products
Mattermost vs Slack: Complete Comparison 2026
Slack is a cloud-based SaaS platform owned by Salesforce with extensive integrations and AI features, while Mattermost is a self-hosted open-source alternative offering greater control and lower costs for privacy-conscious organizations. Slack excels in ease-of-use and ecosystem, while Mattermost provides deployment flexibility and data sovereignty.
M
Mattermost
Open-source, self-hosted team collaboration platform with enterprise security controls
Enterprise organizations, regulated industries, privacy-conscious companies, and teams requiring data sovereignty
Score63%
VS
S
Slack
Cloud-based team messaging platform with deep enterprise integrations and 21 million daily active users.
Fast-growing companies, SaaS businesses, creative teams, and organizations valuing ease-of-use and rich integrations
Score63%
Quick Answer
AI SummarySlack is a cloud-based SaaS platform owned by Salesforce with extensive integrations and AI features, while Mattermost is a self-hosted open-source alternative offering greater control and lower costs for privacy-conscious organizations. Slack excels in ease-of-use and ecosystem, while Mattermost provides deployment flexibility and data sovereignty.
Our Verdict
AI-assistedSlack is the superior choice for most organizations seeking an easy-to-use, feature-rich communication platform with extensive integrations and AI capabilities. Mattermost is ideal for enterprises prioritizing data sovereignty, cost control, and regulatory compliance where self-hosting is acceptable. The choice depends on whether you prioritize convenience and ecosystem (Slack) or control and cost (Mattermost).
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M
Mattermost
6/10
Slack
9/10
S
M
Choose Mattermost if
Enterprise organizations, regulated industries, privacy-conscious companies, and teams requiring data sovereignty
S
Choose Slack if
Best pickFast-growing companies, SaaS businesses, creative teams, and organizations valuing ease-of-use and rich integrations
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Key Differences at a Glance
- Deployment Model:✓ Mattermost wins(Self-hosted, on-premise, or cloud options vs Cloud-based SaaS only)
- Pricing Model:✓ Mattermost wins(Open-source free tier + $10/user/month (Pro) vs $7.25/user/month (Pro) + Enterprise Grid)
- Data Ownership & Control:✓ Mattermost wins(Full control with self-hosting, data sovereignty vs Salesforce controls infrastructure and data)
Key Facts & Figures
110 numeric metrics compared
| Metric | Mattermost | Slack | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD) | $10.00 | $7.25 | |
| Business+ Tier Monthly Cost Per User(USD) | $18.00 | $12.50 | |
| Price Stability (2024-2026)(months) | Stable | No increases for 33 months | — |
| Available Integrations(integrations) | 500+ | 2000+ | |
| Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions) | ~0.3 million | — | — |
| Starting Price (Monthly)(USD) | $0 (self-hosted) or $10 (cloud) | — | — |
| Native third-party integrations(count) | 400+ plugins | 100+ | |
| Maximum Video Conference Participants(participants) | Up to 1,000 (with Jitsi) | — | — |
| Base Monthly Cost (Single User)(USD) | $0 (open-source) - $39/month (Mattermost Cloud) | — | — |
| Maximum File Upload Size(GB) | 100+ GB (configurable) | — | — |
| Available Integrations(count) | 120+ integrations (community-contributed) | 2,400+ | |
| Annual TCO (1,000 users, 3-year average)(USD) | $0 (self-hosted) or $39,000 (managed cloud) | — | — |
| App Integrations(count) | 2,600+ | 2,600+ | |
| Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo) | $7.25 | $7.25 | |
| Standalone Monthly Pricing (Pro Tier)(USD per user per month) | $7.25 | $7.25 | |
| Annual Cost per User (Pro Tier)(USD) | $87 (billed yearly) | $87 (billed yearly) | |
| Third-Party App Integrations(integrations) | 2,400+ | 2,400+ | |
| Video Meeting Capacity(participants) | Up to 2,000 (with paid plan) | Up to 2,000 (with paid plan) | |
| Mobile App Feature Parity(%) | 95% | 95% | |
| Monthly Cost per 20-Person Team(USD) | $3,600 (Pro plan at $15/user) | $3,600 (Pro plan at $15/user) | |
| Global Market Share(percent) | 65% | 65% | |
| Free Trial Duration(days) | 7 days | 7 days | |
| Daily Active Users Worldwide(millions) | 20+ million | 20+ million | |
| Message History Retention on Free Plan(count) | 10,000 most recent | 10,000 most recent | |
| Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD) | $8.25 (Pro plan, min 3 users) | $8.25 (Pro plan, min 3 users) | |
| Free Tier Meeting Participant Limit(participants) | Unlimited (Slack Huddles for video limited to 50 participants) | Unlimited (Slack Huddles for video limited to 50 participants) | |
