10 best employee communication software & apps in 2023

An employee communication software makes communication more effective whether an organization manages remote or on-premise employees. There are several employee communication apps (besides messages, emails, and phone calls) to make team communication and collaboration easier. However, this also poses challenges to the employer – they have less control over data security and privacy.

We can all agree that every organization needs an excellent employee communication structure to boost employee morale, increase productivity, and succeed in its endeavors. However, 60% of organizations lack a long-term internal communication strategy. The lack of communication in companies and the suboptimal use of internal communication software can impede the understanding and execution of daily tasks.

This article guides you through the top employee communication software and apps for 2023, focusing on their key features and data security aspect.

What is an employee communication software?

An employee communication app makes accessing and exchanging information within a company more accessible. 

As the communication landscape evolves, companies are moving away from  Intranet and emails towards leaner, user-friendly tools that feel natural to employees. Hence, it will be easier for employees to collaborate and achieve the business goals. In addition, employee communication tools facilitate and simplify top-down communication to improve employee engagement and productivity.

Why security matters when it comes to employee communication software?

The likelihood of security breaches increases as work shifts to digital workplaces and hybrid work settings. According to Lensa, remote work was the most popular employee benefit in every state over the last year. Also, one in five businesses in 2020 had a security breach because of remote workers.

Key security features to look for in your communication software are:

• End-to-end encryption
• On-premise deployment
• Multi-factor authentication
• Industry and regional regulatory compliance
• Security certificates
• Open source code
• Ease of use

Comparing the 10 best employee communication software of 2023

An organization's productivity and success depend on its team members' ability to communicate effectively. Below is a list of the top 10 employee communication software and apps.

1. Rocket.Chat

Rocket.Chat is an open-source communication software that embodies the true meaning of a communication platform for business.

It lets you communicate with customers in addition to using chat and video conferencing for all communication with employees, partners, and clients. Rocket.Chat is the most popular employee communication app among organizations in highly-regulated industries such as government and defense, healthcare, and education.

Key Features

• Enables businesses to operate remotely with features like screen sharing, audio/video conferencing, live chat, and more
• Adaptable open-source design and capability for on-premise app deployment
• An integrated real-time message translation technology that enables multilingual communication
• API and support for WebHook integration with many third-party solutions such as Gmail, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram
• Customizable themes, and personalize the platform's user interface for enterprises
• Support is extended through email, live chat, phone, documentation, and other online measures.

Security 

• ISO 27001 certified
• Open-source code
• End-to-end encryption
• On-premise hosting
• Configurable to meet industry regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, FINRA, and more

Pricing

Deploy and host the free version of Rocket.Chat on your server.

• $0/user/month

Based on team members/users & omnichannel agents.

• $7 /user/month: Minimum of 25 users
• $35 /agent/month: Minimum of 5 agents

2. Slack

An app that facilitates professional communication, Slack is excellent for managing group tasks. For example, team members can be grouped into chatrooms to work on projects. 

In addition, Slack enables instant messaging to specific individuals without requiring that you do so through the business' main chatroom.

Key Features

• Easy to use
• Provides smooth integration
• Highly customizable
• Efficient workplace communication
• Streamlines project management

Security

• Cutting-edge cybersecurity measures to protect against unauthorized data access
• Single sign-on for identity and device management, encryption of user data, Slack EKM, and information governance techniques like custom retention schedules and terms of service to protect data
• Robust security features that secure user data at every stage

One drawback of Slack is it does not incorporate on-premise hosting, making it less suitable for companies in highly regulated industries.

Pricing

• Standard Plan: $6.67/user/month (billed annually) or $8.00/user/month (billed monthly)
• Plus Plan: $12.50/user/month (billed annually) or $15.00/user/month (billed monthly)

3. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a good team collaboration and management software that offers a simple chat-based center for seamless teamwork and collaboration.

It's an easy-to-use tool that takes little to no time to set up and become an integrated part of your daily operations. You can conduct a real-time chat, video call, and screen sharing from a single platform.

Key Features

• All Microsoft Office apps are integrated
• Unified platform for all communication methods (chat and video)
• Simple to set up and use.

