Free team chat is decided by message history: Slack keeps 90 days, Twist one month, Flock and Zulip Cloud 10,000 messages, while Pumble, Chanty and Microsoft Teams keep everything. Pumble gives unlimited users with unlimited history for 10 GB; Chanty caps at five users; Teams free adds 60-minute meetings; Rocket.Chat’s Starter is free self-hosted for 50 users; Zulip gives a free Standard plan to open-source and non-profit organisations; Mattermost’s free tier has become an evaluation edition. Ryver is a trial, and Google Chat’s free-with-Gmail status could not be verified. Prices are USD and were checked on 27 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free chat tool that fits
- Slack’s model with no history limit: Pumble — unlimited users, unlimited searchable history, 10 GB and three integrations; Pro is $2.49 a seat.
- Chat plus video for a small company: Microsoft Teams free — 100-person meetings up to 60 minutes, 5 GB a user, no subscription.
- Self-hosted, your data, up to 50 people: Rocket.Chat Starter — self-managed, unlimited push notifications, MIT repository.
- Open-source project or non-profit: Zulip — a free Standard cloud plan if eligible; Apache 2.0 self-hosted with every feature.
- You just want Slack: Slack Free — 90 days of history, 10 apps, one-to-one huddles; Pro from $7.25.
Which team chat & collaboration tools tools have a free plan in 2026?
Every tool below runs persistent team chat free indefinitely. The caps are history (Slack 90 days, Twist one month, Flock and Zulip Cloud 10,000 messages), users (Chanty 5, Flock 20, Rocket.Chat Starter 50), storage (Teams 5 GB a user, Pumble 10 GB a workspace, Chanty 20 GB, Twist and Zulip 5 GB) and integrations (Slack 10, Pumble 3, Twist 5). Discord, Telegram and Signal are consumer tools listed because teams use them; they lack admin and compliance features and their pages state few limits.
Two hub names changed: Mattermost’s free tier is now ‘Mattermost Entry’, a limited-use evaluation edition, with the MIT-licensed build still published monthly; Rocket.Chat retired its Pro plan in April 2026 and its free Starter is self-hosted only. Google Chat is included in every Workspace plan but its availability with a free Gmail account could not be verified because Google’s support page failed, so it is not scored. Ryver is a 14-day trial.
The table shows the history cap, the user cap and the Free Score. Open a row for storage, integrations, licence and the page we checked.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P |
Free forever | Unlimited users · unlimited history · 10 GB · 3 apps | No | 88 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Free forever | 100 participants · 60-min meetings · 5 GB/user | No | 82 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Z |
Open source | 10K messages · 5 GB · free Standard for OSS & non-profits · Apache 2.0 | No | 80 | Scorecard ↓ |
| R |
Open source | Up to 50 users · self-hosted · unlimited push · MIT | No | 76 | Scorecard ↓ |
| S |
Free forever | 90-day history · 10 apps · 1:1 huddles | No | 76 | Scorecard ↓ |
| C |
Free forever | 5 users · unlimited history · 20 GB · 10 integrations | No | 70 | Scorecard ↓ |
| F |
Free forever | 20 members · 10K messages · 5 GB · unlimited integrations | No | 66 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Free forever | 1-month history · 5 integrations · 5 GB · 500 members | No | 64 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Open source | Evaluation edition · MIT monthly build · not for production | No | 62 | Scorecard ↓ |
| E |
Open source | AGPL · self-hosted · Synapse Community ‘not for production’ | No | 60 | Scorecard ↓ |
| D |
Free forever | Free · upload limits unstated · consumer | No | 58 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Free forever | Free forever · 200,000-member groups · 2 GB files | No | 52 | Scorecard ↓ |
| S |
Open source | Donation-funded · AGPLv3 · E2E | No | 50 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 27 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free chat tool plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1P
PumbleUS (CAKE.com) · $0 for an unlimited number of users with unlimited searchable history, 10 GB of workspace storage, three integrations and group calls for up to 50Free foreverUnlimited users · unlimited history · 10 GB · 3 appsNo card88⌄
- What’s free
- $0: unlimited users, unlimited searchable history, 10 GB total storage, up to 3 apps and integrations, group calls up to 50
