Mattermost
Whimsical
| Feature | Mattermost | Whimsical |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10/mo | Free / from $10/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | devops-teams, security-conscious-orgs, government, enterprise | product-managers, designers, startups, remote-teams |
| Founded | 2015 | 2017 |
| Messaging | ✓ | ✗ |
| Channels | ✓ | ✗ |
| Playbooks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Integrations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Compliance | ✓ | ✗ |
| Flowcharts | ✗ | ✓ |
| Wireframes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mind Maps | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sticky Notes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Suggestions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Docs | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Mattermost Pros
- Self-hostable
- Open source
- DevOps integrations
- Secure
✗ Mattermost Cons
- Smaller ecosystem
- Fewer integrations than Slack
- Self-hosting complexity
✓ Whimsical Pros
- Fast and intuitive
- Great for wireframes
- Clean interface
- AI features
✗ Whimsical Cons
- Limited free boards
- No real-time video
- Fewer templates than Miro
The Verdict
Mattermost is built for devops teams and security conscious orgs, with a focus on messaging and channels. Whimsical targets product managers and designers and leads with flowcharts and wireframes.
Both tools come in at similar price points ($10/mo for Mattermost, $10/mo for Whimsical), so pricing won't make the decision for you.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Bottom line: Whimsical has a slight overall edge — but if self-hostable matters most to you, Mattermost may still be the right call.