Frequently asked questions.

What is Tandem App?

Tandem App is a workspace for your team with chat, tasks and file storage in every channel. You can bring clients and other outsiders in as guests, and they see only the channels you add them to.

Who is it for?

Teams of any size that talk to clients as well as to each other: agencies, studios, accountants, consultancies, developers, and internal teams that want chat and tasks in one place.

Is there a desktop app?

Yes. Download Tandem App for Mac (Apple silicon or Intel) or Windows from the Download page. It keeps your workspaces in their own window, with native notifications, an unread count on the Dock or taskbar and updates that install themselves.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Tandem runs in the browser. You can also install it as an app on your computer or phone from the browser, which adds phone notifications and an icon on your home screen.

How do I start?

Sign up with your name, work email and a workspace address such as your-company. Confirm your email and the workspace is created and opened for you.

Do I need a card to sign up?

No. Every workspace starts on the Free plan. You only add a card if you move to a paid plan.

How do I invite my team?

From the People page, enter their email addresses. Each person gets an invitation link that is valid for 7 days; it can be resent at any time.

Can I move from Slack?

Yes. Upload the zip file from Slack's export page and Tandem brings across your channels, messages and threads. See the guide on moving from Slack.

How much does it cost?

Free for up to 3 users. Paid plans are Basic, Silver and Gold, charged per user per month; see the pricing page for current prices.

Who counts as a user?

Owners, admins and members of your team. Guests, such as clients, are free: you get 5 guest places for every paid user.

Is anything held back on the cheaper plans?

No. Every plan has every feature. Plans differ only in the number of users and the amount of storage for the workspace.

Can I pay yearly?

Yes. Paying yearly charges 10 months for 12, so two months are free.

What happens when I add or remove people?

Your subscription's user count follows your team. Changes are worked out pro rata and appear on your next invoice.

Can I change plans later?

Yes, at any time from your workspace's Plan and usage page. Moving up takes effect straight away.

What counts towards storage?

Files shared in chat and files kept in Docs, added up for the whole workspace.

What kinds of conversations are there?

Public channels anyone in the team can join, private channels by invitation, direct messages, and group messages with up to 9 people.

Are there threads?

Yes. Reply in a thread to keep a side conversation together, follow threads you care about, and see all your threads on one page. A reply can also be sent to the channel.

Can I schedule a message or set a reminder?

Yes. Schedule a message for later, set a reminder on any message, save messages to come back to, and pick up unsent drafts where you left them.

Does it have reactions, polls and emoji?

Yes: emoji reactions with a picker, polls started from the message box, link previews, mentions and pinned messages.

Are there slash commands?

Yes. Built-in commands include /poll, /status, /dnd, /mute, /topic, /me and /shrug, and admins can add their own commands that call your systems.

Can I search everything?

Yes. Search messages, tasks and files, and narrow it with from:, in:, before:, after:, has:file, has:link, has:pin and is:thread.

How do tasks work?

Every channel has a task board and a list. Tasks have assignees, due dates, priorities (low to urgent), checklists and comments, and move from To do to In progress to Done.

Can I turn a message into a task?

Yes. Any message can become a task in one click, with a link back to the conversation it came from.

Where are files kept?

Files shared in chat stay with the message, and each channel has Docs: folders for PDFs, designs, images and anything else. Pictures preview in the browser.

Is there a file size limit?

Uploads go up to the limit shown in your workspace, and the total for the workspace is set by your plan's storage.

What can a guest see?

Only the channels they are added to. Guests never see your other channels, your team list or anyone's email address.

What can a guest do?

You choose per channel: Full access (chat, tasks and docs), Chat only (tasks and docs are view-only) or Read only.

Can guest access expire?

Yes. Give a guest an end date when you invite them, and their access switches off by itself on that day.

How do I know a client can read a channel?

Every channel with guests in it is clearly labelled, so your team always knows who is reading along.

Do guests pay?

No. Guests are free, up to 5 for each paid user on your plan. On Free you can have guests too.

Can guests send direct messages?

No. Guests talk in the channels they belong to; they can't send or receive direct messages.

Can other tools post into Tandem?

Yes. Create an incoming webhook for a channel and any tool that can send a webhook can post there: GitHub, GitLab, Jira automation, Zapier, Make, n8n, Jenkins, Grafana and more.

What are workflows?

Simple automations for a channel: post a message when someone joins, on a schedule, or when a message mentions certain words.

Is there an API?

Yes. Each person can create personal access tokens and use the REST API to read channels, messages and tasks, search, post messages and create tasks.

Can I export my data?

Yes. Owners can download everything in the workspace as a zip of JSON files together with the uploaded files.

Is two-step sign-in supported?

Yes. Owners and admins must use two-step verification with an authenticator app, and anyone else can turn it on.

Are workspaces kept separate?

Yes. Each workspace lives at its own address and every query is limited to that workspace, so one customer can never see another's data.

Do notifications leak anything?

No. Search, email summaries and phone notifications only ever include what that person is allowed to see.

Do you use my content for advertising?

No. Your content is yours. We use it only to provide the service, and we don't sell it.

Are there backups?

Yes, the service is backed up regularly. You can also take your own full export at any time.

How do I pay?

By card through Stripe, monthly or yearly. Invoices and payment methods are managed in Stripe's billing portal, linked from your workspace.

How do I cancel?

Move back to Free from your workspace at any time. A paid plan stays active until the end of the period already paid for.

What happens if I close my workspace?

The owner can close it from Plan and usage. It is deleted 14 days later; until then it can be restored.

Can I use my own domain?

Yes, on request. Point the domain at us and get in touch, and we will connect it to your workspace.