Free picks · Mac
Best free communication apps for Mac (2026)
Every pick is listed under Communication in our directory, runs on a Mac and is completely free or has a free plan. We rank them by our rating and popularity, then favour tools made mainly for communication and apps built for Mac.
Short answer
The best free communication apps for Mac are Discord, Ferdium and Flameshot, the top three of 32 matches in our directory. 4 of the 10 picks are completely free and the other 6 have a free plan; 3 are open source.
Updated
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
At a glance
Counted from the top 10 picks, except the total.
- Matching tools
- 32
- Completely free
- 4
- Open source
- 3
- Work offline
- 3
- Native apps
- 5
Comparison table
“Free plan” means a free tier with paid upgrades. A dash in Licence means our directory does not list the tool as open source.
| # | Name | Pricing | Platforms | Licence | Why pick it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discord | Free plan | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | — | Free voice, video and text chat for communities, friends and small teams. |
| 2 | Ferdium | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | Open source | All your messaging and work apps together in one desktop window. |
| 3 | Flameshot | Free | Linux, Windows, macOS, Offline | Open source | An open-source screenshot tool with quick, built-in annotation. |
| 4 | Lightshot | Free | Windows, macOS, Chrome, Firefox | — | A tiny screenshot app for grabbing, marking up and sharing your screen. |
| 5 | Signal | Free | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux | — | A free, end-to-end encrypted messaging app run by a nonprofit. |
| 6 | Slack | Free plan | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | — | Team communication organised into channels. |
| 7 | Loom | Free plan | Web, macOS, Windows, Chrome, iOS, Android | — | Replace meetings with quick async video. |
| 8 | Mattermost | Free plan | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Open source | Self-hosted, open-source team chat with a free edition for small teams. |
| 9 | Jumpshare | Free plan | Windows, macOS, Web | — | A screen recorder and screenshot tool that turns captures into shareable links. |
| 10 | Shottr | Free plan | macOS | — | A small, fast screenshot tool for Mac with markup, OCR and scrolling capture. |
Why each pick made the list
Every reason is taken from the tool's own listing: its categories, platforms, features, rating and pricing.
Our top Mac pick, rated 4.5/5. Made mainly for communication, one of 9 such picks here. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, Windows, Linux, iOS and 1 more platform. Its listing says it is easy to pick up (9 of 10 here). On our Linux list it is number 1. Not tagged open source.
Watch out for: Built for communities, so admin and compliance tools are thin for businesses
Number 2 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. Made mainly for communication, one of 9 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows and Linux. Its listing says it is privacy-focused (3 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (9 of 10 here). On our Linux list it is number 2. Tagged open source: number 1 on the open-source Mac list.
Watch out for: Each service runs as a web view, so it can use a lot of memory
Number 3 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.6/5. Made mainly for communication, one of 9 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Linux, Windows and Offline. Its listing says it works offline (3 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (9 of 10 here). On our Linux list it is number 3. Tagged open source: number 2 on the open-source Mac list.
Watch out for: No screen recording
Number 4 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.4/5. Made mainly for communication, one of 9 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows, Chrome and Firefox. Its listing says it works offline (3 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (9 of 10 here). It is not in the Linux top 10 (not listed for Linux). Not tagged open source.
Watch out for: Uploaded screenshots are public to anyone with the link
Number 5 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.7/5, the highest here. Made mainly for communication, one of 9 such picks here. Runs on a Mac, and also on Android, iOS, Windows and Linux. Its listing says it is privacy-focused (3 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (9 of 10 here). On our Linux list it is number 4. Not tagged open source.
Watch out for: The people you talk to need Signal too
Number 6 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.2/5. Made mainly for communication, one of 9 such picks here. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, Windows, Linux, iOS and 1 more platform. Its listing says it has AI features (2 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (9 of 10 here). On our Linux list it is number 5. Not tagged open source.
Watch out for: Can become a distraction engine
Number 7 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. Made mainly for communication, one of 9 such picks here. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, Windows, Chrome, iOS and 1 more platform. Its listing says it has AI features (2 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (9 of 10 here). It is not in the Linux top 10 (not listed for Linux). Not tagged open source.
Watch out for: Free plan video limits
Number 8 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.4/5. Made mainly for communication, one of 9 such picks here. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, Windows, Linux, iOS and 1 more platform. Its listing says it is privacy-focused (3 of 10 here). On our Linux list it is number 7. Tagged open source: number 3 on the open-source Mac list.
