Top 7 Slack Standup Bots for Daily Standup Meetings in 2024

With growing calls for asynchronous work and remote culture, Slack has firmly established itself as the go-to platform for team collaboration. Beyond just chat and file sharing, Slack now offers a myriad of productivity-boosting tools, and one category that's gained significant traction is Slack standup bots.

These bots are designed to streamline daily standup meetings, track progress, and keep teams aligned, making them an indispensable addition to any modern workplace.

In this blog, we'll explore the top Slack standup bots for daily standups in 2024.

Let's get started.

What Are Standup Meetings?

Standup meetings, often called daily standups, are short, daily gatherings where team members come together to quickly update each other on their progress, share any challenges, and ensure everyone is on the same page.

These meetings are typically held at the start of the workday, and the idea is to keep them brief and focused, often standing to encourage brevity. They're a vital part of agile project management, promoting transparency, teamwork, and accountability within the team, helping everyone stay aligned with the project's goals and status.

How Slack Standup Bots Enhance Remote Team Collaboration?

Daily standup meetings are a widely adopted practice that helps teams to stay apprised of their team’s work efforts, bottlenecks, and roadmap progress. However, the world evolved further to invent async standups for distributed, remote, and hybrid teams. Eventually, the asynchronous standup format has become a preferred choice. The reasons are simple- team members can now provide their work updates at a time and pace convenient to them. 

A majority of these async standups are run on Slack Standup bots. With options to customize response documentation, schedule follow-up tasks, async check-ins, and pulse check-ins; standup bots have become a necessity to distributed teams. An engineering manager can add the bot to the Slack channel, set up basic details, and start getting dedicated reports seamlessly. These bots can accommodate cross-team meetings and time zone differences as well. Companies love these Slack standup bots because they are affordable, easy to use, and effective. 

Usually, Slack standup bots have 4 main functions:

1. Host asynchronous standup meetings
2. Sprint progress tracking
3. Reduce friction and interruptions to workflows
4. Generate insights

With these, you can align teams, stay updated with work progress, plan future work processes (sprints), and ease workflows. The Slack standup bots below go beyond these basic functions to make team management less burdensome.

7 Best Slack Standup Bots for Daily Standups

Check below our pick of the top 7 Slack standup bots for your dev team along with a bonus tool.

1. Hatica

Hatica provides automated check-ins through Slack, email, or the Hatica App to run daily standups. A comprehensive and holistic engineering analytics tool, Hatica provides automated reports delivered to your email or Slack that help engineering managers get visibility into their dev team performance, progress, and challenges. On top of that, Hatica’s dashboards simplify git metrics, project insights, and collaboration analytics into actionable insights to boost engineering teams’ productivity.

Moreover, Hatica tilts towards creating qualitative check-ins with integrations across developer tools so all activities could be tracked and visualized at one place. Hatica’s Slack bot comes with the flexibility for team members to answer the standup at their own pace so they can engage in deep work without engaging in frequent meetings and context switching. In short, Hatica takes care of your Zoom fatigue with minimal meetings, more work cohesion, and on-point collaboration.

The bot is also connected with the standup dashboard where all team progress is updated along with deep visibility into an individual’s workday, their blockers, and even well-being analysis through mood emoticons.

Why Hatica?

1. Identify blockers and track team health. 
2. Provides actionable reports that highlight gaps in the team workflows.
3. Customizable option for check-ins and questions. You can configure custom options for submitters/ viewers based on your need.
4. Specific metrics to generate custom reports that aim at data-driven insights to increase productivity. 
5. Fetch real-time work progress, goal-oriented tracking, and team health tracking.
6. Integration with Github, Gitlab, Azure DevOps, Zoom, Gmail, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Jira, Asana, Trello, Harness, etc. to get the real-time updates in your Slack channels.
7. Brings data from all the integrated apps to generate enhanced reports related to the developer’s productivity. 

Pricing and Support

Hatica’s transparent pricing with monthly payment options serves companies of all sizes. The free Starter pack comes with the most core features and is already a hit among startups. For larger teams, the Growth plan is priced at $15/month per team member. For larger organizations, Hatica offers customized plans since each team has a different pain point. 

