Chanty, Flock, and Twist are all genuine, affordable alternatives to Slack and Microsoft Teams for small and mid-sized teams, but they solve the 'too much…
Best for: Small teams that want unlimited searchable chat history and one-click task creation (Teambook) on a permanently free plan for up to 5 members
Best for: Remote and distributed teams that want to deliberately move away from real-time chat pressure in favor of organized, thread-based async discussion
At a Glance
Chanty
Flock
Twist
Primary category
Communication
Communication
Communication
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Freemium
freemium
Starting price
Free
Free (Starter plan)
Free
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Yes
Not documented
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Not documented
Yes
Not documented
Standout Differences
Built-in task management sets Chanty and Flock apart from Twist
Chanty's Teambook turns any message into a task with one click, and Flock ships native shared to-dos, polls, and reminders directly in the app. Twist instead relies on its Todoist integration for task tracking rather than a built-in task manager.
Chanty, Flock
Twist is built around async-first, thread-based conversations
Twist organizes discussion into subject-lined threads like email or a forum and deliberately omits typing indicators, read receipts, and always-online status to reduce interruption-driven chat culture.
Twist
Free plans differ sharply in what they cap
Chanty's free plan is unlimited on message history but capped at 5 team members. Flock's free Starter plan allows up to 20 members but caps searchable history at 10,000 messages. Twist's free plan has no stated member cap but limits visible history to the past month.
Chanty, Flock, Twist
Chanty scales furthest on video meeting capacity
Chanty supports video meetings with up to 1,000 participants and 49 visible tiles at 4K, notably larger scale than Flock's group video calls with screen sharing, while Twist offers no built-in video calling at all.
Chanty, Flock, Twist
Entry-level paid pricing is close but not identical
Chanty's Business plan starts at $3/user/month billed annually, Flock's Pro plan at $4.50/user/month billed annually, and Twist's Unlimited plan at $6/user/month billed annually.
Chanty, Flock, Twist
Feature-by-Feature
Core Communication
Feature
Chanty
Flock
Twist
Real-time group chat
Available
Available
Limited
Threaded/asynchronous discussion
Unavailable
Unavailable
Available
Video calling
Available
Available
Unavailable
One-on-one voice calls
Available
Available
Unavailable
Productivity and Integrations
Feature
Chanty
Flock
Twist
Built-in task/to-do management
Available
Available
Limited
Polls and reminders
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Third-party app integrations (Zapier, GitHub, Google Drive, etc.)
Available
Available
Available
Plans and Access
Feature
Chanty
Flock
Twist
Free plan message history
Available
Limited
Limited
SSO and HIPAA compliance
Available
Limited
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Chanty
Free — $0 forever
Business — $3/user/month (annual) or $4/user/month (monthly) monthly or annual
Enterprise — Custom custom
Flock
Starter — Free N/A
Pro — $4.50/user/month billed annually (or $6/user/month billed monthly) Monthly or annual
Enterprise — Custom (contact sales) Custom
Twist
Free — $0 monthly
Unlimited — $6 per user/month billed annually ($8/month billed monthly) annual or monthly
Pros & Cons
Chanty
Pros
Generous free plan with unlimited message history for up to 5 users
Affordable per-user pricing compared to Slack and Microsoft Teams
Built-in task management removes need for a separate project tool for lightweight use
HIPAA compliance and SSO available at the standard Business tier
Cons
Free plan is capped at 5 team members
Enterprise pricing is not publicly listed
Smaller third-party app ecosystem than Slack
Advanced admin controls (directory sync, SCIM) require the custom Enterprise plan
Flock
Pros
Generous free plan supporting up to 20 team members with unlimited 1-1 and group messaging
Pro plan is priced well below Slack's comparable paid tier on a per-user basis
Built-in productivity tools like shared to-dos, polls and reminders reduce the need for separate apps
FlockOS and the Flock App Store integrate with widely used tools like Google Drive, Trello, GitHub and Zapier
Cons
Free plan caps searchable message history at 10,000 messages
Smaller third-party app ecosystem compared to Slack's much larger integration marketplace
Advanced security features like SSO and Active Directory sync are limited to the Enterprise tier
Less brand recognition and market share than Slack or Microsoft Teams among enterprise buyers
