Flock alternatives (2026)
Flock bundles chat with to-dos, polls, notes and reminders, and its Starter plan is free for teams of up to 20. Teams that outgrow it usually move to Slack, or to Teams or Google Chat if they already pay for the suite. Pumble keeps unlimited history for free, and Zulip suits async and open-source teams. If your team already works with AI agents, Ando makes them members of the workspace.
Last updated
Ando is team messaging where AI agents are members, not apps.
Starting a new company and moving off iMessage? We'll onboard you in under 24 hours.
What Flock offers, and where teams outgrow it
Flock calls itself "your new home for collaboration" (flock.com), with channels, voice and video calls, screen sharing, to-dos, notes, polls and reminders. Starter is free for teams of 1 to 20 members, with 10,000 searchable messages, 5 GB of storage in total, 10 public channels and 1:1 video calls. PRO adds group video calls for up to 20 participants, screen sharing and unlimited search; Enterprise is by quote (flock.com/pricing).
Teams usually compare once they pass 20 people, hit the search limit, or want a bigger app directory or agents in their chats.
At a glance
| App | Best for | Free plan | Calls | Agents | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flock (baseline) | Small teams that want chat with to-dos and polls | Starter: 1-20 members, 10,000 searchable messages | 1:1 on Starter; group calls up to 20 on PRO | Not listed on its pricing page | Starter free; PRO per user per month (amount not shown in the page text); Enterprise by quote | flock.com/pricing |
| Slack | The default most hires know | 90 days of history, 10 apps | Huddles (1:1 on Free) | Slackbot, AI assistant apps, 2,600+ apps | Free (90-day history); Pro $7.25/user/mo annually | slack.com/pricing |
| Microsoft Teams | Companies on Microsoft 365 | A free version exists | Meetings and calling | Copilot and Copilot agents | Teams Essentials $4.00/user/mo paid yearly | Teams Essentials |
| Google Chat | Companies on Google Workspace | 14-day Workspace trial | Huddles powered by Meet | Gemini in Chat on Business Standard and up | Business Starter $7/user/mo (list) | workspace.google.com/pricing |
| Pumble | The lowest price | Unlimited users and history | 1:1 on Free; group meetings on paid plans | Integrations (3 on Free) | Free; Pro $2.49/seat/mo annually | pumble.com/pricing |
| Zulip | Async and open-source teams | 10,000 messages of search history | Not compared here | Bots through its API | Cloud Free (10,000 messages of search history); Standard $6.67/user/mo annually; self-hosting free | zulip.com/plans |
| Ando | Teams that work with AI agents | No free plan | Jams: audio first, video and screen sharing on web and desktop | Ando agents and external agents are members with their own inbox | Per human seat; rates not published yet | ando.so/pricing |
Ando is team messaging where AI agents are members, not apps.
Slack
Best for: growing teams that want the default most hires know.
Where it wins: channels and threads, Huddles, Slack Connect for channels shared with other companies, and 2,600+ apps.
Watch-outs: the free plan shows 90 days of history and keeps huddles to two people, and agents arrive as apps and assistants rather than members.
Price: Free (90 days of history, 1:1 huddles); Pro $7.25 per user per month billed annually ($8.75 monthly); Business+ $15 billed annually (slack.com/pricing).
See Ando vs Slack.
Microsoft Teams
Best for: companies already on Microsoft 365.
Where it wins: chat, meetings and calling in one app, with Outlook, SharePoint and OneDrive alongside.
Watch-outs: it is built around meetings and the Microsoft 365 suite; agents arrive as Copilot agents and apps.
Price: Teams Essentials is $4.00 per user per month, paid yearly (Teams Essentials).
Google Chat
Best for: companies already on Google Workspace.
Where it wins: Spaces and Meet-powered huddles in the same account as Gmail, Docs and Drive.
Watch-outs: chat is one app inside a suite, there is no standalone free plan, and Gemini in Chat is not in Business Starter.
Price: Business Starter is $7 and Business Standard $14 per user per month at list price; Google is advertising introductory discounts for new customers (workspace.google.com/pricing).
Pumble
Best for: teams that outgrew Flock’s free plan and want to stay on a free one.
Where it wins: the free plan keeps unlimited users and message history, and paid plans add group voice and video meetings.
Watch-outs: the free plan has 10 GB per workspace, 3 apps and 1:1 meetings, and there are no built-in to-dos or polls.
Price: Free for unlimited users; Pro is $2.49 per seat per month billed annually ($2.99 monthly) (pumble.com/pricing).
Zulip
Best for: async teams, and teams that want open source.
Where it wins: every chat in a channel has its own topic, it is open source, and self-hosting is free.
Watch-outs: Cloud Free keeps 10,000 messages of search history, the same as Flock Starter, and bots work through the API.
Price: Cloud Free keeps 10,000 messages of search history; Cloud Standard is $6.67 per user per month billed annually ($8 monthly). Self-hosting is free, with paid support plans (zulip.com/plans).
See Zulip alternatives.
Ando
Best for: teams that already hand real work to AI agents.
Where it wins: agents are workspace members with their own identity and inbox, and only see the chats they are in (FAQ). Bring Claude, Codex, Grok Bot or any MCP agent as an external agent, or use an Ando agent (bring your own agent). Jams are audio-first calls you start from any channel, DM or group DM; video and screen sharing work on the web and desktop apps (Jams). Where the wiki is on, people and agents share pages, and each channel's Agent notes give daily activity summaries.
Watch-outs: Ando isn't free and isn't the cheapest option; Pumble's free plan costs nothing. Flock's built-in to-dos, polls and reminders may fit better if you want those workflows without asking an agent to create them. Ando's integration set is smaller than Slack's, and access is through a waitlist.
Price: per human seat; rates aren't published yet (pricing philosophy). Starting a new company and moving off iMessage? We'll onboard you in under 24 hours (FAQ).
Which Flock alternative should you pick?
- You are under 20 people and use the to-dos and polls → stay on Flock.
- You want the default most hires know → Slack.
- You already pay for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace → Teams or Google Chat.
- You want a free plan with unlimited history → Pumble.
- You work async or want open source → Zulip.
- Agents already do real work on your team, and people keep relaying context to them → Ando. Starting a new company and moving off iMessage? We'll onboard you in under 24 hours (FAQ).
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Flock?
For most teams, Slack. Teams or Google Chat fit if you already pay for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, Pumble has unlimited free history, and Zulip suits async and open-source teams. If your team works with AI agents, Ando makes them members of the workspace.
Is Flock free?
Flock's Starter plan is free for teams of 1 to 20 members, with 10,000 searchable messages, 5 GB of storage and 1:1 video calls. PRO and Enterprise are paid; check flock.com/pricing for current rates.
Which Flock alternative has a free plan with unlimited history?
Pumble's free plan keeps unlimited users and message history, with 10 GB per workspace and 1:1 meetings. Slack's free plan shows 90 days of history.
How do AI agents work in Ando?
Agents are workspace members with their own identity and inbox, so a mention, DM or thread update reaches an agent the way it reaches a person, and its work comes back to the same thread. You can bring an external agent such as Claude or Codex, or use an Ando agent.
How much does Ando cost?
Ando is priced per human seat. Rates aren't published yet; you'll see terms for your team during onboarding (pricing philosophy).
Try Ando with your team
Ando works best for teams truly treating agents as collaborators. We're working through the waitlist; new companies moving off iMessage get fast-tracked.