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4 Best Team Chat Apps for Effective Collaboration in 2024

March 11
Beyond the App

The number of people looking for a quality team messaging app rose significantly during the pandemic when workers couldn’t go on-site to meet. These applications allowed everyone to stay connected and get the job done!

However, even though we’re way past the worst, having a team messaging app is still beneficial to the company. Keep reading if you’re not convinced about how a communication app can add value to your organization. We’ll also tell you about the best team chat app options to yield the greatest positive impact and make collaboration easier.

What Distinguishes the Best Team Chat App?

In determining the top options, we have considered these factors:

  • Features. The best team chat app has a good range of features that work together well in delivering the desired outcome: more effective collaboration.

  • Security. It is also highly secure, providing sufficient capabilities to allow key persons to control the files and data being shared.

  • Ease of use. We also expect it to be easy to use to accommodate the greatest range of users possible.

  • Customizability. A good team messaging app is flexible enough to be designed around the needs of the organization that will use it.

  • Affordability. The solution is affordable or at least attaches a reasonable price to the solution it offers.

Perhaps some considerations are important to you that we still need to mention. These are the most basic ones to reflect the needs of most organizations. However, feel free to add more to suit your needs better!

Top Team Chat Apps for Work

Based on the discussion in the previous section, we have identified the best options in the business today. Learn more about the best team chat collaboration apps below:

Pumble

Pros

Cons

  • Free plan that includes all features for an unlimited number of users

  • Compatible with mobile, desktop, and web

  • Simple user interface

  • Limited project management tools

  • It may not work well for complex organizations

What Is Pumble?

Pumble is a communication app that team members can easily access using the device of their preference. Whether you need a team messaging app for video conferencing or instant messaging, this team messaging app will work for you. 

Main Reasons to Use Pumble

This instant messaging app provides a lot of compelling reasons for you to use the platform. These are the main ones:

  • There’s also a paid plan. Even though Pumble advertises itself as having a forever-free plan, we like the idea that there’s a paid option that allows you to scale as needed.

  • Extensive availability of guides and resources. These are very helpful for onboarding, limiting the management's need to create new learning materials before using this team messaging app.

  • It’s not just about sending chats. The platform also supports file sharing, video calls, and screen sharing.

Pumble covers all the basics you’d expect from team chat apps, and you can access them all for free.

Pumble’s Winning Feature

The unlimited messaging history feature makes it one of the best team chat app options if you’re looking for a free plan. This allows everyone on the team to go back to conversations for relevant information.

Microsoft Teams

Pros

Cons

  • Integrates well with Microsoft 365 apps

  • Scalable for large enterprises

  • Supports a lot of third-party integrations

  • Limited instant messaging functions for the free version

  • Relatively complex to use

What Is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform that makes it more than just a team messaging app. You can use it to make video calls, group chats, and breakout rooms for distributed teams. This solution is very popular in corporate and educational settings.

Main Reasons to Use Microsoft Teams

The name Microsoft already infers a sense of reliability based on the decades that we’ve all used the company’s products. However, this brand isn’t the only reason Microsoft Teams is a good option:

  • It works well with bigger teams. Microsoft has a lot of corporate clients, so rest assured that it can scale with you as your team grows.

  • Collaboration is made easy. Because this is part of Microsoft 365, video meetings can become even more productive since you can edit documents and perform other tasks, too.

  • It uses advanced security features. There’s a lot at stake for a brand like Microsoft, so they’re motivated to protect the users of their team messaging app.

Microsoft Team is a safe choice. After all, gaining big corporate accounts isn’t something an ineffective solution would be able to do.

Winning Feature of Microsoft Teams

This solution’s integrated workspace is perhaps the biggest selling point. Whether it’s file sharing, screen sharing, or just a quick instant messaging, you can do it all here. So, Microsoft Teams is the best team chat app for organizations already using Microsoft 365. 

Gem Space

Pros

Cons

  • Visually appealing and customizable layouts that allow it to be a good fit for every organization

  • Features a built-in translator that lets people speaking any of its 17 supported languages understand each other

  • Puts all collaboration tools in one place

  • Not as established as other options

  • Limited resources generated by Gem Space users 

What Is Gem Space?

Gem Space advertises itself as a super app capable of handling business and communications. So, this is definitely more than a communication app. Apart from having instant messaging, file sharing, and video meeting capabilities for an unlimited number of users, Gem Space also has voice-to-text transcription and translation.

Main Reasons to Use Gem Space

Having all the free features is a huge selling point for this communication app. However, there is a lot more to love about this platform:

  • There’s no limit on the number of team members who can join. So, as the organization grows, you can keep on using everything for free.

  • You can use chat assistance bots. If you can’t find the words to communicate your ideas, chatbots help you.

  • It translates voice messages for free. This is the best team chat app if team members don’t speak your language and have to communicate.

Gem Space definitely goes above and beyond the conventions for a communication app. Apart from the usual capability to share files you can use it to help craft a reply. 

Gem Space’s Winning Feature

What makes this the best team chat app is the way it eliminates the need for paid plans. All the features are already available on the free version, making it a great solution, even for the smallest enterprises.

Google Chat

Pros

Cons

  • Highly compatible with Google Workspace users

  • Minimalistic and easy-to-use interface

  • Can be used for free with your Gmail account

  • Limited third-party integrations

  • Fewer features than competitors

What Is Google Chat?

Google Chat allows for a highly comprehensive instant messaging app that creates the conditions for a highly organized collaboration. Project management becomes easier with access to various Google services that enable you to schedule video meetings, initiate file sharing, and create separate Spaces for different topics. And if you believe advanced features will help with collaboration efforts, you can go for any of the Google Workspace paid plans.

Main Reasons to Use Google Chat

Google Meet succeeds in many aspects as a communication app. And right now, these are the biggest reasons professionals choose it:

  • You have the choice between private and public messaging. So, when you use the file-sharing option, you don’t have to flood the main thread with info that may be irrelevant to the rest of the group.

  • Enjoy cross-platform accessibility. This allows you to use any device and still remain connected.

  • You benefit from Google-level security. The platform uses advanced encryption and complies with data privacy laws in the rest of the world.

Google Meet’s Winning Feature

Google Meet’s integration with the rest of the Google ecosystem allows you to enjoy the features of all the apps. Whether setting a schedule for the next video meetings using the Google Calendar or communicating within a small team, you can rely on this solution.

How Can You Promote Clear and Productive Communication Through Team Chat Apps?

The apps give you the means to accomplish more as an individual and as part of a team. But in the end, it’s still up to you! Now that you’ve learned about the top team messaging apps be sure to maximize their use by following these tips:

  • Create communication guidelines

  • Think about how you can improve work function and communication using team messaging app features.

  • Monitor how the app is being used to find room for improvement

  • Encourage team members to use the selected chat app

  • Create a thread or channel for blowing off steam

Essentially, see how the app can be an effective extension of the workplace in terms not only of collaboration but also of team building.

What’s the Best Team Chat App for You? Use It Today!

Collaboration can always go more smoothly if we use all the available resources. We have presented four of the best team chat apps today; now, it’s your move.

Based on the information presented as well as your own research, decide which will benefit you the most. Good luck!