10 Best Free Team Chat Apps of 2026

This list is for small teams, clubs, volunteer groups and startups that want group chat without paying, and that need to know two limits before they invite everyone: how much message history the free plan keeps visible and how many people it allows. We compared documented features and published limits on each vendor's own pages, and scored value at 40%, features at 35% and ease of use at 25%. Value here means what a team gets at $0 and how cheap the first paid plan is. The starting price is the cheapest paid plan in USD. Where a pricing page only showed euros from our location, the price is marked as pending rather than converted.

1. 01Top value

   

   Pumble

   8.7/10

   A team chat app from the makers of Clockify with a free plan for unlimited users.

   Price

   $2.49per seat per month

   Free plan for unlimited users; Pro from $2.49 per seat per month billed annually or $2.99 billed monthly

   “PRO Organization $ 2 .49” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   9.6

   Features (35%)

   8.0

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.4

   Best forSmall teams that want full message history and no member cap without paying.

   Pumble ranks first because its free plan removes the two limits this list is about. The pricing page lists the free plan as $0 for an unlimited number of users, with unlimited message history that you can search without limits and unlimited channels. A ten-person team or a fifty-person club can use it indefinitely without losing old messages, which is not true of Slack, Zulip, Flock or Twist. Free workspaces also get 1:1 voice and video meetings, voice and video messages, 10 GB of shared storage, basic workspace analytics and an importer for Slack data. The limits show up around calls and apps: group meetings and screen sharing are Pro features, and free workspaces can connect up to 3 apps besides the native Clockify and Plaky integrations. Pro costs $2.49 per seat per month billed annually, or $2.99 billed monthly, and adds 10 GB of storage per seat and up to 10 integrations. Guests and permissions arrive on Business.

   • ✓No member cap and no history cap on the free plan
   • ✓Pro is the cheapest verified upgrade on this list at $2.49 per seat billed annually
   • ✓Free native integrations with Clockify and Plaky

   • ✕Group meetings and screen sharing need Pro
   • ✕Free workspaces connect only up to 3 apps and integrations
   • ✕Guest users need the Business plan

   Free message history:

   Unlimited

   Free member limit:

   Unlimited users

   Free storage:

   10 GB per workspace

   Free calls:

   1:1 voice and video

   Cheapest paid plan:

   Pro, $2.49 per seat per month billed annually

   Bottom line: Pumble is the free plan to pick if your team wants to keep every message and add people without hitting a cap. Upgrade to Pro only when you need group calls.

   Visit pumble.com ↗

2. 02

   

   Slack

   8.6/10

   Salesforce's channel-based team messaging app with a free plan and a large app directory.

   Price

   $8.75per user per month

   Free plan with 90 days of message history; Pro from $8.75 per user per month billed monthly

   “Pro Drive productivity in one place $ 8.75 USD/User/Month (Billed monthly)” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   7.4

   Features (35%)

   9.4

   Ease of use (25%)

   9.2

   Best forTeams that rely on integrations and mostly need recent conversations.

   Slack is second because it has the strongest features and the easiest everyday app, but the free plan's history rule costs it on value. Slack's help center says free workspaces are limited to the most recent 90 days of message and file history, and that data more than one year old is deleted. For a team that uses chat for quick coordination this rarely matters; for a team that treats chat as a record of decisions, it does. The free plan includes up to 10 apps from a directory of over 2,600, 1:1 huddles with screen sharing, 1:1 external direct messages through Slack Connect and basic AI summaries. Group huddles, group external messages, unlimited history and unlimited apps all need Pro, which Salesforce lists at $8.75 per user per month billed monthly in USD. That is more than three times Pumble Pro, so the upgrade adds up quickly for a growing team.

   • ✓Largest app directory on this list
   • ✓Huddles and Slack Connect work on the free plan, one-to-one
   • ✓Pro unlocks full history and unlimited integrations

   • ✕Free workspaces only show the most recent 90 days of messages and files
   • ✕Data older than one year is deleted on the free plan
   • ✕Group huddles and group external messages need Pro

   Free message history:

   90 days visible, data older than 1 year deleted

   Free integrations:

   Up to 10 apps

   Free calls:

   1:1 huddles

   Cheapest paid plan:

   Pro, $8.75 per user per month billed monthly

   App directory:

   Over 2,600 apps

   Bottom line: Slack is the best free choice when integrations matter more than old messages. Plan to pay for Pro if your team needs history beyond 90 days.

