A new team chat app called Dock is challenging Slack by stripping away feature bloat and hidden costs. It promises unlimited message history and search for free, directly addressing a key pain point in Slack's free tier. The product emerged from a Hacker News post, positioning itself as a focused alternative for teams tired of complexity.

Dock’s core pitch is simplicity: channels, direct messages, threads, and file sharing without the add-ons like workflows or canvases. It offers a flat pricing model, charging per team rather than per seat, which becomes more affordable as teams scale. The platform also emphasizes data ownership, providing SOC 2 compliance and easy data export.

The startup is currently on a waitlist model, with a free tier for up to five members. Its launch taps into growing frustration with SaaS pricing models and feature creep. For engineering teams, the promise of permanent message access without an upgrade fee is a significant draw, aiming to restore chat to its original, straightforward purpose.