with remote teams via real-time chat channels.

Buyer demand for collaboration tools has more than doubled from 22% in 2014 to 61% in 2018. And when it comes to team collaboration and communication, one of the most popular options available is Slack.

Beyond expected functionalities, its social-networking-like user experience appeals to many. The tool also integrates with third-party solutions, which allows teams to do much more with the tool such as running polls and surveys on Slack channels or directly posting emails in a newsfeed.

However, despite its wide user recognition, Slack might not be the right collaboration tool for your business. For instance, if collaboration to you means working on online whiteboards to brainstorm ideas, there are other tools that can do a better job. If you want real-time collaboration when editing a document, Slack isn’t the right tool either.

To help you find a suitable Slack alternative, we’ve analyzed the tools listed in Capterra’s collaboration software directory and whittled the list down to the top five alternatives.

This article looks at five highly rated Slack alternatives. See the full list of Slack alternatives here

Selection criteria for the top 5 Slack alternatives

To be shortlisted, products had to fulfill the following criteria:

Comparable pricing: Products must be priced at or below $10 per user.

Products must be priced at or below $10 per user. Core features: Products must offer core collaboration features such as chat, file sharing, and workspaces.

Products must offer core collaboration features such as chat, file sharing, and workspaces. Minimum of 20 user reviews on Capterra (published in the last two years): Products must have at least 20 recent reviews on Capterra, which helps highlight the pros and cons of each alternative from real users’ perspective.

Products must have at least 20 recent reviews on Capterra, which helps highlight the pros and cons of each alternative from real users’ perspective. High “likelihood to recommend” rating: Products must have an average recommended rating of at least 9 out of 10 on Capterra’s site.

Products must have an average recommended rating of at least 9 out of 10 on Capterra’s site. High “features and functionality” rating: The product must also have a minimum functionality rating of 4 out of 5 on Capterra’s site.

(Products are listed in alphabetical order.)



5 Top Slack Alternatives for Collaboration

1. Blizz: Videoconferencing tool for team meetings

Reviews: 31

Likelihood to recommend: 9.4

Features and functionality rating: 4.6

Blizz is a cloud-based solution that offers screen sharing, VoIP calling, video conferencing, and team chat. Users can schedule and send invites to online meetings, stream presentations, share files and chat during live meetings, and send post-meeting surveys.

Blizz is ideal for teams that are globally distributed, as they can quickly hold online meetings to discuss projects, hold training sessions, and share ideas.

Pros Cons Capterra reviewers say setup is quick and the interface is easy to use. Some users would like to see improvements in the mobile app, such as the camera activating automatically when reconnecting to a video call. Users says the tool supports high-resolution videos and captures quality audio recordings. While users like the high-resolution video support, they mention that the software requires a high-speed internet connection to avoid delays during video calls. How much does Blizz cost? Blizz comes with one free plan and three paid subscriptions: Core, Crew, and Company. The paid plans start at $6 per month, for 10 participants.

Starting a video conference in Blizz (Source)

2. G Suite: Collaboration suite for document management

Reviews: 7,323

Likelihood to recommend: 9.1

Features and functionality rating: 4.6

G Suite, also known as Google Apps for Businesses, is a cloud-based suite of collaboration tools including Meet, Chat, Docs, Slides, Gmail, Sheets, and Drive. The tools help teams collaborate on documents, share files, chat, and more.

As a Slack competitor, what differentiates G Suite is its document collaboration capabilities. Teams can create and edit documents in real time and store different document versions in Drive.

Pros Cons Capterra reviewers find the tool easy to use and intuitive. Users would like to see better formatting options such as the ability to add different styles and change document layouts. Users say the ability to edit documents offline and sync them later is a useful feature. Some users would like simplified file sharing. For instance, a folder shared with them would get added to their Drive automatically. How much does G Suite cost? G Suite comes with three different subscription plans: Basic, Business, and Enterprise. The Basic plan starts at $6 per user, per month.

Accessing collaboration applications in G Suite (Source)

3. Miro: Online whiteboarding tool for brainstorming sessions

Reviews: 105

Likelihood to recommend: 9.4

Features and functionality rating: 4.7

Miro is a cloud-based solution designed for visual collaboration. It comes with online whiteboard templates, screen sharing, video sharing, chat, and commenting. Users can create and share designs, visualize process workflows, and create mind maps.

Miro’s value is in its whiteboard functionality which helps teams, such as UI/UX designers or product development teams, discuss ideas and share plans on a common platform.

Pros Cons Capterra reviewers like the whiteboard functionality, which they say can be used for multiple purposes such as planning projects, designing sprints, and reviewing wireframes. Users say there can be a steep learning curve when it comes to understanding how the templates work and using the whiteboard to design visual ideas. Users say the support team is quick to respond to queries and offers fast resolutions. Users would like to see improvements in the video and audio quality during online meetings. How much does Miro cost? Miro offers a free plan, as well as two paid subscription plans: Team and Company. Starting price for the paid plans is $10 per user, per month, billed annually.

Online whiteboard in Miro (Source)

4. Samepage: Centralized tool for project collaboration

Reviews: 571

Likelihood to recommend: 9.2

Features and functionality rating: 4.6

Samepage is a cloud-based collaboration solution with team workspaces, chat, document editing, videoconferencing, team calendars, file sharing, and task management.

Samepage is similar to Slack when it comes to communications features such as shared activity feeds and chat. The difference is that Samepage offers additional project management functionalities such as milestone tracking and task management with Kanban dashboards.

Pros Cons Capterra reviewers like the collaboration functionalities of the tool such as instant chat, file sharing, and document editing. Reviewers would like to see improvements in the Android mobile app such as a better navigation controls. Users like the drag-and-drop interface. Users would like a consolidated master calendar that lets them view tasks for different teams at a glance. How much does Samepage cost? Samepage offers one free plan and two subscription plans: Pro and Enterprise. The starting paid plan is $8 per user, per month, billed annually.

Commenting on documents in Samepage (Source)

5. talkspirit: Social communication tool for team productivity

Reviews: 53

Likelihood to recommend: 9.2

Features and functionality rating: 4.5

Talkspirit is a cloud-based tool that comes with discussion boards, videoconferencing, chat, file sharing, activity feeds, and social-media tagging. Users can chat with individual users or multiple team members, share project documents, create group chat channels, and share information and announcements as news feeds, similar to social networking channels.

Talkspirit closely resembles Slack in terms of design and usability. The solution’s value is its team chat features.

Pros Cons Capterra reviewers mention that the tool offers an easy and intuitive interface that allows new users to quickly get on board. Some users mention the need for more third-party plugins and chatbot integrations. Users like the fact that the tool has flexible white-labeling options for customizing the tool using their own brand colors and logo. Users would like better control over the notification functionality so they are not flooded by task updates. How much does talkspirit cost? Talkspirit offers a single subscription plan that costs $4.47 per user, per month when billed monthly, and $3.35 per user, per month when billed annually.

Viewing comments in talkspirit (Source)

Next steps for selecting the right collaboration tool

As a collaboration tool, Slack packs in a lot of features, but it might have more than what some organizations will likely ever need.

While evaluating Slack alternatives, even ones not among the five above, follow these steps to arrive at a suitable choice:

Decide on your budget: Determine a budget range to narrow your list to solutions that you can afford.

Create a required features list: Build a list of key features your business needs for team collaboration. This will help you shortlist products that both suit your budget and fulfill requirements.

Read user reviews on collaboration software: Read what existing users have to say about the solutions you’ve selected. Learn about their pros and cons.