Efficient communication and collaboration tools are vital for teams aiming to navigate the complexities of the work environment small and medium teams have to navigate these days. Slack, a major player in this field, has provided a platform for instant messaging, file sharing, and more, capturing the attention of businesses and organisations worldwide. However, a closer look reveals certain aspects of its business model that may not align with the best interests of all users, especially those in small and medium-sized teams. Let’s review these aspects and big tech business ethics and introduce an open-source Slack alternative that promises greater freedom and control.

What is Slack?

Slack stands as a cloud-based team collaboration tool, transforming the way teams interact. It simplifies instant messaging, file sharing, and integrates with numerous third-party applications. Teams can craft channels for distinct topics, exchange direct messages, and even initiate voice and video calls. Its intuitive interface and extensive functionality have solidified its status as a go-to choice for businesses around the globe. The intuitive design, user-friendliness, and seamless integration with diverse productivity tools have propelled Slack to popularity. It quickly won the hearts of startups and tech communities, thanks to its capabilities for real-time communication. The platform’s freemium model further fueled its adoption, allowing teams to embrace its offerings without initial investment, while providing options to upgrade for enhanced features.

Examining Slack’s Business Model

The freemium model, while instrumental in Slack’s adoption, presents significant challenges for small and medium teams. This business model is a popular strategy that offers basic products or services for free while charging a premium for advanced features, functionality, or experiences. This model entices users by providing immediate access without upfront costs, allowing them to experience the product or service and perceive its value firsthand. As users become more integrated and reliant on the platform, they are likely to encounter limitations of the free version, prompting them to consider upgrading to a paid plan that unlocks additional benefits. This approach not only facilitates user acquisition for corporations like Slack at a lower cost but also creates potential for revenue generation as a portion of the free user base converts to paying customers. Over time, Slack’s ecosystem becomes integral to daily operations, and the growing reliance on its features and integrations increases the difficulty of transitioning to alternative solutions.

Price Hikes, Ownership Concerns, Migration Challenges

As with many big tech corporations, profit maximization remains a priority for entities like Slack, leading to inevitable price increases once a substantial user base is established. This article from The Verge explains the software lock-in process better than us… Additionally, the infrastructure’s ownership is out of users’ hands, converting their data into a product for the company and sparking concerns over privacy and control. The journey away from Slack is fraught with hurdles. The platform does not offer an easy path for users to transport their data and integrations elsewhere. This issue, compounded by the lock-in effect of the freemium model, leaves users feeling trapped, even if they are dissatisfied or concerned about privacy and increasing costs.

Slack’s situation bears a striking resemblance to the narrative of “Hotel California” by Eagles. Similar to the allure of the music industry and California, big tech platforms entice users with freemium models and extensive features. However, once entrenched, users find themselves with limited freedom to leave, having traded convenience for autonomy.

The Open-Source Solution for Small/Medium teams: Mattermost

Mattermost emerges as a beacon of hope, offering an open-source alternative to Slack that places control back into the users’ hands. Teams can deploy Mattermost on their servers, ensuring ownership of data and infrastructure. Mattermost serves as an open-source solution designed to facilitate secure collaborations throughout the entire software development and team collaboration process. Numerous developers and SMEs worldwide, amounting to hundreds of thousands, place their trust in Mattermost, leveraging it to enhance their efficiency. This is achieved by integrating team communications, task and project coordination, as well as workflow management, all within a single, agile software development platform. Established in the year 2016, Mattermost’s open-source offering is the backbone of more than 800,000 workspaces globally, benefiting from the contributions of over 4,000 members from the developer community. The organization provides services to upwards of 800 clients, including prominent entities such as the European Parliament and SAP. However, it is important to note that the company is reliant on venture capital funding and serves big tech corporations such as Samsung.

Mattermost screenshot source: commons.wikimedia.org.

Mattermost’s functionality caters perfectly to small and medium teams looking to distance themselves from big tech. It mirrors Slack’s capabilities but enhances user autonomy over data and infrastructure. The Mattermost Team Edition stands out, published as open-source software, guaranteeing sustainability even in the event of changes within the developing company.

Deploying Mattermost might seem daunting, but the long-term benefits of independence and security are well worth the effort. The setup involves server configuration, Mattermost installation, backup management, and SSL security enhancements. While it requires a technical touch, the gains in data ownership and security are substantial.

Managed Hosting for Mattermost: a Seamless Experience?

If the technicalities of deploying and managing Mattermost seem overwhelming, we have you covered. Our managed hosting packages are designed to cater to diverse needs. From small startups to medium-sized enterprises, we offer services that simplify the transition. Our Starter and Medium packages provide comprehensive services, including deployment, backup management, SSL setup, software updates, and dedicated support. With our assistance, you can concentrate on your core activities while we manage the technical complexities.

Choosing open-source software like Mattermost signifies a crucial step towards liberating your team from the constraints of big tech. It’s a commitment to data privacy, user-centric design, and the rejection of profit-centric practices.

Ready to embrace this change? Choose the offerings from the official Mattermost team here, or browse our managed hosting packages and find the ideal match for your team.

Mattermost Managed Hosting packages

Migrate from Slack to Mattermost with ease, backed by our support, and ensure your team stays connected, secure, and in control.

Blog post thumbnail credits: Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash