For years, Slack has been the default choice for many teams when it comes to communication and collaboration. And for a while, it worked well for us too. But as our team grew and our needs evolved, Slack started to feel a bit less like the perfect solution. Between the limited chat history on the free plan, the expensive paid version, and a lack of engagement tools, we started asking ourselves: Is it time to leave Slack?
This led us on a journey to explore other communication tools out there, and while there are a lot of options, finding the right one wasn’t as straightforward as we expected. Here’s how we navigated the process and what we found.
Why Slack No Longer Fits
Our frustration with Slack began with the free plan’s limitation on chat history, which only allows you to access the last 90 days of messages. This quickly became a problem as we lost access to important discussions and files. We considered upgrading, but Slack’s paid plan is steep—$8.75 per user per month—and it didn’t seem to offer much more than the basics of chat and file sharing.
Additionally, Slack lacks some features that would help us engage more as a team, like a company-wide news feed or dynamic employee profiles. As we’ve grown, we’ve realized that communication is more than just messaging—it’s about keeping everyone in the loop and fostering a sense of connection across the team. Unfortunately, Slack didn’t provide those engagement tools we needed.
Exploring Alternatives: What We Tried
When we started looking for alternatives to Slack, we quickly realized there were plenty of tools out there, each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. But as we dug into them, we found that not all options were right for our team. Here’s a breakdown of what we tried:
Facebook Workplace
Before it was announced that Meta Workplace would be discontinued, it was actually a strong contender in our search. Facebook Workplace was a great communication platform with a company feed, profiles, and tools for collaboration that made it easy to keep everyone connected and engaged. For many businesses, especially those with large teams, Workplace was a perfect fit.
But then, in the middle of May this year came the news that Meta is shutting down Workplace next year on August 31, 2025. This was a huge disappointment because Workplace had a lot of the features we were looking for. Unfortunately, now it’s no longer an option for businesses like ours. We had to keep looking for an alternative.
Staffbase
Another platform we looked into was Staffbase. At first, it seemed like a comprehensive tool with modules for communication, intranets, and employee engagement. However, as we dug deeper, we found that Staffbase offers so many different tools that it became confusing to understand what exactly we’d be getting. Their approach felt more geared toward large enterprises with a wide range of needs, and for our smaller team, it seemed like we’d be paying for features we wouldn’t even use. The lack of clarity around what was included in each pricing tier made it hard to feel confident moving forward with Staffbase.
Workvivo
We also explored Workvivo, which markets itself as an employee engagement platform. It focuses heavily on social interaction, with features like a company feed and recognition tools, similar to what Workplace offered. But the downside with Workvivo is that it doesn’t offer a free version, and the pricing is quite steep. For a small team like ours, it just wasn’t feasible to commit to such a costly platform, even though the features seemed well-suited for larger organizations.
ConnectTeam
Finally, we gave ConnectTeam a try. While it’s a good platform for companies that need help with employee scheduling and shift management, it wasn’t the right fit for us. ConnectTeam is more focused on managing hourly workers and shifts, and since our primary focus was improving communication, it ended up feeling like an unnecessary set of tools for our needs.
Why We Chose Pebb.io: A Simple, Affordable Solution
After a lot of research and trial runs, we finally landed on Pebb. It wasn’t the flashiest option, but it offered exactly what we needed at a price point we could afford.
Pebb covers the basics well—direct chat messaging, voice calls, groups (which Pebb calls clubs), employees’ profiles and news feed. What we really appreciated was the extra features that helped solve some of the problems we had with Slack, such as the Knowledge Library. This feature allows us to organize important documents, files, and even photos in one central hub, making it easy to keep track of everything without having to scroll through endless channels like we used to in Slack.
Another big factor was the pricing. While Pebb offers a free plan, which works well for many small teams, their paid plan is only $2.50 per user per month. This was much more manageable than Slack’s price, and for what we’re getting, it feels like good value.
However, I wouldn’t say Pebb is perfect for everyone. If you’re looking for a lot of advanced features or high-level customization, Pebb may not have everything you need. But for a team like ours, where simple communication, collaboration, and engagement are key, Pebb has proven to be a good fit without overwhelming us with unnecessary tools.
Final Thoughts: Is It Time for You to Leave Slack?
Leaving Slack wasn’t an easy decision, but for us, it was necessary. With the limitations of the free version and the rising cost of the paid plan, it became clear that Slack wasn’t built to grow with us. In the end, we found a better fit with Pebb—it provided the features we needed without breaking the bank. The Knowledge Library was a huge bonus, and at just $2.50 per user per month, it’s far more affordable than Slack.
That said, every team is different. If you’re considering leaving Slack, I’d recommend thinking about what’s most important for your team. Do you need strong communication tools? Engagement features like company feeds and profiles? Or maybe a platform that can organize your documents and conversations more efficiently? While Facebook Workplace was a solid option, with it being discontinued, we needed to find something new—and Pebb worked for us. Maybe it’ll work for you too, or maybe another platform will be a better fit. Either way, it’s worth exploring what’s out there.
The important thing is to find a tool that doesn’t just meet your needs today, but can continue to evolve with your team in the future.
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