   Visit slack.com ↗

3. 03

   

   Google Chat

   8.5/10

   Google's messaging and spaces app, free with a personal Google account and built into Gmail.

   Price

   $8.40per user per month

   Free with a personal Google account; Google Workspace Business Starter from $8.40 per user per month on the Flexible Plan

   “$8.40 USD per user for Business Starter” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   9.0

   Features (35%)

   7.6

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.8

   Best forGroups that already use Gmail and want chat at no cost.

   Google Chat is third because it is free for anyone with a Google account and publishes generous limits. Google's Chat known limitations page lists 400 participants for a group conversation and 8,000 for an inline threaded space on consumer accounts, far more than a small team will need. Google's help center says personal account users can turn message history on or off, so a group can keep messages rather than having them expire. Chat runs inside Gmail as well as in its own app, which makes it easy for members who already live in their inbox. The limits are on structure and admin tools: personal accounts can only create collaboration spaces, not announcement spaces, and organization-wide controls arrive with Google Workspace. Workspace Business Starter costs $8.40 per user per month on the Flexible Plan, which also adds a custom email domain and pooled storage. For a club or family business already on Gmail, the free version covers the basics.

   • ✓No separate sign-up for anyone with a Gmail address
   • ✓Large published participant limits for free accounts
   • ✓Upgrade path into Google Workspace with Gmail, Drive and Meet

   • ✕Personal accounts can only create collaboration spaces, not announcement spaces
   • ✕Fewer chat-specific admin controls without Workspace
   • ✕Business Starter on the Flexible Plan costs $8.40 per user

   Free message history:

   On or off, set by the user on personal accounts

   Group conversation limit:

   400 participants

   Space limit (consumer):

   8,000 participants

   Cheapest paid plan:

   Business Starter, $8.40 per user per month on the Flexible Plan

   Account needed:

   Google account

   Bottom line: Google Chat is the easiest free option for groups already on Gmail, with high participant limits. Pick it over Pumble if nobody wants another app.

   Visit workspace.google.com ↗

4. 04

   

   Microsoft Teams Free

   8.2/10

   The free personal edition of Microsoft Teams for chat, calls and communities.

   Price

   $4per user per month

   Free personal edition; Microsoft Teams Essentials from $4.00 per user per month paid yearly

   “Microsoft Teams Essentials Affordable, professional meeting solution for small and medium-sized businesses $4.00 user/month, paid yearly” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   8.8

   Features (35%)

   7.8

   Ease of use (25%)

   7.6

   Best forClubs and community groups that want chat and hour-long group calls at no cost.

   Microsoft Teams Free is fifth because it pairs unlimited chat with the longest free group calls on this list, but it is built for personal use. Microsoft's comparison page lists unlimited chat, group calls of up to 60 minutes with 100 participants and 5 GB of cloud storage on the free edition. The Teams Free page says you can start a chat with anyone who has an email address or phone number and create communities around shared interests, which fits clubs, study groups and volunteer networks. For a registered business it is a weaker fit, since Microsoft positions the business options separately and 5 GB fills quickly once files are shared. The upgrade is cheap: Microsoft Teams Essentials costs $4.00 per user per month paid yearly. The trade-off on ease of use is that Teams is a heavier app than Pumble or Google Chat, with tools a small group may never touch.

   • ✓Unlimited chat with no published history cap
   • ✓Hour-long group calls are longer than Zoom Basic's 40 minutes
   • ✓Teams Essentials is a low-cost upgrade at $4.00 per user paid yearly

   • ✕Teams Free is a personal product rather than a business workspace
   • ✕Only 5 GB of cloud storage
   • ✕The $4.00 Essentials price needs a yearly commitment

   Free message history:

   Unlimited chat

   Free calls:

   Up to 60 minutes, 100 participants

   Free cloud storage:

   5 GB

   Cheapest paid plan:

   Teams Essentials, $4.00 per user per month paid yearly

   Who you can chat with:

   Anyone with an email address or phone number

   Bottom line: Teams Free is a good fit for community groups that want unlimited chat and hour-long calls. Businesses should price Teams Essentials at $4.00 per user instead.