| Asynchronous Communication Strength(scale 1-5) | 5 out of 5 (core feature with channels, threads, and history) | 5 out of 5 (core feature with channels, threads, and history) | |
| Google Workspace Integration Level | 2 out of 5 (available via integration, not native) | 2 out of 5 (available via integration, not native) | |
| AI Features Count (2026)(features) | 30+ (CRM tools, meeting summaries, automation, SlackBot enhancements) | 30+ (CRM tools, meeting summaries, automation, SlackBot enhancements) | |
| Free Tier Cost(USD) | Free | Free | |
| Pro/Standard Monthly Cost(USD per user/month) | $7.25 | $7.25 | |
| Third-party Integrations(integrations) | 2000+ | 2000+ | |
| Minimum Monthly Cost Per User(USD) | $7.25 | $7.25 | |
| Third-Party Integrations Available(count) | 2,000+ | 2,000+ | |
| Years Price Stable (2026)(months) | 33+ months | 33+ months | |
| Native Integrations Available(count) | 2200+ | 2200+ | |
| Pro Plan Annual Cost(USD) | $150 (billed monthly) | $150 (billed monthly) | |
| Free Tier Message History Retention(days) | 90 days | 90 days | |
| AI Transcription Languages Supported(languages) | 0 (not native feature) | 0 (not native feature) | |
| Enterprise Uptime SLA(percent) | 99.99% | 99.99% | |
| User Workspace Limit (Free Tier)(workspaces) | 1 workspace | 1 workspace | |
| Maximum Meeting Participants (Free)(participants) | 3 participants | 3 participants | |
| Pro Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)(USD per user) | $8.75 | $8.75 | |
| Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD) | $12.50 per user/month | $12.50 per user/month | |
| Free Message History(days) | 90 days maximum | 90 days maximum | |
| Voice Audio Codec Quality(kHz) | 16 kHz | 16 kHz | |
| Third-Party Integrations(count) | 2000+ integrations | 2000+ integrations | |
| Maximum Video Call Participants(people) | 15 participants | 15 participants | |
| Total Registered Users(millions) | 750 million | 750 million | |
| Enterprise Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD) | $12.50 | $12.50 | |
| Free Plan Message History Retention(days) | 90 days | 90 days | |
| Third-Party Integrations Available(count) | 2,300+ integrations | 2,300+ integrations | |
| Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/user/month) | $7.25 | $7.25 | |
| Cloud Storage (Base Plan)(GB) | 10 GB | 10 GB | |
| Monthly Cost Per User(USD) | $8-12.50 (Pro/Business+) | $8-12.50 (Pro/Business+) | |
| Active Workspaces(workspaces) | 750,000+ | 750,000+ | |
| Native Integrations(count) | 2,300+ | 2,300+ | |
| Message History Searchable(years) | 10 years standard | 10 years standard | |
| Workflow Automation Steps(built-in steps) | 50+ | 50+ | |
| Native App Integrations Available(count) | 2,400+ apps | 2,400+ apps | |
| Monthly Cost (Pro Plan, 50 users)(USD) | $412.50/month | $412.50/month | |
| Paid Workspaces/Users (Enterprise Adoption)(workspaces) | 750,000+ paid workspaces | 750,000+ paid workspaces | |
| Monthly Cost (10 Users, Annual)(USD) | $150/month ($1,800/year) | $150/month ($1,800/year) | |
| Pre-built Integrations(count) | 2,400+ integrations | 2,400+ integrations | |
| Message History on Free Plan(days) | 90-day limited access | 90-day limited access | |
| Active Global Workspaces/Deployments(count) | 750,000+ active workspaces | 750,000+ active workspaces | |
| Uptime SLA Guarantee(percent) | 99.99% | 99.99% | |
| Price Per User Per Month (Pro/Standard)(USD) | $12.50/user (Pro plan) | $12.50/user (Pro plan) | |
| Base Monthly Cost (10-person team)(USD) | $80-150 | $80-150 | |
| Cost for 50-person team(USD/month) | $400-750 | $400-750 | |
| Real-time Messaging Speed(ms (message delivery latency)) | 50-100ms (instant) | 50-100ms (instant) | |
| File Storage Included(GB) | 5GB (Free), varies by plan | 5GB (Free), varies by plan | |
| Setup Time for New Team(hours) | 0.5-1 hour | 0.5-1 hour | |
| Max Video Conference Participants(people) | 1000 | 1000 | |
| Voice Codec Quality Rating(score (1-10)) | 7.5 | 7.5 | |
| Enterprise Security Certifications | SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR | SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR | |
| Time to Deploy(hours) | 3-7 | 3-7 | |
| Uptime Guarantee(percent) | 99.99% | 99.99% | |
| Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD) | $8.75 | $8.75 | |
| Video Conference Max Participants(participants) | 150 | 150 | |
| Free Tier File Storage(GB per user) | 1 GB shared workspace | 1 GB shared workspace | |
| Message Search History (Free Tier)(days) | 90 days | 90 days | |
| Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)(USD) | $10,500 | $10,500 | |
| Desktop App Memory Usage(MB) | 280 MB | 280 MB | |
| Monthly subscription cost (Pro plan)(USD per user) | $12.50 | $12.50 | |
| Message Search Response Time(seconds) | 2-4 seconds | 2-4 seconds | |
| User interface satisfaction rating(out of 10) | 9.2/10 | 9.2/10 | |
| Maximum video call participants (free tier)(people) | 100 participants | 100 participants | |
| Service uptime SLA guarantee(percent) | 99.99% | 99.99% | |
| Message history retention (free plan)(days) | 90 days searchable | 90 days searchable | |
| Enterprise app marketplace size(applications) | 2,000+ apps (Slack App Directory) | 2,000+ apps (Slack App Directory) | |
| Team Size Cost Efficiency Threshold(team members) | Cost-effective until ~12 users | Cost-effective until ~12 users | |
| Message History Searchability(months) | 90 days (Free/Pro), unlimited with Enterprise | 90 days (Free/Pro), unlimited with Enterprise | |
| Average User Adoption Time(days) | 1-3 days | 1-3 days | |
| Global Active Users(millions) | 750+ million messages daily across 750k+ organizations | 750+ million messages daily across 750k+ organizations | |
| Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro/Standard)(USD) | $8.25 | $8.25 | |
| Message Delivery Latency(milliseconds) | <100ms | <100ms | |
| File Upload Limit(GB) | 20GB | 20GB | |
| Message History Retention (Free Tier)(days) | 90 days | 90 days | |
| G2 Ease of Use Rating (2024)(stars) | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 | |
| Video Meeting Participant Limit(participants) | 2000 | 2000 | |
| Pro Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD) | $12.50 | $12.50 | |
| File Storage Per User(GB) | 100 (workspace) | 100 (workspace) | |
| Free Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes) | 40 | 40 | |
| Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)(people) | Limited (typically 3-4) | Limited (typically 3-4) | |
| G2 User Interface Rating(out of 5) | 4.6/5 (12,400 reviews) | 4.6/5 (12,400 reviews) | |
| Daily Active Users(millions) | 21 million | 21 million | |
| Message History (Free Plan)(days) | 90 days | 90 days | |
| Cost Per User (Annual, Lowest Paid Tier)(USD/month) | $8/month | $8/month | |
| Organizations Using Platform(count (thousands)) | 750,000+ | 750,000+ |
Sourced from publicly available data ·
Key Differences
8 attributes compared head-to-head
M
3MattermostSlack leads1 tie
S
4SlackMattermost
Attribute
Slack
- Self-hosted, on-premise, or cloud options(winner)Deployment ModelCloud-based SaaS only
- Open-source free tier + $10/user/month (Pro)(winner)Pricing Model$7.25/user/month (Pro) + Enterprise Grid
- Full control with self-hosting, data sovereignty(winner)Data Ownership & ControlSalesforce controls infrastructure and data
- Limited native AI, basic automationAI Features & IntegrationAdvanced AI assistant, extensive integrations(winner)
- Requires technical expertise for deploymentEase of SetupInstant setup, no installation needed(winner)
- 500+ integrations availableThird-party Integrations2000+ integrations and app ecosystem(winner)
- Functional but less polished interfaceUser Interface & ExperienceIntuitive, modern, user-friendly design(winner)
- SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR compliant (self-hosted)Enterprise Security ComplianceSOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, FedRAMP compliant
- Deployment Model
Mattermost
Self-hosted, on-premise, or cloud options(winner)
Slack
Cloud-based SaaS only
- Pricing Model
Mattermost
Open-source free tier + $10/user/month (Pro)(winner)
Slack
$7.25/user/month (Pro) + Enterprise Grid
- Data Ownership & Control
Mattermost
Full control with self-hosting, data sovereignty(winner)
Slack
Salesforce controls infrastructure and data
- AI Features & Integration
Mattermost
Limited native AI, basic automation
Slack
Advanced AI assistant, extensive integrations(winner)
- Ease of Setup
Mattermost
Requires technical expertise for deployment
Slack
Instant setup, no installation needed(winner)
- Third-party Integrations
Mattermost
500+ integrations available
Slack
2000+ integrations and app ecosystem(winner)
- User Interface & Experience
Mattermost
Functional but less polished interface
Slack
Intuitive, modern, user-friendly design(winner)
- Enterprise Security Compliance
Mattermost
SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR compliant (self-hosted)
Slack
SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, FedRAMP compliant
Full Comparison
| Attribute | Mattermost | Slack |
|---|---|---|
| Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD) | $10.00 | $7.25(winner) |
