Element vs Slack
A side-by-side look at 2 directory tools for 2026 — the verdict, pricing, ratings, features, and what readers think.
Head to head
| Element | Slack | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | — | $7.25/user/month |
| Free tier | — | Yes |
| Founded | — | 2013 |
| HQ | — | San Francisco, CA |
| Team size | — | 2000-5000 |
Features compared
| Element | Slack | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans & pricing | ||
| Free tier | — | ✓ Yes |
| Free trial | — | ✓ Yes |
| Pricing model | — | Free; Pro $7.25/user/mo; Business+ $12.50/user/mo; Enterprise Grid custom |
| Money-back guarantee | — | ✗ No |
| Platforms & access | ||
| Web app | — | ✓ Yes |
| Mobile apps | — | ✓ Yes |
| Desktop app | — | ✓ Yes |
| Self-hosted option | — | ✗ No |
| Offline mode | — | ✗ No |
| Integrations & extensibility | ||
| Public API | — | ✓ Yes |
| Webhooks | — | ✓ Yes |
| Native integrations | — | 2,600+ apps including Google Workspace, GitHub, Jira, Zoom, Salesforce |
| Automation (Zapier/Make) | — | ✓ Yes |
| Security & compliance | ||
| SSO / SAML | — | ✓ Yes |
| Two-factor auth | — | ✓ Yes |
| SOC 2 | — | ✓ Yes |
| GDPR compliant | — | ✓ Yes |
| Encryption at rest | — | ✓ Yes |
| Collaboration | ||
| Team workspaces | — | ✓ Yes |
| Real-time collaboration | — | ✓ Yes |
| Role-based permissions | — | ✓ Yes |
| Guest access | — | ✓ Yes |
| Support | ||
| Email support | — | ✓ Yes |
| Live chat support | — | ✓ Yes |
| Phone support | — | ✗ No |
| Knowledge base | — | ✓ Yes |
| SLA | — | 99.99% uptime SLA on paid plans |