When it comes to communication platforms within the team, I’ve mostly relied on Slack and Mattermost. Don’t get me wrong, both tools are pretty solid, but one just clicks better for our needs.
When I first started Social Champ, our team was tiny—like, five people tiny. At the time, we were all about Slack. It was a great tool—still is!
But as we grew, we quickly realized we needed something that could scale with us and help us stay within budget (because, let’s face it, when your team doubles in size, so does the bills… and that’s not the kind of growth we’re aiming for!).
So, we went on a little exploration journey and stumbled upon Mattermost, an open-source platform.
Now, if you’re a startup or a business looking for a similar communication platform, I’ve put together a guide on why I made the shift to Mattermost.
Don’t get me wrong, we still use Slack for some internal communication—like tracking customer calls (which, sadly, Mattermost lacks)—but Mattermost is the platform the whole team communicates on now. It’s the backbone of our daily operations!
Slack vs. Mattermost – Who Takes the Win?
Let’s compare Mattermost and Slack, comparing their strengths and other factors to help you determine which one might better suit your business.
Pricing Comparison: Mattermost Takes the Lead
Let’s break down the pricing game.
Here, Mattermost earns a point!
Why is that so?
Because Mattermost starts strong with its freemium plan, it is suitable for every small business and organization and includes multiple features.
You can also enjoy 1:1 calls, which are available in 20 languages.
Not too shabby, right?
But if you are looking for more firepower, its Professional and Enterprise plans offer extra perks at a reasonable price.
The Mighty Professional Plan costs $10/month and is considered the best option for growing teams because of the plan’s diverse features.
On the other hand, we have Slack.
Its free plan offers 5GB of storage per user, half of what Mattermost dishes out in its free plan.
Sure, Slack gives you access to the most recent 90 days of message history, but when it comes to paid plans, Mattermost’s Professional plan may seem a tad pricier at $10 per user per month, compared to Slack’s Pro package at $8.75 per user per month.
Honestly, Mattermost confidently snags the crown in the pricing category, offering more bang for your buck with its generous features and affordable pricing plans.
After comparing the value of each platform, it became clear that Mattermost was the better choice for us.
So, here’s the score:
Mattermost: 1, Slack: 0
Interface: Customization and Language Support Matters
During long work hours, the interface of your messaging app can significantly impact your experience.
A sleek and intuitive design looks good and makes the platform easy to navigate and use.
This ultimately leads to a more enjoyable interaction.
First up, I’ll discuss Mattermost’s interface:
- Supports 20 languages
- Customizable UI and UX
- White labeling for personalized fonts and on-screen text
And if you are feeling fancy, Mattermost even throws in light/dark modes to spice things up.
Now, onto Slack’s interface. It’s got:
- Support for 12 languages
- Sidebar customization
- Themes, welcome messages, and emoji customization
While Slack holds its ground with some customization options, Mattermost steals the show with its broader language support and extensive customization capabilities.
So, in the battle of interfaces, Mattermost once again clinches the victory with its array of options and user-friendly design.
Let’s recheck the score:
Mattermost: 2, Slack: 0
Notifications: Slack Gets the Edge
Let’s talk about notifications.
In my opinion, Slack takes the win here.
Both Mattermost and Slack offer options to tailor notifications to your liking, but let’s examine both tools in detail.
Starting with Mattermost, this handy tool alerts you when:
- You are mentioned
- You receive a direct message
- A channel you’re in gets notified using @channel or @all
- Your configured keywords pop up.
But here, Slack brings some notification firepower, too. It lets you know when:
- You get a direct message
- You are mentioned, or someone uses your keywords
- Slackbot slides into your DMs
- Someone replies to a thread you’re following
Both platforms also offer the lifesaver known as Do Not Disturb (DND) mode, which is handy for teams spanning different time zones.
Slack edges ahead with more customization options, clinching the win in the notifications game.
While both platforms offer useful notification features, Slack was slightly more adaptable to our team due to its additional customization features.
Let’s check the score again:
Mattermost: 2, Slack: 1
Security: Mattermost Takes the Crown
As we were scaling up, data security became our priority.
We sought a platform to secure sensitive data and meet various compliance requirements.
Now, let’s discuss security.
Both platforms come with encryption-in-transit and encryption-at-rest to protect your confidential data.
But when it comes to security certifications and compliance, Mattermost stands tall.
The tool proudly touts itself as the world’s most secure platform for developer collaboration. Its list of accolades includes compliance with HIPAA, FINRA, SOC 2 Type I, GDPR, and CCPA.
Its self-hosted solution gives you ultimate control over your data and privacy.
On the flip side, Slack isn’t slacking off in the security department either.
The tool is audited against compliance and assurance programs like SOC2, SOC3, ISO/IEC, and APEC and offers multi-factor authentication for added protection.
In my opinion, Mattermost takes the win here.
Here’s the score: Mattermost 3: Slack: 1Customer Support: A Close Call
When it comes to customer support, I feel both Mattermost and Slack are competent tools.
Both platforms offer solid support systems in their free tiers, including email/help desk, FAQs/forums, and knowledge bases to help you troubleshoot any issues.
But when it comes to their paid plans, things get serious.
Mattermost steps up its game in the Professional plan, offering support during business hours, while the Enterprise plan kicks it up a notch with round-the-clock customer service and an impressive 4-hour response time.
Slack also elevates its support game in the paid tiers.
The Pro plan provides priority support 24/7, with the next two plans offering 24/7 support, a 4-hour first response time, and a 99.99% guaranteed uptime SLA.
With both platforms offering top-notch support, including dedicated customer success teams, this is a tie in the customer support category.
Here’s the score:
Mattermost: 4, Slack: 2
Final Verdict: Slack Vs. Mattermost
It’s time to wrap up the comparison of Slack and Mattermost, and it’s safe to say Mattermost takes the lead with a score of 4 to 2.
So, what made me move my team from Slack to Mattermost?
We preferred Mattermost’s self-hosting features, security, and customization over Slack’s marginal notification option.
The transition to Mattermost gave us peace of mind about data control and enabled us to design a communication environment aligned with our growing needs and brand identity.
Mattermost has been more than just a communication tool for us; it has enabled Social Champ’s team to work more efficiently.
Slack is still a great choice for smaller teams seeking a creative communication platform.
Mattermost has demonstrated its advantages in pricing, interface, security, and support at each step.
Please note that this is my honest opinion (not a paid review😂).
Both Slack and Mattermost hold a special place in my experiences. At Social Champ, we’ve utilized both platforms.
While my team currently favors Mattermost, ultimately, the ideal choice depends on your specific needs and priorities.