What is the difference between Mattermost and Twist?

Mattermost is best for Teams that need self-hosted, privacy-first messaging, while Twist is best for Remote teams wanting async-first communication. Mattermost starts at Free (self-hosted) and Twist starts at $6/user/mo.

Is Mattermost or Twist cheaper?

Mattermost starts at Free (self-hosted) and is free. Twist starts at $6/user/mo with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Twist?

Both Mattermost and Twist offer free tiers.

Mattermost vs Twist

Mattermost is open-source, self-hosted team messaging platform for organizations that need data sovereignty, while Twist is async communication tool from Doist that organizes conversations into threads, not a firehose. The biggest difference up front: Mattermost is free, while Twist starts at $6/user/mo. Mattermost is built for teams that need self-hosted, privacy-first messaging, whereas Twist targets remote teams wanting async-first communication.

At a glance

	Mattermost	Twist
Best for	Teams that need self-hosted, privacy-first messaging	Remote teams wanting async-first communication
Starting price	Free (self-hosted)	$6/user/mo
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Async-First	—	✓
Channels	✓	✓
Compliance	✓	—
Integrations	✓	✓
Playbooks	✓	—
Self-Hosted	✓	—
Threads	—	✓

Mattermost

Strengths

Self-hosted — full control over your data
Open source with active community
Slack-compatible interface, easy migration
Strong compliance and security features

Weaknesses

Requires server management if self-hosting
Smaller integration ecosystem than Slack
Cloud-hosted version is more expensive than Slack
Mobile apps lag behind Slack and Teams in polish

Try Mattermost → Full review

Twist

Strengths

Threaded replies keep side conversations from cluttering the main channel
Includes Async-First as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
Free for 1 month history — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes channels alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Notification overload is a real problem as the number of channels grows
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Twist → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Mattermost is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Twist starts at $6/user/mo, but Free for 1 month history. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Mattermost offers Compliance, Playbooks and Self-Hosted that Twist lacks. Twist brings Async-First and Threads that Mattermost does not have. Both share Channels and Integrations.

Team fit: Mattermost is geared toward mid-size teams teams, while Twist is aimed at small teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: Mattermost is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Twist is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Mattermost's biggest strengths are: self-hosted — full control over your data. open source with active community. Twist's biggest strengths are: threaded replies keep side conversations from cluttering the main channel. includes async-first as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows.

Watch out for: With Mattermost, users commonly note that requires server management if self-hosting. With Twist, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Mattermost if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that need self-hosted, privacy-first messaging
Budget is a hard constraint — Mattermost is free, Twist is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Compliance and Playbooks
You care about open source with active community

Choose Twist if...

You need a tool built for remote teams wanting async-first communication
You specifically need Async-First and Threads
You care about includes async-first as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Twist is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for 1 month history