Slack is one of the most comprehensive team-based messaging tools that holds multiple features to manage teams easily. This application is used for organizing groups, communicating with members, and discussing projects. Slack has cross-platform support to use it on Windows, Linux, iOS, macOS, and Android.
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It offers both free and paid plans with additional features, so overall, it is an excellent tool. However, some Linux users don’t appreciate Slack and would prefer to find its alternative. So, this article will cover the five best Slack alternatives on Linux. Our article has required details of Slack alternatives, so you don’t need to do brainstorming while choosing one of these tools.
Best Slack Alternatives on Linux
Mattermost
Mattermost is a self-hostable, open-source Slack alternative that provides various features like embedded images, webhook support, video & audio calls, private chats, and so on. It is one of the best Slack alternatives on Linux because it is designed as an internal chat system for companies.
Mattermost has a free version, but it is limited to their online website, like a temporary session, so you have to purchase the license for using all premium features. In case you have an enterprise, then we recommend you to buy it. So here is the list of some notable features of Mattermost:
- It offers cross-platform support.
- It is most suitable for enterprise usage.
- It supports both personal and group chat in real-time.
- It has both free and premium plans.
- It supports self-hosting and UX/UI customization.
- It supports markdown formatting.
- The matter has an efficient Slack data importing tool to switch from their old application to it easily.
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Note: All of the advantages & disadvantages explained in the article are based on the reviews by multiple users, so they are mostly correct as per the user experience.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Mattermost
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| It is easy to use the tool. | It is best suitable for the enterprise rather than a solo user. |
| It offers a wide range of plugin support. | The user interface is a bit problematic, for instance, the video call button is slightly bigger. |
| It has a self-hosted option. | |
| It assures the user security brilliantly. |
Element (Riot.im)
Element (also known as Riot.im) is an open-source tool that works as one of the best Slack alternatives on Linux because of its features. It has cross-platform support. Users can create specific rooms for communications, and these rooms are like channels that work as a new group.
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Element has various features similar to Slack, such as video & audio calling, emoticons, embedded images & video, individual text channels, and so on. It also has a self-hosting for a chat server, but it is up to a user to choose. So here are the significant features offers by Element:
- It has cross-platform and self-hosting support.
- It has both free and paid options for managed hosting.
- It is built on Matrix and offers decentralized communication.
- All data of Element is end-to-end encrypted to ensure user privacy.
- Element support embeddable widgets and bots to complete tasks as a team.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Element (Riot.im)
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| The Element uses Matrix, which is an open communications protocol. | Users face interface related issues that require improvement. |
| It supports text, voice, and video. | |
| It has widgets support. | |
| It has a web and mobile version. |
Rocket.Chat
Rocket.Chat can also work as an excellent Slack alternative to simplify your work by offering similar features like Slack. It has an attractive interface, and users can customize the look with different theme packages.
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If you want to boost team productivity, then use Rocket.Chat as it offers features like messaging, video & audio calls, self-hosting support, and many more. However, there are free (limited features) and premium (for cloud hosting options) plans. So, here is a list of the features provided by Rocket.Chat:
- It offers cross-platform support.
- It supports LDAP authentication.
- There is a real-time translation.
- Users can do audio & video conferencing.
- It has third-party integrations and self-hosting support.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Rocket.Chat
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Rocket.Chat is an easy to install on Linux. | There are some bugs in the newest version. |
| It has a simple UI and cross-platform support. | There are notification related issues. |
| It has fantastic user support. |
Zulip
Zulip is a real-time chat platform that gives cross-platform support so Windows, Linux, mobile, and Mac users can use it in their system. It can be a great alternative to Slack due to its tremendous features like image & video sharing, team collaboration options, file-sharing support, history search function, and so on.
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Zulip is helpful for team conversation, discussing, organizing, and completing projects. So here is a list of some notable features of Zulip:
- Users can integrate it with multiple outside tools such as Trac, Jenkins, Nagios, Jira, Github, and many more.
- It offers a full-history search option that allows a user to find a particular conversation quickly.
- Zulip has a threaded conversation that allows users to get updates of the same chat even if they are not online on a chat.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Zulip
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Zulip offers amazing user support. | It requires some time to understand the functions. |
| It is an open-source tool. | |
| Users can keep track of multiple conversations. | |
| It has cross-platform support. |
Flock
Flock is a team chat application that works as one of the best Slack alternatives on Linux that offers both free and premium features. It is similar to Slack because users don’t need to host a chat server. It is designed for the teams, supporting various features like embedded images, video chat, audio calling, and many more. So here is the list of significant features of Flock:
- It has a built-in to-do list, and users can share it with others to accomplish tasks.
- Users can encrypt the Flock data by TLS 1.2.
- This tool integrates with multiple services like Github, Trello, Google Drive, etc.
- Users can get their team members’ input by using the polls option.
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Advantages & Disadvantages of Flock
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| It offers a free version and also a paid version at a low price. | Enterprise features are not as unique as Slack or other tools. |
| It is an easy-to-use platform for communication between team members. | Users face issues while using voice notes or video calls. |
| It has cross-platform support. |
Conclusion
We have explained the five best Slack alternatives on Linux, including features, pros, and cons. Slack is an amazing tool, but many users want alternatives for improving productivity and team collaboration. It is better to switch on another software by knowing everything about it. You can get complete details of all software discussed above to choose the right one as per the requirements.
About the author
<img alt="Amit Sharma" data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/echo/amitsharma-150×150.png5ffc2dd014dbf.jpg" height="112" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”112″>
Amit Sharma
I am a Linux enthusiast and love to work on Linux, and I have worked on Ubuntu, Bash script, etc. I completed my engineering in the previous year and worked for different websites in various fields such as Data Science, Linux on Windows, coding, tools, and software-related information, and technical issues support for both Windows and Linux.
