Mattermost vs Google Chat

Mattermost and Google Chat are both communication options. Mattermost lists 6 features across 6 platforms; Google Chat lists 8 features across 4 platforms — see the full breakdown below, sourced from each vendor's own site rather than ratings or reviews.

Side-by-side summary

ComparingMattermostGoogle Chat
CategoryCommunicationCommunication
Alternatives tracked33
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, WebWeb, Desktop, iOS, Android
Pricing modelFree + paid plansFree + paid plans

Best for Mattermost

Best suited to technical, operations, government, defense, and regulated teams that need self-hosting or private-cloud options, data sovereignty, workflow automation, and tighter administrative control than general-purpose SaaS chat.

Best for Google Chat

Organizations using Google Workspace that want team messaging tightly integrated with Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and Meet.

Feature comparison

Every feature listed here comes directly from each vendor's own official site.

Mattermost

  • Channel-based messaging, file sharing, threaded discussions, and search
  • Audio calls and screen sharing
  • Playbooks and workflow automation for repeatable operational processes
  • REST API, webhooks, slash commands, plugins, and MCP Server integrations
  • Bring-your-own and multi-LLM support in the agentic platform
  • Enterprise access controls, compliance, high availability, and secure mobility on higher tiers

Google Chat

  • Direct messages and group conversations (Spaces) supporting up to 500,000 members
  • Message threading, emoji reactions, and rich text formatting
  • Huddles for quick synchronous conversations
  • Smart chips linking directly to Drive files and other content
  • Gemini in Chat for message translation, summaries, and composition assistance
  • Task creation and management within spaces
  • Native support for 100+ third-party apps including Jira, Asana, and GitHub
  • Seamless Meet integration for launching video calls

Pros and cons

Mattermost

Pros
  • Channel-based messaging, file sharing, threaded discussions, and search
  • Audio calls and screen sharing
  • Playbooks and workflow automation for repeatable operational processes
  • REST API, webhooks, slash commands, plugins, and MCP Server integrations
  • Bring-your-own and multi-LLM support in the agentic platform
  • Enterprise access controls, compliance, high availability, and secure mobility on higher tiers
Cons
  • Mattermost does not publish stable numeric prices for Professional, Enterprise, or Enterprise Advanced; buyers need a quote.
  • Paid self-hosted Professional and Enterprise licenses are prepaid annual seat subscriptions, so the commitment is different from month-to-month SaaS chat.
  • Running Team Edition or another self-hosted deployment means your organization owns infrastructure, upgrades, backups, monitoring, and operational security.

Google Chat

Pros
  • Direct messages and group conversations (Spaces) supporting up to 500,000 members
  • Message threading, emoji reactions, and rich text formatting
  • Huddles for quick synchronous conversations
  • Smart chips linking directly to Drive files and other content
  • Gemini in Chat for message translation, summaries, and composition assistance
  • Task creation and management within spaces
  • Native support for 100+ third-party apps including Jira, Asana, and GitHub
  • Seamless Meet integration for launching video calls
Cons
  • Google Chat does not have a separate business subscription price: business capabilities are bundled into Google Workspace, so teams pay for the broader Workspace plan rather than Chat alone.
  • For work or school accounts, the organization must configure and enable Chat; users who cannot see Chat may need their Workspace administrator to turn it on.
  • Some AI and business features shown on Google's Chat product pages are available only on qualifying Workspace Business or Enterprise plans.

Key differences

  • Mattermost lists Channel-based messaging, file sharing, threaded discussions, and search, Audio calls and screen sharing, Playbooks and workflow automation for repeatable operational processes, REST API, webhooks, slash commands, plugins, and MCP Server integrations, Bring-your-own and multi-LLM support in the agentic platform, Enterprise access controls, compliance, high availability, and secure mobility on higher tiers that Google Chat doesn't list.
  • Google Chat lists Direct messages and group conversations (Spaces) supporting up to 500,000 members, Message threading, emoji reactions, and rich text formatting, Huddles for quick synchronous conversations, Smart chips linking directly to Drive files and other content, Gemini in Chat for message translation, summaries, and composition assistance, Task creation and management within spaces, Native support for 100+ third-party apps including Jira, Asana, and GitHub, Seamless Meet integration for launching video calls that Mattermost doesn't list.
  • Mattermost supports Windows, macOS, Linux, which Google Chat doesn't list.
  • Google Chat supports Desktop, which Mattermost doesn't list.

Choose Mattermost if…

Choose Mattermost if this fits: Best suited to technical, operations, government, defense, and regulated teams that need self-hosting or private-cloud options, data sovereignty, workflow automation, and tighter administrative control than general-purpose SaaS chat. Compared with Google Chat specifically, Mattermost also offers Channel-based messaging, file sharing, threaded discussions, and search, Audio calls and screen sharing, Playbooks and workflow automation for repeatable operational processes, and 3 more features that Google Chat doesn't list, plus Windows, macOS, Linux support that Google Chat doesn't list.

Choose Google Chat if…

Choose Google Chat if this fits: Organizations using Google Workspace that want team messaging tightly integrated with Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and Meet. Compared with Mattermost specifically, Google Chat also offers Direct messages and group conversations (Spaces) supporting up to 500,000 members, Message threading, emoji reactions, and rich text formatting, Huddles for quick synchronous conversations, and 5 more features that Mattermost doesn't list, plus Desktop support that Mattermost doesn't list.

Facts on this page are sourced from each vendor's official site (linked below), not from ratings or reviews. Products change — verify anything that matters to your decision directly on the vendor's own site before switching. See our Disclaimer and Sources Policy.

Keep exploring

Related software

Keep exploring

Related comparisons

Still not sure which one fits?

Answer a few questions and get a deterministic, explained match instead of comparing tool by tool.

Find my software

Comparing something else?

Search any software by name to see its alternatives.