Naven
Answers
What are the best Google Chat alternatives for school?
For schoolwork, the best alternative is usually whatever tool the school already supports, such as Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom's stream or a learning management system. For students messaging each other outside class, good alternatives are apps that do not need a phone number and have real safety features: Naven, Discord with settings locked down, or iMessage and WhatsApp for students who already have phones.
Why students look for an alternative. A school Google account belongs to the school: administrators may block chat with anybody outside the school, history may be kept and reviewed, and the account usually ends at graduation. Students often want somewhere to talk that is theirs, and schools often want students not to use school accounts for social chat.
For class communication, use the school's tools. Microsoft Teams (in Microsoft 365 schools), Google Classroom announcements and comments, and learning platforms such as Canvas or Schoology keep teachers and records in the right place. None of the options below should replace them for coursework.
For students talking to each other, what matters is who can reach them, what gets screened, and whether a parent is involved.
Naven works in any browser, including a school Chromebook, needs only an email address, has no public directory, screens messages before they are sent, and needs a parent's agreement for anybody under 18.
Discord is popular for study groups but is designed for adults and teenagers 13 and over, with safety that depends on each server's moderators.
WhatsApp and iMessage suit students who already have phones and phone numbers, and offer end-to-end encryption, but nobody screens content, and phone numbers get shared around a class.
Slack and Microsoft Teams free plans work for clubs, but are built for workplaces.
A word on "unblocked" chat apps. Searches for chat apps that get around a school's network filter are common. Using one breaks most schools' acceptable-use policies and can cost a student their device privileges. It is better to use an approved tool at school and personal apps at home.
If you are a teacher or a school looking for something you can supervise, Naven offers organisations their own space with verified members; see navenapp.com/organizations.