| Business+ Tier Monthly Cost Per User(USD) | $18.00 | $12.50(winner) |
| Price Stability (2024-2026)(months) | Stable | No increases for 33 months |
| Starting Price (Monthly)(USD) | $0 (self-hosted) or $10 (cloud) | — |
| Base Monthly Cost (Single User)(USD) | $0 (open-source) - $39/month (Mattermost Cloud) | — |
Show 26 more attributesStandalone Monthly Pricing (Pro Tier)(USD per user per month) $7.25 — Annual Cost per User (Pro Tier)(USD) $87 (billed yearly) — Monthly Cost per 20-Person Team(USD) $3,600 (Pro plan at $15/user) — Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD) $8.25 (Pro plan, min 3 users) — Free Tier Cost(USD) Free — Pro/Standard Monthly Cost(USD per user/month) $7.25 — Minimum Monthly Cost Per User(USD) $7.25 — Years Price Stable (2026)(months) 33+ months — Pro Plan Annual Cost(USD) $150 (billed monthly) — Pro Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)(USD per user) $8.75 — Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD) $12.50 per user/month — Enterprise Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD) $12.50 — Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/user/month) $7.25 — Monthly Cost Per User(USD) $8-12.50 (Pro/Business+) — Monthly Cost (Pro Plan, 50 users)(USD) $412.50/month — Monthly Cost (10 Users, Annual)(USD) $150/month ($1,800/year) — Price Per User Per Month (Pro/Standard)(USD) $12.50/user (Pro plan) — Base Monthly Cost (10-person team)(USD) $80-150 — Cost for 50-person team(USD/month) $400-750 — Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD) $8.75 — Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)(USD) $10,500 — Monthly subscription cost (Pro plan)(USD per user) $12.50 — Team Size Cost Efficiency Threshold(team members) Cost-effective until ~12 users — Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro/Standard)(USD) $8.25 — Pro Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD) $12.50 — Cost Per User (Annual, Lowest Paid Tier)(USD/month) $8/month — | ||
| Deployment Options | Self-hosted, on-premise, cloud | Cloud-based SaaS only |
| GDPR & Data Sovereignty Compliance | Full control with self-hosting option | Compliant but data on Salesforce servers |
| End-to-End Encryption Available | DMs only, Enterprise+ plan | — |
| End-to-End Encryption Default | Not available | — |
| Enterprise Security Certifications | SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR | — |
| Available Integrations(integrations) | 500+ | 2000+(winner) |
| Third-Party App Integrations(integrations) | 2,400+ | — |
| Third-Party Integrations(count) | 2000+ integrations | — |
| Open Source | Yes, fully open-source | No, proprietary |
| Enterprise AI Features | Basic automation and workflows | Advanced AI assistant, smart summaries, automation |
| Maximum Video Conference Participants(participants) | Up to 1,000 (with Jitsi) | — |
| Video Meeting Capacity(participants) | Up to 2,000 (with paid plan) | — |
| Native Office Integration | Limited (third-party connectors) | — |
| AI Copilot Features | Slack AI (summarization, search, assisted writing) | — |
Show 21 more attributesMessage History Retention on Free Plan(count) 10,000 most recent — Free Tier Meeting Participant Limit(participants) Unlimited (Slack Huddles for video limited to 50 participants) — Native Video Conferencing Huddles for brief video, limited to 50 participants; requires external tool for full conferencing — Meeting Recording & Auto-Transcription Not native; requires integration with Otter.ai or similar third-party services — Asynchronous Communication Strength(scale 1-5) 5 out of 5 (core feature with channels, threads, and history) — Third-Party Integrations Available(count) 2,000+ — Free Message History(days) 90 days maximum — Free Plan Message History Retention(days) 90 days — Free Plan External Guest Collaboration(capacity) Unlimited external guests via workspace invite — Email Service Included No — Message History Searchable(years) 10 years standard — Workflow Automation Steps(built-in steps) 50+ — Message History on Free Plan(days) 90-day limited access — Message History Retention(status) 10,000 messages (free); unlimited (paid) — Built-in Project Management(status) No (requires integrations) — Max Video Conference Participants(people) 1000 — Video Conference Max Participants(participants) 150 — Message Search History (Free Tier)(days) 90 days — Message Search Speed (Free Tier)(indexing scope) All messages indexed instantly — Message History Retention (Free Tier)(days) 90 days — Video Meeting Participant Limit(participants) 2000 — | ||
| Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions) | ~0.3 million | — |