   Visit microsoft.com ↗

5. 05

   

   Zoom Workplace

   8.2/10

   Zoom's work platform, where the free Basic plan includes chat alongside meetings.

   Price

   $15.99per user per month

   Free Workplace Basic plan; Workplace Pro from $15.99 per user per month billed monthly

   “/month/user, billed annually or $15.99 billed monthly” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   8.0

   Features (35%)

   8.4

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.2

   Best forTeams that already meet on Zoom and want chat in the same app.

   Zoom Workplace is fourth because its free Basic plan bundles chat with something the chat-first apps lack at $0: group video meetings. Zoom's chat page lists instant messaging on Workplace Basic, alongside meetings of 40 minutes with 100 participants, 3 editable whiteboards, 5 two-minute clips and limited AI features such as 20 AI queries per month. A small team that already runs calls on Zoom can keep chat and meetings in one app and invite members who probably have it installed. Zoom also offers a migration app for moving chat history from Slack. What Zoom does not publish on its plan page is a message history or member limit for free chat, so check your workspace before relying on it as an archive. Workplace Pro costs $15.99 per user billed monthly, adding 30-hour meetings, 10 GB of cloud storage per user and unlimited AI note-taking; the annual rate did not show in USD from our location.

   • ✓Chat and group video meetings in one free app
   • ✓Familiar to guests who already join Zoom calls
   • ✓Pro adds 30-hour meetings and 10 GB of cloud storage per user

   • ✕Zoom does not publish a chat history limit on its plan page
   • ✕Free group meetings stop at 40 minutes
   • ✕Pro is the most expensive verified upgrade here at $15.99 billed monthly

   Free message history:

   Not published on the plan page

   Free meetings:

   40 minutes, 100 participants

   Free whiteboards:

   3 editable whiteboards

   Cheapest paid plan:

   Workplace Pro, $15.99 per user billed monthly

   Pro cloud storage:

   10 GB per user

   Bottom line: Zoom Workplace Basic suits teams that want chat and group calls in one free app. Its upgrade is costly, so it fits best when meetings matter more than chat.

   Visit zoom.com ↗

6. 06

   

   Zulip

   8.1/10

   Open-source team chat organized by topic threads, available as a cloud service or self-hosted.

   Price

   $3.50per user per month

   Free Cloud and self-hosted plans; self-hosted Basic from $3.50 per user per month billed monthly, Cloud Standard from $6.67 billed annually

   “$ 3.50 /user/month billed monthly” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   8.0

   Features (35%)

   8.6

   Ease of use (25%)

   7.6

   Best forTechnical teams and communities that want threaded chat or plan to self-host.

   Zulip is sixth because it offers more free options than any other app here, at the cost of a steeper learning curve. Zulip Cloud Free includes 10,000 messages of search history, 5 GB of total storage, hundreds of integrations, advanced roles and guest accounts. For a small team that is a few months of active chat before older messages drop out of search. Zulip's plans page also says many organizations are eligible for a free Standard plan, including open-source projects, academic research and most small nonprofits, which removes the history limit. The self-hosted edition is free with all features, though mobile notifications are limited to 10 users for organizations that do not qualify for the community program. Paid plans start with self-hosted Basic at $3.50 per user billed monthly, and Cloud Standard costs $6.67 per user billed annually or $8 monthly. Zulip's topic threads keep busy conversations tidy, but new users need time to adjust.

