I have been very impressed with Ryver as I wanted to be with Slack. The problem I had with Slack is that outside of chat it always seems a bit of a chore to keep track of where things are (docs, conversations, links), but I do think there is something cleaner to its spaces than Ryver.

The real challenge for Ryver is that Slack has a pretty good headstart and everyone wants to work with Slack. Their integrations are growing at a breakneck pace.

I liken it to Evernote. Evernote is fantastic, but it didn’t kill competition because it was so much better than the other options, it killed them because it was everywhere! I wanted to love Springpad and Google Keep and Quip and One Note, but Evernote was everywhere I wanted to be. It integrated with everything else I used on every platform I used. By the time the others developed key integrations, I was already emotionally and effectively invested in Evernote to the point that it made no sense to change. I feel like the Slack-Ryver competition is a bit like this. River needs to snatch up integrations as quickly as possible before people are too invested in Slack to switch.

An example for me is the latest integration between Slack and Kifi. I use Kifi all the time and I was immediately intrigued to see this integration. Not even sure I need it, but knowing it was there made me open Slack today instead of Ryver.

I am a Ryver fan. I want to use Ryver. I want to see Ryver succeed. I want and need a plethora of connections, options and customizations to be able to love Ryver.