COMPARE AND CHECK
Slack vs Mattermost: hosted chat or your server
Short answer: Slack vs Mattermost: hosted chat or your server. Put the current file, the decision and the next owner in one channel. Basic is 9 USD per paid account a month, or 86 USD a year, with 25 GiB. The trial is 3 days. The iPhone and iPad app is coming soon. The encryption scope is on the security page.
Slack vs Mattermost: hosted chat or a server you run. Slack Pro reference included. Mattermost's dollar price is not copied here.
Short answer. Slack is a hosted chat you rent per person. Mattermost publishes a self-managed option and paid plans. Hosting, backups and upgrades are your cost on top of any license. Choose Mattermost if a vendor cloud is not allowed and someone will run the server. Choose Slack if you want the hosted app directory and will pay the per-person quote.
Slack and Mattermost: a vendor cloud or a server you run
| Point | Slack | Mattermost |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Slack hosts the service. | You can run the server. That work is yours. |
| Price | Pro reference 8.75 / 7.25 USD per person. | Check the current vendor page |
| Source | Not the open-source choice on our list. | Mattermost publishes source. Confirm the current license. |
| Files | 1 GB on one upload. | A chat server is not, by itself, a project checklist. |
| Operate | Slack operates the cloud. | You patch, back up and restore. |
The cost that is not on the license line
A self-managed chat still needs a person, disk, backups and an upgrade window. That can be cheaper than Slack at a large seat count, or more expensive once you count the operator. This page does not publish a Mattermost dollar price, because we have not copied one from their pricing page into this comparison.
QUESTIONS
Questions about Slack and Mattermost
Is Mattermost free?
There is a self-managed option that teams use without a Slack-style seat. The server still costs money to run. Confirm the current edition.
Does BusyVault replace a server you run?
BusyVault on this site is the hosted app with public account prices. This page does not describe it as the open-source server you patch yourself.
Which Slack number can I quote?
8.75 USD per person a month for Pro, or 7.25 USD on annual billing, as a reference checked on 31 Oct 2026. Your contract can differ.
What to write down before you switch
Read “Slack vs Mattermost: hosted chat or your server” as a buying note for one job, not as a score. Name the file you would actually send, the history you still need to search, and who pays for each account. BusyVault is the hosted app for that job. Other products stay on this page only where the comparison says who runs the server or what one upload allows. There is no star rating and no laboratory winner. Keep the quote you were sent beside any public price printed here.
Files, history and the next owner
On Slack vs Mattermost: hosted chat or your server, keep the file next to the sentence that approved it. Slack documents a 1 GB cap on one upload and, on the Free plan, 90 days of visible history. Those two limits are the public facts this site already cites.
BusyVault bills storage per paid account: 25 GiB on Basic and 100 GiB on Pro. Extra storage is 0.03 USD per GiB a month after you confirm the charge. Basic is 9 USD a month or 86 USD a year. Pro is 30 USD a month or 288 USD a year. One subscription does not cover the team.
The trial is 3 days and 10 GiB. Use it to upload a real file and to search for a decision, not to announce a company-wide move. If the file does not fit or the old decision cannot be found, say so in the channel before you promise the room is the archive.
Where the app runs
BusyVault runs in the browser and can be installed from Chrome or Edge on Windows, macOS and Linux. The Android app is on Google Play and uses the same account. The iPhone and iPad app is coming soon. Enterprise customers can run BusyVault on their own servers under a separate contract. There is no public installer on this site for that path. This page does not claim SOC 2, ISO 27001 or HIPAA.
A check you can finish this week
For Slack vs Mattermost: hosted chat or your server, finish four lines and stop. Line one is the project name. Line two is the channel name. Line three is where the current file lives. Line four is the next owner. Add one rule for meetings: what must be decided live, and what must be written down the same day.
Ask someone who was not on the call to find the file without help. If they open the right channel first, the structure works. If they search three threads and still ask which version is current, move the file to the channel and leave a pointer. Owners and administrators can export a BusyVault backup from workspace or channel settings. After a restore, check the text, the file references and who can open them. Keep the original files until that check passes. Product questions go to the address on the support page.
Who patches the server
Mattermost is the choice when the server must stay on your network. Slack is the choice when you want the vendor to run the service and you accept their cloud. Hosting, backups and upgrades sit on top of a Mattermost license. BusyVault’s hosted app does not remove that work. Enterprise self-hosting runs on your servers under a separate contract. Name the person who would patch a server before you treat self-hosting as free.
YOUR NEXT PROJECT
Less searching. More work done together.
Start your 3-day trialTry it with a real project. Then choose Basic or Pro.