The DingTalk Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about DingTalk in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
DingTalk
The Insider’s Guide
Chat, meetings, docs and approvals in one work platform
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among team communication apps, read from DingTalk’s own pages.
Made by DingTalk (Singapore) Private Limited · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from DingTalk’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on DingTalk’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 0 of the 50 other team communication apps we grade
DingTalk is a workplace platform that puts chat, video meetings, docs, calendar, mail, cloud drive and an AI table in one suite. Its international site sells it per user in US dollars, with a free tier for small teams and AI features such as meeting minutes and summaries. The company operates the international site through DingTalk (Singapore) Private Limited.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about DingTalk, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for a chat, meetings and approvals suite for a small company
DingTalk bundles chat, video meetings, docs, mail, drive and approvals in one workplace suite, with a free plan for up to 10 users and paid plans from $4 per user a month.
- 2
Paid plans start at $4 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $4.00 per user / month, annual rate ($4.80 billed monthly).
- 3
There is a free plan
Free plan for up to 10 users: 100 GB storage, HD video meetings up to 40 minutes, 300 AI speech-to-text minutes per user a month, and 180 days of chat history.
- 4
It runs on iOS
iOS.
- 5
Chat with long retention
Messaging history is kept for 180 days on Free, 2 years on Basic, 10 years on Standard and 20 years on Premium.
- 6
Video meetings
Meetings run in HD on Free and Full HD on paid plans, with limits of 100, 300 or 500 participants depending on the plan.
- 7
AI Minutes
Speech-to-text and AI-generated meeting summaries are metered per user each month: 300 minutes and 5 summaries, or 1,500 and 50 on Premium.
- 8
A 2.0 GPA, above 0 of 50
That is against the other team communication apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace DingTalk you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
DingTalk at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $4.00 per user / month, annual rate ($4.80 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Free 1-month trial on paid plans
- Runs on
- iOS
- Made by
- DingTalk (Singapore) Private Limited
- Category
- Team Communication
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for a chat, meetings and approvals suite for a small company
DingTalk bundles chat, video meetings, docs, mail, drive and approvals in one workplace suite, with a free plan for up to 10 users and paid plans from $4 per user a month. Its App Store listing averages 1.4 from about 14,000 ratings, and the free plan caps meetings at 40 minutes.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Basic is $4 per user a month at the annual rate ($4.80 monthly), just above the $3.50 that marks the cheaper quarter of team-chat tools. The middle is $7. |
| Free plan and trial | B | Free covers up to 10 users with 100 GB of storage, 40-minute meetings, 300 AI speech-to-text minutes per user and 180 days of chat history. A small team could use it, and paid plans get a free month. |
| Features | B | Chat, meetings, docs, drive, mail, calendar, AI minutes, an AI table, approvals and attendance. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core chat job. |
| Ease of use | F | The App Store listing shows 1.4 from about 14,000 ratings, and the recent reviews shown date from 2020. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Only an iOS app was confirmed from the listing, and the English pages name no other platforms. No API or integration list is shown. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who DingTalk is for
- Fits if a small company wants chat, meetings and approvals in one account
- Works for teams that want a free tier for up to 10 people
Who it is not for
- Skip it if store ratings matter to you, as the iOS app averages 1.4 from about 14,000 ratings
- Tight if you are over 10 people on Free, or over 300 on Basic
- Tight if you hold long meetings on Free, as they stop at 40 minutes
- Watch out: the lower price is assumed to be the annual rate, so confirm it
- Watch out: only an iOS app was confirmed, and no other platforms are named
Good to know
Good for
- Companies that want chat, meetings and docs in one suite at a per-user price
- Organizations with operations in China or Asia where DingTalk is widely used
- Small teams of up to 10 people that fit the free plan
Worth knowing
- The pricing page was read through a Monthly or Annually toggle; the lower price is assumed to be the annual rate and a person should confirm it.
- Free is capped at 10 users and 40-minute meetings, and Basic stops at 300 users.
- Only an iOS app was confirmed from the App Store listing; the English pages name no other platforms.
- The App Store listing shows a 1.4 average from about 14,000 ratings, and the most recent reviews shown are from 2020.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$4
A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too
DingTalk has a free plan. Paid plans start at $4.00 per user / month, annual rate ($4.80 billed monthly).
A small team could use it, and paid plans get a free month.
Free
$0.00
Up to 10 users, 100 GB storage, 100 participants per meeting and chat retained for 180 days.
Basic
$4.00
per user / month, annual rate ($4.80 billed monthly)
Up to 300 users, 2 TB plus 5 GB per user, Full HD meetings up to 24 hours and chat retained for 2 years.
Standard
$8.00
per user / month, annual rate ($9.60 billed monthly)
From 3 users with no upper limit, 300 meeting participants, 500 GB mailboxes and chat retained for 10 years.
Premium
$15.00
per user / month, annual rate ($18.00 billed monthly)
500 meeting participants, 1,500 AI speech-to-text minutes per user, 5 TB mailboxes and chat retained for 20 years.
The free plan
Free plan for up to 10 users: 100 GB storage, HD video meetings up to 40 minutes, 300 AI speech-to-text minutes per user a month, and 180 days of chat history.
Trying it first
Free 1-month trial on paid plans
Read from dingtalk.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
About 17% off with annual billing
The pricing section shows annual rates roughly 17% below the monthly figures, for example $4.00 against $4.80 for Basic.
