Slack alternatives for nonprofits (2026)

Slack's nonprofit program gives workspaces with 250 or fewer members a free upgrade to Pro, takes 85% off Pro for larger workspaces, and takes 85% off Business+ at any size. You need valid charitable status, and some kinds of organization are excluded (Slack for Nonprofits).

If you qualify, the free plan's 90-day history limit stops being a reason to leave. Nonprofits usually look elsewhere when they don't qualify, when they want chat bundled with free email and documents, or when volunteers outnumber staff.

Best for: nonprofits that already use Slack and qualify for its program.

Where it wins: workspaces with 250 or fewer members get a free upgrade to Pro, larger ones 85% off Pro, and Business+ is 85% off at any size. If you qualify, this may make leaving Slack unnecessary.

Watch-outs: you need valid charitable status, and Slack excludes some kinds of organization (political, religious, school, government, hospital and private foundation) and decides eligibility itself.

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). Nonprofit terms: Slack for Nonprofits.

Best for: nonprofits that want email, documents and chat from one free account.

Where it wins: Google Workspace for Nonprofits is $0 per user and includes Chat with Gmail, Drive and Meet. Business Standard and Plus are discounted for eligible nonprofits.

Watch-outs: the free and discounted editions are capped at 2,000 users, chat is one app inside a suite, and Gemini in Chat is not in the entry tier.

Price: Google Workspace for Nonprofits $0 per user per month; Business Standard $3.50 and Business Plus $6.16 per user per month with a 1-year commitment ($4.20 and $7.40 billed monthly) (Google for Nonprofits).

Best for: nonprofits already on Microsoft 365.

Where it wins: Microsoft runs a nonprofit program with grants and discounts on Microsoft 365, which includes Teams, Outlook and OneDrive.

Watch-outs: grant and discount terms change and depend on eligibility, so check them on Microsoft’s page before you plan around them.

Price: Teams Essentials list price is $4.00 per user per month, paid yearly (Teams Essentials); nonprofit offers: Microsoft for Nonprofits.

Best for: volunteer-run and async organizations.

Where it wins: most small nonprofits and non-profit events are eligible for a free Cloud Standard plan, and larger nonprofits for discounted pricing. Every chat in a channel has its own topic, which helps volunteers who check in once a week.

Watch-outs: sponsorship is by application, and topics take a little getting used to.

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).

Best for: small nonprofit teams that want a simple paid plan.

Where it wins: free for up to 5 members with unlimited searchable history, and a 50% discount for registered nonprofits.

Watch-outs: the free plan stops at 5 members, and the nonprofit discount goes through its book-a-demo page.

Price: Free for up to 5 members; Business is $3 per user per month billed annually ($4 monthly) (chanty.com/pricing).

Best for: nonprofits with many volunteers and no budget.

Where it wins: the free plan keeps unlimited users and message history, so a large volunteer base costs nothing.

Watch-outs: the free plan has 10 GB per workspace, 3 apps, 1:1 meetings and no guests.

Price: Free for unlimited users; Pro is $2.49 per seat per month billed annually ($2.99 monthly) (pumble.com/pricing).

Best for: nonprofit teams that already hand research, grant writing or reporting 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). Where the wiki is on, people and agents keep shared pages. Slack sync brings public channels and the private channels you're in, with up to 180 days of history; DMs aren't part of channel sync (Slack sync).

Watch-outs: Ando isn't free, it doesn't publish nonprofit pricing, and access is by request. For most nonprofits, a free or discounted plan above is the better fit.

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).

• You use Slack and qualify for its program → stay on Slack for Nonprofits.
• You want free email, documents and chat in one account → Google Workspace for Nonprofits.
• You already run on Microsoft 365 → Teams, after checking Microsoft’s nonprofit offers.
• Volunteers check in once a week and threads get lost → Zulip, and apply for its sponsorship.
• Many volunteers, no budget → Pumble.
• Your staff already hand research or reporting to AI agents → Ando.