Are you on the hunt for the best team communication app?
Many make the mistake of choosing an app just because it is popular or works well for someone else. That’s a risk because you can end up with an app that offers the bare minimum features.
Finding an app that meets all your needs is the correct way to go about it. And we will help you with this.
We researched and shortlisted the 10 best team communication apps for you based on their strengths and weaknesses.
Before we look at the list, let us see what a good team communication app must offer.
| Want to make communication within your team as simple as chatting with a friend? Use Talk Magnet’s simple but powerful team communication app. Start your free trial or schedule a demo. |
What makes a team communication app a good choice?
Although there are many team communication software in the market, only the best team communication apps share certain features.
Ensure whichever team communication app you use has these four features.
Easy-to-use app
The best team communication apps are easy to use with no steep learning curve. A difficult app will make team communication difficult, especially for non-tech-savvy users.
Many apps boast of offering a ‘user-friendly’ experience. To check whether or not the app is easy to use, you should do a trial run.
Get some of your team members to try the communication app for free. Take the team’s feedback on how easy or hard it is for them to navigate and use the communication tool.
See how Nisha Parikh (our VP of Marketing) explains it in this video.
If there is no free trial, then that is a red flag.
Scalable app
As your business grows, your team is bound to get bigger. The best team communication app is scalable and able to adjust to your growth and increasing user base.
A scalable group text messaging app will work well whether 10 team members communicate using the app or 10,000 daily.
Get your developer to run a workload test to determine a communication software’s scalability. You can also look for the size of other companies that use the app. If possible, speak with someone from one of those companies to get their feedback on whether the team communication app crashes often.
Support for multiple platforms & integrations
You plan on getting an amazing communication app for your team. But do you want to uproot your entire working system just for a new app?
No one wants that. It’s like paying for an app that only works on Windows and Android when your entire team uses MacBooks. That would be a disaster.
The best team communication app smoothly integrates with your daily tools and software. Read the app’s documentation to determine whether it offers the right integrations for your team.
Also, check their website and forums, such as Quora or Reddit, to see what other users say. Request a demo as well.
Access to old messages
Some of the best team communication apps delete your old messages. Such a thing can cost your firm information that is worth millions of dollars.
Before you buy a plan, speak with the support team of the communication app to check whether the app deletes old messages.
Also, find out if there is any plan that guarantees unlimited access to your team messages. The best team communication app should offer such plans.
What are the best team communication apps?
We researched and compared 10 of the best team communication apps currently available. Take a look at the table below to get an overview of their key features, the platforms they support, and starting prices:
| S. No | Team communication apps | Key features | Supported platforms | Pricing |
| 1 | Talk Magnet | 1:1 and group audio & video calls, File sharing, Dedicated support User friendly Unlimited Message History Cloud or on-premise Communication analytics Security Scalability | Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS | From $5 |
| 2 | Slack | 1:1 and group chat Video calls (launched straight from your chat window) File sharing | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and web | From $8 |
| 3 | Microsoft Teams | 1:1 and group chat Video calls (launched straight from your chat window) File sharing | Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Web | From $4 |
| 4 | Chanty | Chat, audio, and video Threaded messaging Teambook Unlimited message history Integrations | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Web | From $3 |
| 5 | Google Chat | 1:1 chats Rooms Threaded conversations Integrations Video conferencing | Web, iOS, Android | From $6 |
| 6 | Flock | 1:1 chat Channels for Group chat Video calls with screen sharing Searchable message history Project management 60+ integrations | Android, iOS, Web | From $4.50 |
| 7 | Discord | Audio and video calls Dedicated voice chat rooms Push-to-talk Threaded conversations File sharing Integrations/bots | Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Web | From $9.99 |
| 8 | Mattermost | Threaded chats Video and audio chat Integrations Emoji reactions for messages | Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, Web | From $10 |
| 9 | Glip | File sharing Team messaging Task management Screen-sharing Text, voice, and video | iOS, Android, Web and desktop apps | From $5 |
| 10 | Twist | Threaded messages Searchable message history | Android, iOS, Windows | From $5 |
Now you know what to expect from 10 of the best team communication apps. Let us go a bit deeper to see why each app is on the best team communication apps lists.
