Does it worth to save €2000 annually on communication? Part II.

In our previous blog post, we explored the critical role communication plays within organizations, particularly in businesses, and how an effective chat platform can significantly impact corporate operations. We also reviewed the most popular communication tools on the market and shared how our reliance on Slack led to an annual expense of approximately €2,000.

Driven by our passion for exploring new technologies and seeking innovative solutions, we discovered Mattermost while browsing open-source projects. It presented itself as a promising alternative to Slack. But did it live up to expectations? Let’s dive in to find out.

Enhanced Productivity and Comfort Features

Beyond the basics, we identified additional features that could improve efficiency and enhance user experience:

• Tool Integration and Automation: We rely on a range of tools, including ClickUp, GitLab, Jira, and Semgrep. The new platform needed integrations for these applications or, at the very least, configurable webhooks to create custom automations.
• Message Management: Features like “Mark as Unread” and “Save for Later” are indispensable for managing the flood of messages and notifications we often receive. These help us prioritize responses and revisit less urgent tasks when we have time.
• Integrated Polls: As the communication hub of the company, the platform needed built-in polling functionality to simplify event planning and decision-making without requiring external tools.
• Scheduled Messages: Respecting colleagues' off-hours is a priority for us. The ability to schedule messages allows us to progress on tasks — whether on a weekend or after hours — while ensuring team members can enjoy their downtime undisturbed.
• Mobile Apps: Let’s face it, many of us begin catching up on messages during our commute. A robust mobile app is essential for staying connected on the go.

While our natural curiosity for new software and technologies played a role in exploring Mattermost, practical considerations were the real driving force behind the switch.

First and foremost, as an open-source and free application, Mattermost offered a significant cost-saving opportunity—approximately €2,000 annually. That’s money we could redirect toward team-building activities or other valuable initiatives.

But the benefits didn’t stop there. Mattermost gave us control over our data, as it can be self-hosted on a dedicated server or in the cloud. This ensures our information is always accessible and securely managed by our own infrastructure. Additionally, unlike Slack, Mattermost supports multiple Teams (Slack's equivalent to Workspaces), providing an extra organizational layer beyond channels. This is especially useful for managing multiple projects and the administrative needs of the company.

Armed with these advantages, we decided to conduct a test phase, running Mattermost alongside Slack to evaluate its capabilities. For this trial, we set up Mattermost on our trusty OrangePi server. Over two weeks, senior developers and company executives used the platform for meetings and general communication.

The results of the trial phase were encouraging. Mattermost fulfilled nearly all our criteria and demonstrated stable performance. To push it further, we conducted a stress test by hosting a team-wide call with screen sharing. Even with basic infrastructure, the server handled the load effortlessly, showing it could support three to four times our current team size.

With such promising results, it became clear that Mattermost was worth exploring further for our daily business operations.

Getting comfy in our new home

Et voilà! We successfully moved our communication hub from Slack to Mattermost. However, the transition wasn’t complete until the team felt at home in the new system. To ease the adjustment, we designated the first 14 days as a test period, retaining our Slack accounts as a backup.

The two-week test period proved to be a good decision, as we quickly ran into problems with calls. However, by configuring a coturn TURN server, we easily overcame most of these challenges.

With Mattermost’s unlimited teams feature, we restructured our workspace. We created dedicated groups for long-term projects and administrative tasks, which not only improved the organization of communication channels but also simplified access control for public and private channels.

Integration

To fully settle into Mattermost, we needed to integrate the tools we rely on daily, like GitLab, ClickUp, Semgrep, Jira, and our general scheduled reminders.

Connecting GitLab to Mattermost was seamless, as it offered native integration similar to Slack. However, integrating other tools required creating custom automations using webhooks. By leveraging n8n, we not only recreated our original workflows but also unlocked new possibilities for automation, streamlining many of our processes.

Infrastructure

Operating a self-hosted application like Mattermost requires robust infrastructure. While many organizations opt for cloud providers like AWS, we decided to run it on a local server for greater control.

After careful evaluation, we selected an Odroid H3 server, as some Mattermost plugins, such as Matterpoll, are only compatible with AMD64 architecture—not ARM64. To make our service publicly accessible, we secured a domain name and SSL certificate, completing the necessary configurations.

Running a self-hosted service also comes with responsibilities, particularly in data security. To mitigate risks like hardware failure or data loss, we implemented a robust backup workflow. Using Restic and Backrest, we frequently create hard copies of our servers onto offline hard drives, ensuring we’re prepared for any eventuality.

Now, after nearly six months with Mattermost, we can confidently share our verdict: was the switch worth saving €2,000 annually on communication?

What We Gained

• Data Ownership: With Mattermost, we own our data, giving us full control over how it’s stored and accessed.
• Cost Savings: Mattermost is free, eliminating the need for recurring subscription fees.
• Simplified Communication: The ability to create multiple teams (something Slack lacks) has allowed us to structure communication more effectively.
• No Extra Costs for External Collaborators: Adding partners to communication channels is no longer a budget concern.
• Superior GIF Handling: Let’s be honest—GIFs in Mattermost are much better than in Slack, and they’ve become a surprising productivity booster!

What We Miss

• Built-in Scheduled Messages: This handy feature in Slack is absent in Mattermost.
• Call Notifications in Channels: The lack of this feature occasionally creates some coordination challenges.
• Infrastructure Requirements: Running and maintaining the necessary infrastructure, including regular backups, does add operational overhead.