Twist
Pros
Thread-based structure keeps conversations organized and easy to reference later, unlike a fast-scrolling chat feed
Deliberately reduces the interruption and always-on pressure common with real-time chat apps
Affordable paid plan compared to many team chat competitors
Built by Doist, a company with over a decade of remote-work experience baked into the product design
Cons
Free plan's one-month history limit can be restrictive for teams that rely heavily on searching past conversations
Lack of real-time chat may not suit teams that need instant back-and-forth discussion
Smaller integration ecosystem than larger competitors like Slack or Microsoft Teams
Adoption requires a cultural shift away from real-time chat habits, which can slow onboarding for some teams
Use Cases
Choose Chanty: Small teams that want unlimited searchable chat history and one-click task creation (Teambook) on a permanently free plan for up to 5 members
Choose Flock: Slightly larger free teams (up to 20 members) that want bundled productivity apps like shared to-dos, polls, and reminders alongside chat
Choose Twist: Remote and distributed teams that want to deliberately move away from real-time chat pressure in favor of organized, thread-based async discussion
Chanty
Small business team communication — Small teams use Chanty's free or low-cost Business plan as an affordable Slack alternative for daily communication.
Lightweight project coordination — Teams convert chat messages directly into assigned, trackable tasks without adopting a separate project management tool.
Compliance-sensitive collaboration — Healthcare-adjacent or security-conscious teams use Business-tier HIPAA compliance and SSO/2FA for protected communication.
Flock
Internal communication for small teams — Small businesses and startups use Flock's free Starter plan to replace email for day-to-day team communication, using channels, direct messages and 1-1 video calls.
Cross-departmental collaboration — Growing companies use Flock's Pro plan to coordinate across engineering, sales, marketing, product and HR teams, using unlimited channels, group video calls and integrations with tools like Trello, GitHub and Zoom.
Enterprise messaging with compliance needs — Larger organizations use Flock's Enterprise plan for Active Directory sync, single sign-on and dedicated support when rolling out team messaging across many departments.
Twist
Reducing chat fatigue on distributed teams — Remote teams switch from Slack to Twist to cut down on constant notifications and real-time response pressure.
Documenting project decisions — Teams use Twist's threaded, searchable structure to keep a lasting record of project discussions and decisions.
Collaborating with external clients — Agencies and consultants use Twist's free single-channel guest access to loop in clients on specific projects only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheapest for a small paid team: Chanty, Flock, or Twist?
Chanty's Business plan is the cheapest of the three at $3 per user per month billed annually, compared to Flock's Pro plan at $4.50 per user per month and Twist's Unlimited plan at $6 per user per month, both also billed annually.
What makes Twist fundamentally different from Chanty and Flock?
Twist replaces the real-time chat stream used by Chanty and Flock with subject-lined, threaded conversations similar to email, and it deliberately leaves out typing indicators, read receipts, and online status to reduce always-on chat pressure for distributed teams.
Do Chanty and Flock include task management without a separate app?
Yes. Chanty lets you turn any chat message into a task with one click through its Teambook feature, and Flock includes native shared to-do lists, polls, and reminders directly in the app, so lightweight task tracking doesn't require a separate tool.
Which tool has the largest free team size?
Flock's free Starter plan supports up to 20 team members, larger than Chanty's free plan, which is capped at 5 members. Twist's free plan does not state a hard member cap but limits visible message history to one month.
Does any of these three support HIPAA compliance or single sign-on?
Chanty includes HIPAA compliance and SSO on its standard Business plan. Flock offers SSO and Active Directory sync only on its custom-priced Enterprise plan. Twist does not document HIPAA compliance or SSO support.
Which tool is best for large video meetings?
Chanty supports the largest video meetings of the three, with capacity for up to 1,000 participants and 49 visible video tiles at 4K quality. Flock supports smaller group video calls with screen sharing, and Twist does not include built-in video calling.