Talk Magnet
Talk Magnet is a versatile team chat app for small, medium, and large enterprises. It is one of the best team communication apps because of its simplicity, security, and scalability.
Your company can use Talk Magnet on the cloud or by installing it on a private server. This flexibility makes it suitable for any kind of business security demands.
Talk Magnet is available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS platforms.
Talk Magnet provides the best features that a good team communication app must offer. These features help you manage your remote or hybrid teams more effectively.
See some of the features below:
Talk Magnet features and benefits
- Intuitive file sharing: Send your team any media type on Talk Magnet chat. TalkMagnet supports audio, video, and other document types.
- User-friendly: Talk Magnet is easy to use. Its simple interface and design help your team members collaborate more effectively.
- Security: Whether you choose the cloud or on-premise option, all your conversations are secure on TalkMagnet. That’s why it is the best team communication app.
- Reports and analytics: Get insights and analytics on one dashboard about your organisation’s conversations. This will help you and your team work out the best meeting times.
- Scalability: With a 99.9% uptime, Talk Magnet adjusts to your team and organisation’s growth with no crashes or lags. The more, the merrier.
- Lightweight: Talk Magnet is light and fast on any platform. This way no team member gets left out, no matter what device they use Talk Magnet on.
- Audio and video conferencing: Launch team meetings directly from the chat window with one-click conferencing. You also enjoy clear audio and enhanced video quality.
- Dedicated support: No matter what tier of Talk Magnet subscription you pick, you get a dedicated account manager from day one. You also get access to a support team 24/7.
Talk Magnet pricing
Talk Magnet pricing starts from $5 per user per month.
Slack
Source: protocol.com
Slack is one of the most popular among the best team communication apps. Many companies in different industries use this group chat app. However, due to its call limits, Slack is more suited for teams of up to 15 people.
This team collaboration app is available on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and web platforms.
Slack users enjoy a number of features. Look at some of its significant features below:
Slack features
- File sharing: Users can send and receive multiple files in different formats on Slack.
- Message threads: This feature allows users to organise messages in threads for easy following.
- Deep search: With this feature, users can search for messages using filters such as date, sender, group, etc.
Slack challenges and setbacks
- Audio quality issues: Users have reported audio quality issues during Slack calls. This can make meetings unnecessarily long and unproductive.
- Read notifications not disappearing: Some notifications don’t clear even after opening them. This clogs your screen and hides other time-sensitive notifications.
- Slow support: Some users complain of experiencing delayed responses from Slack’s support team. This can halt your company’s operations, especially when a critical issue arises. The best team communication app should have 24/7 responsive support for its clients.
Check out the best Slack alternatives.
Slack pricing
Slack offers four plans: Free, Pro, Business+, and Enterprise Grid. The Pro plan starts at $8.75 per user per month, while the Business+ plan starts at $15 per user per month. Pricing for the Enterprise Grid plan is not available to the public.
Microsoft Teams
Source: avepoint.com
Microsoft Teams is a work communications app that is part of the Microsoft 365 suite of products. It is a business team collaboration app with a video conferencing feature. It integrates with many apps and supports 300 participants on a call.
Teams is available on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and the Web.
Microsoft Teams boasts numerous features. Below we have highlighted for you a few noteworthy features that make it one of the best team communication apps:
Microsoft Teams features
- 30 hrs meeting limit: The meetings do not end halfway due to time restrictions, as users with a paid plan can conduct meetings for up to 30hrs.
- Team meeting transcripts: Users can record meetings with transcripts. This feature helps with the recollection of details discussed in meetings.
- Integration with Microsoft products: Paying users can interact with Sharepoint, Microsoft Calendar, and other Microsoft apps right from Teams.