| Monthly Active Users(millions) | 0.75 million | — |
| Native third-party integrations(count) | 400+ plugins(winner) | 100+ |
| App Integrations(count) | 2,600+ | — |
| Google Workspace Native Integration | Limited (requires custom setup) | — |
| Native Integrations(count) | 2,300+ | — |
| Native Microsoft 365 Integration(integration level) | API-based (basic) | — |
| Deployment Options | Self-hosted, cloud, or hybrid | — |
| Threading Model | Channel-based threads (contextual loss in active channels) | — |
| Source Code Availability | Open-source (Apache 2.0) | Proprietary/closed |
| AI Assistant Integration | Limited AI features, plugin-based integration possible | — |
| AI Assistant Capability | Slack AI (optional on paid plans) | — |
| AI Transcription Languages Supported(languages) | 0 (not native feature) | — |
| AI Meeting Assistant | Slack AI (search, summarization, drafting) | — |
| Data Residency Control | Full control with self-hosted deployment | — |
| FedRAMP Authorization(boolean) | No | — |
| HIPAA Compliance Certified | Yes (Business+ plan required) | — |
| Active Monthly Users(millions) | 500,000+ deployments | — |
| Active Workspaces(workspaces) | 750,000+ | — |
| Global Active Users(millions) | 750+ million messages daily across 750k+ organizations | — |
| Maximum File Upload Size(GB) | 100+ GB (configurable) | — |
| Available Integrations(count) | 120+ integrations (community-contributed) | 2,400+(winner) |
| Open-Source Availability | AGPL v3 open-source | — |
| Self-Hosted Deployment Option | Full self-hosted + cloud managed options | — |
| Self-Hosting Available(boolean) | No | — |
| Self-Hosted/On-Premises Option | No (cloud-only) | — |
| Message Search Speed(seconds) | 0.5-1 second average | Excellent - optimized search indexing |
| Voice Audio Codec Quality(kHz) | 16 kHz | — |
| Maximum Video Call Participants(people) | 15 participants | — |
| Real-time Messaging Speed(ms (message delivery latency)) | 50-100ms (instant) | — |
| Desktop App Memory Usage(MB) | 280 MB | — |
Show 2 more attributesMessage Search Response Time(seconds) 2-4 seconds — Message Delivery Latency(milliseconds) <100ms — | ||
| Annual TCO (1,000 users, 3-year average)(USD) | $0 (self-hosted) or $39,000 (managed cloud) | — |
| Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo) | $7.25 | — |
| Mobile App Feature Parity(%) | 95% | — |
| Mobile App Type | Native iOS/Android with feature-parity | — |
| Global Market Share(percent) | 65% | — |
| Free Trial Duration(days) | 7 days | — |
| Daily Active Users Worldwide(millions) | 20+ million | — |
| Google Workspace Integration Level | 2 out of 5 (available via integration, not native) | — |
| AI Features Count (2026)(features) | 30+ (CRM tools, meeting summaries, automation, SlackBot enhancements) | — |
| Maximum Meeting Participants(participants) | Unlimited group chats | — |
| Built-in Task Management(features) | No: messaging-only, requires integrations | — |
| Message History Searchability(months) | 90 days (Free/Pro), unlimited with Enterprise | — |
| Third-party Integrations(integrations) | 2000+ | — |
| Native Integrations Available(count) | 2200+ | — |
| Pre-built Integrations(count) | 2,400+ integrations | — |
| AI Features (2026) | Workflow automation, search enhancement | — |
| Real-Time Translation | Not available | — |
| Asynchronous Communication | Optimized with threads and archives | — |
| Zoom Rooms Cost(USD per room/month) | N/A | — |
| Workflow Automation Complexity | Advanced with conditional logic | — |
| Storage Per User (Standard Plan)(GB) | Variable by plan | — |
| Cloud Storage (Base Plan)(GB) | 10 GB | — |
| File Storage Included(GB) | 5GB (Free), varies by plan | — |
| Free Tier File Storage(GB per user) | 1 GB shared workspace | — |
| Message history retention (free plan)(days) | 90 days searchable | — |
Show 2 more attributesFile Upload Limit(GB) 20GB — File Storage Per User(GB) 100 (workspace) — | ||
| Maximum Video Length (Free Tier)(minutes) | N/A | — |
| Maximum Video Resolution(pixels) | Requires 3rd party | — |
| Free Tier Message History Retention(days) | 90 days | — |
| Enterprise Uptime SLA(percent) | 99.99% | — |
| Uptime SLA Guarantee(percent) | 99.99% | — |
| Uptime Guarantee(percent) | 99.99% | — |
| Service uptime SLA guarantee(percent) | 99.99% | — |
| User Workspace Limit (Free Tier)(workspaces) | 1 workspace | — |
| Maximum Meeting Participants (Free)(participants) | 3 participants | — |
| Maximum Meeting Participants (Paid)(participants) | Unlimited (slide deck view only) | — |
| Free Plan Message History(months) | 90 days | — |
| SOC 2 Type II Certified | Yes | — |
