Zoho Cliq favicon

Zoho Cliq

by Zoho Corporation

Team chat & communication software for businesses - Zoho Cliq

Freemium๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ93%communicationChennai

About This App

Zoho Cliq is a business messaging and team collaboration platform built by Zoho Corporation out of Chennai, India. It brings together team channels, direct messages, group chats, HD video and audio meetings, screen sharing, and real-time file collaboration in a single workspace โ€” positioned as an affordable, privacy-first alternative to Slack and Microsoft Teams for Indian SMBs and enterprises. Cliq's standout advantage is its deep integration with the 55+ app Zoho One suite โ€” conversations can trigger actions in Zoho CRM, Projects, Desk, People, Books, and more without leaving the chat. Bots and custom commands can be built in Zoho's own Deluge scripting language, and admins get granular controls over message retention, data residency, and user permissions. Pricing is a major differentiator: the Free plan supports up to 100 users with unlimited messages (vs Slack's 90-day history cap on free), while the Unlimited plan is priced at roughly Rs 90โ€“180 per user per month depending on region โ€” typically 40โ€“60% cheaper than Slack Pro. Data is hosted in Indian data centres for customers who opt for the in.zoho.com data region, addressing data sovereignty concerns for Indian businesses. Cliq is best suited for teams already invested in the Zoho ecosystem, cost-sensitive SMBs, and Indian organisations that need local data residency. Large enterprises coming from Slack may find the UI and third-party integration ecosystem less polished, but for most Indian teams, Cliq delivers 80% of Slack's functionality at a fraction of the price.

Information updated 6 months ago

App Details

Company
Zoho Corporation
Location
Chennai
Pricing
Freemium
Twitter
@zoho
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ
93%Highly Swadeshi

Zoho Corporation

Honest Review

4.4/5 on G2 (400+ reviews) ยท Last verified 2026-04-25

What works well

  • +Free plan supports up to 100 users with unlimited message history โ€” no 90-day cap like Slack
  • +Deep native integration with Zoho One's 55+ business apps (CRM, Projects, Desk, People, Books)
  • +Built-in HD video and audio meetings, screen sharing, and whiteboarding โ€” no separate app needed
  • +40โ€“60% cheaper than Slack or Microsoft Teams at comparable tiers
  • +Indian data residency available via the in.zoho.com region for data sovereignty compliance
  • +Custom bots and automations via Deluge (Zoho's low-code scripting language)

What needs improvement

  • -Third-party integration marketplace is much smaller than Slack's (~100 vs 2,400+)
  • -Mobile apps feel less polished than Slack and Teams โ€” occasional sync lag on Android
  • -Desktop notifications can be inconsistent on macOS
  • -UI feels dated compared to Slack; learning curve for teams switching over

Common user complaints

  • !Search within old messages is slower than Slack's indexed search
  • !Notification sounds and badge counts sometimes don't match unread state on mobile
  • !Initial onboarding for non-Zoho teams is confusing โ€” forces Zoho account creation

Learn Zoho Cliq on YouTube

Hand-picked videos to help you get started โ€” tutorials, demos, and reviews.

Tutorial

Webinar | The ultimate beginner's guide to Zoho Cliq | Getting started

Tutorial

Complete Guide to Zoho: Mail, WorkDrive, Writer, Sheet, Cliq & Meeting

Tutorial

Zoho Cliq - Availability and Integrations | Zoho One Course

Product demo

Zoho Cliq Full Product Overview and Integrations

Official video

Move Your Work Chats Forward With Zoho | Zoho Cliq

Zoho Cliq preview

Indian Alternative To

Zoho Cliq is a powerful Indian alternative to these international apps:

Is Zoho Cliq an alternative to Slack?

Yes, Zoho Cliq by Zoho Corporation is an Indian alternative to Slack. It offers similar functionality while being developed and maintained in India.Explore other Indian alternatives to Slack โ†’

Is Zoho Cliq an alternative to Microsoft Teams?

Yes, Zoho Cliq by Zoho Corporation is an Indian alternative to Microsoft Teams. It offers similar functionality while being developed and maintained in India.Explore other Indian alternatives to Microsoft Teams โ†’

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