Microsoft Teams challenges and setbacks
- Unnecessary refresh: Users can get logged out of meetings when Microsoft Teams refreshes the browser tab.
- Error message when signing in: Users face trouble when logging into Microsoft Teams. This is common with users who use Microsoft 365 Education.
- Usernames not displayed: A glitch hides team members’ usernames. This makes collaboration difficult when teammates cannot find each other on the app.
- Showing video as audio: Some video call participants may show up as audio participants due to a glitch.
- Phone app crash: The Microsoft Teams mobile app may crash intermittently and restart. This may lead to a loss of information and messages.
- Complex navigations: The Microsoft Teams app is harder to navigate than some of the other best team communication apps. So your team members may find it hard to use.
Check out the best Teams alternatives.
Microsoft Teams pricing
Microsoft Teams offers a free plan that supports up to 100 users. The paid plans are Microsoft Teams Essentials, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, and Microsoft 365 Business Premium. They cost $4, $6, $12.50, and $22 per user per month, respectively.
Check out Slack vs Skype vs Talk Magnet.
Chanty
Source: proofhub.com
Chanty is a team communication software with various features for collaboration. Users can chat, jump on voice calls, or connect with team members on video calls with Chanty.
Chanty’s paid plan allows unlimited users, which makes it useful for companies with many staff members.
The supported platforms are iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Web.
Here are some of the unique features that make Chanty one of the best team communication apps:
Chanty features
- Tagging: Users can tag other team members in a group for quick responses.
- Task scheduling: You can schedule tasks on Chanty.
- Teambook: This feature enables users to see the activities and tasks of other team members in one place.
- Project view: You can view your projects on a Kanban board in Chanty. But, you cannot view projects in a list, timeline, or Gantt chart format.
Chanty challenges and setbacks
- No on-premise option: Chanty is purely available on the cloud. You cannot install the software on your company’s server. This is a limitation, especially if you need more security for your company’s communication process.
- Unpredictable downtimes: Although the Chanty website boasts almost 100% uptime, customer reviews say otherwise. This can slow down work productivity for hybrid teams that rely heavily on collaboration tools.
Chanty pricing
Chanty’s free plan supports up to 10 members. The business plan, which starts at $4 per user, per month supports unlimited members.
Google Chat
Source: saperis.io
Google Chat is Google’s group communication tool and a feature within Gmail. It was earlier a standalone app called Hangout.
It is part of the Google Workspace along with other Google productivity tools. However, Google Chat users depend on Google Meet and Duo for audio calls and video conferencing.
The supported platforms are Web, iOS, and Android.
Here are some of the unique features that make Google Chat one of the best team communication apps:
Google Chat features
- Chat outside your organisation: Users can communicate internally and externally with Google Chat, based on the company’s administrative settings.
- Create rooms for projects: Google Chat allows multiple room creation for different teams and projects. This helps in organised collaboration and communication.
- Google Drive integration: Users can easily share and view Google Drive files in Google Chat.
Google Chat challenges and setbacks
- Laggy app: Users complain that the app is slow and laggy. This can drastically reduce efficiency and work productivity.
- No audio messages: Unlike most of the other best team communication apps, Google Chat lacks the audio message feature. This limits your choice of communication medium, which can impact your workflow negatively.
- Hidden in Gmail: You cannot access Google Chat via a standalone app. Users go through Gmail on the web/mobile to use Google Chat. This defeats the purpose of using a chat app instead of email. You also need a Gmail account.
Google Chat pricing
Google Chat is free for personal use. But the Business Starter plan starts at $6 per user per month.
The Business Standard plan starts at $12 per user per month, while the Business Plus plan starts at $18 per user per month.
Pricing for the Enterprise plan is not publicly available.
Flock
Source: pinterest.com
Flock is not just a team communication app, but also a project management app. Users can run surveys and collaborate on tasks and documents on the app.
