Mattermost vs Microsoft Teams
Last updated July 2026
Mattermost
Self-hosted, open-source team messaging for regulated industries
Advantages
- Self-hosted deployment, full data control
- Open source with an MIT-licensed core
- Strong compliance and security controls for regulated industries
- Playbooks feature for incident response and workflow automation
- Free Team Edition for small teams
Drawbacks
- Requires infrastructure and IT support to self-host
- Smaller integration ecosystem than Slack
- UI less polished than Slack
- Cloud edition available but less feature-rich than Slack cloud
Microsoft Teams
Team communication bundled inside Microsoft 365
Advantages
- Included with Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6/user/mo) and up
- Deep integration with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, and SharePoint
- Full video meeting platform (rivals Zoom) built in
- Live captions, transcription, and Copilot AI features
- Enterprise-grade compliance and admin controls
Drawbacks
- UX is notoriously heavier and less snappy than Slack
- External collaboration (guests) is clunkier than Slack Connect
- Chat organization feels cluttered vs Slack's channel model
Mattermost and Microsoft Teams both play in team communication, but they're aimed at different buyers. Mattermost is built for regulated industries, government, defense, and orgs requiring on-premises data. Microsoft Teams is built for organizations already standardized on Microsoft 365 that want communication bundled. Which one fits depends on which of those descriptions sounds more like you.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Mattermost | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free (self-hosted); Professional $10/user/mo | Bundled with Microsoft 365 ($6/user/mo Business Basic) |
| Deployment Model | Self-hosted or Mattermost Cloud | -- |
| Open Source | MIT-licensed core | -- |
| Messaging UX | Channel + thread; less refined than Slack | Channel + chat; heavier than Slack |
| Integrations | 500+ apps | 1,500+ apps (Microsoft ecosystem strongest) |
| AI Features | AI Copilot in preview; smaller than Slack AI | Copilot for Microsoft 365 ($30/user/mo add-on) |
| Compliance | SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA, GDPR (self-hosted control) | -- |
| Self-Hosting Support | Yes, first-party self-hosted deployment | -- |
| Video Conferencing | -- | Full-featured meetings (rivals Zoom) |
| External Collaboration | -- | Guest access; less fluid than Slack Connect |
| File Storage | -- | 1TB/user via OneDrive (bundled) |
| Offline Support | -- | Solid via desktop apps |
Microsoft Teams Wins
Microsoft Teams takes it overall (8/10 vs 7/10), but Mattermost is still the sharper pick for regulated industries, government, defense, and orgs requiring on-premises data.
Microsoft Teams's standout strength: Included with Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6/user/mo) and up. Its biggest drawback (uX is notoriously heavier and less snappy than Slack) is easier to live with than Mattermost's (requires infrastructure and IT support to self-host). Mattermost isn't out of the running though — its own standout strength is self-hosted deployment, full data control. If you fit the profile of regulated industries, government, defense, and orgs requiring on-premises data, that alone can flip the decision.
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