What is the difference between Microsoft Teams and Mattermost?

Microsoft Teams is best for Organizations already using Microsoft 365, while Mattermost is best for Teams that need self-hosted, privacy-first messaging. Microsoft Teams starts at $4/user/mo and Mattermost starts at Free (self-hosted).

Is Microsoft Teams or Mattermost cheaper?

Microsoft Teams starts at $4/user/mo with a free tier. Mattermost starts at Free (self-hosted) and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Mattermost?

Both Microsoft Teams and Mattermost offer free tiers.

Microsoft Teams vs Mattermost

Microsoft Teams is all-in-one communication platform with chat, video meetings, and Office 365 integration, while Mattermost is open-source, self-hosted team messaging platform for organizations that need data sovereignty. The biggest difference up front: Mattermost is free, while Microsoft Teams starts at $4/user/mo. Microsoft Teams is built for organizations already using microsoft 365, whereas Mattermost targets teams that need self-hosted, privacy-first messaging.

At a glance

	Microsoft Teams	Mattermost
Best for	Organizations already using Microsoft 365	Teams that need self-hosted, privacy-first messaging
Starting price	$4/user/mo	Free (self-hosted)
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Channels	✓	✓
Compliance	—	✓
File Sharing	✓	—
Integrations	—	✓
Office 365 Integration	✓	—
Playbooks	—	✓
Self-Hosted	—	✓
Video Meetings	✓	—
Webinars	✓	—

Microsoft Teams

Strengths

Included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions
Deep integration with Office apps (Word, Excel, SharePoint)
Strong video conferencing with large meeting support
Enterprise-grade security and compliance

Weaknesses

Interface can feel cluttered and confusing
Heavy on system resources
Navigation between chats, teams, and channels is unintuitive
Notifications management is frustrating

Try Microsoft Teams → Full review

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

The bottom line

Pricing: Mattermost is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Microsoft Teams starts at $4/user/mo, but Free basic chat and video meetings. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Microsoft Teams offers File Sharing, Office 365 Integration and Video Meetings that Mattermost lacks. Mattermost brings Compliance, Integrations and Playbooks that Microsoft Teams does not have. Both share Channels.

Team fit: Microsoft Teams is geared toward enterprise teams, while Mattermost is aimed at mid-size 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. Microsoft Teams is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Microsoft Teams's biggest strengths are: included with microsoft 365 subscriptions. deep integration with office apps (word, excel, sharepoint). Mattermost's biggest strengths are: self-hosted — full control over your data. open source with active community.

Watch out for: With Microsoft Teams, users commonly note that interface can feel cluttered and confusing. With Mattermost, the main complaint is that requires server management if self-hosting.

Choose Microsoft Teams if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: organizations already using microsoft 365
You specifically need File Sharing and Office 365 Integration
You care about deep integration with office apps (word, excel, sharepoint)
Your team size fits the enterprise profile Microsoft Teams is designed for
The free tier works for you: free basic chat and video meetings

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, Microsoft Teams is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Compliance and Integrations
You care about open source with active community