Slack vs Platform overview
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $7-$15/user/mo on Slack.
Side-by-side
| Slack | Platform overview (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $7-$15/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Slack's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Slack controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (NOASSERTION) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (Docker available) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 81 / 100 |
Why teams leave Slack
- Free tier hides messages older than 90 days
- Per-seat pricing ($7-15/user/mo) gets expensive past 20 people
- No self-hosting option even on Enterprise Grid
- Storage is capped per workspace
Platform overview answers this by: Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, and Zulip give the same channels, threads, and integrations on your infra with full message history forever.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Slack at the midpoint price ($11/user/mo).
| Period | Slack | Platform overview on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $55 | $4.13 | $50.87 |
| Yearly | $660 | $49.56 | $610.44 |
| 3 years | $1,980 | $149 | $1,831 |
Deploy Platform overview now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
Affiliate disclosure — these links may earn ossreplace a commission at no cost to you.
Common questions
Is Platform overview a good alternative to Slack?
Platform overview is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Slack with an ossreplace health score of 81/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the NOASSERTION license, versus Slack's $7–15/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Platform overview than Slack?
A 5-person team pays about $55/mo on Slack. Self-hosting Platform overview on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $1,831 less over three years (92% lower).
Is Platform overview hard to self-host?
Platform overview ships a Docker setup, so deployment is usually a single docker-compose command on a $4.13/mo VPS. You own the backups and updates, and there are no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Platform overview vs Slack?
Yes. Because Platform overview runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Slack, Slack controls the hosting, storage, and access.