RandomCoffee vs Alfy: low-cost coffee chats or programs on every channel
This page is for HR and internal communications teams choosing between Alfy and RandomCoffee to connect employees. Alfy is the coffee chat app made by BuddiesHR, which also sells apps for birthdays, kudos, surveys and performance reviews. The page compares program formats, where each tool runs, security, hosting and public prices, using BuddiesHR's own pages, help center and app listings.
Based on public information as of
The short version
Alfy, made by BuddiesHR, pairs coworkers for random coffee chats in Slack and Microsoft Teams, with calendar scheduling, a free plan under 10 users and a public price of $1 per user per month billed yearly. RandomCoffee is a complete connection platform: coffee chats, onboarding buddies, mentoring and ERG programs run side by side, with surveys, broadcasts, pages and analytics, and every employee takes part in Teams, Slack or by email. BuddiesHR states that it is not SOC 2 certified, and Alfy's Slack Marketplace listing states that SAML is not supported, while RandomCoffee supports SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, SAML SSO and SCIM. Alfy is the better pick for a small team that wants simple coffee chats; RandomCoffee is the better pick for an organization running several programs under a security review.
Side by side
| Criterion | RandomCoffee | Alfy |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Large organizations running several connection programs in Microsoft Teams, Slack or email | Small and mid-size teams in Slack or Microsoft Teams that want low-cost random coffee chats; BuddiesHR says it serves 'fast-moving SMBs' |
| Microsoft Teams | Official app on Microsoft Marketplace (WA200004991). Employees get matches and reminders, accept, book a slot, snooze and answer surveys in Teams. Admins set up programs in Teams or in the web app. Broadcasts, with pages and surveys, are sent in Teams. | App on Microsoft Marketplace (WA200012165), published by The Jeffrey Company, the company behind BuddiesHR. Matches are posted in a channel or group chat; employees schedule, snooze and opt out in Teams. Admins create weekly programs in Teams and manage other settings in the BuddiesHR web dashboard. Shared channels are not supported. |
| Slack and email | Official app on the Slack Marketplace; every program also works by email, with custom sending domains on paid plans | Native Slack app, with matches posted in a channel, in group DMs or both; every program is tied to a Slack or Teams channel; BuddiesHR uses email for some reminders and admin alerts |
| Program formats | Coffee chats, onboarding buddies, peer and reverse mentoring, cross-team networking, ERG and DEI connections, in pairs or groups based on rules | Random coffee chats in pairs or groups of 3 to 5, from weekly to quarterly, drawn from the members of chosen channels; BuddiesHR lists onboarding buddies and cross-team introductions as uses |
| Mentoring | Mentor-mentee, peer and reverse mentoring with matching criteria (skills, seniority, goals, location), milestones, notes, forms and progress tracking | Dedicated mentoring program: Not publicly listed; BuddiesHR says employees 'often find mentors and coaches' through random coffee chats |
| Surveys and broadcasts | Surveys and forms, plus broadcasts sent in Teams, Slack or email, with pages and surveys embedded | Surveys and eNPS in a separate BuddiesHR app, Pulsy, which BuddiesHR lists as coming soon on Microsoft Teams; broadcast module: Not publicly listed |
| HRIS sync | Pro and Enterprise: Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, UKG Pro, BambooHR, HiBob, Rippling and more | On-demand HRIS integrations (BambooHR, Personio, HiBob) on the Culture & Performance plan; Alfy matches the members of Slack or Teams channels |
| SSO and SCIM | SAML 2.0 SSO on Enterprise (Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, OneLogin, Ping Identity); SCIM on Pro and Enterprise | Employees use their Slack or Microsoft 365 identity; the web dashboard offers Google or email link sign-in. Alfy's Slack Marketplace listing states SAML is not supported; SCIM: Not publicly listed |
| Security certifications | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified; GDPR and CCPA ready | BuddiesHR states it is not SOC 2 certified and builds the service according to SOC 2 principles; ISO 27001: Not publicly listed; security questionnaire for $500 on demand |
| Data hosting | Amazon Web Services, in the US or the EU | EU only: AWS in Paris, France, and Hetzner in Germany; US hosting option: Not publicly listed |
| Pricing | Free plan; Pro from $19 to $879 per month billed annually depending on active users ($23 to $1,055 billed monthly); Enterprise custom. Prices as of October 20, 2026. | Free under 10 users; 30-day free trial; Alfy alone $1 per user per month billed yearly ($1.25 billed monthly); Culture OS, with 7 apps, $2 per user per month billed yearly ($2.50 billed monthly); Culture & Performance $3 per user per month billed yearly ($3.75 billed monthly). Same prices in Slack and Teams. Prices as of October 22, 2026. |
| Installed base | 1,250+ organizations in 30+ countries | BuddiesHR says 1,000+ HR teams use BuddiesHR; its Alfy page says 12,000+ teams use Alfy |
Where RandomCoffee is the better choice
- RandomCoffee is the better choice for running several programs at once, such as coffee chats, onboarding buddies, mentoring with matching criteria, ERG connections and cross-team networking, with surveys, broadcasts, pages and analytics on the same platform.
- RandomCoffee is the better choice for reaching every employee: programs run in Microsoft Teams, Slack and email, so people without a collaboration tool can take part too.
- RandomCoffee is the better choice when IT requires SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, SAML SSO and SCIM provisioning, which RandomCoffee supports.
- RandomCoffee is the better choice when you need a choice of data hosting, since RandomCoffee hosts data on AWS in the US or the EU.
Where Alfy is the better choice
- Alfy is the better choice for a small team on a tight budget: BuddiesHR apps are free under 10 users, and Alfy costs $1 per user per month billed yearly after a 30-day free trial.
