Flowdock

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Flowdock

A curated collection of the 2 best self hosted alternatives to Flowdock.

Flowdock was a cloud-based team chat and collaboration service (by CA/Broadcom) offering threaded conversations, a shared inbox, integrations with development tools, and real-time notifications for engineering and cross-functional teams. The SaaS service has been discontinued.

Alternatives List

#1
Tailchat

Tailchat

Tailchat is an open source team chat and collaboration platform with a strong plugin system, bot integrations, multi-group workspaces, and RBAC permissions.

Tailchat screenshot

Tailchat is an open source “noIM” (not only instant messaging) team collaboration app that combines chat with an extensible platform for integrating tools and workflows. It supports multi-group workspaces, panels for organizing topics, and a plugin-centered approach for customization.

Key Features

  • Real-time messaging with multiple message types (text, links, mentions, images, files) and reactions
  • Workspace and group structure with panels to organize conversations by topic
  • Inbox-style notifications for mentions and plugin events
  • Plugin center for extending the UI and embedding tools (e.g., whiteboards, conferencing, utilities)
  • Bot and open platform integrations via simple URL requests or OpenAPI apps
  • Built-in RBAC permission system with roles and permission points that plugins can extend
  • Optional AI assistant features such as rewriting, simplifying text, and summarizing chat history
  • Multi-platform support with web-based UI and dedicated clients for native capabilities

Use Cases

  • Replacing Slack/Discord-style chat for teams that want deeper customization
  • Building an internal collaboration hub by embedding third-party tools through plugins
  • Adding automation and notifications from external systems using bots and OpenAPI

Limitations and Considerations

  • The third-party developer interfaces and plugin APIs may still evolve and can introduce breaking changes over time

Tailchat fits teams that want a modern chat experience but also need a flexible integration and extension model. Its plugin system and RBAC design make it suitable for both small groups and larger, structured organizations.

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#2
Synapse

Synapse

Synapse is a Matrix homeserver implementation for running federated, secure real-time chat and collaboration on your own infrastructure.

Synapse screenshot

Synapse is a Matrix homeserver implementation that powers federated, end-to-end encrypted real-time communication using the open Matrix protocol. It provides the core server-side APIs needed for Matrix clients and for federation with other Matrix servers.

Key Features

  • Matrix Client-Server API for chat, rooms, presence, and device management
  • Server-to-Server federation to communicate with other Matrix homeservers
  • End-to-end encryption support via Matrix encryption primitives and device tracking
  • Moderation and administration capabilities for users, rooms, and server policy
  • Pluggable authentication options (commonly used with SSO/OIDC deployments)
  • Scales from small communities to large deployments with supported production setups

Use Cases

  • Running a private or community Matrix chat server with federation support
  • Operating an enterprise messaging backend for Matrix clients (including Element)
  • Hosting regulated or controlled-communication deployments with central administration

Limitations and Considerations

  • Requires careful operational tuning for larger instances (database, caching, and workers)
  • Feature completeness can depend on Matrix spec evolution and enabled server modules

Synapse is widely used in the Matrix ecosystem and is actively maintained, providing a stable foundation for self-managed, interoperable real-time communications. It is typically deployed alongside a reverse proxy and other Matrix components depending on the desired feature set.

3.4kstars
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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running