Communication technology now plays a critical part in team infrastructure as the working environment continues to move further away from the traditional office. While there are many ways to communicate in the modern office, from conference calls to emails, having the best team chat app will significantly boost your team members’ engagement.
Team chat apps ease the pressure of spending hours or even days responding to pointless emails; they increase productivity and enable effective collaboration.
The best team chat apps promote internal communication. They have task management and file-sharing features that help teams work together. They should ideally be easy to use, quick to initiate, and fully compatible with the rest of your company’s technology components.
The top team messaging apps with the traits mentioned above are listed below:
- Microsoft Teams– The best team chat app overall
- Slack– Best Team messaging app for business
- Rocket.Chat– Best team chat app for scalability and customization
- Google Chat– The best team chat app for users of Google Workspace
- Mattermost– Best Open – sourced team Chat app With Project Management Tools
- Chanty-Best team chat app for simple management tasks with an affordable price tag
1. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a team collaboration tool that combines team collaboration tools with chat software. Microsoft Office users can use the communications platform chat, and share files via SharePoint. They can also start or join a group chat.
Microsoft Teams is an excellent choice for businesses that want a low-cost virtual workspace with powerful collaboration tools and many people who can join chat meetings.
The team chat app is designed for hybrid and remote work. Because of its smooth interfaces with Microsoft productivity products, Teams is also an excellent team chat app for customers of the professional office suite.
Microsoft Teams Features
Microsoft Teams is a platform for communication and working together that has everything you need. Coworkers can talk to each other on team channels and the chat tab. Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint are some of the Office 365 tools that the platform connects to well. Microsoft Teams also provides email hosting and large amounts of cloud storage.
The major components of Microsoft teams include
Screen Sharing
Microsoft Teams enhances shared chat and presentations with interaction, going beyond the standard screen-sharing feature. You can also do the following tasks using Microsoft Team’s screen sharing:
- Shared or disabled sound on your device.
- Become a co-presenter and show your slides.
- Real-time collaboration using a digital whiteboard
- Use a laser pointer and draw on slides.
- Permit participants to add sticky notes and text to shared materials.
Instant Messaging
There are various ways to initiate conversations in Microsoft Teams, whether in smaller groups, one-on-one or in teams. Microsoft Teams app lets you collaborate on files, have meetings, and discuss team-related topics.
There are two basic categories: regular channels, open to all users inside a workplace, and private channels, which are used for personal communications. There are tabs on each channel that lead to shared applications, files, and services.
The following are essential aspects of IM (Instant Messaging) in Microsoft Teams:
- Use bullet points, links, and quotes to convey your messages.
- The ability to translate messages in-line
- Send stickers, GIFs, and emoticons.
- Activate priority notifications
- To get a team member’s attention, use @mentions.
Collaboration Tools
Microsoft Teams enables users to maintain focus and organization by providing fast access to documents and applications in a single location. With SharePoint integration, users can swiftly save and exchange files by establishing a team within the platform.
In addition, if you wish to collaborate with your team on a file, real-time co-authoring enables several users to edit the same file simultaneously.
Why Microsoft Teams is Best for Teams
Many businesses select Microsoft because of its standard and high-quality collaboration tools, products, and services available in one location. The Teams app is user-friendly and provides an effective working and collaboration environment between remote users. Its features like instant, private, and group messaging enhance empowered collaboration within the teams.
Pros
- Powerful chat products
- Included with Microsoft 365 Business
- 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage per person with a Business Basic subscription and above.
Cons
- Difficult to deploy
- Designed for use in big organizations
2. Slack
Slack is the most popular team communication tool. The user-friendly team messaging app has replaced other collaboration tools as the preferred option for companies of all sizes. Many of the platform’s chat features are included in Slack’s Free plan, but you only get access to the 10,000 most recent conversations and have a 5GB limit on individual storage.
That may be sufficient for the history and storage needs in the early stages of a business. However, you may be forced to switch to a paid plan when your business grows and needs to support extensive message storage.
Features of Slack
- Know team availability: With Slack, team members can tell if someone is available in a meeting, out sick, working remotely, or commuting. This is possible by just looking at the dot visible on the person’s profile picture.
- Get notified: Slack allows you receive instant notifications from individual tags or channels. You can also set preferences on which notifications you want to receive. You decide which channels and message types to get notifications, like mentioned messages, direct messages, etc.
Why Slack is Best for Teams
Slack allows all team members to share messages, receive updates and take the next necessary step without wasting time. The chat app has a better custom notification feature. For example, you can follow a channel while you have muted notifications about them and still get alerts from other active channels.