| Custom Workflow Automation | Advanced (Workflow Builder, automations) | — |
| Users Per Workspace(count) | Unlimited | — |
| Total Registered Users(millions) | 750 million | — |
| Third-Party Integrations Available(count) | 2,300+ integrations | — |
| Native App Integrations Available(count) | 2,400+ apps | — |
| Daily Posts Published (Organic)(millions) | N/A | — |
| Open Source | Proprietary (closed-source) | — |
| Native Video/Audio Calls | Yes (Slack Huddles) | — |
| Paid Workspaces/Users (Enterprise Adoption)(workspaces) | 750,000+ paid workspaces | — |
| Active Global Workspaces/Deployments(count) | 750,000+ active workspaces | — |
| Setup Time for New Team(hours) | 0.5-1 hour | — |
| Voice Codec Quality Rating(score (1-10)) | 7.5 | — |
| Time to Deploy(hours) | 3-7 | — |
| Learning Curve(hours to proficiency) | 2 | — |
| User interface satisfaction rating(out of 10) | 9.2/10 | — |
| Average User Adoption Time(days) | 1-3 days | — |
| G2 Ease of Use Rating (2024)(stars) | 4.5/5 | — |
| G2 User Interface Rating(out of 5) | 4.6/5 (12,400 reviews) | — |
| Maximum video call participants (free tier)(people) | 100 participants | — |
| Free Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes) | 40 | — |
| Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)(people) | Limited (typically 3-4) | — |
| Enterprise app marketplace size(applications) | 2,000+ apps (Slack App Directory) | — |
| Message Search Capability(text) | Full-text indexed across all messages | — |
| Daily Active Users(millions) | 21 million | — |
| End-to-End Encryption | Partial (DMs only, beta feature) | — |
| Message History (Free Plan)(days) | 90 days | — |
| Self-Hosting Capability | Not available | — |
| Organizations Using Platform(count (thousands)) | 750,000+ | — |
| GDPR Compliance | Certified (SOC 2 Type II, GDPR) | — |
MMattermost
SSlack
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$10.00
$7.25
Business+ Tier Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$18.00
$12.50
Price Stability (2024-2026)(months)
Stable
No increases for 33 months
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)
$0 (self-hosted) or $10 (cloud)
—
Base Monthly Cost (Single User)(USD)
$0 (open-source) - $39/month (Mattermost Cloud)
—
Show 26 more attributes
Standalone Monthly Pricing (Pro Tier)(USD per user per month)
$7.25
—
Annual Cost per User (Pro Tier)(USD)
$87 (billed yearly)
—
Monthly Cost per 20-Person Team(USD)
$3,600 (Pro plan at $15/user)
—
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$8.25 (Pro plan, min 3 users)
—
Free Tier Cost(USD)
Free
—
Pro/Standard Monthly Cost(USD per user/month)
$7.25
—
Minimum Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$7.25
—
Years Price Stable (2026)(months)
33+ months
—
Pro Plan Annual Cost(USD)
$150 (billed monthly)
—
Pro Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)(USD per user)
$8.75
—
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD)
$12.50 per user/month
—
Enterprise Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$12.50
—
Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/user/month)
$7.25
—
Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$8-12.50 (Pro/Business+)
—
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan, 50 users)(USD)
$412.50/month
—
Monthly Cost (10 Users, Annual)(USD)
$150/month ($1,800/year)
—
Price Per User Per Month (Pro/Standard)(USD)
$12.50/user (Pro plan)
—
Base Monthly Cost (10-person team)(USD)
$80-150
—
Cost for 50-person team(USD/month)
$400-750
—
Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$8.75
—
Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)(USD)
$10,500
—
Monthly subscription cost (Pro plan)(USD per user)
$12.50
—
Team Size Cost Efficiency Threshold(team members)
Cost-effective until ~12 users
—
Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro/Standard)(USD)
$8.25
—
Pro Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$12.50
—
Cost Per User (Annual, Lowest Paid Tier)(USD/month)
$8/month
—
Deployment Options
Self-hosted, on-premise, cloud
Cloud-based SaaS only
GDPR & Data Sovereignty Compliance
Full control with self-hosting option
Compliant but data on Salesforce servers
End-to-End Encryption Available
DMs only, Enterprise+ plan
—
End-to-End Encryption Default
Not available
—
Enterprise Security Certifications
SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR
—
Available Integrations(integrations)
500+
2000+
Third-Party App Integrations(integrations)
2,400+
—
Third-Party Integrations(count)
2000+ integrations
—
Open Source
Yes, fully open-source
No, proprietary
Enterprise AI Features
Basic automation and workflows
