TL;DR: Pumble is a team chat app from CAKE.com that gives you unlimited users and unlimited message history on its free plan, something Slack still won’t do. Paid plans start at roughly $2.49 per user per month and add group video calls, guest access, and more storage. It’s a strong pick for small teams and budget-conscious startups, though the integration library is thinner than Slack’s and video calling stays fairly basic. Sign up through Rewardio and you get an effective cashback rate on your subscription.
If you’ve ever tried to move a team off email and onto a proper chat tool, you know the usual sticking point. The good options cost real money once your headcount grows. The free tiers often cap your message history right as your team starts to rely on it. Pumble takes a different approach.
It’s built by CAKE.com, the same company behind the time tracker Clockify and the project tool Plaky. It leads with a free plan that doesn’t quietly punish you for staying on it. Unlimited users, unlimited chat history, and a workspace that looks and works a lot like Slack, minus the price tag.
This review looks at what Pumble actually offers. It also covers what real users on G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot say after using it, and where the rough edges sit. No fabricated hands-on testing here, just a clear read of the documented feature set and the review data available right now.
What Is Pumble?
Pumble is a team communication app for channels, direct messages, and threaded conversations, along with voice and video calls. It launched as a Slack alternative and has grown into a fairly complete Digital HQ for small and mid-sized teams. You get it on web, desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux), and mobile (iOS and Android). The interface will feel instantly familiar if you’ve used Slack or Microsoft Teams before.
The company behind it, CAKE.com, also builds Clockify and Plaky, and Pumble connects natively to both at no extra cost. That’s worth knowing if your team already tracks time or manages projects with either tool. The integration is baked in rather than bolted on through a third party.
Key Features
Pumble’s feature set covers the basics you’d expect from any modern Pumble chat platform, plus a handful of details that set it apart from pricier rivals.
- Unlimited message history on every plan. Even the free tier keeps every conversation searchable, with no 90-day cutoff like Slack’s free plan imposes.
- Channels, threads, and direct messages. Public and private channels, group chats, and one-on-one conversations, with pinned messages and scheduled sends.
- Voice and video calls. One-on-one calls are free for everyone, and paid plans unlock group calls with screen sharing.
- Guest access. Business and Enterprise plans let you bring in contractors, freelancers, or clients with limited, time-boxed access to specific channels. Some teams set up a casual channel for team socialising too. It’s not unusual to see something like a “Pumble party” channel used for quick celebrations or off-topic chat once a workspace gets going.
- Customisable sidebar. You can hide sections you don’t use and keep the interface as clean or as detailed as you like.
- Search and file sharing. Jump between conversations with a keyboard shortcut, and share files, images, and links directly in chat.
The Pumble app itself stays lightweight, which several reviewers point to as a reason they switched away from heavier tools like Microsoft Teams. On the flip side, Pumble integrations with outside tools are noticeably thinner than what Slack offers natively. You get native links to Clockify, Plaky, and Google Drive, and for anything beyond that, most teams lean on Zapier to bridge the gap.
Pumble Pricing
Pumble runs a freemium model with four tiers. The free Basic plan includes unlimited users, unlimited message history, and 10GB of shared storage, along with the native Clockify and Plaky integrations. From there, paid plans add group calls, more storage, and administrative controls.
Billed annually, Pro runs around $2.49 per user a month, Business comes in around $3.99, and Enterprise sits near $6.99. Monthly billing costs a bit more across every tier. Storage scales up with each plan too. It moves from a shared 10GB on the free tier to 10GB per user on Pro, 20GB per seat on Business, and up to 100GB per seat on Enterprise, which also adds single sign-on and stricter data retention.
For the full breakdown by tier, our Pumble pricing page walks through every plan side by side. If you’re weighing it against the market leader, our Pumble vs Slack comparison covers the cost gap in more detail.
Pros
1. The free plan is genuinely usable, not just a trial. Unlimited users and unlimited message history on a $0 plan is rare. Most competitors cap history or restrict user counts to push you toward a paid tier fast.
2. It costs meaningfully less than Slack once you scale up. A 65-person team on Pumble’s Pro plan runs close to a third of Slack’s equivalent price per year. That’s based on published pricing from both companies.
3. The interface is easy to learn. G2 reviewers consistently score Pumble’s usability and setup ease above 9 out of 10. Several mention onboarding new hires without any real training required.
Where It Falls Short
1. Third-party integrations are limited. Native connections stop at Clockify, Plaky, and Google Drive. Anything else, from Trello to Notion, usually needs to go through Zapier, which adds friction and, at higher usage, its own cost.
2. Video calling stays basic. There’s no 4K support, no breakout rooms, and group call participant caps that grow with your plan tier rather than starting generously. Some Capterra and Trustpilot reviewers also report occasional call drops or connection issues.
3. No built-in task management. Pumble handles chat well. If you want project boards or task tracking in the same tool, you’re either pairing it with Plaky separately or looking elsewhere.
What Do Pumble Reviews Actually Say?
Looking across the major review platforms gives a more complete picture than any single source.
G2 puts Pumble at 4.5 out of 5, the same overall score as Slack. Pumble actually edges ahead on ease of use and setup, scoring around 9.5, and its support quality rating beats Slack’s. The recurring complaints are about the smaller integration library and a lack of interface customisation compared to more established tools.
Capterra shows Pumble at 4.7 out of 5 from 234 verified reviews. Users praise the clean UI, fast onboarding, and responsive support team. Several noted they switched from Microsoft Teams for the lower CPU and RAM usage alone. The criticism that shows up most is around notification handling and the lack of custom sort options for chats.
Trustpilot tells a rougher story, though the sample is tiny, just a couple of reviews at the time of writing. One reviewer liked the pricing but flagged repeated video call disconnections. Another described a genuinely bad experience bundling Pumble with Clockify and Plaky under CAKE.com’s bundle pricing, citing login issues and a refusal to refund after cancelling. It’s worth noting this is a bundle-billing complaint rather than a core Pumble product issue. Still, it’s worth knowing before you commit to a multi-app bundle rather than Pumble on its own.
Taken together, the pattern across Pumble reviews is consistent. Strong marks for value, usability, and support, with integrations and video call maturity as the recurring weak points.
Who Pumble Is For (and Who Should Skip It)
Pumble makes the most sense for small businesses, startups, and remote teams that want a straightforward chat tool without a per-seat cost that climbs fast. It also suits agencies and freelancers who need to bring in outside collaborators through guest access, and any team already using Clockify or Plaky for time tracking or project work.
It’s a weaker fit for larger organisations that lean on a deep integration stack, think native Salesforce, Notion, or Jira connections. The same goes for teams that host large video meetings regularly, or anyone who wants task management built into the same tool as their chat.
Getting Started With Pumble
Setup takes a few minutes. Sign up with an email address or Google account, no credit card required for the free plan, and Pumble creates your workspace automatically. From there:
- Download the desktop or mobile app, or just use the web version.
- Invite your team by email or shareable link.
- Set up your first channels, public for general team chat and private for smaller groups or sensitive topics.
- If you’re moving from Slack, use Pumble’s built-in import tool to bring over your message history.
- Log in on any device with the same account. Pumble login works identically across web, desktop, and mobile, so switching between them mid-conversation isn’t an issue.
How the Cashback Works
When you sign up for Pumble through Rewardio’s link, we earn a commission from Pumble for the referral. We pass a share of that commission back to you as cashback, so you get money back on a subscription you were already going to pay for.
Because Pumble is a recurring subscription rather than a one-off purchase, the cashback applies on a recurring basis too, not just your first payment. That makes it one of the more useful cashback categories if you’re planning to stick with the tool long term. Head to the Pumble page on Rewardio to see the current effective cashback rate and activate it before you sign up.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pumble?
Pumble is a team communication app for channels, direct messages, and voice and video calls, built by CAKE.com. It’s positioned as a lower-cost alternative to Slack and Microsoft Teams, with a notably generous free plan.
What is the best alternative to Pumble?
Slack is the most common comparison, and the two share the same 4.5 out of 5 average rating on G2, though Slack pulls ahead on integrations and Pumble wins on price and setup ease. Microsoft Teams suits teams already locked into Microsoft 365, while Rocket.Chat appeals to teams that want an open-source, self-hosted option.
Who uses Pumble?
Small businesses make up the bulk of Pumble’s user base, around 86% of reviewers on Capterra, with IT and software companies, marketing agencies, and remote teams among the most common industries. It also serves freelancers, non-profits, and some mid-size and enterprise teams looking for a lower-cost chat tool.
Is Pumble free?
Yes. The free plan includes unlimited users, unlimited message history, and 10GB of shared storage, along with one-on-one calls and native Clockify and Plaky integrations. Paid plans start at roughly $2.49 per user per month and add group calls, guest access, and more storage.
How do I connect Pumble to other apps?
Pumble connects natively to Clockify, Plaky, and Google Drive. For other apps, most teams use Zapier, which links Pumble to thousands of third-party tools, though it’s an extra step compared to a direct native integration.
The Verdict
Pumble earns its reputation as one of the better free chat software options on the market right now, backed up by solid scores across G2 and Capterra. Head to the Pumble page on Rewardio to check the current cashback rate and activate it before you sign up.
Rewardio may earn a commission when you sign up for Pumble through the links in this article. This does not affect the price you pay, and our editorial opinions are our own. Pricing and features are accurate as of the time of publication and may change.
