If you used Workplace mostly for groups and chat with frontline staff, C Chat is a simple, free-for-now replacement. If you depended on the feed, intranet and live video, look at a broader suite such as Microsoft Teams or Google Workspace.
Key takeaways
- Meta announced the end of Workplace in 2024; check Meta's notices for export options on your account.
- C Chat replaces the chat and group side of Workplace, not its feed, intranet or live video.
- Pinned messages and read receipts turn a C Chat group into an announcements channel.
- Owners and admins can audit and export group chats; direct messages stay private.
- C Chat is free for now for teams of up to 50 members, with 30 groups per team.
For many retailers, schools, property managers and franchise networks, Workplace from Meta was the one place where headquarters could reach every store or site. With Meta winding the product down, those companies need to decide what to keep: the chat, the groups, the feed, the live video or all of it. Being clear about that first saves a painful migration.
Quick answer: Workplace from Meta or C Chat?
Since Workplace is being discontinued, the real question is what replaces it. C Chat is a good fit if your Workplace usage was mostly chat and groups: shift updates, store announcements, photos from the floor, quick questions to a manager. It is not a fit if your organization depended on an intranet with pages, a social feed with comments, or live video broadcasts from leadership.
If you need those, compare suites first, starting with C Chat vs Microsoft Teams and C Chat vs Google Chat. Many companies pair a suite for office staff with C Chat for the frontline, because hourly staff rarely get suite licenses. For teams that ran Slack alongside Workplace, see C Chat vs Slack.
Side-by-side: what carries over and what doesn’t
Think in terms of jobs that Workplace did for you:
- Reaching every location. In C Chat, create one group per store, school or building inside your team. Headquarters joins each one.
- Announcements people actually read. Post in an announcements group, pin the important message and check read receipts. Our guide to writing internal announcements people read covers the format.
- Photos and proof from the floor. Photos, videos and files up to 25 MB go straight into the group.
- Social feed and comments. Not available in C Chat. Replies and reactions on messages are the closest equivalent.
The store announcements solution shows a complete HQ-to-branch setup.
Encryption and oversight: two different models
When you move internal communication off a Meta product, it is worth asking who can read what. In C Chat, messages travel over TLS and are stored encrypted with AES-256 under a key that belongs to your organization.
The model is auditable encryption. Owners and admins of a team can audit and export that team’s group conversations, which gives HR and operations a record when there is a complaint or an incident. Direct messages between two people are private and outside that audit. C Chat staff only access content to moderate reported messages or comply with legal requirements, and every such access is logged. This is different from end-to-end encryption, where no one but the participants can read messages; neither model is “better” in general, they serve different needs.
Team management, guests and offboarding
Workplace accounts were usually provisioned by IT. C Chat is lighter: people sign up with a phone number or email code and you invite them by link, QR, WhatsApp, SMS or email. Owners and admins manage who belongs to the team and its groups.
External people, such as a cleaning contractor for a store, a parent volunteer for a school or a building supplier, can join a single group as guests. When someone leaves, remove them from the team and they lose access to its groups at once. Organizations like condos and HOAs and schools use this to keep staff and outside groups separate.
When Workplace from Meta is the better choice
While it remains accessible for your account, Workplace is still the right place for one job: exporting your history and documentation before access ends. Beyond that, a suite is better than C Chat if you need:
- An intranet with pages, a knowledge library or a social feed.
- Live video broadcasts to the whole company.
- Integration with document editing and calendars.
- Very large single groups beyond C Chat’s 50-member team limit.
Switching or using both
A clean switch takes a few weeks, not a weekend. Map your Workplace groups, decide which ones become C Chat groups, then announce a cut-off date. Our remote communication best practices and frontline communication guide help you set norms for the new tool, and the team chat vs email comparison helps decide what stays in email.
Open getcchat.com/c, create a team, add one group per location and invite a pilot site first. C Chat is free for now within the limits on the pricing page.
C Chat vs Workplace from Meta: comparison table
| Capability | C Chat | Workplace from Meta |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Active; web app available, mobile apps coming soon | Discontinued by Meta; check Meta's notices for export options |
| Sign-up | Phone number or email with a one-time code | Company-managed Workplace accounts |
| Group chat | Teams with up to 30 groups each | Groups and Workplace Chat |
| Announcements | Dedicated group + pinned messages + read receipts | News feed posts and announcements |
| Encryption model | TLS in transit + AES-256 at rest, per-organization keys (auditable) | See Meta's Workplace documentation |
| Company oversight | Owners/admins audit and export group chats; DMs private | Admin tools existed; availability depends on shutdown stage |
| Intranet, feed and live video | Not offered | Included while the service ran |
| Field features | Location sharing, voice notes, one-tap 🚨 alert | Mobile app with chat and calls |
| Price | Free for now, with team limits | No longer sold |
Workplace from Meta details are based on general public information; they can vary by plan and change over time.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to Workplace data now that Meta has shut it down?
Meta published timelines and export tools for Workplace customers when it announced the shutdown. Check Meta's official Workplace transition notices or your account administrator for what can still be exported. C Chat does not import Workplace history, so keep your exported archive according to your own retention policy.
Is C Chat a like-for-like replacement for Workplace?
Not completely. C Chat replaces the messaging part: groups, direct messages, photos, files up to 25 MB, voice notes and alerts. It does not have a news feed, intranet pages, live video broadcasts or knowledge libraries, so companies that used those need another tool alongside it.
How do I send company-wide announcements in C Chat?
Create a dedicated announcements group where only managers post, pin the messages that must stay visible and use read receipts to see who has read them. For larger organizations, one announcements group per location or department keeps each group within the 50-member team limit.
Can frontline workers without company email join C Chat?
Yes. People sign up with a phone number and an SMS code, or with an email and an email code. No company email address is needed, which suits store, warehouse and field staff.