Watch out for: You need to run and maintain your own server
Number 9 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.4/5. Made mainly for communication, one of 9 such picks here. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows and Web. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud (the only one here) and is easy to pick up (9 of 10 here). It is not in the Linux top 10 (not listed for Linux). Not tagged open source.
Watch out for: Free plan stops at 25 uploads
Number 10 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.7/5. Made mainly for personal productivity, it is the only pick here that covers communication as a second use. A desktop app that runs on a Mac and nowhere else. Its listing says it works offline (3 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (9 of 10 here). It is not in the Linux top 10 (not listed for Linux). Not tagged open source.
Watch out for: Mac only
Running these on Mac
Counted from each pick's listing type and platforms.
- By listing type, the 10 Mac picks are 5 desktop apps (Ferdium, Flameshot, Lightshot, Jumpshare and 1 other), 4 web apps (Discord, Slack, Loom and Mattermost) and 1 mobile app (Signal).
- 5 of 10 are apps you install on a Mac; the other 5 are web or cloud tools listed for Mac.
- Shottr is listed for Mac and nothing else. Discord reaches furthest, on 5 other platforms besides Mac.
- 5 of 10 also run on iPhone and iPad, so the same tool can follow you between Mac and iPhone; Ferdium, Flameshot, Lightshot, Jumpshare and 1 other do not.
How this list compares
The same search on other platforms, and the other price filter. Only the differences are named.
- Free communication apps for Linux
6 of these 10 Mac picks also make the Linux top 10. 4 are on this list only: Lightshot (not listed for Linux), Loom (not listed for Linux), Jumpshare (not listed for Linux) and Shottr (not listed for Linux). In their place the Linux list has LibreTranslate, Thunderbird, Zulip and Kooha; LibreTranslate and Kooha are not listed for Mac.
- Free communication apps for iPhone
5 of these 10 Mac picks also make the iPhone top 10.
- Free open-source communication apps for Mac
Want code you can inspect? 3 picks of 10 here are tagged open source; the open-source Mac list ranks 14 such tools, led by Ferdium, Flameshot and Mattermost.
More matches
22 more free communication apps for Mac in our directory; the next 20 by our ranking are below.
- Thunderbird · Free
- Zulip · Free plan
- DeepL · Free plan
- Pumble · Free plan
- Microsoft Teams (free) · Free
- Mumble · Free
- Xnapper · Free plan
- Rocket.Chat · Free plan
- Element · Free plan
- Big Arrow on the Screen · Free
- Markup Hero · Free plan
- Mailspring · Free plan
- Grammarly · Free plan
- Snapzy · Free plan
- Hemingway Editor · Free plan
- Marp CLI · Free
- Spark Mail · Free plan
- OnionShare · Free
- Harper · Free
- Proton Mail · Free plan
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best free communication app for Mac?
- Discord is our first pick. Free voice, video and text chat for communities, friends and small teams. Discord has a free plan, with paid plans that unlock more features or usage.
- Are these communication apps really free?
- Yes, every pick is free to start. Ferdium, Flameshot, Lightshot and Signal are completely free. Discord, Slack, Loom, Mattermost and 2 others have free plans with paid upgrades.
- Which of these communication apps are open source?
- Ferdium, Flameshot and Mattermost are tagged open source in our directory, so you can read the code of each and, depending on the licence, self-host or modify it.
- Which ones work offline on a Mac?
- Flameshot, Lightshot and Shottr are listed as working offline. The others need an internet connection for at least some features.
- Which are easiest for beginners?
- Discord, Ferdium and Flameshot are rated beginner-friendly, along with 6 other picks. 1 pick takes more time to learn.
- How many free communication apps for Mac are in the directory?
- 32 match: listed under Communication, available on a Mac and free to start. This page ranks the top 10 and names up to 20 more under More matches. The Communication category page has every listing, paid ones included.
Keep exploring
Wider lists
Related free lists
- Free open-source communication apps for Mac
- Free communication apps for iPhone
- Free note-taking apps for Mac
- Free communication apps for Linux
- Free to-do list apps for Mac
- Free open-source communication apps for iPhone
- Free project management apps for Mac
- Free time management apps for Mac
- Free writing apps for Mac
- Free AI productivity tools for Mac
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