Pros
- Users can set reminders of chats, meetings, deadlines, etc
- Instant chat notifications from channels or individuals
- You can know your team’s availability by looking at the dot on the person’s profile picture
Cons
- Relatively expensive
- Lacks task management functionality
3. Rocket.Chat
Rocket. Chat is an open-source team chat platform that allows organizations to self-manage or host Chats. The chat app is the most popular team communication app for developers who require a personalized, affordable, and scalable solution.
To grow the solution, Rocket.Chat offers complete access to the code, allowing you to make any tweaks or security assurance adjustments you require.
One feature that makes Rocket.Chat performs better than other apps is providing omnichannel capabilities is one area. For example, you can email coworkers or clients externally using the platform. Additionally, Rocket.Chat integrates with your chat boxes, SMS texts, emails, and social network posts to gather client communications into one interface.
Features of Rocket.Chat
Below are some of the critical features of Rocket. Chat app.
- Team collaboration: Rocket. Chat offers greater transparency in chatting with clients or team members through private groups and channels. Users can collaborate and interact as a group via a medium.
- Screen sharing: Rocket. Chat facilitates screen sharing. Users can share details and other important information right in the Chat.
- Chat with people outside Rocket. Chat: The Open source app allows you to chat with vendors, partners, or other external companies, regardless of the collaboration platform. You can talk to people who are not using Rocket. Chat but other apps like Slack, MS Teams, or other team communication software.
- Send Livechat messages offline to a channel: This new feature allows users to send and receive Livechat offline messages in a particular channel within Rocket.Chat.
Why Rocket.Chat is Best for Teams
Rocket. Chat is a reliable team communication tool for high-private team chatting. It makes it easy for teams to work together without compromising data modifications, ownership, or connectors. Additionally, anybody can use it, from employees to partners, stakeholders, community, customers, and platforms. This service was developed for businesses that want greater command over their internal communications.
Pros
- Agents or new team members need permission to access past chat history
- Affordable pricing
- You can modify the code to customize the chat app
- End-to-end encryption of all messages
Cons
- Stability issues
- Overkill for non-developers
4. Google Chat
Similarly to Google Hangouts, Google Chat is a secure team-based communication program that makes it easy to collaborate inside the Google Workspace ecosystem. You can use Google Meet to have group chat conferences, distribute files, and hold text-based discussions amongst your staff. It includes chatbots, direct messaging, group chat,
It’s a component of the bigger Google Workspace, a whole corporate environment. To access the Chat, you need a Google Workspace plan.
Google Chat excels for one on one conversations or small-group messaging. However, when used for large companies, Google Chat loses its effectiveness and becomes challenging to utilize.
Anyone possessing a Gmail account can use Google Chat for free by installing a standalone app or your Gmail account. The standalone app is a significantly more manageable solution if you intend to use the team chat app frequently because the Gmail integration makes it tough to navigate numerous chats.
Features of Google Chat
- Spaces for collaboration: Space enables everyone to have the same understanding of a particular subject. Threaded chats, tasks, and files are all brought together by this functionality. The conversations are also open to outside participants.
- Integrations: One thing about being a part of Google Workspace is that Google Chat automatically integrates with its siblings to improve your experience. Gmail, Google Forms, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Meet, and Google Drive are the apps in Google Workspace. Teams members can share and access files and other important information across all the integrated Google platforms.
- Chat automation: Smart reply suggests phrases that save time and ensure prompt responses. For example, using smart replies to ideas in Google Chat, you can get answers depending on the incoming message.
Why Google Chat is Best for Teams
Google chat enables teams to collaborate through text, share documents, establish web conferences, create collaborative chat rooms, and deliver presentations. If your company uses Google Workspace, Chat is available across your Gmail inbox and is free.
Pros
- Seamless connection with Google Workspace apps and premium plans for each Workspace app
- Comprehensive search and history
- Use the team chat app within Gmail or separately.
Cons
- Confusing user interface
- Not Ideal for extensive conversations
5. Mattermost
Throughout the entire software development lifecycle, Mattermost provides a safe and reliable team communication and collaboration environment. Hundreds of thousands of professionals worldwide rely on its ability to improve productivity because of its integrated tools for team communication, project management, workflow orchestration, end-to-end encryption, and task management.
With Kanban-style boards, Mattermost’s project management tool keeps your team organized. Managers can use the boards to create roadmaps, assign tasks, and set deadlines. In addition, you can create customizable panels or use one of Mattermost’s prebuilt templates to modify views and filters.