Advanced AI assistant, smart summaries, automation
Maximum Video Conference Participants(participants)
Up to 1,000 (with Jitsi)
—
Video Meeting Capacity(participants)
Up to 2,000 (with paid plan)
—
Native Office Integration
Limited (third-party connectors)
—
AI Copilot Features
Slack AI (summarization, search, assisted writing)
—
Show 21 more attributes
Message History Retention on Free Plan(count)
10,000 most recent
—
Free Tier Meeting Participant Limit(participants)
Unlimited (Slack Huddles for video limited to 50 participants)
—
Native Video Conferencing
Huddles for brief video, limited to 50 participants; requires external tool for full conferencing
—
Meeting Recording & Auto-Transcription
Not native; requires integration with Otter.ai or similar third-party services
—
Asynchronous Communication Strength(scale 1-5)
5 out of 5 (core feature with channels, threads, and history)
—
Third-Party Integrations Available(count)
2,000+
—
Free Message History(days)
90 days maximum
—
Free Plan Message History Retention(days)
90 days
—
Free Plan External Guest Collaboration(capacity)
Unlimited external guests via workspace invite
—
Email Service Included
No
—
Message History Searchable(years)
10 years standard
—
Workflow Automation Steps(built-in steps)
50+
—
Message History on Free Plan(days)
90-day limited access
—
Message History Retention(status)
10,000 messages (free); unlimited (paid)
—
Built-in Project Management(status)
No (requires integrations)
—
Max Video Conference Participants(people)
1000
—
Video Conference Max Participants(participants)
150
—
Message Search History (Free Tier)(days)
90 days
—
Message Search Speed (Free Tier)(indexing scope)
All messages indexed instantly
—
Message History Retention (Free Tier)(days)
90 days
—
Video Meeting Participant Limit(participants)
2000
—
Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions)
~0.3 million
—
Monthly Active Users(millions)
0.75 million
—
Native third-party integrations(count)
400+ plugins
100+
App Integrations(count)
2,600+
—
Google Workspace Native Integration
Limited (requires custom setup)
—
Native Integrations(count)
2,300+
—
Native Microsoft 365 Integration(integration level)
API-based (basic)
—
Deployment Options
Self-hosted, cloud, or hybrid
—
Threading Model
Channel-based threads (contextual loss in active channels)
—
Source Code Availability
Open-source (Apache 2.0)
Proprietary/closed
AI Assistant Integration
Limited AI features, plugin-based integration possible
—
AI Assistant Capability
Slack AI (optional on paid plans)
—
AI Transcription Languages Supported(languages)
0 (not native feature)
—
AI Meeting Assistant
Slack AI (search, summarization, drafting)
—
Data Residency Control
Full control with self-hosted deployment
—
FedRAMP Authorization(boolean)
No
—
HIPAA Compliance Certified
Yes (Business+ plan required)
—
Active Monthly Users(millions)
500,000+ deployments
—
Active Workspaces(workspaces)
750,000+
—
Global Active Users(millions)
750+ million messages daily across 750k+ organizations
—
Maximum File Upload Size(GB)
100+ GB (configurable)
—
Available Integrations(count)
120+ integrations (community-contributed)
2,400+
Open-Source Availability
AGPL v3 open-source
—
Self-Hosted Deployment Option
Full self-hosted + cloud managed options
—
Self-Hosting Available(boolean)
No
—
Self-Hosted/On-Premises Option
No (cloud-only)
—
Message Search Speed(seconds)
0.5-1 second average
Excellent - optimized search indexing
Voice Audio Codec Quality(kHz)
16 kHz
—
Maximum Video Call Participants(people)
15 participants
—
Real-time Messaging Speed(ms (message delivery latency))
50-100ms (instant)
—
Desktop App Memory Usage(MB)
280 MB
—
Show 2 more attributes
Message Search Response Time(seconds)
2-4 seconds
—
Message Delivery Latency(milliseconds)
<100ms
—
Annual TCO (1,000 users, 3-year average)(USD)
$0 (self-hosted) or $39,000 (managed cloud)
—
Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo)
$7.25
—
Mobile App Feature Parity(%)
95%
—
Mobile App Type
Native iOS/Android with feature-parity
—
Global Market Share(percent)
65%
—
Free Trial Duration(days)
7 days
—
Daily Active Users Worldwide(millions)
20+ million
—
Google Workspace Integration Level
2 out of 5 (available via integration, not native)
—
AI Features Count (2026)(features)
30+ (CRM tools, meeting summaries, automation, SlackBot enhancements)
—
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)
Unlimited group chats
—
Built-in Task Management(features)
No: messaging-only, requires integrations
—
Message History Searchability(months)
90 days (Free/Pro), unlimited with Enterprise
—
Third-party Integrations(integrations)
2000+
—
