Facebook's Workplace has more than 2 million paid users

Facebook  said Thursday that a work version of the social network that companies pay for now has more than 2 million users.

Called Workplace, the enterprise product made its official debut in October 2016 but Facebook has never revealed how many people use the communications tool. The user numbers that Facebook Workplace released Thursday, though, don't paint a complete picture. 

Facebook offers Workplace for free, but it also has a premium, paid version that includes more features such as administrative controls, monitoring tools for IT teams and integration with other tools such as G Suite and Okta. It costs $3 per active user per month.

Facebook's Workplace numbers don't include people who use the free version or educational institutions or nonprofits that get Workplace premium at no cost. The company said in October 2017 that 30,000 organizations use Workplace, but hasn't released updated numbers. Workplace users can post photos and stream live video like they do on Facebook, but the tool is meant solely for communicating with co-workers. 

Nestle, Walmart, Spotify and Heineken are some of the companies that use Workplace.

As Facebook tries to conquer the workplace, it still has to convince businesses that it can help improve collaboration and communication among employees. While Workplace is a separate product from Facebook, the social network's image has also been bruised by a series of scandals over data privacy. 

Workplace also faces competition from companies such as Slack and Microsoft, though executives say customers sometimes use both products. Slack has more than 3 million paid users. 

Despite the challenges, Facebook still has high ambitions for Workplace. 

"Our goal is we want to connect everyone on the planet who works and has a device with an internet connection," said Karandeep Anand, Facebook's head of Workplace, at a media dinner on Wednesday night.