Microsoft Teams vs Slack
A side-by-side look at 2 directory tools for 2026 — the verdict, pricing, ratings, features, and what readers think.
Chat, meetings, and collaboration built into Microsoft 365.
Visit Microsoft TeamsWhere work happens — team chat and collaboration.
Visit SlackOur take
Slack remains the gold standard for team messaging, but Microsoft Teams has closed the gap significantly — especially for organizations already in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Slack wins on user experience, integrations, and developer culture. Teams wins on total value when bundled with Microsoft 365. For most startups and tech companies, Slack is still the better choice. For enterprises running Microsoft 365, Teams is hard to beat.
Pricing compared
Head to head
| Microsoft Teams | Slack | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ||
| Starting price | $6/user/month | $7.25/user/month |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 | — |
| Founded | 2017 | 2013 |
| HQ | Redmond, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Team size | 10000+ | 2000-5000 |
Pros & cons
- Included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions
- Deep integration with Office apps and SharePoint
- Powerful video meetings up to 1,000 participants
- Strong compliance and governance features
- Phone support included on business plans
- Interface can feel overwhelming and cluttered
- Slower to load than Slack
- Less intuitive for non-Microsoft ecosystems
- Search less powerful than Slack
- Best-in-class messaging UX
- 2,600+ app integrations
- Powerful search across messages
- Strong developer API and workflow automation
- Excellent mobile apps
- Can get expensive for large teams
- Notifications can be overwhelming
- No built-in project management
- Free plan limits message history to 90 days
Similarities & differences
- Both offer real-time messaging and channels
- Both support video and audio calls
- Both integrate with popular productivity tools
- Both offer file sharing and document collaboration
- Both have mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Slack has a more intuitive and polished UI; Teams can feel cluttered
- Teams is bundled with Microsoft 365 at no extra cost; Slack requires a separate subscription
- Slack has 2,000+ native integrations; Teams relies more on Microsoft ecosystem
- Teams includes full video meetings natively; Slack added video later
- Slack threads conversations more cleanly; Teams mixes chats and channels differently
- Teams supports larger organizations with deeper compliance and governance tools
Who should choose which
Choose Microsoft Teams if your organization already uses Microsoft 365 and wants everything in one suite
Choose Slack if you want the best standalone messaging app with a great developer ecosystem
Features compared
| Microsoft Teams | Slack | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans & pricing | ||
| Free tier | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Free trial | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Pricing model | Free; Microsoft 365 Business Basic $6/user/mo; Standard $12.50/user/mo | Free; Pro $7.25/user/mo; Business+ $12.50/user/mo; Enterprise Grid custom |
| Money-back guarantee | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Platforms & access | ||
| Web app | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Mobile apps | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Desktop app | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Self-hosted option | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Offline mode | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Integrations & extensibility | ||
| Public API | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Webhooks | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Native integrations | Microsoft 365 suite, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Salesforce, GitHub, Jira | 2,600+ apps including Google Workspace, GitHub, Jira, Zoom, Salesforce |
| Automation (Zapier/Make) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Security & compliance | ||
| SSO / SAML | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Two-factor auth | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| SOC 2 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| GDPR compliant | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Encryption at rest | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Collaboration | ||
| Team workspaces | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Real-time collaboration | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Role-based permissions | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Guest access | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Support | ||
| Email support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Live chat support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Phone support | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Knowledge base | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| SLA | 99.9% uptime SLA for Microsoft 365 plans | 99.99% uptime SLA on paid plans |
Frequently asked questions
Is Slack free to use?
Yes, Slack has a free tier that allows unlimited users, 90 days of message history, 10 app integrations, and 1-to-1 video calls. Paid plans start at $7.25/user/month (Pro) and add unlimited history, group calls, and more.
Is Microsoft Teams free?
Yes, Teams offers a free plan that includes unlimited chat, 60-minute video meetings, and 5 GB of storage. For the full experience with Microsoft 365 apps, Teams is included in Microsoft 365 Business plans starting at $6/user/month.
Can Slack and Microsoft Teams work together?
Yes, Slack and Teams can be connected via integrations. Slack has a Microsoft Teams integration that allows you to send notifications and share content between both platforms, though real-time cross-platform messaging requires third-party middleware.
Which is better for large enterprises, Slack or Teams?
Microsoft Teams generally has an edge for large enterprises already using Microsoft 365, offering deeper compliance, governance, and security features. However, Slack Enterprise Grid also caters to large orgs with advanced admin controls and compliance tools.
Does Microsoft Teams replace Slack?
Not necessarily. Teams is a full collaboration suite with meetings, chat, and document editing built in, while Slack focuses primarily on messaging and integrations. Many organizations use Teams for meetings and Slack for async communication.