- Hard limits
- 10 GB workspace storage · 3 integrations
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Storage or integrations
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $2.49/seat/month annual ($2.99 monthly)
- Best free for
- A team that left Slack because the history disappeared
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · pumble.com/pricing (the FAQ says ‘no limitations’ while the table lists caps)
2M
Microsoft Teams (free)US · chat with group meetings for 100 people up to 60 minutes, one-to-one calls up to 30 hours and 5 GB of cloud storage a user, with no subscriptionFree forever100 participants · 60-min meetings · 5 GB/userNo card82⌄
- What’s free
- Up to 100 participants a meeting, free group meetings up to 60 minutes, 1:1 calls up to 30 hours, 5 GB of cloud storage a user; no subscription needed
- Hard limits
- 60-minute group meetings · 100 participants · 5 GB · you cannot revert to free with the same email after upgrading
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Longer meetings or 300 participants
- Cheapest paid step
- Teams Essentials $4/user/month, annual
- Best free for
- A small company that wants chat and video in one place on the Microsoft stack
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · microsoft.com/microsoft-teams/free
Why it ranks here. The only free tier here with real video meetings included; chat history is not capped on the page, and the $4 step is modest.
3Z
ZulipUS · Cloud Free with 10,000 messages of search history and 5 GB; a free Standard plan for open-source, research and most small non-profit organisations; self-hosted under Apache 2.0 with all featuresOpen source10K messages · 5 GB · free Standard for OSS & non-profits · Apache 2.0No card80⌄
- What’s free
- Cloud Free: 10,000 messages of search history, 5 GB file storage; free Standard for eligible organisations; self-hosted 100% open source with all features
- Hard limits
- Cloud Free 10,000 searchable messages and 5 GB · self-hosted mobile notifications limited to 10 users for non-eligible organisations
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Search history or storage
- Cheapest paid step
- Cloud Standard $6.67/user/month annual; $8 monthly
- Best free for
- Threaded, asynchronous teams — and any open-source project or non-profit, which gets Standard free
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zulip.com/plans and GitHub (Apache 2.0)
Why it ranks here. The best threading model in the category, an Apache licence, and a free full plan for the organisations that can least afford one.
4R
Rocket.Chat StarterBrazil/US · the free Starter plan is self-managed and self-hosted for up to 50 users with unlimited push notifications; the Pro plan moved to legacy in April 2026 and Enterprise is quotedOpen sourceUp to 50 users · self-hosted · unlimited push · MITNo card76⌄
- What’s free
- Starter: up to 50 users, self-managed and self-hosted, unlimited push notifications; Community self-hosted only
- Hard limits
- 50 users — new users are blocked at the cap · cloud trial not stated
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- A 51st user
- Cheapest paid step
- Enterprise — quoted
- Best free for
- A team under 50 that wants its chat on its own server with a permissive licence
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · docs.rocket.chat (the pricing page failed) and GitHub (MIT)
Why it ranks here. Fifty users free on your own infrastructure under MIT; the jump after that is a sales conversation.
5S
SlackUS · messages saved and searchable for 90 days, up to ten apps and one-to-one huddles; Pro is $7.25 a user annual with a first-three-months promotionFree forever90-day history · 10 apps · 1:1 huddlesNo card76⌄
- What’s free
- Free: messages saved and searchable for 90 days, up to 10 apps, huddles one-to-one
- Hard limits
- 90-day history · 10 apps · 1:1 huddles · storage and member cap not stated
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Older history, group huddles or more apps
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $7.25/user/month annual; $8.75 monthly ($4.38 for the first three months, monthly only)
- Best free for
- A team that wants the integrations everyone builds for first
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · slack.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. The product everyone compares to and a free tier that forgets everything after 90 days; the ecosystem is the reason to pay.
