Dock

What it does

Dock is a team messaging platform designed as a lighter, more affordable alternative to Slack. It offers unlimited message history for free, async and real-time chat, decision tracking, offline-first messaging, and one-click import/export from Slack or Teams. The platform emphasizes simplicity, speed, and data ownership.

Who it is for

Dock is built for teams of all sizes who are frustrated with Slack's bloat, per-seat pricing, and 90-day message history limit. It targets small to medium teams (up to 20 members on paid plans) that value unlimited search, decision clarity, and offline capability. The product is especially relevant for remote or distributed teams working across timezones.

Why it matters

Slack's per-seat pricing and 90-day message history limit create friction and cost for growing teams. Dock addresses these pain points with flat pricing (one price for the whole team) and unlimited history at no extra cost. Its decision-tracking feature helps teams avoid the common problem of losing key decisions in chat noise. The offline-first capability ensures productivity even with unreliable internet.

Launch signal

Dock was launched on Hacker News as "Show HN: Dock – Slack minus the bloat, tax, and 90-day memory loss." The website is currently accepting early access sign-ups via a waitlist. Pricing is listed but some plans require joining the waitlist. The product appears to be in early stage with limited public information about team size, funding, or user numbers.

Brand and naming

The name "Dock" is short, memorable, and suggests a home base or docking station for team communication. The tagline "Team chat that doesn't suck" is direct and positions the product as a no-nonsense alternative. The brand voice is casual and confident, using phrases like "your time. your decisions. your sanity." The design is clean and minimal, reinforcing the promise of simplicity.