DingTalk (钉钉) : Alibaba's all-in-one workplace app for team chat, video meetings, attendance and approvals.

Chinese offices reach for DingTalk the way US teams reach for Slack: Alibaba built the enterprise collaboration app for company work rather than personal social messaging.

Workers message in department groups, join video or phone calls, clock in on mobile, and send leave, expense or purchase requests through approval chains managers approve.

Chinese companies and schools run daily operations and remote lessons on it; DingTalk targets the domestic market, with the interface mainly in Mandarin.

How does DingTalk compare to Slack or Teams?

DingTalk combines messaging, video conferencing, calendar, approval workflows, and attendance tracking in one app. It is more feature-heavy than Slack but less polished in UI. Key advantages include free video calls for up to 302 participants and deep integration with Chinese business tools.

Does DingTalk require a Chinese phone number?

DingTalk registration requires a phone number. International numbers including US numbers are accepted. You can also register using an Alibaba Cloud account. Enterprise verification for advanced features may require Chinese business license documentation.

Can I use DingTalk from the United States?

DingTalk is accessible from the US. It is Alibaba's enterprise communication and collaboration platform, similar to Slack or Microsoft Teams. The app supports English-language interface. However, most enterprise features are optimized for teams operating in China.