8seats

Overview

8seats is a work messaging platform built for frontline and deskless teams coordinating staff and outside partners. It suits employers whose people may not have company email, especially those managing communication across locations. Its appeal is practical: phone-number onboarding, guest access and location-level administration, with a free option for small teams.

Key features

Rooms support team-wide broadcasts, Tables bring smaller group conversations into a focused space, and Direct Messages handle private one-to-one chats. The separation gives managers a way to distinguish broad updates from ongoing group discussion, rather than pushing every exchange into one stream. File sharing and audit logs add useful operational tools.

Staff can join with a phone number instead of a company email, a meaningful fit for deskless workforces. An admin dashboard manages users and communication across locations; role-based permissions restrict who can view or manage conversations, and administrators can remove access instantly. Guest access accommodates external partners, while app branding lets organizations tailor its appearance.

The maker says messages are encrypted in transit with TLS 1.3 and at rest with AES-256. It also says the service is hosted on AWS and built for 99.99% uptime. These claims address security and reliability, but teams that depend on specific third-party integrations should look elsewhere: 8seats does not name any. Its Help Centre provides tutorials, FAQs, troubleshooting, support requests and bug reports.

Pricing

Starter is a sensible way for a small team to begin without a subscription, and unlimited guests help when outside partners need access. Its 10-employee cap, 1 GB storage allowance and 365-day history are meaningful constraints: teams with heavier file use or a need to retain older messages will need to weigh those limits. Business removes the employee ceiling and adds expanded storage and operational features, making it the more suitable plan for growing or multi-location organizations. The pricing page offers Monthly and Yearly options and says “Save 16%”; the Business price shown is $2.99 a month, billed user/mo. A free trial is available.

Platforms

8seats is available on Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows, covering the major mobile and desktop environments. Linux is not among its listed platforms, which may rule it out for teams standardized on that system.

Who it's for

8seats is aimed at frontline and deskless teams in retail, hospitality, facilities management, transport, logistics and construction. Phone-number onboarding is particularly relevant where staff do not have company email, while location-level administration and announcement broadcasts suit employers coordinating distributed workers. Small teams can start on Starter; larger organizations will need Business. It is a weaker fit for buyers who require named integrations or a Linux app.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Phone-number onboarding: employees can join without company email, a practical advantage for deskless staff.
• Guest access on Starter: unlimited guests let small teams communicate with outside partners without using employee seats.
• Location-level administration: dashboard controls, role-based permissions and instant access removal help manage distributed teams.
• Broad device coverage: Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows support a range of staff devices.

Cons

• Starter is capped at 10 employees and 1 GB of storage: growing teams or frequent file sharing may outgrow the free plan.
• Message history is limited to 365 days: teams needing older conversations retained should consider this constraint before adopting Starter.
• No named third-party integrations: organizations relying on connections to other business software may need a different product.
• No listed Linux platform: teams that require a Linux app may find the platform coverage insufficient.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison of products in this category, see Secure Team Chat Software.

• Wire is a freemium alternative with a free plan and apps for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows; Wire says its source code is fully open source and available on GitHub for verification. Choose it when open-source verification or Linux support matters.
• Rocket.Chat is a freemium alternative with a free Starter plan for 50 users and support for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows. Consider it when a 50-user free tier or self-hosting is a priority.
• Crypho has a free personal plan limited to one group and files up to 3mb, plus encrypted calls and video calls. It is a more relevant option for personal use centered on encrypted calling.
• Troop Messenger offers a free plan for 1–50 users with 50 GB storage and a 7-day enterprise experience. Its free storage allowance may suit teams that prioritize a larger included file capacity.
• Celo has a free plan for up to 10 users with HIPAA-compliant messaging, read receipts and delivery status. Consider it when those named capabilities are central to the choice.
• Eleven for Business offers a free plan with every feature, up to 3 spaces and 1 GB of files per space. It may fit teams that prefer a space-based free tier.
• eXpress offers a Corporate + SmartApps plan with individual conditions and the option to run on a company's server or in a secure cloud. Consider it when deployment choice is a priority.
• TigerConnect Physician Scheduling is an enterprise-wide paid option for organizations seeking physician scheduling software.

Verdict

8seats is a strong fit for frontline employers that need phone-based onboarding, guest participation and administration across locations. Its Starter plan makes it easy to begin with a small workforce, while Business lifts the employee cap and adds tools for larger operations. Look elsewhere if Linux support or specific third-party integrations are essential, or if the Starter storage and history limits do not suit your team.