Growth · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Podium Starter

Business messaging tools you can't live without.

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Podium Starter launched in 2020; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1
Slack▲2,714
Be less busy. Real-time messaging, archiving & search.
2013 · slack.com · its alternatives →
2
Assist▲446
Bring the best services to your favorite messaging apps
2016 · its alternatives →
3
#Startup Chat▲358
The global startup community, on Slack
2014 · hashtagstartup.co · its alternatives →
4
The Business Messenger by Intercom▲905
More than just chat. Intercom's new app platform.
2018 · fin.ai · its alternatives →
5
Live Chat for Sales by Intercom▲412
The quickest way to get more qualified leads
2017 · intercom.com · its alternatives →
6
StartADAM Connect▲86
Create cross-platform communication groups
2023 · startadam.com · its alternatives →
7
Intercom Messenger▲457
The messenger for business. All new.
2016 · fin.ai · its alternatives →
8
Slack Message Buttons▲611
Making messages more interactive with buttons
2016 · slack.com · its alternatives →
9
Apple Business Chat▲292
New way for businesses to connect with customers directly
2017 · register.apple.com · its alternatives →
10
Freshchat▲264
Catch 'em all. Keep 'em all.
2017 · freshworks.com · its alternatives →
11LT
Linen.team – A lightweight, thread-first Slack alternative▲124
Hi HN! I'm Kam, the founder and one of the authors of Linen. Today, we are launching Linen.team (https://linen.team/), a lightweight threaded messaging app for your team. Modern workplace messaging apps (like Slack) are based on IRC, which is great for small groups, but as it scales, breaks down quickly: you either get overwhelmed by notifications or you have to turn them all off. Most chat apps have threads tacked on but aren't built from the ground up with this design in mind. We wanted to create a thread-first experience where you can organize and prioritize conversations…
2024 · its alternatives →
12
Knock▲342
Notification infrastructure for developers
2022 · knock.app · its alternatives →
13
Acquire (previously Tagove)▲215
The Conversational Customer Experience Platform
2017 · acquire.io · its alternatives →
14
MessageDesk▲89
Business text messaging for making money
2021 · messagedesk.com · its alternatives →
15
ChatFox▲98
Slack Conversation Starters To Increase Employee Engagement
2020 · lanonna.bar · its alternatives →
16
Smallchat 2.0▲202
Slack app for chatting with visitors to your website.
2018 · small.chat · its alternatives →
17
Fleep for Business▲95
Simple, open collaboration and chat with admin capabilities
2017 · fleep.io · its alternatives →
18
Chaty▲201
Connect with your customers on 20+ popular messaging apps
2022 · chaty.app · its alternatives →
19
Knock agent for Slack▲112
Build, manage, and ship customer messaging from Slack
Jun 2026 · knock.app · its alternatives →
20
PinChat▲82
A messenger for buyers & sellers with CRM features
2021 · its alternatives →
21
Salesmsg for Slack▲90
Simple, scalable, two-way business texting, now on Slack
2022 · salesmessage.com · its alternatives →
22
ChatWerk▲75
All messengers, one login to chat with clients effectively
2021 · chatwerk.de · its alternatives →
23
tada.team▲82
Communicate as usual and create tasks from the messages
2019 · its alternatives →
24
Rattle for Startups▲157
Accelerate your sales cycle, manage your CRM from Slack
2022 · gorattle.com · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →