The Glue Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Glue 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.
Glue
The Insider’s Guide
Work chat organized into named threads, with AI agents built in
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among team communication apps, read from Glue’s own pages.
Made by Glue, Inc. · checked Oct 6, 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 Glue’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Glue’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 8 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade
Glue is a work chat app that organizes conversations into named threads instead of channels. A thread can be addressed to any mix of groups and people, shows up in each participant's inbox, and can be closed once the work is done. Glue AI and agents such as Cursor can be mentioned in a thread to answer questions from workspace context, summarize and draft.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Glue, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No rating on record, and this is the one chat app in the category that asks you to unlearn something.
- 1
Best for teams tired of noisy channels
Glue swaps channels for named threads, each with a subject line, sent to the inbox of the people it's for and closed when the work is done, and you can mention Glue AI or an agent like Cursor in any of them.
- 2
Paid plans start at $6 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $6 per user / month, billed annually (Startup; first 5 users free).
- 3
There is a free plan
The Startup plan is free for a workspace's first 5 users, with up to 5 groups and 1 admin, unlimited threads and message history, integrations, external users and API access.
- 4
It runs on 5 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
- 5
Named threads
Every conversation is a thread with a subject line, sent to any combination of groups and people. Any message can be turned into a new thread, and a finished thread can be closed.
- 6
Personal inbox
The threads that involve you are tracked in your own inbox, so you follow individual conversations instead of whole channels and archive them when you are done.
- 7
Groups
Groups collect people and threads for a department, team or project, and each has a group chat private to its members. Guests from outside the workspace can be added.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 8 of 33
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 Glue 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.
Glue at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $6 per user / month, billed annually (Startup; first 5 users free)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial of the Business plan with unlimited users, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Glue, Inc.
- Category
- Team Communication
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for teams tired of noisy channels
Glue swaps channels for named threads, each with a subject line, sent to the inbox of the people it's for and closed when the work is done, and you can mention Glue AI or an agent like Cursor in any of them. Only a workspace's first 5 users are free, with 5 groups and 1 admin. There are no voice or video calls on record, and imports and the premium AI models wait for Business at $12 a user.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Startup is $6 a user a month billed annually, $7 monthly, which is about the going rate for team chat. Business doubles that to $12 for unlimited groups, multiple admins and the premium Gemini, Anthropic and OpenAI models, so past 5 groups the bill jumps. |
| Free plan and trial | C | A workspace's first 5 users are free, with unlimited threads, history, apps, webhooks and API access. The caps come quickly though: 5 groups and 1 admin, and Glue's own docs say this isn't a freemium plan. A 30-day card-free trial of Business sits alongside it. |
| Features | C | Every conversation has a subject line, lands in your inbox, and gets closed when the work's done, and Glue AI and agents like Cursor join in. But the listing shows no voice or video calls at all, which most of this category treats as table stakes. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record, and this is the one chat app in the category that asks you to unlearn something. There are no channels: you address a named thread to a mix of groups and people, and work it out of an inbox. That's a habit to build. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with a public API, webhooks and Zapier on every plan including the free one. Pre-built integrations cover GitHub, Linear, Jira, Notion, Cursor, Zoom and Google Drive, and MCP servers sit beside them. |
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 Glue is for
- Fits if your team wants each topic in its own named thread instead of channels
- Works for a workspace of five or fewer people, which stays on the free allowance
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you're a bigger team hoping for free, because only the first 5 users cost nothing
- Tight if you need more than 5 groups, a second admin or the Gemini, Anthropic and OpenAI models, as all mean Business at $12
- Not for you if you need to bring old chat history along on Startup, which has no data imports
- Too light for a team that wants voice or video calls in the same app, as none are on record
- Watch out: the plan cards put SAML SSO on Enterprise only, but the comparison table also ticks it for Business
Good to know
Good for
- Teams that find channel-based chat noisy and want every topic in its own thread
- Teams that want an AI assistant and coding agents inside their chat threads
- Workspaces of five people or fewer, which can stay on the free Startup allowance
Worth knowing
- Only a Startup workspace's first 5 users are free, and it is capped at 5 groups and 1 admin; Glue's docs say this is not a freemium plan.
- Premium AI models from Gemini, Anthropic and OpenAI need Business or Enterprise; Startup uses open-source models.
- Data imports are not part of the Startup plan; Business allows up to 100 MB and Enterprise is unlimited.
- The plan cards and docs put SAML SSO and SCIM on Enterprise only, though the pricing page's comparison table also ticks SAML SSO for Business.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$6
A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too
Glue has a free plan. Paid plans start at $6 per user / month, billed annually (Startup; first 5 users free).
Startup
$0 up to 5 users, then $6
per user / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)
Up to 5 groups and 1 admin, unlimited threads, message history, apps, webhooks and external users, public API access and open-source AI models.
Business
$12
per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly)
Everything in Startup plus unlimited groups, multiple admins, data imports up to 100 MB and premium AI models from Gemini, Anthropic and OpenAI.
