Effective team communication is the backbone of any successful organization. In recent years, several communication platforms have emerged, providing businesses with various options to enhance collaboration and productivity. Among the top contenders in this space are Mattermost and Slack. While both offer similar functionalities, there are significant differences that led us to choose Mattermost as our preferred platform. In this article, we will explore the reasons behind our decision and compare Mattermost with Slack in terms of functionality and cost.

Functionality

  1. Self-Hosted Solution

    One of the primary reasons we opted for Mattermost is its self-hosted nature. With Mattermost, we have complete control over our data and infrastructure, as it is hosted on our own servers. This level of control ensures data privacy, security, and compliance with our specific requirements.

  2. Customizability and Extensibility

    Mattermost offers extensive customization options, allowing us to tailor the platform to meet our unique needs. We can customize the user interface, integrate external services, and even develop our own plugins and integrations. This flexibility enables us to create a communication environment that aligns precisely with our workflows and processes.

  3. Advanced Security Features

    Mattermost prioritizes security and provides features such as end-to-end encryption, compliance support, and user management controls. These features are particularly crucial for organizations handling sensitive information or operating in regulated industries.

  4. Unlimited Users at a Lower Cost

    Mattermost's pricing model is highly cost-effective for organizations, especially when self-hosted. As mentioned, we pay only $6 per month for unlimited users on our self-hosted instance. This pricing structure ensures scalability without any financial constraints, making it a viable solution for growing businesses.

Comparison of Costs

  1. Slack's Pricing

    Slack offers various pricing tiers, including a free plan and paid plans with different feature sets. The cost of Slack's paid plans starts at $6.67 per user per month (billed annually) for the Standard plan and goes up to $12.50 per user per month for the Plus plan. Slack's Enterprise Grid plan, which includes additional enterprise-level features, requires contacting their sales team for pricing details.

  2. Mattermost's Pricing

    Mattermost's pricing structure differs from Slack's, particularly for self-hosted instances. By hosting Mattermost on our own servers, we only pay the server costs, which, in our case, amounts to $6 per month. This flat fee allows unlimited users, making it highly cost-effective, especially for organizations with large teams or frequent user turnover.

Conclusion

While both Mattermost and Slack offer robust communication platforms, our decision to choose Mattermost was based on several key factors. The ability to self-host Mattermost on our own infrastructure, the platform's customizability and extensibility, advanced security features, and the cost-effective pricing structure played significant roles in our decision-making process.

Mattermost's self-hosted solution allows us to have full control over our data and ensures compliance with our specific requirements. The platform's customizability empowers us to create a communication environment tailored to our organization's needs. Additionally, Mattermost's advanced security features give us confidence in protecting sensitive information.

From a cost perspective, Mattermost's pricing model stands out, particularly for self-hosted instances. Paying just $6 per month for unlimited users on DigitalOcean makes it an affordable choice for organizations of any size.

Ultimately, our choice to use Mattermost over Slack has proven to be a wise decision, meeting our communication needs while offering flexibility, security, and cost-effectiveness.