Slack for Desktop vs its rivals

Side-by-side comparison against Slack for Desktop's closest competitors — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel.

Rocket.Chat
Contender
Mattermost
Contender
Google Chat
Contender
Pumble
New Kid
Core Identity
DeveloperSlack Technologies, Inc.Microsoft CorporationRocket.Chat Technologies Corp.Mattermost, Inc.GoogleAsana, Inc.monday.com Ltd.Notion Labs, IncorporatedDiscord Inc.CAKE.com
CategoryBusinessBusinessProductivityBusinessBusinessBusinessBusinessProductivitySocial NetworkingBusiness
PlatformAndroid, iOSiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidAndroid, iOSAndroid, iOSiOS, AndroidAndroid, iOSiOS, AndroidAndroid, iOS
Store Metrics
Rating0.0 / 54.8 / 50.0 / 54.8 / 54.6 / 54.7 / 54.8 / 54.8 / 54.7 / 54.7 / 5
Ratings Count03,356,48005,455300,53315,54145,88482,8043,418,5011,311
PriceFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFree
Release DateJan 23, 2014Nov 2, 2016Mar 9, 2016Jul 10, 2017Feb 28, 2018Dec 21, 2011Oct 10, 2017Sep 14, 2017May 21, 2015Oct 19, 2020
Last UpdatedMay 1, 2026May 7, 2026Mar 13, 2026Apr 16, 2026May 4, 2026Apr 13, 2026Apr 9, 2026May 5, 2026Apr 27, 2026Apr 1, 2026
Sentiment & Reviews
Sentimentmixed-terriblemixedmixed-mixednegativenegative-
Score45/100-20/10042/10045/100-48/10035/10035/100-
Praises
  • Organized channel structure allows teams to maintain clear communication and project focus
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  • The core chat functionality provides a functional communication alternative to more expensive industry standard messaging platforms
  • Self-Hosting & Open Source
  • Direct communication via email addresses simplifies connectivity without requiring phone numbers or iCloud accounts
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  • Project Management Utility
  • Relational database structure provides powerful organization for personal and professional knowledge management
  • Community-driven social interaction provides a reliable space for connecting with friends and hobbyists
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Complaints
  • Unreliable notification delivery causes users to miss urgent messages and team meetings
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  • Frequent application crashes on launch prevent users from accessing critical work communication channels on desktop
  • App Stability and Crashes
  • Post-update connectivity errors prevent users from loading messages or accessing their chat history
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  • Mobile Feature Parity
  • Frequent app crashes and UI freezing during text editing sessions on mobile devices
  • Frequent application crashes and freezing behavior post-update disrupt core communication and voice chat functionality
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Requests
  • Customizable notification sounds and ringtones for better alert management
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  • Native support for modern hardware architectures to improve performance and eliminate lag during daily usage
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  • Integrated voice and video calling features are requested to restore previous communication capabilities
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  • Toggle switch to disable or hide AI features from the primary interface
  • Simplified account recovery and login processes to reduce reliance on phone number verification
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Strategic Intel
Strengths
  • 2,600+ third-party app integrations create high switching costs
  • Channel-based architecture centralizes company knowledge
  • Slack Connect drives enterprise-wide external network effects
  • Deep integration with Microsoft 365 creates high switching costs
  • Enterprise-grade security compliance sustains large-scale adoption
  • Global infrastructure supports massive user scalability
  • BYOS architecture enables B2B distribution into air-gapped government sectors
  • Federated communication protocol allows cross-agency coalition building
  • Open-source MIT license lowers entry barrier for large-scale enterprise adoption
  • Strong brand reputation in high-security sectors
  • Robust self-hosting capabilities
  • Clear focus on data sovereignty
  • Native Workspace integration creates high switching costs for existing Google users
  • Gemini AI summarization embeds intelligence directly into the document lifecycle
  • Cloud-native security architecture simplifies enterprise compliance requirements
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  • Highly intuitive visual UI
  • Powerful low-code customization
  • Strong AI agent ecosystem
  • Relational database engine enables complex knowledge management systems
  • Template library lowers barrier to entry for new users
  • Persistent server-based community structure drives high switching costs
  • Real-time presence triggers increase DAU/MAU ratio
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Weaknesses
  • Unreliable notification delivery in the latest release
  • Complex UI navigation for multi-account users
  • 0.7★ Android-iOS rating gap on majority Android base
  • High-volume notification culture drives user fatigue
  • Feature bloat increases complexity for non-desk workers
  • 60-minute meeting limit on free tier restricts utility
  • Frequent desktop launch crashes drive high churn among power users
  • Desktop update cadence lags significantly behind web and mobile clients
  • 0.7★ Android-iOS rating gap indicates inconsistent cross-platform quality
  • Poor mobile app stability
  • Recurring notification bugs
  • Sync issues
  • Post-update connectivity errors prevent message loading
  • Threaded conversation layout lacks user-controlled toggles
  • High CPU usage on iOS causes hardware overheating
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  • Poor mobile app feature parity
  • Recurring technical bugs
  • Lack of billing transparency
  • Mobile app crashes during long editing sessions
  • Forced AI elements disrupt core UI
  • Frequent post-update crashes erode daily active habit
  • Complex account verification creates high-friction entry barriers
  • Premium tier pricing exceeds category median
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Pricingfreemiumfreemiumfreemiumsubscriptionfreemiumfreemiumsubscriptionfreemiumfreemiumfree
MomentumActiveActiveIntense-ActiveIntense-ActiveIntenseIntense
Update Cadence5 versions, ~8d avg5 versions, 2 majors/6mo, ~7d avg5 versions-5 versions, 1 majors/6mo, ~10d avg5 versions-5 versions, ~5d avg5 versions, 1 majors/6mo, ~5d avg5 versions

Compare Slack for Desktop head-to-head

Disclosure: Independent intel to help mobile builders succeed.

AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Slack for Desktop, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

Data licensed under CC-BY-NC 4.0