2. Standuply

Remote teams can use Standuply to streamline the exchange of vital information between team members. Its primary purpose is to help maintain an organized Q&A platform to provide high-quality answers and avoid repetitive questions. Experienced members of the team can answer either through video recording or by reaching out in person. The tool allows you to automatically send out surveys and collect the team member’s feedback via the text, audio or video channels. Managers can export all team responses via PDFs and even use Webhooks to transfer data/products. 

Standuply is ideal for organizing detailed meetings, including Poker planning, feedback conversations, and retrospectives. Small teams can use the free version of the tool.

Key Features of Standuply

1. Standuply allows automation and flexibility for running daily standups and managing workflows. 
2. The reporting system has various unique insightful categorized and illustrated reports.
3. The bot is customizable to adapt to businesses’ needs and workstyle. The questions, reports, and integration are customizable to maximize functionality. API also opens the door for endless custom features. 
4. Standuply’s bot accommodates different time zones. The users can snooze or fill the async daily standup before time.  
5. Integration with JIRA, Trello, HubSpot, Asana, GitHub, etc., to run surveys seamlessly. 
6. It enables lively polls within Slack reports via additional requests. 

Pricing and Support

You just need to select the number of employees and functionality required. Upon this, Standuply recommends the plan apt for your team. It offers 4 different pricing plans:

3. Polly

Polly is a free standup bot with automation options for recurring tasks. It is not very customizable but hosts standup meetings efficiently. The bot management takes place on Slack and the web. Also, It enables multiple admins. However, the biggest downside of Polly is around its pricing, plus the product doesn’t run around standup bots exclusively. Polly’s added expenses can be owed to its dexterity with running helpdesk health, interview feedback and Slack adoption. However, for most team leads who are only looking for a Slack standup bot, Polly might not be a scalable solution. Use Polly if you have a use-case for multitude of surveys and frequent employee onboarding. 

Key Features of Polly

1. Custom templates catering to specific requirements. The personalization is limited to reports and polls. It has the option to run anonymous polls with partial control over settings. 
2. The team can reply only via voting or a text message format. 
3. The downside is availability of only Jira integration, also requiring a lot of steps to configure the functionality of adding tasks.

Pricing and Support

Polly chats support confines to a chat format that requires the user to fill out a feedback form. It has four pricing options:

4. Troopr

Troopr is another Slack standup bot that offers async process automation and 8 unique templates for the survey. The bot management takes place on the web and Slack with a user-friendly UI. However, the lack of customization options reduces functionality.

Key Features of Troopr

1. A built-in Wiki system that automatically answers frequently asked questions in Slack itself. 
2. The bot is flexible regarding setting up questions and adjusts seamlessly to the local time zone. 
3. It accepts responses in text and emoji, limiting to 10 items.
4. Troopr provides a vacation calendar to track employee absences and support multiple admins.

Pricing and Support

It has a robust customer support system that offers chat, feedback form, and demo options. Pricing is complex and has certain loopholes. One needs to assess the needs and opt for an appropriate option carefully. See the Troopr pricing below: 

5. Kyber

Kyber is a free Slack standup bot that allows a team of 5 members or less to run async daily standup meetings for free. It enables standup meetings, polls, surveys, and message scheduling. Also, The companies can create micro apps by configuration and customization to handle specific use cases.

Key Features of Kyber

1. You can extract data across the channel to generate an insightful summary. 
2. It integrates with project management tools to assign, schedule, and track tasks. Channels act as kanban boards to easily track progress without leaving the app.
3. set reminders & personal agendas, automate and customize to enhance functionality. 

Pricing and Support

The customer support team is reachable only via the feedback form. The Kyber pricing plan has 3 options:

6. Geekbot

Geekbot is your trusty companion for conducting daily standup meetings seamlessly on platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams. Its flexibility makes it stand out, allowing team members to share updates at their own pace, which is a huge plus for remote teams.

Geekbot is trusted by big names like Shopify, GitLab, and Belmont University, which speaks volumes about its reliability. These organizations rely on Geekbot to supercharge their daily standups. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, Geekbot is a top choice for teams aiming to boost communication, transparency, and productivity.

Key Features of Geekbot

1. Geekbot lets team members share updates at their own pace, perfect for remote or diverse teams.
2. You can create and customize the questions to collect the specific information your team needs.
3. Geekbot easily connects with platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams for smooth communication.
4. It generates reports summarizing responses, helping track progress and resolve issues.
5. Geekbot sends timely reminders to ensure everyone participates in standup meetings.
6. Get valuable insights from the data collected to improve team performance.