   • ✓Topic-based threads keep busy channels readable
   • ✓Self-hosting is free and 100% open source
   • ✓Many communities qualify for a free Standard plan

   • ✕Cloud Free search history stops at 10,000 messages
   • ✕Self-hosted free servers get mobile notifications for up to 10 users unless eligible
   • ✕The threading model takes some getting used to

   Free message history:

   10,000 messages of search history (Cloud Free)

   Free storage:

   5 GB total

   Self-hosted:

   Free, all features included

   Cheapest paid plan:

   Self-hosted Basic, $3.50 per user billed monthly

   Cloud Standard:

   $6.67 per user billed annually or $8 monthly

   Bottom line: Zulip is the best free pick for open-source projects and nonprofits that qualify for its sponsored plan. Other small teams should watch the 10,000-message search limit.

   Visit zulip.com ↗

7. 07

   

   Chanty

   8.0/10

   A team chat app with built-in task management and a free plan for very small teams.

   Price

   Free plan

   See vendor pricing (USD check pending)

   US price check pending. Vendor pricing page

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   7.8

   Features (35%)

   7.8

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.6

   Best forTeams of up to 5 people who want unlimited history and simple tasks in chat.

   Chanty is seventh because its free plan is generous on history but small on headcount. The pricing page lists unlimited public and private chats, unlimited searchable history, unlimited one-on-one audio and video calls, scheduled and disappearing messages, built-in task management and 20 GB of storage per team. That makes it one of only two apps here, with Pumble, that keep every message searchable at $0. The catch is that the free plan covers up to 5 team members and 1 guest, so it suits a founding team or a small household business rather than a growing group. Group calls, screen sharing, task boards and more storage move to the Business plan. From our location the pricing page showed Business only in euros, so we have not listed a USD price. Chanty also offers a 14-day money-back guarantee after the first billing transaction, per its pricing FAQ.

   • ✓Unlimited searchable history at $0
   • ✓Tasks live inside the chat app
   • ✓Clean interface that is quick to learn

   • ✕Free plan allows up to 5 team members
   • ✕Group calls and screen sharing need the Business plan
   • ✕Pricing showed only in euros from our location

   Free message history:

   Unlimited searchable history

   Free member limit:

   Up to 5 team members

   Free storage:

   20 GB per team

   Free guests:

   1 guest user

   Cheapest paid plan:

   Business, USD price pending

   Bottom line: Chanty is a good free choice for teams of 5 or fewer who want every message searchable. Larger teams will need to pay or pick Pumble.

   Visit chanty.com ↗

8. 08

   

   Flock

   7.6/10

   A team messaging app with a free Starter plan for teams of up to 20 members.

   Price

   $4.50per user per month

   Free Starter plan for 1 to 20 members; PRO from $4.50 per user per month on yearly billing

   “In the yearly billing option, you pay as little as $4.50 per licensed user.” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Free trial

   30 days

   Value (40%)

   7.6

   Features (35%)

   7.2

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.2

   Best forTeams of up to 20 people who need basic chat and can live with 10,000 searchable messages.

   Flock is eighth because its free Starter plan is clear about its limits and those limits are fairly tight. The pricing page describes Starter as a plan for teams with 1 to 20 members, with unlimited one-to-one and group messages, 10,000 searchable messages, 10 public channels, 5 GB of total storage per team, a single team admin and one-to-one video calls. A small team can chat freely, but once the workspace passes 10,000 messages the older ones drop out of search, and 10 public channels can feel cramped. PRO, which Flock positions for teams of 20 to 100 members, removes the search limit, adds unlimited channels, 10 GB of storage per member, group video calls and screen sharing. Flock's FAQ says you pay as little as $4.50 per licensed user on yearly billing, and PRO has a 30-day free trial with no credit card required.

   • ✓Free for teams of up to 20 members
   • ✓PRO trial runs 30 days without a card
   • ✓PRO is a low-cost upgrade at $4.50 per user on yearly billing

   • ✕Search stops at 10,000 messages on Starter
   • ✕Only 10 public channels and a single team admin
   • ✕Group video calls and screen sharing need PRO

   Free message history:

   10,000 searchable messages

   Free member limit:

   Teams of 1 to 20 members

   Free channels:

   10 public channels

   Free storage:

   5 GB total per team

   Cheapest paid plan:

   PRO, $4.50 per user per month on yearly billing

   Bottom line: Flock works for a team of up to 20 that mostly needs current conversations. Teams that want history should compare its PRO price with Pumble Pro.