Features of Mattermost
- Allows group and one-to-one messaging, unlimited search history, and file sharing among team members
- Includes advanced communication features such as threaded messaging, markdown support, emoji reactions, and custom emoji
- The chatting app can quickly scale from tens to hundreds of users
Why Mattermost is Best for Teams
Mattermost enterprise is used to manage sensitive data transfer among team members. For instance, Mattermost is more secure for communication in the financial, healthcare, and legal industries. It is also suitable for organizations that need quick and effective communication across mobile, web, and PCs (Personal computers).
Pros
- Use your servers to host
- Comprehensive free plan
- Simple to use because it functions
Con
- Threads can get messy
6. Chanty
Chanty is a messaging tool for teams that facilitates efficient and rapid collaboration because of its straightforward design.
The team chat program allows for text-based conferencing among members. With Chanty, it’s easy to create deadlines, delegate tasks, keep tabs on progress, and check them off your list.
It already has a worldwide reach and is made for everyone. So, whether you work for a school, marketing firm, IT expert, logistics provider, real estate agent, property manager, or own a restaurant, Chanty can meet your team member collaboration needs.
Features of Chanty
- Communication Tools: Chanty provides communication-based team collaboration solutions. Conversation activities include pinning messages, pinging particular individuals, and participating in group discussions. Additionally, you may send voice or direct messages while on the move and add or remove users during chats. Chanty allows you to create threads for each subject to keep your convos organized. You can start a post, or a conversation and share files, and pictures.
- Manage tasks: Through the Kanban board view, Chanty facilitates process optimization. You may track and organize your tasks. You can create tasks, assign team members, and set deadlines. You can convert a message into a task during a chat to keep track of new directions. If you need a rapid overview of your work, you can arrange the tasks by status, due date, and priority.
- Integrations: Chanty connects with other third-party apps you may already use to carry out daily chores. For storage, it has integrations with Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive. It interfaces with Tasks, Asana, and Trello for task management. Additionally, you can ask for unique integrations.
- Unlimited message history
- Integrates into more project management tools
- Personalized notifications
Why Chanty is Best for Teams
Chanty helps teams improve their productivity and business communication. Task management, file sharing, complete conversation history, and comprehensive notifications will help your team organize and save time throughout the day. Additionally, teams can collaborate and communicate effectively in a single location.
Pros
- No message history limit
- Built-in Task Management
- Full-featured apps for iOS and Android
Cons
- Free version with limitations
Features that a Team Chat App Needs to Compete
An excellent team collaboration tool must include the following qualities to execute efficient workplace communication.
- Multimedia sharing: Users can browse and share photographs and documents via multimedia sharing without ever leaving the app.
- Offline messages: Team members can still send and receive notifications when a recipient is not online or has no internet access.
- Ready-to-use user-Interface: You can quickly develop aesthetically pleasing interfaces for your project with UI Modules.
- Push notifications: Push Notifications notify users when messages come in.
- User presence indicators: Users can learn about the availability of other team members thanks to user presence indicators.
- Read and delivery receipts: Users can check whether their messages have been read or delivered by the recipient team member using delivery and read receipts.
- Mute/Ban users: Those without permission during meetings or group chats can silence or prohibit another person.
- Message deletion: Users of the app can delete text messages they’ve sent during a chat using the Message Deletion feature.
- Message Translation: According to user settings, message translation rapidly translates messages from one language to several others.
- History Search: Users can search through all chat threads using History Search to find a specific word or conversation.
- Multi-Tenancy: Users in different groups cannot engage with one another due to multi-organizational tenancy and team-splitting processes.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Team Chat Apps
Below are common frequently asked questions about the best team chat apps.
What is a team chat app?
Team chat software helps your team interact and work together efficiently, quickly, and effectively. All forms of communication are combined in the group chat software, including audio and video conferencing, screen sharing, and chat. The most awesome team chat app is Microsoft Teams because it links all relevant information in a workspace and unifies all forms of communication, including Chat, email, and documents, stored in the cloud and to-do lists.
How do you use Teams Chat?
Team Chat unites your team in one location so they can discuss comments, work through issues, and cooperate through improved team communication. Select a team chat tool, make a group depending on the project name, task, or department, and then add members to it before you can start conversing with the team. A team chat tool allows you to exchange and receive files, share your screen, and receive and send instant messages.
Why do businesses need a team chat app?
A team chat app lets your organization respond to clients and customers immediately and ensures effective communication between internal divisions. Additionally, having all contact in one location will encourage idea exchange, increased innovation, and creativity.
What key things to consider when selecting the best team chat apps?
Below are some of the key items to look at when choosing the top team chat app:
- Usability
- Device/platform compatibility
- Organized collaboration
- Scalability to business size
- Integration capabilities
- Security and Privacy