Pricing and Support

Geekbot has structured its pricing into three categories: catering to startups, scaling companies, and enterprise-level organizations. See the Geekbot pricing below:

7. Standup Alice

Standup Alice is the savvy Slack bot that simplifies standup meetings for teams, making it a great choice for remote teams working across different time zones.

Setting up Standup Alice is a breeze. Once added to your Slack workspace, you can create a standup meeting instantly through a message it sends. The initial setup involves selecting team members, choosing the days for standups, and setting the preferred meeting times.

This user-friendly approach is what makes Standup Alice so handy. It takes the complexity out of organizing standup meetings, especially for remote teams. With its straightforward setup, it's a practical tool for ensuring efficient communication and collaboration, no matter where your team members are located.

Key Features of Standup Alice

1. Standup Alice offers a hassle-free setup process so you can start quickly.
2. Choose which team members participate in your standup meetings, ensuring relevance.
3. Customize the days and times for your standup meetings to suit your team's schedule.
4. It sends friendly reminders to keep your team on track to provide updates.
5. Tailor the questions to match your team's unique needs and goals.
6. Use Standup Alice within your Slack workspace, enhancing your team's existing tools.

Pricing and Support

Three pricing options from Standup Alice ensure that different user requirements are met.

Bonus Tool: Dixi

Dixiapp is known for automating standup reports, scheduling meetings across multiple time zones, and even informalize workplace conversations wherever required (for building team culture, well-being, and transparency). How Dixi stands out in the list is its additional attention to creating a healthy work environment through mood tracking, developer happiness, employee feedback, and impromptu team meetings- for smooth onboarding, jamming, and ice-breaking.

Navigating Dixi is equally simple- team leads just have to add channels, participants, work schedules, and questions- with frequent edits and multiple admins. Moreover, the report compilations are also automated- as soon as a response is logged, managers get an update notification. The best part is for the last- Dixi is a free Slack standup tool, so companies, irrespective of size can integrate it with their Slack account for smooth meetings.

How to Choose the Right Slack Standup Bot?

Selecting the right Slack standup bot for your team can be a game-changer. These bots offer various features, integrations, and customization options, making it essential to consider your team's specific needs and workflow. Here are some critical factors to keep in mind when choosing a standup bot:

• Integration: Check if the bot integrates with the tools and platforms your team already uses, such as project management software, version control systems, or calendars.

• Customization: Look for bots that allow you to tailor your standup questions and reporting to match your team's unique requirements.

• Ease of Use: User-friendliness is crucial. The bot should be intuitive for team members to adapt quickly.

• Automation: Consider the level of automation the bot offers, such as scheduling, reminders, and report generation.

• Price: Evaluate the pricing structure to ensure it aligns with your budget and team size.

• Support: Look for bots that offer excellent customer support in case you encounter issues or have questions.

Automate Your Standup with Hatica Today

Slack standup bot can make all communications efficient, be it asynchronous standups or a real-time meeting. From scheduling a cross-channel meeting to getting quick check-ins, a Slack standup bot has you covered. It keeps your sprints in check, updates work progress, reduces backlog, aligns teams, and keeps workflow healthy. 

If you want a bot that does much more than a basic standup bot, Hatica is what you are looking for. Hatica is a one-stop solution to manage your engineering teams. With multiple available integrations, Hatica ensures deep visibility for managers, and in turn sustainable productivity for each team member. Say goodbye to unproductive standups with Hatica and try Check-ins, for free.

FAQs

1. What is a standup bot in Slack?

A standup bot in Slack is a tool designed to make daily standup meetings easier. Standup bots like Standup Alice, Scrumbot, or Geekbot help teams share updates, answer questions, and stay connected within Slack. They're particularly handy for remote teams, offering a convenient way to conduct standup meetings, no matter the time zone.

2. How do I automate standups in Slack?

To automate standup meetings in Slack, you can use a standup bot like Standup Alice, Scrumbot, or Geekbot. These bots help you schedule and manage daily standup meetings effortlessly. Once added to Slack, you can set them up to collect and share team updates automatically.

3. How do I set up bots in Slack?

Setting up bots in Slack is simple. Just go to the "Apps" section, find the bot you want, and add it to your workspace. Follow the bot's instructions for configuration, including permissions and customizations. Once set up, you can start using the bot for various tasks.