Security

• Teams mandate two-factor authentication for the entire team and the organization
• Active Directory single sign-on
• Encryption of data (at rest as well as in transit)

It is somewhat expensive and a bit clunky for smaller teams without the feature of on-premise hosting.

Pricing

• $5 /user/month

4. Chanty

Chanty is a single employee communication tool that serves as a one-stop solution for organizing simple tasks, holding discussions, critical communications, and sharing data.

Chanty enables you to quickly access the whole history of messages and locate your team members. As a result, you can easily interact and work with your team spread across the globe.

Key Features

• Share several content types (video, GIFs, and podcasts) in a single app
• Using pins, you can store creative and unique ideas
• Share code snippets and get an immediate response in a team chat.

Security

• Invite-only access to the team space guarantees a high level of privacy
• Zero spam and distractions
• File system and file storage encryption
• Penetration tests on application and infrastructure levels to protect transmitted and received data
• Compliance audit policies and data retention regulations

The major drawback with Chanty is with several users, it becomes cluttered, making it very difficult to find a particular message. In addition, it does not have many dynamic scheduling and collaborative features.

Pricing

• Free for individuals
• Business: $3 /user/ month

5. Monday.com

Monday.com primarily markets itself as a workflow tool for developing a company (equipped with several features to strengthen the Human Resources). Despite not being a full HR software, they are a handy tool containing many of the basics, especially when it comes to collaboration and internal communication (in which they excel).

With built-in communication features (like commenting, approvals, @-tagging, notifications & alerts, customizable dashboards, a built-in inbox, and email integration), Monday.com can be your day-to-day workflow management tool for deadlines, HR workflows, and resource tracking.

Key Features

• It prioritizes people management first
• Simple user interface
• Ease of managing workloads
• Facilitates Effective Collaboration
• It includes reporting and analytics and offers first-rate support

Security

• Two-factor authentication (2FA) via a text message
• Data at rest is encrypted using AES-256
• Data in transit across open networks is encrypted using TLS 1.3 (at minimum TLS 1.2)
• User passwords are hashed and salted

One drawback of Monday.com is that though it is a sophisticated project management tool with a wide range of applications, many of its key features are only accessible at higher tiers.

Pricing

• Basic: $8/seat/month
• Standard: 10/seat/month
• Pro: 16/seat/month

6. Mattermost

Mattermost is a widely used open messaging platform for developers. It enables teams to create high-performance workflows for various teams because of its more than 600 integrations.

With open-source code comes unlimited UX and UI customization and white labeling. Mattermost provides real-time cross-device collaboration and can be hosted on-premises or in the cloud.

Key Features

• Core integrations with essential tools that accelerate workflow and improve productivity
• Streamline the search process easily through specific search modifiers
• White labeling allows for font, on-screen text, and user interface customization

Security 

• TLS encryption
• Annual penetration testing
• Multi-factor authentication
• SAML-based single sign-on
• AICPA SOC2 Type 2 certified

Being a highly secure collaboration software focused on the developer community, Mattermost may not be the best choice for other industries.

Pricing

• Free for starters
• $10/month/user for Professionals

7. Yammer

Yammer by Microsoft is a team communication and enterprise-level social network tool that makes it simple for team members to work together across various departments, locations, projects, and business applications. 

Key Features

• Easily create and join groups relevant to the project and interests
• The Priority Messages tool in the Yammer inbox allows users to organize the most important conversations
• Allows users to create groups, providing a collaborative workspace for teams to organize project deadlines, share files and gather feedback.

Security

• AES-256 bit key encryption
• ISO27001 certified
• Backed by Microsoft's top compliance measures and experts

A drawback with Yammer is that the platform's advertising is quite intrusive, as evidenced by the numerous emails and unwanted phone notifications, among other things.

Pricing

• $8/month/user

8. Poppulo

Poppulo is built specifically for internal communications and transforms engagement with your emails by facilitating them to be more targeted, personalized, relevant, and interactive. 