6C
ChantyUS · up to five team members with unlimited searchable history, 20 GB a team and ten integrations; Business is $3 a user annualFree forever5 users · unlimited history · 20 GB · 10 integrationsNo card70⌄
- What’s free
- Up to 5 team members, unlimited searchable history, 20 GB a team, up to 10 integrations
- Hard limits
- 5 users
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A sixth user
- Cheapest paid step
- Business $3/user annual; $4 monthly
- Best free for
- A micro-team of five that wants history kept
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · chanty.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Generous on everything but seats; five is a founding team and no more.
7F
FlockIndia/US · Starter for teams of one to twenty with 10,000 searchable messages, 5 GB a team and unlimited integrations; the Pro price did not renderFree forever20 members · 10K messages · 5 GB · unlimited integrationsNo card66⌄
- What’s free
- Starter for teams of 1–20: 10,000 searchable messages, 5 GB total, unlimited integrations
- Hard limits
- 20 members · 10,000 searchable messages · 5 GB
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- History or team size
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro — price not rendered
- Best free for
- A small team that needs many integrations
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · flock.com/pricing (Pro price not rendered)
Why it ranks here. Unlimited integrations is unusual free; the message and member caps, and an unreadable paid price, hold it back.
8T
TwistUS (Doist) · threaded, asynchronous chat with one month of accessible comments and messages, five integrations, 5 GB and up to 500 members and 500 guestsFree forever1-month history · 5 integrations · 5 GB · 500 membersNo card64⌄
- What’s free
- Access up to 1 month of comments and messages, up to 5 integrations, up to 5 GB, up to 500 members and 500 guests
- Hard limits
- 1-month history · 5 integrations · 5 GB
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- History
- Cheapest paid step
- Unlimited $6/user/month
- Best free for
- A remote team that works asynchronously by design
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · twist.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. The calmest tool here, with the shortest memory.
9M
Mattermost EntryUS · ‘Mattermost Entry’ is a free, limited-use edition of Enterprise Advanced for technical evaluation; a compiled MIT build is still released monthlyOpen sourceEvaluation edition · MIT monthly build · not for productionNo card62⌄
- What’s free
- Entry: a free limited-use edition of Enterprise Advanced for technical evaluation; an MIT-licensed compiled version released monthly on the 16th
- Hard limits
- Rate-limited features · no SSO, high availability or compliance · installers ‘not recommended for production’ · user caps not stated
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Professional — annual prepaid seats, price not shown
- Cheapest paid step
- Professional — contact sales
- Best free for
- A self-hoster evaluating, or running the MIT build knowingly
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · mattermost.com/pricing, docs.mattermost.com and GitHub (MIT monthly build)
Why it ranks here. Once the obvious free Slack alternative; now an evaluation edition with an MIT build you have to know to look for.
10E
Element / MatrixUK · the Community plan is a free-of-charge open-source frontend and backend under AGPL for self-hosting; Element’s own wording says the Community server is not for productionOpen sourceAGPL · self-hosted · Synapse Community ‘not for production’No card60⌄
- What’s free
- Community: free-of-charge frontend and backend, open source under AGPL, self-hosted; a free app
- Hard limits
- Synapse Community ‘not for use in production environments’ (vendor wording) · the matrix.org homeserver not mentioned
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Enterprise, priced per seat without a figure
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated
- Best free for
- Federated or sovereign messaging for organisations that must own the server
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · element.io/pricing
Why it ranks here. The open standard with a vendor that would rather you paid; the public matrix.org server is where most free users actually are.
11D
DiscordUS · the base app free, with Nitro Basic at $2.99 for 50 MB uploads and Nitro at $9.99 for 1 GB; no business admin or compliance featuresFree foreverFree · upload limits unstated · consumerNo card58⌄
- What’s free
- The base app; Nitro Basic $2.99 (50 MB uploads), Nitro $9.99 (1 GB)
- Hard limits
- Free upload limit not stated on the fetched pages · consumer-oriented
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Larger uploads or server boosts
- Cheapest paid step
- Nitro Basic $2.99/month
- Best free for
- A community or a voice-first team
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · discord.com/nitro (the upload-limit support article failed)
Why it ranks here. Unlimited history and voice rooms free, and none of what a company needs to administer it.