Enterprise
Custom
Everything in Business plus unlimited data import, SAML and SCIM, priority support and guided onboarding.
The free plan
The Startup plan is free for a workspace's first 5 users, with up to 5 groups and 1 admin, unlimited threads and message history, integrations, external users and API access.
Trying it first
30-day free trial of the Business plan with unlimited users, no credit card required
Read from glue.ai on Oct 6, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
About 14% less with annual billing
Glue's billing docs list Business at $12 per user / month on an annual plan against $14 monthly, and Startup at $6 against $7, a saving of about 14%.
Stated on docs.glue.ai
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
5
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android
Work chat organized into named threads, with AI agents built in. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, AI agents, team chat.
But the listing shows no voice or video calls at all, which most of this category treats as table stakes.
- Named threads
- Every conversation is a thread with a subject line, sent to any combination of groups and people. Any message can be turned into a new thread, and a finished thread can be closed.
- Personal inbox
- The threads that involve you are tracked in your own inbox, so you follow individual conversations instead of whole channels and archive them when you are done.
- Groups
- Groups collect people and threads for a department, team or project, and each has a group chat private to its members. Guests from outside the workspace can be added.
- Glue AI
- Mention @Glue AI in a thread to ask about a project's status or get a summary. It answers from the web and from the threads and groups the person asking is allowed to see.
- Agents and MCP servers
- Agents such as Cursor can be mentioned in a thread to work alongside the team, and the Apps section offers MCP servers next to the regular app integrations.
- Integrations and public API
- Pre-built integrations post updates and link previews from tools like GitHub and Linear. Zapier, webhooks and a public API cover custom integrations on every plan.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- GitHub
- Linear
- Jira
- Notion
- Cursor
- Zoom
- Google Drive
- Zapier
Glue is made by Glue, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
8/33
Other team communication apps it is graded above
Glue's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 8 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 11.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 15 of 33) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $6 a month for each person, against a middle price of $7 for the category: 9 of the 28 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 4 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 34 team communication apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Glue’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 33
- CFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 33
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 33
- CEase of useAbove 6 of 33
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 15 of 33
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 31 team communication apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Glue 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 Glue 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: 14 of the 33 other team communication apps grade higher. It costs $72 a year.
What you could not
- Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, GitHub, Linear and Jira among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. Glue’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
Slack, Twist, Zulip, Microsoft Teams and Pumble
The 5 tools Glue is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Slack
Free plan · from $7.25/mo
Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI.
- Only Slack lists a Linux app.
- Glue also covers AI agents.
- Slack also covers workflow automation, documents, video calls and file sharing.
- 2.8GPA
Twist
Free plan · from $6/mo
Async team messaging organized into threads.
- Only Twist lists a Linux app.
- Glue also covers AI agents.
- Twist also covers file sharing.
- 2.8GPA
Zulip
Free plan · from $3.50/mo
Open-source team chat that organizes channels by topic.
- Only Zulip lists a Linux app.
- Zulip is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Glue also covers AI agents.
- 3.0GPA
Microsoft Teams
Free plan · from $4.00/mo
Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365.
- Glue also covers AI agents.
- Microsoft Teams also covers transcription, noise cancellation, whiteboard, video calls and file sharing.
- 3.6GPA
Pumble
Free plan · from $2.49/mo
Team chat with unlimited message history on the free plan.
- Only Pumble lists a Linux app.
- Glue also covers AI agents.
- Pumble also covers video calls and file sharing.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
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 Glue free?
Glue has a free plan. The Startup plan is free for a workspace's first 5 users, with up to 5 groups and 1 admin, unlimited threads and message history, integrations, external users and API access.
How much does Glue cost?
Glue lists 3 plans. Startup: $0 up to 5 users, then $6 per user / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly).
What platforms does Glue work on?
Glue is available on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Does Glue offer any discounts?
Glue publicly lists the following: About 14% less with annual billing.
Does Glue have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Glue is listed for Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Is Glue open source?
Glue is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does Glue have an API?
Yes. Glue offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Glue integrate with?
Glue's listing names GitHub, Linear, Jira, Notion, Cursor, Zoom, Google Drive and Zapier.
Does Glue have a free trial?
Yes. 30-day free trial of the Business plan with unlimited users, no credit card required.
Who makes Glue?
Glue is made by Glue, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Glue?
The closest alternatives to Glue in our directory are Slack, Twist, Zulip, Microsoft Teams and Pumble.
How does Glue compare with other team communication apps?
Glue's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 8 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 11.
Is Glue good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Glue C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $6 a month for each person, against a middle price of $7 for the category: 9 of the 28 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Glue?
To replace Glue 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 Glue’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Glue's own pages on 6 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-08-02.
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 Glue, Inc. Prices change, so check glue.ai before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 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.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Glue, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/glue
- 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, "Glue: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/glue
Know someone choosing between team communication apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/glue/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded team communication apps after Glue, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Team Communication Insider's GuideEvery one of the 34 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 Glue’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. Glue is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Glue, Inc. Prices and plans change: check glue.ai before you buy.