Pumble: Team Chat Like Slack – But Permanently Free
· Updated: Jul 18, 2026
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Ideal for
- Freelancers who need a shared chat space with clients or project teams — without the Slack price tag
- Small teams and startups that keep hitting Slack's 90-day history limit on the free plan
- Remote teams that want chat, video meetings and screen sharing in a single tool
- Clockify or Plaky users who want to stay inside the CAKE.com ecosystem (one login, one bundle price)
USP
Unlimited message history and unlimited users on the free plan — the things Slack charges for, Pumble gives away
Free to start?
Yes — 7-day trial of all paid features (no credit card); the free plan stays free forever
Pumble is the team chat app from CAKE.com — the company that proved with the time tracker Clockify that "free" and "full-featured" are not a contradiction. The recipe repeats here: much of what sits behind Slack's paywall is free in Pumble.
Pumble in 10 seconds
What is Pumble?
Pumble organizes team communication the familiar way: channels for topics and projects, direct messages for quick pings, threads so discussions don't flood the channel. Add file sharing, a searchable history and scheduled messages. It runs in the browser and as an app for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android — the interface is available in English, German, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
The free plan is the real headline
The biggest difference from Slack sits in the free tier: unlimited message history and unlimited users. Slack's free plan hides everything older than 90 days — go looking for that spring client discussion and you're out of luck, or out of pocket. Pumble keeps the entire history searchable no matter how big the team gets, and adds 10 GB of workspace storage, unlimited channels and 1:1 calls. For a small freelance network or a project team with a client, that is often enough forever.
Calls, meetings and screen sharing
Voice and video calls are built in: 1:1 calls are free, group meetings start with the Pro plan (up to 50 participants, up to 100 on Business — which also adds recordings). Screen sharing comes with annotation tools, and scheduled meetings hook into the Google Calendar integration. For many small teams this replaces the chat-tool-plus-Zoom combination.
Pricing: a fraction of Slack
Paid plans are billed per seat and month (annual billing; monthly costs slightly more): Pro at $2.49 unlocks group meetings and more storage, Business at $3.99 adds guest access (5 single-channel guests per seat at no cost — handy for clients), unlimited integrations and meeting recordings, and Enterprise at $6.99 brings SSO and 100 GB of storage per seat. For comparison: Slack's cheapest paid plan costs roughly three times as much. If you also use Clockify and Plaky, the CAKE.com Bundle packs all three tools at Enterprise level for $12.99 per seat/month.
Who should pick Pumble?
Pumble fits whenever the brief reads "Slack, but affordable": client project communication, small agency teams, remote collaboration. The Slack import removes the biggest switching hurdle. If you depend on a large app ecosystem and workflow automations, stay with Slack; Chanty is also worth a look as another budget-friendly Slack alternative — and our communication tools overview collects more options.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unlimited message history on the free plan — Slack hides everything after 90 days
- Unlimited users at no cost — no per-seat trap as your team grows
- Far cheaper than Slack: the Business plan costs $3.99 instead of ~$15 per seat
- Built-in video meetings, screen sharing and recordings
- Slack import assistant — channels, messages and users move with you (files carry over as links only)
- 24/7 live-chat support, even for free users
- Interface available in English, German, French, Spanish and Portuguese
Cons
- Fewer automation and workflow features than Slack
- Guest access for externals starts at the Business plan
- US company (CAKE.com, Palo Alto) — no EU data-hosting guarantee
- Integration ecosystem is much smaller than Slack's
Pricing
Free
Free
free forever
- Unlimited users & unlimited message history
- Unlimited channels
- 10 GB storage per workspace
- 1:1 voice and video calls
- Up to 3 integrations
Pro
$2.49
per seat/month billed annually (monthly: $2.99)
- 10 GB storage per seat
- Group meetings with up to 50 participants
- Screen sharing with annotations
- Up to 10 integrations
- Customizable sidebar sections
Business
$3.99
per seat/month billed annually (monthly: $4.99)
- 20 GB storage per seat
- Meetings with up to 100 participants + recordings
- Guest access (5 single-channel guests per seat, free)
- Unlimited integrations
- User groups & permission management
Enterprise
$6.99
per seat/month billed annually (monthly: $7.99)
- 100 GB storage per seat
- Single sign-on (SAML2, OAuth2)
- Custom data retention
- All Business features
Prices may change — check the official website for current plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pumble?
Pumble is the team chat app from CAKE.com — the company behind the time tracker Clockify. It works like Slack: communication is organized into channels, direct messages and threads, plus built-in voice and video calls with screen sharing. Available in the browser, as a desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux) and on iOS and Android.
Is Pumble really free?
Yes — and the free plan is unusually generous: unlimited users, unlimited channels and unlimited message history, plus 10 GB of workspace storage and 1:1 calls. You only pay once you need group meetings, more storage or guest access — the Pro plan starts at $2.49 per seat/month (billed annually).
Pumble vs. Slack — which is better for freelancers and small teams?
For budget-conscious teams, usually Pumble: Slack's free plan hides messages after 90 days, while Pumble keeps your full history searchable forever. Paid plans also cost a fraction of Slack's. Slack wins on its massive app ecosystem (2,600+ integrations) and workflow automations — if you depend on those, stay put. Switching is straightforward, though: Pumble imports Slack export files including channels, history and users — only shared files stay behind (links are preserved).
Can Pumble host video meetings with multiple participants?
Yes — 1:1 calls are included in the free plan, and from the Pro plan ($2.49/seat/month) you get group meetings with up to 50 participants plus screen sharing with annotations; the Business plan raises the limit to 100 participants and adds meeting recordings. For chat-plus-calls workflows, that replaces a separate Zoom subscription.
Where does Pumble store its data?
Pumble is built by CAKE.com, headquartered in Palo Alto, California, and advertises GDPR compliance, SOC 2 certification and SSO — but there is no EU data-residency guarantee. For most freelance teams that is the same trade-off as with Slack; if you strictly need EU hosting, check the European options in our communication tools overview.
Verdict
Pumble is the pragmatic answer to the question of why team chat has to be so expensive. The free plan covers more — unlimited history, unlimited users — than Slack offers its entry-level paying customers, and the paid tiers cost a fraction of the usual per-seat prices. In exchange you accept a smaller integration ecosystem and less automation depth than Slack. For freelancers working with project teams and small businesses that want chat plus video calls without subscription shock, it is an easy recommendation to try.
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