   Visit flock.com ↗

9. 09

   

   Mattermost

   7.4/10

   A self-hosted collaboration platform whose free Entry mode suits small technical teams.

   Price

   Freeper user per month

   Free self-hosted Entry mode; Professional pricing through sales

   “For engineering, security, and operations teams that need collaboration on their own infrastructure, with their own identity stack and their own LLM. Contact Sales” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   7.6

   Features (35%)

   8.4

   Ease of use (25%)

   5.8

   Best forTeams with someone who can run a server and want chat on their own infrastructure.

   Mattermost is ninth because its free option is capable but only practical for teams that can run their own server. Mattermost's documentation says the Enterprise Edition can run as-is in a free mode called Entry, which has the features of Enterprise Advanced with server-wide limits. The one that matters here is history: Entry shows 10,000 channel messages across all channels, and older messages remain in the database but are not viewable or searchable. Mattermost says Entry is best suited for teams of fewer than 50 users, it comes with community support only, and it leaves out compliance features and high availability. The documentation also lists 40-minute calls and other usage caps as limits that will take effect in a future release. The Professional plan supports up to 250 users with self-hosted group calls, SSO and next business day support, but Mattermost lists it as contact sales rather than a published price.

   • ✓Your data stays on your own infrastructure
   • ✓Free mode includes most of the enterprise feature set
   • ✓Older messages return when you upgrade

   • ✕You have to install and maintain the server yourself
   • ✕History is capped at 10,000 channel messages in Entry
   • ✕Community support only, and paid plans have no public price

   Free message history:

   10,000 channel messages across all channels

   Recommended team size:

   Fewer than 50 users

   Hosting:

   Self-hosted

   Free support:

   Community support only

   Cheapest paid plan:

   Professional, contact sales

   Bottom line: Mattermost Entry is a solid free choice for a technical team that wants chat on its own servers. Everyone else will find a hosted app easier.

   Visit mattermost.com ↗

10. 10

    

    Twist

    7.2/10

    A thread-first messaging app from Doist built for slower, organized team conversations.

    Price

    $6per user per month

    Free plan with 1 month of visible history; Unlimited from $6 per user per month billed yearly

    “Unlimited US$ 6 per user per month” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

    Free plan

    Yes

    Value (40%)

    6.8

    Features (35%)

    7.0

    Ease of use (25%)

    8.0

    Best forRemote teams that prefer threaded discussion and only need recent messages on the free plan.

    Twist is tenth because it has the shortest visible history of any free plan here, even though its member limits are generous. Twist's pricing page says the free plan gives access to up to 1 month of comments and messages, with up to 500 internal members, 500 external guests, 5 integrations and 5 GB of storage. Its FAQ explains that older messages are still stored and never deleted, so a team that upgrades gets its full thread history back. That makes Twist Free usable as a trial or for a team that treats chat as short-term coordination, but not as a record of past decisions. Twist is built around threads rather than a constant stream of messages, which some remote teams prefer for focused, asynchronous work. The Unlimited plan costs US$6 per user per month on yearly billing and adds full history, unlimited integrations, unlimited storage and priority support.

    • ✓Up to 500 members on the free plan
    • ✓Data is never deleted, so history returns after an upgrade
    • ✓Threads keep discussions organized by topic

    • ✕Only 1 month of messages is visible on the free plan
    • ✕No calls listed on the pricing page
    • ✕Free plan limits integrations to 5

    Free message history:

    1 month visible, older messages kept

    Free member limit:

    Up to 500 internal members

    Free guests:

    Up to 500 external guests

    Free storage:

    Up to 5 GB

    Cheapest paid plan:

    Unlimited, $6 per user per month billed yearly

    Bottom line: Twist suits asynchronous teams that want threaded discussion and plan to pay for full history. On the free plan, expect to see only the last month.

    Visit twist.com ↗

Questions or corrections: editorial@rankozo.comSee our disclosure. Prices change; confirm on the vendor page before buying.