Stated on dingtalk.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: iOS
Chat, meetings, docs and approvals in one work platform. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, meeting notes, transcription, calendar, team chat, video calls.
Chat, meetings, docs, drive, mail, calendar, AI minutes, an AI table, approvals and attendance.
- Chat with long retention
- Messaging history is kept for 180 days on Free, 2 years on Basic, 10 years on Standard and 20 years on Premium.
- Video meetings
- Meetings run in HD on Free and Full HD on paid plans, with limits of 100, 300 or 500 participants depending on the plan.
- AI Minutes
- Speech-to-text and AI-generated meeting summaries are metered per user each month: 300 minutes and 5 summaries, or 1,500 and 50 on Premium.
- AI Table
- Spreadsheet-style tables for building business apps with automations, with row limits from 2,000 to 50,000 per sheet and monthly automation runs.
- Docs, drive, mail and calendar
- The same suite includes cloud docs, a drive with per-user storage, mail with attachment limits and a calendar.
- Approvals and attendance
- The English download page lists clock-in, clock-out and leave approval features, and the Chinese site lists approval and attendance products.
Where it runs
- iOS
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
DingTalk is made by DingTalk (Singapore) Private Limited.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
0/50
Other team communication apps it is graded above
DingTalk's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 0 of the 50 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on features (B, above 39 of 50) and worst on ease of use (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $4 a month for each person, against a middle price of $7 for the category: 9 of the 38 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. 14 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 51 team communication apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. DingTalk’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 of 50
- BFree plan and trialAbove 29 of 50
- BFeaturesAbove 39 of 50
- FEase of useAbove 0 of 50
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 50
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 45 team communication apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. DingTalk is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace DingTalk you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 45 of the 50 other team communication apps grade higher. It costs $48 a year.
What you could make
- Calendar: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
- Video calls.
- A bot that joins your calls and turns the talk into notes.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- A real app for iOS. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. DingTalk’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Lark, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Chat and Zoom
The 5 tools DingTalk is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
Lark
Free plan · from $6/mo
All-in-one suite of chat, meetings, docs, email and workflows.
- Only Lark lists a web app.
- Only Lark lists macOS, Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- DingTalk also covers meeting notes.
- 3.0GPA
Microsoft Teams
Free plan · from $4.00/mo
Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365.
- Only Microsoft Teams lists a web app.
- Only Microsoft Teams lists macOS, Windows and Android apps.
- DingTalk also covers meeting notes and calendar.
- 2.8GPA
Slack
Free plan · from $7.25/mo
Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI.
- Only Slack lists a web app.
- Only Slack lists macOS, Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- DingTalk also covers meeting notes, transcription and calendar.
- 2.8GPA
Google Chat
Free plan · from $7/mo
Team messaging and spaces built into Google Workspace.
- Only Google Chat lists a web app.
- Only Google Chat lists an Android app.
- DingTalk also covers meeting notes, transcription, calendar and video calls.
- 2.6GPA
Zoom
Free plan · from $14.16/mo
Video meetings bundled with team chat, phone and AI notes.
- Only Zoom lists a web app.
- Only Zoom lists macOS, Windows, Linux and Android apps.
- Only Zoom lists a browser extension.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is DingTalk free?
DingTalk has a free plan. Free plan for up to 10 users: 100 GB storage, HD video meetings up to 40 minutes, 300 AI speech-to-text minutes per user a month, and 180 days of chat history.
How much does DingTalk cost?
DingTalk lists 4 plans. Free: $0.00.
What platforms does DingTalk work on?
DingTalk is available on iOS.
Does DingTalk offer any discounts?
DingTalk publicly lists the following: About 17% off with annual billing.
Does DingTalk have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. DingTalk is listed for iOS.
Does DingTalk have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. DingTalk is listed for iOS.
Is DingTalk open source?
DingTalk is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does DingTalk have a free trial?
Yes. Free 1-month trial on paid plans.
Who makes DingTalk?
DingTalk is made by DingTalk (Singapore) Private Limited.
What are the alternatives to DingTalk?
The closest alternatives to DingTalk in our directory are Lark, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Chat and Zoom.
How does DingTalk compare with other team communication apps?
DingTalk's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 0 of the 50 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 5.
Is DingTalk good value for money?
ToolGPA grades DingTalk C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $4 a month for each person, against a middle price of $7 for the category: 9 of the 38 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of DingTalk?
To replace DingTalk you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from DingTalk’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from DingTalk's own pages on 12 November 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by DingTalk (Singapore) Private Limited. Prices change, so check dingtalk.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- DingTalk, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/dingtalk
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "DingTalk: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/dingtalk
Know someone choosing between team communication apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/dingtalk/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded team communication apps after DingTalk, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Team Communication Insider's GuideEvery one of the 51 team communication apps we grade, compared
- Discord Insider's GuideFree text, voice and video chat built around servers3.6 GPA
- Pumble Insider's GuideTeam chat with unlimited message history on the free plan3.6 GPA
- Zoho Cliq Insider's GuideTeam chat, calls and meetings from the Zoho suite3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what DingTalk’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. DingTalk is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by DingTalk (Singapore) Private Limited. Prices and plans change: check dingtalk.com before you buy.