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Flock is a reasonable team chat option if its Starter caps work for your team and annual PRO billing suits your budget. If either is a problem, Pumble and Lark are worth comparing on price; Slack, Zulip, and self-hosted options cover different needs. One caveat: the published Reddit posts discuss Flock Safety cameras, not Flock team chat, so they don’t establish why customers leave this software. We’ve based these comparisons on the product and pricing details provided.
01Why people leave Flock
Starter limits no longer fit
Flock is described as fairly priced only if the Starter caps fit your team; the specific caps are not published here.
Annual PRO billing is a mismatch
Flock’s PRO plan is described as annual billing, which may not suit teams that need a different payment cadence.
Your collaboration needs have changed
If you need async topics, self-hosting, or bundled docs and workflows, the alternatives below target those needs more directly.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- Best budget chat
PumblePumbleIf Flock’s listed $4.50 starting price is hard to justify, Pumble lists plans from $2.49 and has a free plan. Its stated fit includes small teams wanting free chat, message history, and budget-conscious teams needing meetings. That makes it a useful low-cost shortlist option, but check its storage, integration, and meeting limits before switching.
Trade-off: Check storage, integration, and meeting limits before committing.
7.1/10from
$2.49/mofree plan - Best bundled workspace
LarkLarkLark is a better fit if you want chat alongside docs, meetings, and workflows rather than a chat-only replacement. It lists a free plan and pricing from $6. That is more bundled functionality than Flock’s stated shared notes and to-dos, though Lark’s plan limits and add-ons can affect the price.
Trade-off: Plan limits and add-ons can change the price.
7.3/10from
$6/mofree plan - Best for integrations
SlackSlackSlack suits teams that depend on channels, integrations, or collaboration with external partners. It also offers chat plus AI tools, making it a broader option than Flock’s listed team chat, notes, and to-dos. Slack has a free plan and starts at $7.25, while advanced AI costs extra.
Trade-off: The free plan is limited; advanced AI costs extra.
6.8/10from
$7.25/mofree plan - Best for async chat
ZulipZulipZulip is worth a look if your team wants conversations organized around topics and prefers async communication. It also offers self-hosting, which Flock’s published description doesn’t list. Pricing starts at $3.50, with a free plan. The switch makes most sense if your team is willing to learn Zulip’s topic-based approach.
Trade-off: Topic-based conversations bring a learning curve.
7.8/10from
$3.50/mofree plan - Best for self-hosting
ElementElementElement fits organizations that need self-hosting, cross-organization federation, or air-gapped deployments. Those are specific control and deployment needs not listed for Flock. Element has a free plan, but paid costs and support details are not published on the vendor's site, so get those answers before comparing total cost.
Trade-off: Paid pricing and support details need clarification.
6.5/10from
Freefree plan - Best for operations
MattermostMattermostMattermost is aimed at operations teams running incident playbooks and organizations with strict data controls. It also supports self-hosted collaboration, making it a different kind of replacement from Flock’s general team chat. A free plan is listed, but paid pricing is not published on the vendor's site.
Trade-off: Paid pricing is opaque, and free-tier changes have frustrated users.
6.0/10from
Freefree plan - Best for secure chat
WireWireWire is a candidate if encrypted chat is a priority, or if your organization needs SSO, SCIM, or on-premises deployment. These are clearer selection criteria than Flock’s listed shared notes and to-dos. Wire has a free plan and starts at $7.45, while larger deployments and support have unpublished pricing.
Trade-off: Larger deployments and support come with unpublished pricing.
7.5/10from
€7.45/mofree plan
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Flock Flock (current) | 7.1 | $4.50/mo | Yes | Small teams wanting free team chat |
| Pumble Pumble | 7.1 | $2.49/mo | Yes | Small teams wanting free chat |
| Lark Lark | 7.3 | $6/mo | Yes | Teams consolidating chat and collaboration |
| Slack Slack | 6.8 | $7.25/mo | Yes | Teams that rely on channels and integrations |
| Zulip Zulip | 7.8 | $3.50/mo | Yes | Teams that prefer async conversations |
| Element Element | 6.5 | Free | Yes | Organizations that need self-hosting |
| Mattermost Mattermost | 6.0 | Free | Yes | Teams needing self-hosted collaboration |
| Wire Wire | 7.5 | €7.45/mo | Yes | Small teams prioritizing encrypted chat |
Questions people ask
What’s another company like Flock?
For budget-focused team chat, compare Pumble, which lists a free plan and pricing from $2.49. Lark bundles chat with docs, meetings, and workflows. Slack is aimed at teams that need channels and integrations. The right alternative depends on which Flock features your team uses and what its Starter caps allow.
Is Flock the same as Flock Safety?
The published product information describes Flock as team chat, while the Reddit threads discuss Flock Safety’s license-plate camera system. They are different topics, and those threads are not evidence about customer complaints or cancellations for Flock’s team chat software.
Which is the No. 1 security camera brand, and who is Flock Safety’s CEO?
The published sources do not identify a top security camera brand or name Flock Safety’s CEO. This page compares team communication software, not camera hardware or Flock Safety leadership, so we can’t verify either answer from the available information.