When comparing Flowdock vs TeamSpeak 3, the Slant community recommends Flowdock for most people. In the question“What is the best team chat software?” Flowdock is ranked 4th while TeamSpeak 3 is ranked 18th. The most important reason people chose Flowdock is:
An easy & simple interface to filter chat discussion into separate threads.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Threaded discussions
An easy & simple interface to filter chat discussion into separate threads.
Pro Drag and drop file sharing
Files can be dragged and dropped in to the flow dock screen for upload.
Pro Multi-platform
Browser Based, as well as:
- iPhone and iPad App
- Android App
- Mac OS X App
Pro Stored chat history
Content and discussions are stored forever.
Pro Smart pastes & code syntax highlighting
Pro Private chat option
Able to speak privately/talk head-to-head.
Pro Notification system
A specific user or everyone in the channel can be notified via @user or @everyone respectively.
Pro A full developer API
Flowdock API allows developers the freedom to create custom integrations.
Pro Create and assign PRs from Flowdock
You can interact with Github directly from Flowdock to create PRs.
Pro Free for teams of five, non-profits and students
Pro Data exports
Back up conversations and files fully at any time.
Pro Add Tools
On top of our 50+ custom integrations, easily integrate any tool that sends emails or generates RSS feeds, as well as having the option to build a custom integration with Flowdock's API
Pro Status updating
Allows co-workers to know what you’re up to "/status I'm busy today!"
Pro Google Apps Integration
Google Apps get a Flowdock link to the Apps tool-bar and won't have to separately manage users
Pro Typo Fix-ups
Pro Able to host users external to your team
When working with stakeholders (clients or partners) you can add organizations to manage internal privacy
Pro A lot of features
Pro Fine-grained administration options
Allows for complex administrative structures, with lots of roles and many other features related to server administration.
Pro Advanced permissions
It has an advanced system to manage channel/server permissions.
Pro Works on all main PC OS platforms
Available on Windows, Linux and OS X allows for a user to choose what best OS suits them and not have to worry if their game chat software will work.
Pro Supports audio and text chat
TeamSpeak allows for both voice and text chat. this adds flexibility, and can clarify information if somebody has a very poor connection, or a very thick accent. It also allows players without a mic to communicate with the other players.
Pro Widely used
Among most MMOs (massive multiplayer online games such as Guild Wars 2, or World of Warcraft) Teamspeak is widely used so it's likely other players already use it and won't need to download a new program. There are also many knowledge and help articles available online.
Pro Voice Activation Detection while using Push-To-Talk
Pro Echo reduction
Pro Free for non-commercial use
As long as one is not using TeamSpeak for commercial services the app is free to use. This is great as most users will not be using it for commercial purposes (as long as you aren't making money off it you don't need to pay for it) such as gaming.
Pro Unlimited nesting of channels
This allows for very granular organization.
Pro Sound level tuning
You can tune everyone's sound output levels to meet your own personal preference in inbound volume. So to your ears nobody is too loud or too quiet.
Pro Supports Encryption
Under "Edit Channel" --> "Advanced" --> theres a toggle button called "Voice Data Encrypted". Everything but file transfers is encrypted.
Pro Plugin support
A wide range of plugins are available for those that want extra functionality, ranging from soundboards and overlays, to peripheral and application hooks.
Pro Private hosting
You can host your own server.
Pro TeamSpeak Sync
Signing up for a MyTeamSpeak account will allow you to synchronize your bookmarks, identities, hotkeys, whisper lists and channel subscriptions across all devices. MyTeamSpeak features will include addons synchronization, addons update management, and more.
Pro Clean theme
Pro No privacy nightmare
Cons
Con Proprietary (non-free/libre)
Con No self-hosting available
If you are worried about third-parties getting access to your data you should consider self-hosting. With self-hosting you are in control over where your data is stored, who has access to it. You will also not be vulnerable to exploits of a third-party provider.
Con Buggy android app
Google sign up didn't work, then after going to the website to do the sign up, the invite team members screen was broken.
Con Free only for small teams, non-profits or students
Unless it's used by a team of less than five people, a non-profit or students, Flowdock will cost $3/mo per person.
Con Mobile app costs money
TeamSpeak for mobile platforms costs $1.99 for Android devices in Google play store or $4.99 for devices that run iOS.
Con Requires to self-host, rent or use a public server
TeamSpeak cannot be used without a private server (meaning TeamSpeak themselves do not provide servers). This adds complexity to the setup and may simply be out of reach for many users. There are, however, several free public servers available, Teamspeak offers to rent one, and many games have dedicated servers available through their respective websites.
Con Outdated UI
The client itself feels really old, and even though there are custom huds, most of them don't feel modern.
Con Proprietary software
It's not free.
Con No video communication
Currently there is no video chat for the app. While not essential for in-game communication, outside of the game it would help to strengthen online relationships with your gaming pals.
Con Too easy to hack
Your server may become vulnerable if you give admin away and do not configure your server properly.
Keeping a record of backups is important, if you broke something while editing the configuration or your server has become compromised due to negligence. You will then be able to spin up a new instance.