For project discussions and meetings, Flock users can chat with team members on individual apps or group chats/channels.
The app can integrate with over 40 third-party apps via its app store. Flock also supports teams of over 100 people and sends reminder emails for pending tasks.
Flock is available on Android, iOS, and Web platforms.
The following unique features of Flock make it one of the best team communication apps:
Flock features
- Directory: Team members can find each other in the company directory on Flock for easy contact.
- Drag and drop: Flock users can share files with the drag and drop feature.
- Screen sharing: Team members can show their ideas by sharing their screens in video calls.
Flock challenges and setbacks
- No voice message feature: Flock doesn’t offer voice chats in some chat groups and private chats. You will need to make an audio or video call to pass a simple message that requires more than texting.
- No support for Safari: Your team members who use Safari on Mac would need to download Chrome to use Flock.
- Lag on mobile: The Flock mobile app tends to lag. This can delay responses from team members and decrease productivity.
- Files not found: Flock’s search functionality comes with issues, as files go missing at certain times. Imagine if your project deadline depended on a file that you cannot find on Flock. It can cause you trouble.
- High learning curve: Users report that Flock is not easy to use. The best team communication app should require little or no learning for your team to use it.
Flock pricing
Flock offers three plans. The free plan caps at 20 people. The Pro plan costs $4.50 per user per month and supports 20-100 people. Pricing for the Flock Enterprise plan is not publicly available.
Discord
Source: mashable.com
Although Discord is more popular in the gaming and NFT community, any business team can use this communication software.
A company can create a ‘server’ and multiple channels for different teams. The users get different roles and permissions on the server.
You can customise the Discord server according to the company’s needs and make it private or public.
Discord is available on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Web platforms.
Discord made it to our list of the best team communication apps due to these unique features:
Discord features
- 1M+ users: Depending on how much you ‘boost’ your server, it can take up to a million users.
- Third-party bots: Users can add features to their Discord servers by installing bots on the server.
- Profile customisation: Users can customise their profiles for easy identification.
- Social media integration: Social media feeds can get imported into channels so you can view them without leaving Discord.
- Voice channels: Users can jump into the voice chat anytime for a quick discussion. They can also switch to video and share their screens.
Discord challenges and setbacks
- Porous security: If an administrator or a bot gets compromised, everyone else on that server could also get compromised.
- Long numeric usernames: Usernames on Discord include a string of numbers, unlike simple alphabetic usernames on other communication apps.
- Overwhelming notifications: Discord notifies users of every message on default – even when a new person joins the server. This can be overwhelming till you figure out how to set your notification preferences.
- Not user-friendly: The UI is complex, while the learning curve is steep. Your team will take a while to get used to operating Discord.
- Lag on mobile: The mobile app lags, slowing your team’s response time.
Discord pricing
Discord is primarily free, but the paid plan allows users to add some features to the company server. The paid ‘Nitro’ plan starts at $9.99 per month.
Check out Talk Magnet vs Discord.
Mattermost
Source: github.com
Mattermost is known as an open-source communication platform for businesses of any size.
What makes Mattermost one of the best team communication apps is allowing unlimited users in its free version. This means there is no cap on the number of your team members who use the app for free. But this comes with another price. Users can only search for the last 10,000 messages.
Mattermost also offers the option of using the service on the cloud or self-hosting. It is available on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.
Here are some of the unique features that make Mattermost one of the best team communication apps:
Mattermost features
- Unlimited users for free: Mattermost’s free version has no limit on the number of team members.
- Cloud and on-premise choice: You can use Mattermost both on the cloud and on-premise.
- Import project boards: Mattermost works as a project management tool as well. Users can import their projects from other PM tools.
Mattermost Challenges and Setbacks
- Uptime not guaranteed: Guaranteed uptime is an add-on to Mattermost’s most expensive plan. Users of other plans can expect downtime at any time.
- Limited message searchability: Free users can only search for the last 10,000 messages.