Poppulo offers integrated surveys to help you comprehend results while enabling you to assess communications performance across intranet, email, and video. Poppulo makes it possible to demonstrate the importance of internal communications by aiding performance understanding.

Key Features

• A range of communication tools, such as creating interactive emails, managing campaigns & events, tracking results, creating surveys, and analyzing engagement
• Connect with pre-existing third-party systems like Oracle, PeopleSoft, and Workday via a REST API to enable data synchronization

Security

• Single-Sign-On and Microsite Restrictions. 
• ISO27001 certified.

One drawback of Poppulo is you require some training to understand the publishing templates. Although difficult for novice users to adapt to, it is highly powerful once mastered.

Pricing

• $5/user/month

9. Connecteam

Connecteam's all-in-one employee app is a solution to increase engagement, get honest feedback, reduce turnover, and improve everyday productivity. 

This employee engagement tool can be customized to perfectly match your business needs, organizational language, and company culture. 

Key Features

• Announcements and employee communication
• Employee onboarding, training, scheduling, and task management
• Employee time clock and attendance tracking
• Live polls and real-time chat
• Mobile-first user interface
• Performance monitoring.

Security

• SSL certificates support 256-bit SSL encryption.
• SMS Verification for the App.
• 256-Bit SSL Encrypted Login
• Connecteam runs on Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure.

Connecteam's disadvantage is that it does not support integration and can be pretty expensive for a startup or a small team.

Pricing

• Basic: $47/month or $39/month (billed annually) 
• Advanced: $95/month or $79/month (billed annually) 
• Expert: $191/month or $159/month (billed annually)

10. Happeo

Happeo is a social intranet with the goal of enhancing staff communication and collaboration. The app is intended for companies that use Google Workspace. Happeo enhances worker engagement, two-way communication, and workflows by fusing a social network with a team collaboration platform.

All employee communication occurs in Channels, the digital workplaces where team members meet, socialize, and collaborate. You can publish messages, share initiatives, and like postings in the safe social environment provided by channels.

Key Features

• Create a custom company homepage with relevant dynamic content for each user, function, and role without any technical expertise
• A modern approach to knowledge-sharing documents like staff handbooks and HR policies
• Robust analytics allow you to learn how people interact with one another

Security

• ISO 27001 certification
• Data is stored on the Google Cloud
• Restricts access through SSO and SAML

Pricing

• $5/user/month

People also ask

Why is employee communication important?

Employee communication is detrimental to successful team relationships and workplace success. With the rise of remote workplaces, employee communication apps became central technology for working towards a common goal. Learn more about the importance of communication in the workplace.

What are the best employee communication methods?

There isn't one single communication channel that is the best. However, employee communication apps that facilitate both chat and video are on the rise. These two methods represent the best of asynchronous and synchronous communication, both important for successful team collaboration.

What can you do when employees stop communicating?

It's time for alert! First, you must get to the bottom of the problem: was it inadequate technology, a workplace conflict, or something else? In the first case, you can take a look at our list above and see how you can support employees to talk to each other seamlessly.

Which employees are most likely to engage in upward communication?

Employees that feel they can make a difference! Engaged team members who have seen others engage in upward communication will likely follow this example and talk to their superiors.

How can you improve employee communication?

There is more than one way to improve employee comms, and it mostly depends on detecting the issue at hand.

Take a look at our guide here to enhance team communication.

How are employee communication and engagement related?

Employee communication and engagement are intertwined: there is no one without the other.

Find out how you can keep employees engaged via communication.

The bottom line

Selecting the right apps for employee communication will depend on your objectives. Some apps mentioned in the list are ideal for communicating the most recent business news, some for encouraging collaboration, and others for building communities.

While looking for the best communication app, you must first decide which security aspects are most important to you. Then do your research and compare what each app offers against your requirements.

As one of the most secure messaging apps on the market, Rocket.Chat continuously puts emphasis on security and data protection, all the while maintaining the high flexibility of the platform for employees.

Get our team collaboration guide to learn about the most efficient collaboration methods in remote and hybrid work environments.

Combat some of the biggest challenges hybrid workplaces face today and round your team for success. Contact us now to collaborate successfully in a hybrid work setting.