12T
TelegramUAE · free and will stay free with no ads or subscription fees; groups up to 200,000 members and files up to 2 GBFree foreverFree forever · 200,000-member groups · 2 GB filesNo card52⌄
- What’s free
- Free forever; groups up to 200,000 members; files up to 2 GB (4 GB with Premium)
- Hard limits
- 2 GB files · no admin controls for a workspace
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Premium
- Cheapest paid step
- Premium — price on a separate page
- Best free for
- Large informal groups
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · telegram.org/faq
Why it ranks here. A messenger, not a workspace.
13S
SignalUS · a donation-funded non-profit messenger with source on GitHub, the Android client under AGPLv3; group size not stated on the fetched pageOpen sourceDonation-funded · AGPLv3 · E2ENo card50⌄
- What’s free
- Runs on donations as a non-profit; end-to-end encrypted
- Hard limits
- Group limit not stated on the fetched page
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- None
- Best free for
- Private messaging between people who need it private
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · support.signal.org and GitHub (AGPLv3)
Why it ranks here. The most private messenger and the least like a team tool.
Which free chat tool has no credit-card requirement?
Teams states no subscription is needed; Rocket.Chat, Mattermost, Element, Zulip self-hosted, Discord, Telegram and Signal need nothing. Slack, Pumble, Chanty, Flock, Twist and Zulip Cloud do not state it. Nothing converts on its own; Microsoft notes you cannot return to the free tier with the same email after upgrading.
The condition that empties a free workspace is history: on Slack and Twist the conversation you need is gone in 90 or 30 days unless you pay. Pumble, Chanty and Teams keep it; the self-hosted tools keep it on your disk.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free chat tool fits your situation?
Team that wants Slack without the amnesia
Pumble.
Chat and meetings, Microsoft shop
Teams free.
Needs the Slack integrations
Slack Free, then Pro.
Threaded async team
Zulip or Twist.
Under 50 people, own server
Rocket.Chat Starter.
Open-source project or non-profit
Zulip Standard, free.
Community, not a company
Discord.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, giving a team persistent channels, search and integrations it can keep using as it grows. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 27 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections through the Update your free tier form.
How did we verify these free tiers?
We opened each vendor’s pricing page and, for open-source projects, the repository or documentation, and recorded history, user, storage and integration caps, meeting features, licence and the paid step. Rocket.Chat’s pricing page failed and its plans documentation was used; Discord’s upload-limit support page failed; Flock’s Pro price did not render; Google Chat’s free-with-Gmail support page failed, so Google Chat is not scored; Revolt (now Stoat) could not be fetched. Ryver was verified as a 14-day trial with no free plan.
Prices are USD.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Slack?
Pumble — unlimited users and unlimited searchable history free, with 10 GB and three integrations. Microsoft Teams free adds 60-minute video meetings. Chanty keeps history for up to five users.
How long does Slack keep messages on the free plan?
90 days, searchable; older messages are hidden until you upgrade to Pro at $7.25 a user a month billed annually.
Is Mattermost still free?
Mattermost’s free tier is now ‘Mattermost Entry’, a limited-use evaluation edition of Enterprise Advanced. A compiled MIT-licensed build is still released monthly for those who self-host it knowingly.
Is Rocket.Chat free?
The Starter plan is free for up to 50 users, self-managed and self-hosted, with unlimited push notifications. The Pro plan was retired in April 2026; Enterprise is quoted.
Does Zulip have a free plan?
Yes — Cloud Free with 10,000 searchable messages and 5 GB, and a free Standard plan for open-source, research and most small non-profit organisations. Self-hosted Zulip is Apache 2.0 with every feature.
Is Microsoft Teams free for business?
Teams free gives chat, 100-participant meetings up to 60 minutes and 5 GB a user with no subscription. Teams Essentials at $4 a user adds 30-hour meetings and 300 participants.
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