Best team chat and video meeting tools for small businesses

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#1Microsoft Teams Essentials

Low-cost

Try it (opens in new tab)

Best for: Meetings and chat without a full Microsoft 365 suite

Price: $4.00/user/mo, paid yearly

Very cheap per user
Familiar Teams experience

No Office desktop apps or business email

Source: microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-business-options · checked Oct 14, 2026 · Max users assumed 300 like other business plans: UNVERIFIED

#2Google Meet (in Google Workspace)

Included in suite

Try Google Meet (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams already paying for Google Workspace

Price: Included in Workspace Business Starter ($7/user/mo annual plan): 100 participants

$0 extra on Workspace
Runs in the browser

Recording needs Business Standard

Source: workspace.google.com/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

#3Zoho Cliq

Free planLow-cost

Try Zoho Cliq (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams that want Slack-style channels for a fraction of the price

Price: Free plan. Standard US$16.20/mo for up to 25 users (billed annually). Professional US$1.80/user/mo, Enterprise US$3.60/user/mo (billed annually)

Professional plan is $1.80/user
Flat Standard plan for up to 25 users

Smaller integration ecosystem than Slack

Source: zoho.com/cliq/pricing.html · checked Oct 14, 2026

#4Jitsi Meet

FreeOpen sourceSelf-hostable

Try Jitsi Meet (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams that want free meetings with no accounts, or full self-hosting

Price: Free, 100% open source; self-hostable

Free and open source
No account needed to join

Fewer admin, AI and recording features than Zoom

Source: jitsi.org/jitsi-meet · checked Oct 14, 2026

#5Zoho Meeting

Free planLow-cost

Try Zoho Meeting (opens in new tab)

Best for: Budget-conscious teams that need basic hosted meetings

Price: Free (100 participants). Paid from US$1/host/mo billed annually; price rises with participant tier

Very low entry price

Price depends on participant tier; check the slider

Source: zoho.com/meeting/pricing.html · checked Oct 14, 2026 · Entry price shown; feature set at that tier not verified

#6Slack Free

Free

Try Slack Free (opens in new tab)

Best for: Small teams that don't need old messages

Price: $0: 90 days of message history, up to 10 apps, 1:1 huddles

Free, familiar

90-day history limit
Huddles 1:1 only

Source: slack.com/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

#7Slack Pro

Legacy

Visit site (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams that live in chat and need many integrations

Price: $7.25/user/mo paid annually ($8.75 monthly). Business+ $15 annual ($18 monthly)

Bills only active members
2,600+ app integrations

Free plan keeps only 90 days of history

Source: slack.com/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

#8Zoom Workplace Pro

Legacy

Visit site (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams that run lots of external meetings

Price: $14.16/user/mo billed annually ($16.99 monthly). Business $18.33 annual ($21.99 monthly)

Participants join free, no account
30-hour meetings, AI summaries

Licenses needed per host

Source: zoom.us/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

#9Cap

Open sourceSelf-hostableLow-cost

Try Cap (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams that want an open-source Loom

Price: Open source. Pro $12/user/mo monthly or $8.16/mo billed annually. Desktop license $29/yr (local only)

Open source; self-host
Cheap local-only license

Younger product

Source: cap.so/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

Frequently asked questions

What's the cheapest paid communication tool for a small business?

Of the per-user plans we verified, Zoho Meeting is the lowest at $1/user/mo (Free (100 participants). Paid from US$1/host/mo billed annually; price rises with participant tier). Prices checked Oct 14, 2026.

Are there free communication tools?

Yes. Options with a $0 plan or free software include Jitsi Meet, Slack Free. Free plans have limits; see each card.

Are there open-source communication tools?

Yes: Jitsi Meet, Cap. Self-hosting means you handle updates, backups and security.