UPDATE – If you’re interested in the HipChat Server beta, you can apply here.
UPDATE 2 – HipChat is now free for unlimited users. Read more here.
Both HipChat and Slack continue to evolve their product offerings with the most notable improvement being HipChat’s recent beta release of video chat and screen sharing. Here’s a quick rundown of the two offerings with a few important distinctions highlighted.
HipChat | Slack | |
Cost | ||
Pricing | $0 per user (unlimited users, no limitations)$2 per user (HipChat Plus which includes video calling and unlimited, searchable message history) | $0 per user (unlimited users, but limited to searching latest 10k messages, 5 integrations, 5GB file storage)$8 per user |
Contract | No | No |
Features | ||
Persistent Rooms | Yes | Yes |
Private Rooms | Yes | Yes |
1-to-1 Chat | Yes | Yes |
Video Chat | Yes | No |
Screen Sharing | Yes | No |
File Sharing | Yes | Yes |
Search | Yes (launches browser) | Yes (native) |
Multiple Accounts | No | Yes |
Google Authentication | No | Coming Soon |
Guest Access | Yes | Coming Soon |
SSL | Yes | Yes |
UI Language | English Only | English Only |
Self-hosted Option | In Beta | No |
Extensibility | ||
API | Yes | Yes |
Integrations | Lots | Lots |
Integration Limit | No | Yes (maximum of 5 on free plan) |
Platforms | ||
Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, Browser | Mac, Android, iOS, Browser |