- Support is optional: You don’t get to enjoy 24/7 support on every plan. Mattermost reserves this as an add-on feature only.
- Scalability for enterprise only: Mattermost is only scalable for enterprise plan users. However, the enterprise price plan is not publicly available.
- Mobile app issues: Plug-ins don’t work on the mobile app. Users face broken notifications due to which they can miss important messages.
- Unusable for meetings: Users call the video conferencing and audio call feature “unusable”. As a result, you switch to another team communication app to avail of call features.
Mattermost pricing
Mattermost users have three plan options: Starter, Professional, and Enterprise. The Starter plan is free, while the professional plan starts at $10/user/month. Enterprise plan pricing is not available to the public.
Glip
Source: pcmag.com
Glip is a team communication software developed by RingCentral. Although it was previously a standalone app, right now, Glip is only accessible through the RingCentral team communications app. Teams can use Glip to chat, share files, and conduct meetings.
So how did it make it to our list of the best team communication apps? Amongst other features, the free tier of Glip allows you to host up to 100 participants in a meeting.
However, the meeting capability maxes out at 200 people even on the paid plan.
Glip is available on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Web platforms.
Here are some of the unique features that make Glip one of the best team communication apps:
Glip features
- No download needed: Glip allows meeting attendees to join in via a browser without downloading the app.
- Switch devices during meetings: Users can switch their devices during meetings without missing out on anything.
- Dial-in to join meetings: Meeting participants can join by dialling in with their phones.
- Closed captions: Users can see the words on the screen as participants speak during a meeting.
Glip challenges and setbacks
- No transcriptions: Although Glip records meetings and stores them on the cloud, there are no transcriptions.
- Limited meeting participants: Teams larger than 200 cannot meet on Glip, at least not simultaneously.
- Unorganised messages: There are no threaded messages in Glip, so it is hard to follow topical conversations in groups.
Glip pricing
Glip has two plans; Pro and Pro+. The Pro plan is free, but the Pro+ plan starts at $15 per user per month.
Twist
Source: techcrunch.com
Twist is a team chat app that seems to prioritise asynchronous collaboration. Team members do not have to answer messages instantly. While this is a good thing, it can cause problems if there is an urgent task.
Twist is useful for teams with less than 500 members because of the limited features.
The communication tool is available on Android, iOS, and Windows.
Here are some of the unique features that make Twist one of the best team communication apps:
Twist features
- Threaded conversations: Users can organise group conversations into threads.
- Automated check-in messages: Team leads can automate check-in messages that they send repeatedly. This encourages team collaboration and efficiency.
- Integrations: Twist boasts of a number of integrations to aid team communications.
Twist challenges and setbacks
- Difficult to use: Twist user interface is not easy to use. Some users complain about the difficulty in managing simple controls such as notification settings.
- No real-time updates: Because of the async feature of Twist, information can get delayed. This can cause team members to get out of touch.
- No file sharing: Users cannot share files as attachments. You can share files only via links.
- Problematic search: Finding specific words or messages in Twist can get hectic, as it is not as refined as some of the other best team communication apps.
Twist pricing
Twist offers users free and unlimited plans, starting at $8/user/month.
Move work forward with the best team communication app
So there you go. This was our list of the 10 best team communication apps based on their features and other factors. You now know that the most scalable, simple, and reliable team chat app may not be the most common.
It is safe to say that you are ready to choose one of these communication apps for your team.
Still unsure which one to choose?
Don’t worry. We will share our top pick.
Say hello to Talk Magnet!
Wondering why we recommend Talk Magnet? Of the bunch, Talk Magnet is the most secure, scalable, and user-friendly option that provides all the amazing features too. Plus, you don’t need to pay extra to get 24/7 support from the team. All this makes Talk Magnet the best fit for your needs.
So what are you waiting for? Get started for free today and skyrocket your team’s productivity. You can also book a demo now to remove any confusion or queries.