Native Integrations Available(count)
2200+
—
Pre-built Integrations(count)
2,400+ integrations
—
AI Features (2026)
Workflow automation, search enhancement
—
Real-Time Translation
Not available
—
Asynchronous Communication
Optimized with threads and archives
—
Zoom Rooms Cost(USD per room/month)
N/A
—
Workflow Automation Complexity
Advanced with conditional logic
—
Storage Per User (Standard Plan)(GB)
Variable by plan
—
Cloud Storage (Base Plan)(GB)
10 GB
—
File Storage Included(GB)
5GB (Free), varies by plan
—
Free Tier File Storage(GB per user)
1 GB shared workspace
—
Message history retention (free plan)(days)
90 days searchable
—
Show 2 more attributes
File Upload Limit(GB)
20GB
—
File Storage Per User(GB)
100 (workspace)
—
Maximum Video Length (Free Tier)(minutes)
N/A
—
Maximum Video Resolution(pixels)
Requires 3rd party
—
Free Tier Message History Retention(days)
90 days
—
Enterprise Uptime SLA(percent)
99.99%
—
Uptime SLA Guarantee(percent)
99.99%
—
Uptime Guarantee(percent)
99.99%
—
Service uptime SLA guarantee(percent)
99.99%
—
User Workspace Limit (Free Tier)(workspaces)
1 workspace
—
Maximum Meeting Participants (Free)(participants)
3 participants
—
Maximum Meeting Participants (Paid)(participants)
Unlimited (slide deck view only)
—
Free Plan Message History(months)
90 days
—
SOC 2 Type II Certified
Yes
—
Custom Workflow Automation
Advanced (Workflow Builder, automations)
—
Users Per Workspace(count)
Unlimited
—
Total Registered Users(millions)
750 million
—
Third-Party Integrations Available(count)
2,300+ integrations
—
Native App Integrations Available(count)
2,400+ apps
—
Daily Posts Published (Organic)(millions)
N/A
—
Open Source
Proprietary (closed-source)
—
Native Video/Audio Calls
Yes (Slack Huddles)
—
Paid Workspaces/Users (Enterprise Adoption)(workspaces)
750,000+ paid workspaces
—
Active Global Workspaces/Deployments(count)
750,000+ active workspaces
—
Setup Time for New Team(hours)
0.5-1 hour
—
Voice Codec Quality Rating(score (1-10))
7.5
—
Time to Deploy(hours)
3-7
—
Learning Curve(hours to proficiency)
2
—
User interface satisfaction rating(out of 10)
9.2/10
—
Average User Adoption Time(days)
1-3 days
—
G2 Ease of Use Rating (2024)(stars)
4.5/5
—
G2 User Interface Rating(out of 5)
4.6/5 (12,400 reviews)
—
Maximum video call participants (free tier)(people)
100 participants
—
Free Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes)
40
—
Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)(people)
Limited (typically 3-4)
—
Enterprise app marketplace size(applications)
2,000+ apps (Slack App Directory)
—
Message Search Capability(text)
Full-text indexed across all messages
—
Daily Active Users(millions)
21 million
—
End-to-End Encryption
Partial (DMs only, beta feature)
—
Message History (Free Plan)(days)
90 days
—
Self-Hosting Capability
Not available
—
Organizations Using Platform(count (thousands))
750,000+
—
GDPR Compliance
Certified (SOC 2 Type II, GDPR)
—
Pros & Cons
10 pros·6 cons across both
M
S
M
Mattermost
+5-3
Pros
- Self-hosted deployment ensures complete data control and sovereignty
- Significantly lower total cost of ownership for large teams
- Open-source codebase allows customization and community contributions
- Compliant with strict data residency and GDPR requirements
- No vendor lock-in with ability to migrate data freely
Cons
- Requires dedicated IT resources for deployment and maintenance
- Smaller ecosystem with fewer third-party integrations
- Less mature AI and automation features compared to competitors
S
Slack
+5-3
Pros
- Zero setup time with instant cloud deployment and accessibility
- Extensive app ecosystem with 2000+ integrations including enterprise tools
- Advanced AI assistant for search, summarization, and workflow automation
- Exceptional user interface with intuitive navigation and discoverability
- Robust enterprise features including guest access, compliance, and analytics
Cons
- Higher per-user costs at scale compared to open-source alternatives
- Data stored on Salesforce infrastructure with limited control
- Potential vendor lock-in with proprietary features and integrations
Frequently Asked Questions
5 questions
Slack automatically scales with cloud infrastructure, supporting unlimited growth without infrastructure concerns. Mattermost requires proper server sizing and administration but offers unlimited users with single deployment. For organizations expecting rapid growth, Slack's automated scaling is advantageous, while Mattermost's unlimited-user model benefits predictable enterprise expansion.
Resources & Learn More
Curated sources to dive deeper
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