Zoho Cliq
Zoho Corporation · Productivity
Zoho Cliq is a team chat app and collaboration platform that combines messaging, channels, calls and AI summaries in one workspace, and it slots into the wider Zoho business suite.
About Zoho Cliq
What Is Zoho Cliq
Zoho Cliq handles the day-to-day talking that keeps a company running. You get one-to-one chats, group chats and channels, plus audio and video calls in the same window, so a quick question and a scheduled meeting live side by side. The team collaboration software reads more like a workplace hub than a plain messenger, because messages turn into tasks, reminders and shared files without a trip to another tool.
What sets it apart is the fit with the rest of Zoho. If your company already runs on Zoho CRM, Projects or Desk, Cliq pulls those records into the conversation, so you can act on a deal or a ticket from inside a chat. Zia, Zoho's AI layer, adds message summaries, meeting transcripts and a writing assistant on top.
The catch is focus. Cliq does many things, and the deepest specialist tools for each job live elsewhere. Chat search is also capped on the entry plans, which matters once a team's history grows.
Getting Started
- Sign up at cliq.zoho.com with a work email, or sign in with an existing Zoho account.
- Create your organization, then set up channels for teams, projects or clients.
- Invite people by email, or import them in bulk from the admin panel on paid plans.
- Start a chat or call, and connect the tools your team already uses, such as CRM, Projects or Drive.
- Add bots or slash commands from the developer platform if you want automated alerts and workflows inside a channel.
Product Information
A quick look at Zoho Cliq's pricing, supported platforms, and performance.
Best for
The users, tasks, and scenarios where this tool fits best.
Users
- Small and mid-sized businesses already on Zoho
- Teams that want chat and calls in one place
- Admin-heavy organizations that need control
Tasks
- Running project conversations in channels
- Turning chats into work items
- Catching up after time away
Scenarios
- Replacing scattered chat tools
- Coordinating with clients and partners
- Working across time zones
Key features
Messaging and channels
Cliq runs unlimited direct and group chats alongside organization, team and personal channels. You can pin messages, fork a thread to break out into a new chat, and set a time limit for deleting sent messages. Channels hold up to 20,000 participants on the upper plans, which fits an all-hands channel without a separate broadcast tool.
Calls and online meetings
Audio and video calls start from any chat, and meetings scale to 1,000 active participants with up to 10,000 viewers for large sessions. Screen sharing, call recording, whiteboards and guest invites come along for the ride. Rooms licenses extend the same meeting setup to shared physical meeting room devices.
Zia AI assistant
Zia summarizes unread messages, gives an overview of recent conversations and writes meeting transcripts with key takeaways. A writing assistant checks grammar and tone before you send, and messages translate in real time for global teams. Admins pick which model powers Cliq, choosing between Zoho's native AI and OpenAI-based models.
Zoho suite integrations
Messages connect to Zoho CRM, Projects, Desk, Calendar and WorkDrive, so a chat can spawn a task, list a deal or attach a file. Outside Zoho, extensions link third-party apps, and Office 365 sign-on is available. The more of the Zoho suite a company uses, the more useful the cross-links become.
Security and admin controls
Two-factor authentication, password policies and encryption in transit and at rest sit across the plans. Higher tiers add SSO, restricted IP ranges, audit history, eDiscovery and data loss prevention. A secret chat mode turns off history for off-the-record conversations.
Developer platform and API
The platform ships REST APIs, bots, slash commands, message actions and functions, so teams can build internal tools that live inside chat. Organizations get a set quota of widgets, databases and schedulers depending on the plan. Incoming webhooks let outside systems push alerts straight into a channel.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Has a free plan with unlimited users, so a small team can start without a budget line.
- Meetings scale to 1,000 active participants and 10,000 viewers, which covers large company-wide sessions.
- Deep links to Zoho CRM, Projects and Desk turn a chat message into a task or record without switching apps.
- AI features such as message summaries, meeting transcripts and translation are built in rather than sold as a separate product.
Cons
- Chat search is capped at 10,000 messages on the free and Standard plans, so a busy team's older history becomes hard to find.
- Professional and Enterprise plans require a 10-user minimum, which shuts out very small paid teams.
- The product spreads across messaging, meetings and a developer platform, so a single task often gets less depth than a dedicated tool.
- Some features, such as live events and branded meetings, sit only on the top Enterprise tier.
Frequently asked questions
Zoho Cliq is used for team communication and collaboration. You send messages, run channels, make calls, hold meetings and share files in one place, and you can push a chat into a task or a CRM record when it needs action.
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