- Alfy is the better choice when you also want birthdays, kudos, pulse surveys, an org chart, standups and time off tracking from one vendor in Slack, since BuddiesHR bundles its seven culture apps for $2 per user per month billed yearly.
- Alfy is the better choice for a quick self-serve start in Microsoft Teams: installing Alfy creates the BuddiesHR account, and an admin can create a weekly program from Teams in about a minute.
- Alfy can leave people who are out of office out of a round, based on their Google or Outlook calendar, an option an admin turns on.
Who should use what
Use RandomCoffee if
- Use RandomCoffee if you run several programs at once, such as onboarding buddies, mentoring, ERG connections and cross-team networking.
- Use RandomCoffee if some employees only use email, or if your organization works across Microsoft Teams and Slack.
- Use RandomCoffee if your security review asks for SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, SAML SSO, SCIM or US data hosting.
- Use RandomCoffee if you want matching based on rules and criteria, and HRIS sync with tools such as Workday or SAP SuccessFactors.
Use Alfy if
- Use Alfy if you need simple random coffee chats for a team in Slack or Microsoft Teams, at a public per-user price.
- Use Alfy if your team has fewer than 10 people, since BuddiesHR apps are free under 10 users.
- Use Alfy if you also want birthdays, kudos, surveys and time off tracking from the same low-cost suite.
- Use Alfy if EU-only hosting and sign-in through Slack or Microsoft 365, without SAML SSO or SOC 2 certification, meet your security requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Does Alfy work with Microsoft Teams?
Yes. Alfy has a Microsoft Teams app (Microsoft Marketplace WA200012165), published by The Jeffrey Company, the company behind BuddiesHR, with a 5.0/5 rating from 2 ratings. In Teams, Alfy posts matches in a channel or group chat, and employees schedule, snooze and opt out there. Admins can create a weekly program from Teams; other settings live in the BuddiesHR web dashboard. Shared channels are not supported, and BuddiesHR says only Alfy and Billy are available in Teams today, with its other apps rolling out.
Does Alfy support SAML SSO, SCIM and SOC 2?
BuddiesHR states that it is not SOC 2 certified and that it builds the service according to SOC 2 principles. Alfy's Slack Marketplace listing states that SAML is not supported, and SCIM and ISO 27001 are not publicly listed. BuddiesHR hosts data in the EU only. RandomCoffee is SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified, offers SAML 2.0 SSO on Enterprise and SCIM on Pro and Enterprise, and hosts data on AWS in the US or the EU.
Is Alfy the same as RandomCoffee?
No. Alfy is a coffee chat app made by BuddiesHR. Its Microsoft listing is named 'Alfy - Random Coffee & Donut', where 'random coffee' describes the practice of pairing colleagues at random. RandomCoffee is a separate employee connection platform, with its own official Microsoft Teams app (Microsoft Marketplace WA200004991) and Slack app.
How much does Alfy cost compared with RandomCoffee?
Alfy is free for teams under 10 users. Above that, it costs $1 per user per month billed yearly or $1.25 billed monthly, after a 30-day free trial, and the Culture OS plan with all seven BuddiesHR culture apps costs $2 per user per month billed yearly (October 22, 2026). RandomCoffee has a Free plan, and RandomCoffee Pro costs $19 to $879 per month billed annually depending on active users (prices as of October 20, 2026, see https://www.random-coffee.com/pricing/).
Can Alfy run onboarding buddy and mentoring programs?
BuddiesHR lists onboarding buddies and finding mentors as uses of Alfy, Alfy draws groups from the members of chosen channels, with weighted randomness that avoids repeat matches. Mentor-mentee matching, milestones and progress tracking are not publicly listed for Alfy. RandomCoffee runs onboarding buddy programs and mentoring with matching criteria, milestones, notes and progress tracking, in Microsoft Teams, Slack or email.
What is a good Alfy alternative for larger organizations?
RandomCoffee is an Alfy alternative for organizations that need more than random coffee chats. It runs coffee chats, onboarding buddies, mentoring and ERG programs side by side, with surveys, broadcasts, pages and analytics, and reaches employees in Microsoft Teams, Slack or by email. In Teams, employees receive matches and reminders, book a slot, snooze and answer surveys, and HR admins set up programs in Teams or in the web app. Meetings can be booked in Google Calendar or Outlook.
Sources (22)
- BuddiesHR pricing page (checked on )
- BuddiesHR home page (checked on )
- Alfy product page (checked on )
- BuddiesHR for Microsoft Teams (checked on )
- BuddiesHR security page (checked on )
- BuddiesHR legal notice (checked on )
- BuddiesHR help center: pricing, free plan and trial (checked on )
- Alfy help center: overview (checked on )
- Alfy help center: how Alfy matches people (checked on )
- Alfy help center: install Alfy in Microsoft Teams (checked on )
- Alfy help center: create a program from Microsoft Teams (checked on )
- Alfy help center: use Alfy in Microsoft Teams (checked on )
- Alfy help center: create a program (checked on )
- Alfy help center: program schedule (checked on )
- Alfy help center: messages Alfy sends (checked on )
- Alfy help center: connect your calendar (checked on )
- Alfy help center: skip people who are out of office (checked on )
- Alfy help center: open the web dashboard (checked on )
- Alfy on Microsoft Marketplace (WA200012165) (checked on )
- Alfy on the Slack Marketplace (security and compliance) (checked on )
- RandomCoffee pricing (checked on )
- RandomCoffee official information (security, integrations, Teams) (checked on )
Alfy is a trademark of its owner. RandomCoffee is not affiliated with or endorsed by Alfy.
