Mattermost

Secure collaboration for mission-critical work

Google Chat vs Mattermost: Full Comparison (2026)

Pricing, features, scores, and a clear verdict on which one is right for you.

The bottom line

Google Chat positions itself as "messaging built for google workspace" while Mattermost goes after "secure collaboration for mission-critical work" — so the right pick depends on which problem you're actually solving. They take different commercial approaches — Google Chat uses a subscription-based model and Mattermost a freemium approach, which affects how costs scale as your team grows. Mattermost lets you start for free, which means you can validate the fit before committing budget. Google Chat requires a paid commitment upfront, so make sure it matches your workflow before signing.

At a glance

	Google Chat	Mattermost
Our score	72/100	74/100
Starting price	$7/mo	$10/mo
Free tier	No	Yes
Best for	Messaging built for Google Workspace	Secure collaboration for mission-critical work

Pricing comparison

Google Chat

No free tier

Business Starter$null/mo

Business Standard$null/mo

Business Plus$null/mo

Enterprise$null/mo

Pricing verified 2026-04-16

Mattermost

Free tier available

Free (Self-Hosted)Free

Professional$null/mo

Enterprise$null/mo

Pricing verified 2026-04-16

Calculate your cost

How many users?20

1500

Google ChatBusiness Starter

$140/mo

$1,680/yr

Cheaper— save $720/yr

MattermostProfessional

$200/mo

$2,400/yr

Visit Google Chat →Try Mattermost free →

Feature comparison

core

Feature	Google Chat	Mattermost
Spaces	Yes	No
Direct messages	Yes	Yes
Threads	Yes	Yes
File sharing	Google Drive	Yes
Search	Yes	Yes
Task assignments	Yes	No
Channels	No	Yes
Voice calls	No	Calls plugin

ai

Feature	Google Chat	Mattermost
Gemini summaries	Standard+	No
File analysis	Standard+	No
Smart replies	Yes	No
Action item detection	Standard+	No
Auto-translation	Standard+	No
AI Copilot	No	Plugin (any LLM)
Thread summarization	No	Copilot plugin
Meeting recording summaries	No	Copilot plugin
Action item extraction	No	Copilot plugin

collaboration

Feature	Google Chat	Mattermost
Inline Meet calls	Yes	No
Collaborative Docs/Sheets	Yes	No
Shared tasks	Yes	No
Bot framework	Yes	No
Scheduled messages	Yes	No
Playbooks (workflows)	No	Yes
Custom slash commands	No	Yes
Webhooks	No	Yes
Markdown support	No	Yes
Code snippets	No	Yes

integrations

Feature	Google Chat	Mattermost
Gmail	Yes	No
Google Drive	Yes	No
Google Meet	Yes	No
Google Calendar	Yes	No
Zapier	Yes	Yes
Third-party bots	Yes	No
GitHub	No	Yes
GitLab	No	Yes
Jira	No	Yes
Jenkins	No	Yes
PagerDuty	No	Yes
Custom bots	No	Yes

Ratings breakdown

Google Chat

Ease of use

8/10

Value for money

8/10

Features

6/10

Support

6/10

Mattermost

Ease of use

6/10

Value for money

9/10

Features

7/10

Support

6/10

What the data tells us

Key capabilities you'd miss

Choosing Google Chat means going without Channels, Voice calls, AI Copilot (which Mattermost offers). Choosing Mattermost means losing Spaces, Task assignments, Gemini summaries. These are the features that typically drive the final decision — check whether your workflow depends on any of them before committing.

What company size tells you

Mattermost (200-500 employees) has the engineering bench to ship features across many fronts but may iterate slower on individual requests. Google Chat (10,000+ employees) typically ships faster on its core product but may lag on peripheral features. Consider which matters more for your roadmap.

Choose Google Chat if...

You're ready to invest from $7/mo
You value an intuitive, easy-to-use interface
Getting strong value for money is a priority

Visit Google Chat →

Choose Mattermost if...

You want a free tier to get started
You value powerful features over simplicity
Getting strong value for money is a priority

Try Mattermost free →

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Chat or Mattermost better?

Mattermost scores 74/100 compared to Google Chat's 72/100 on VendorVS. However, the best choice depends on your needs — Google Chat excels at ease of use (8/10) while Mattermost scores 6/10.

How much does Google Chat cost compared to Mattermost?

Google Chat starts at $7/mo. Mattermost starts at $10/mo (free tier available). Google Chat is the more affordable option.

Does Google Chat or Mattermost have a free plan?

Mattermost offers a free tier. Google Chat does not — its cheapest plan starts at $7/mo.

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