Discord

Slack

Slack is a messaging program designed specifically for the office, developed by Slack Technologies and now owned by Salesforce.

Telegram

Telegram is a cloud-based messaging app known for speed, large group chats, broadcast channels, and bots, with optional end-to-end-encrypted secret chats. It is popular for communities and information broadcasting.

Guilded

Guilded is a free communication platform built specifically for gaming communities, clans, guilds, and esports teams. It combines world-class voice chat with voice rooms, broadcasting, whispering, and priority speaking, alongside video chat and screenshare, with threads to keep conversations organized. Beyond chat, Guilded equips servers with an integrated event calendar for scheduling activities, forums and docs for organizing announcements and media, robust roles and permissions for community management, and tools for handling recruitment applications and looking-for-group (LFG) matchmaking. The platform is available as desktop apps for Windows and macOS, mobile apps for iOS and Android, and a web client.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a unified communication and collaboration platform bundled with Microsoft 365, combining chat, video meetings, and file sharing built directly on top of SharePoint and OneDrive. It is the default hub for meetings and internal messaging at organizations already standardized on Microsoft 365. Teams organizes work into teams and channels similar to other chat platforms, but is distinguished by tight integration with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Planner, allowing documents to be co-authored directly inside a channel without leaving the app. Meetings support up to thousands of attendees with features like live captions, together mode, and background noise suppression, making Teams a common choice for both daily standups and large all-hands meetings.

Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger is a messaging platform that allows individuals and groups to communicate privately. It offers a range of features, including messaging, voice and video calls, and file sharing.

Skype

Microsoft retired Skype on 5 May 2025 and now redirects skype.com to Microsoft Teams; new sign-ups are no longer available and this entry is kept for reference. Skype is a versatile telecommunications application that specializes in providing video chat and voice call services between devices. Users can communicate across the globe through internet connections with features designed for both personal conversations and business meetings. Owned by Microsoft, the platform also offers instant messaging, file sharing, and affordable international landline calling options. It remains a staple tool for long-distance communication, remote work collaboration, and virtual family gatherings.