Marking up notification emails with HTML out of the 1990s has always been an annoyance, but now notifications need to span across additional channels such as SMS, Slack, Microsoft Teams, mobile push, web push, etc. They also need to accommodate more dynamic use cases like magic login links, multi-language notifications, and location based alerts that have caused the content formatting challenge to become far more complicated and cumbersome.

Slack is one of the most popular real-time work communication apps used by individuals, teams, and organizations. It offers quick chat functionality, easy file sharing, voice and video calls, and more. So why look for Slack alternatives? Well, Slack has its own share of drawbacks. For starters, the fast messaging and endless group chats make it difficult to track what’s happening. In this article, we’ll discuss some Slack drawbacks and suggest 10 Slack alternatives you can use instead.

The Indian government developed a messaging app for the government called GIMS, which stands for Government Instant Messaging System. Government officials refer to it as Sandes, which means "message" in Hindi. "Sandes is a secure, open source-based, the cloud-enabled platform hosted on government infrastructure, allowing the GOI to maintain strategic control. One-to-one and group messaging, file and media sharing, audio-video calls, and e-government program integration are some of its features.

As I’m writing this in January 2019, I suppose we can already talk about the tool using past tense. HipChat WAS a popular messaging and collaboration service owned by Atlassian, launched in 2010 (years before Slack!). HipChat was a decent Slack competitor for years. Even when Frisco-based SaaS was already picking up steam, HipChat managed to get ahead of its arch-rival a few times.

Location sharing can be seen in both a positive and negative light. Great in the sense that it provides an extra layer of safety and convenience to users. Ever tried finding your friends at a festival without location sharing? Impossible. A lone worker who wants the comfort of those back at base knowing where they are? Yes please. But, of course, it can also be a massive invasion of privacy and yet another opportunity for data mining and more ******* adverts.