How we rank: Team chat apps
The Score (0–100) is a weighted sum of the factors below. Each factor is the weighted average of its metrics; each metric is calculated from one published fact. Missing facts score zero, and a service is ranked only when enough of its Score is backed by facts.
A service is ranked only when at least 70% of its Score is backed by verified facts.
Price and free plan 30%
Monthly list price in USD per user of the cheapest paid plan, with monthly billing: $0 scores 100, $15 or more scores 0 (weight 3). Annual-billing prices, first-months discounts and prices shown only in a local currency because of our location are not used; a single euro price list of a European vendor is converted at the European Central Bank rate. If the price appears only after a script runs or only on request, the fact stays empty. Software that is entirely free, with no paid plans at all, counts as $0. Also a permanent free plan without a time limit (weight 2; a trial is not a free plan) and whether the free plan keeps the full message history (weight 1).
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Price per user per month | Linear from 0 (100) to 15 (0) — lower is better |
| Free plan | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Full message history on the free plan | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Communication 25%
Built-in voice or video calls (weight 2; a link to a third-party meeting service does not count), screen sharing (weight 1), threaded replies (weight 1) and access for guests or external partners to your channels (weight 1) on any plan. The fact shows that a feature exists, not that the cheapest plan has it: check the note under each fact.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Built-in calls | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Screen sharing | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Threads | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Guest access | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Security and data control 30%
End-to-end encryption of messages (weight 2; encryption in transit and at rest does not count), the option to run the software on your own server (weight 2), an ISO 27001 certificate or SOC 2 report of the vendor itself, not only of its cloud provider (weight 2), single sign-on (weight 1) and the option to store data in the European Union (weight 1). We record the vendor's statement; we do not audit it.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| End-to-end encrypted messages | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Self-hosting | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| ISO 27001 or SOC 2 | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Single sign-on (SSO) | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
| Data storage in the EU | Yes = 100, No = 0 |
Track record 15%
How long the company has been running: 20 years or more scores 100 (weight 2), and whether it publishes a public status page with incidents (weight 1). For a product of a larger company we take the year that company was founded.
| Metric | Rule |
|---|---|
| Founded | Full score at 20+ years |
| Public status page | Yes = 100, No = 0 |