Slack Alternatives for Small Teams
Slack charges €8.25+ per person every month. You lose message history after 90 days on the free plan. You are locked into their ecosystem. Small teams have better options.
Why Small Teams Are Looking Beyond Slack
Slack solved a real problem in 2013: asynchronous team chat that actually works.
But the business model does not scale for small teams.
A 10-person team on Slack Pro pays €82.50 per month. At 20 people, you are at €165. At 50 people, €412.50 per month: €4,950 per year, just for chat.
Then there are the limits that come with it:
- Free plan: 90-day message history (gone after 3 months)
- No data residency on Free or Pro (Enterprise only)
- Integrations cost extra
- You own nothing. Slack owns your message archive.
EU-based teams face another problem: Slack stores data in the U.S. by default. GDPR compliance requires Enterprise, which multiplies costs further.
Small teams know this. And they are looking elsewhere.
How Slack Pro Compares to Mattermost
Pricing as of September 2026. Slack Pro shown for 1-50 users.
The Slack Alternatives Landscape
Pumble
€2.49–5.99 per user/month
Pumble is the budget alternative for teams that left Slack to cut costs. Free tier keeps 100% of message history (Slack Free loses it after 90 days). Pro tier is €2.49/user.
What it wins: Cheapest SaaS option. Full message history on the free plan. Voice and video included.
What it loses: Smaller integration ecosystem. Less enterprise-grade tooling.
Google Chat
€7–26.40 per user/month (via Google Workspace)
If your team already uses Gmail, Docs, and Drive, Google Chat is included in Workspace. Standalone pricing ranges from Business Starter (€6.80) to Business Plus (€26.40).
What it wins: Seamless if you live in Google. Simple UI.
What it loses: Feels like an add-on, not a core product. Limited customization. Expensive if you only want chat.
Discord
Free + optional €2.99/month Nitro
Originally built for gaming, Discord has become a team chat tool for casual teams and open-source projects. No feature limits on free tier (besides server size).
What it wins: Completely free. Excellent voice/video quality.
What it loses: Not designed for compliance. Sparse moderation tools. Limited integrations for business workflows.
Microsoft Teams
€6–22 per user/month (via Microsoft 365)
Teams is the "you already pay for it" solution if your org runs Microsoft 365. Deep integration with Outlook, Excel, OneDrive.
What it wins: Bundled with enterprise Microsoft tools. Excellent meeting quality.
What it loses: Expensive if chat is your only need. Clunky interface compared to Slack. Poor choice if you avoid Microsoft.
Mattermost (Self-Hosted)
Your server cost + your time
Mattermost is open-source (MIT license). You download it, run it on your own infrastructure (VPS, home server, corporate data center). Cost: only the server rental and your maintenance time.
What it wins: True data ownership. Unlimited users. Fully customizable. Zero per-user fees. Unlimited message history from day one.
What it loses: You handle backups, updates, monitoring, security patches. Requires technical comfort or a dedicated person.
Mattermost (Opsily Managed)
Flat monthly fee (see pricing below)
All the benefits of self-hosted Mattermost—unlimited history, no per-user fees, full data control—without the ops burden. Opsily handles backups, updates, monitoring, SSL certificates, and security patches.
What it wins: Unlimited message history. No per-user cost structure. EU data residency. Automatic updates. Zero vendor lock-in.
What it loses: Fixed monthly cost (but far cheaper than Slack at team scale). Fewer integrations than Slack (600+ vs 2,400+, but covers 95% of critical use cases).
Why Small Teams Choose Opsily for Mattermost
The best Slack alternative for small teams: cost control without technical overhead.
Unlimited message history
Every message, from day one, forever. No 90-day expiration. No history limits on free accounts. Growing teams can search and audit their entire communication archive without fear of data loss or hidden costs.
No per-user fees
Slack charges €8.25+ per person per month. Opsily's managed Mattermost charges one flat fee, regardless of team size. Invite 50 people and your bill stays the same. Scaling does not multiply your cost.
EU data residency, full GDPR control
Your data stays in the EU. Choose Germany, Finland, Netherlands, or other regions at signup. You are not subject to U.S. data transfers. Compliance is built in, not an Enterprise add-on.
Get Started with Opsily Managed Mattermost in 5 Minutes
From signup to your first message.
Email and password. No credit card required. Takes 2 minutes.
Germany, Netherlands, Finland, or other EU regions. We handle the rest: SSL, backups, monitoring, automatic updates.
One flat monthly fee covers unlimited team members. No per-user charges. No hidden costs.
Email and password. No credit card required. Takes 2 minutes.
Germany, Netherlands, Finland, or other EU regions. We handle the rest: SSL, backups, monitoring, automatic updates.
One flat monthly fee covers unlimited team members. No per-user charges. No hidden costs.
Create your Opsily account
Email and password. No credit card required. Takes 2 minutes.
Choose your EU data center
Germany, Netherlands, Finland, or other EU regions. We handle the rest: SSL, backups, monitoring, automatic updates.
Invite your team
One flat monthly fee covers unlimited team members. No per-user charges. No hidden costs.
Start collaborating
Full message history from day one. Channels, threads, voice calls, file sharing, integrations—everything included.
Transparent Mattermost Hosting Pricing
One flat monthly fee. Unlimited team members. No surprise per-user costs. All plans include automated daily backups, monitoring, updates, SSL certificates, and 24/7 infrastructure support.
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Security and Compliance Built In
Your data security is not an add-on. It is the foundation.
GDPR Compliant
Full compliance out of the box. No Enterprise tier required. Your data stays in the EU region you choose.
EU Data Residency
Choose from multiple EU countries at signup. Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and more. You control where your data lives.
Encrypted Backups Daily
Every backup is encrypted and stored securely. Restore any point in time without asking for a ticket or waiting for support.
Automatic Security Updates
Mattermost releases security patches regularly. We deploy them automatically so you are always running the latest secure version.
No Vendor Lock-In
Open-source Mattermost runs anywhere. Export your data anytime. Move to self-hosting or another provider whenever you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything small teams need to know about Slack alternatives and why Opsily managed Mattermost is the best choice.
Mattermost Team Edition is open-source (MIT license) and costs nothing to download and run. You only pay for the server it runs on, typically €5-30/month depending on team size. The trade-off: you handle backups, updates, monitoring, and security patches yourself. That is why Opsily managed hosting exists. Same free software, none of the ops work.
Stop paying per user. Start collaborating on your terms.
Join small teams switching from Slack to Mattermost. Unlimited message history. No per-user fees. EU data residency. 7-day free trial—no credit card required.