Choose Slack if
You want a mature, channel-first chat tool today with connections to almost everything, and per-user pricing suits your size.
Centilio ConnectCommon thread
CENTILIO CONNECT / WORK
Team chat app alternatives, compared fairly — including where we lose.
Slack, Microsoft Teams and Zoom are mature, shipped products; Connect is a design. We compare on facts that do not change month to month — category, approach and pricing model, as of research in 2026 — and say plainly where each one is the better choice today.
not shipped · wave 3research as of 2026no competitor prices quotedcorrections welcome
Product design preview · Connect has not shipped. All features, screens and prices are proposals.
Connect has not shipped yet.
Everything on these pages — the screens, the features, the prices — is Centilio Connect as designed, not a product you can open today. Connect is in the third wave of Centilio tools: there is no app, no beta and no launch date yet, and we would rather show you the whole design and say so than publish a page that says "coming soon" and nothing else. Join the waitlist and you will hear first.
Comparisons
Pick the one you use today.
Centilio Connect vs Slack
Slack is a channel-first chat tool with a large app directory, priced per active user on paid plans. Connect attaches each conversation to a customer, project or document, at one proposed price for the business.
Centilio Connect vs Microsoft Teams
Teams brings chat, meetings and files together inside Microsoft 365, priced per user. Connect is for a small team that wants chat on its customer and project records, at one price for the business.
Centilio Connect vs Zoom
Zoom's chat comes with Zoom Workplace, including the free Basic plan, beside its meetings. Connect is chat built around records, with meetings from Meet one click away when Meet ships.
Side by side
The facts that do not change month to month.
Research as of 2026, from each vendor's published plans and independent reviews. Check current terms before you decide; corrections are welcome through the contact page.
| Centilio Connect | Slack | Microsoft Teams | Zoom Workplace | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Team chat around business records | Team chat and collaboration | Chat, meetings and files in Microsoft 365 | Meetings suite with chat included |
| Approach | Threads on customers, projects and documents | Channels first, with a large app directory | Teams and channels, with Office files | Meetings first, with chat beside them |
| Pricing model | Per business, proposed | Per active user on paid plans | Per user, standalone or in Microsoft 365 | Per user on paid plans |
| Free option | Free plan proposed | Free plan with limited history | Free version listed under home plans | Chat on the free Basic plan |
| Availability | Not shipped — wave 3, in design | Shipped and mature | Shipped and mature | Shipped and mature |
Where each one fits
Choose the tool that matches how your team works.
Choose Microsoft Teams if
Your business already runs on Microsoft 365, and chat, meetings and Office files in one subscription matter most.
Choose Zoom if
Meetings are the centre of your day and you want chat beside them in the same app, starting free.
Choose Connect, when it ships, if
Your conversations are about customers, projects and documents, you want them on those records, and you would rather pay one price for the business.
Switching path
Moving later, without a big bang.
- Start with one team or one customer, and keep the old tool for everything else.
- Bring the active conversations, not the archive. Old history stays where it is, exported and kept.
- Run both for a few weeks, then make the old tool read-only on a set date.
- Invite clients last, as guests, with a note on why.
- Cancel only after the export is safe.
Questions
About switching — later.
Does Connect replace Slack or WhatsApp for work?
For work conversations inside your business, yes; it keeps them next to the records they concern. Personal conversations stay where they are.
Can I try Connect against these tools?
Not yet. Connect has not shipped; the console on the overview page shows the design with fictional records. The tools compared here are shipped products you can use today.
Why not quote their prices?
Prices change often and differ by region and billing period. We compare pricing models, which change rarely, and suggest you check each vendor's current plans.
Can I import my history?
Importing is part of the switching path we are designing. We will name the tools we can import from only when the import works.
Will Connect work alongside our current chat tool?
Yes. That is the intended path: start with one team or one customer, run both for a while, and move when it is clearly better.
Common thread · Work
Be first when Connect opens.
Connect is in the third wave. Join the waitlist and you will hear before the announcement. One login, one record, and the next tool already waiting inside: Account and Drive, the two tools Connect is designed to sit on, are live today.