Chat apps are essential ways to communicate among team members nowadays. It’s fast, convenient, and instant. However, I’m surprised how many teams are still using Line as their day-to-day team communication tool.

Line is very popular in my country and is great for what it is, for personal use with casual chats and some stickers. But let’s admit it, Line sucks when we try to use it at the workplace. It is slow, mixes topics, keeps no history, keeps no files, invades privacy, and much more.

Regardless of how bad it is, many teams are still using it. This could be because they don’t know other better tools, or simply because their boss forces them to.

There are many better tools for this. Let’s see what can we use to communicate with our teammates effectively and professionally.

Slack

I used Slack a while ago and still revisit it from time to time. Feature-wise, Slack is probably the best of all. It’s free and easy to use. And it integrates with pretty much any cloud software out there. If you have a good setup, you can do most of your work without leaving Slack.

While Slack is free to use, the free version lacks a few important things. It only keeps chat history for 90 days, including files in there. Which is okay to get started with. But it can be problematic for a bigger team. To get access to old messages, you need to upgrade.

The free version only allows 1:1 meetings. To have group meetings, you will need to upgrade or use other software like Zoom.

If you decide to go with the paid plan, it doesn’t give everything you need either. Slack is just a chat app after all. In the real working environment, you will need more tools to manage files, documents, spreadsheets, and slides. If your organization already subscribes to other business suites e.g. Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, adding Slack on top of those can be quite expensive.

If you don’t mind juggling between many apps, or you just need a business chat app for your team, then Slack’s free plan might fit you.

Microsoft Teams

If you already subscribe to Microsoft 365, Teams is probably the best option as you get to use it for free. It tightly integrates with the Microsoft ecosystem that most people are familiar with.

However, it is a bit more difficult to set up than other options. Since it comes with Microsoft 365, you can’t just have Teams as a standalone app. You will need to set up the entire software suite which can be complicated for some.

It also doesn’t play well with other tools. You might find it limiting when trying to connect outside of its ecosystem.

If you already love Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Teams is a no-brainer.

Google Chat

Similar to Teams, Google Chat comes with Google Workspace, integrating with all of Google’s ecosystem. I find Google’s suite is much better on the web compared to others.

One advantage of Google Chat is, it’s not exclusive to paid Google Workspace users. In fact, every Google account (including Gmail users) already has access to it. This makes connecting with people outside of your organization much easier.

The downside, it’s pretty barebone. You don’t get fancy features like others. If simple chat is all you need, then you will like it.

Lark

I came across Lark not long ago and I’m surprised at how powerful it is. Lark Messenger is a part of Lark Suite. Similar to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, Lark Suite has all the tools you need for your daily work, some even more powerful than its competitors.

Lark also has a very generous free plan for up to 50 users. If you can utilize this, it can potentially save you a lot of money.

Unlike Google Workspace, Lark is similar to Microsoft 365 where it works well on desktop and mobile, but not so well on the web. While you can use some of the features from the browser, many require you to open its desktop app which can be confusing for new users.

If you are on a budget but still want powerful software, Lark is definitely a good option to consider.

Discord

Discord is built for gamers but we can use it for work too. It can be a good free alternative to Slack. It keeps all your chat history. It has powerful voice chat and video calls. And it’s free.

However, as it is designed to be a chat for gaming, it doesn’t integrate with business software natively. You can still do it yourself but will require some technical knowledge.

If you already use Discord for games, it can be a challenge to separate your work and personal life. You wouldn’t want your boss to see that you are in a boss fight in Elden Ring, do you?

Which chat app should you use?

I’ve tried all of the above. They all have their unique advantages and trade-offs. But you need to pick only one for your team and this is my suggestion.

Most small teams are likely not using many business software. Hence, I recommend getting started with Slack. It’s easy to set up and use.

If you need office software too (doc, sheet, slide) but you are on a budget, Lark is a good option. If you have a budget to spend, then go with either Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.

For big teams, your team is most likely already with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. If that’s the case, then use what you already have: MS Teams or Google Chat. Both are very capable in their ecosystem and free to use.

If none of the above fits you, Discord is your last resort.