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Slack vs Teams 2026: Cost, Speed & Integration Compared

Microsoft Teams dominates enterprise integration with 300+ built-in connectors and tighter Office 365 bundling at $6/user/month, while Slack leads in user experience and messaging speed with 99.99% uptime and superior search functionality, commanding a 62% preference among knowledge workers who value communication over integration.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams

Enterprise collaboration platform bundled with Microsoft 365 offering tight Office integration and cost efficiency.

Large enterprises already invested in Microsoft 365, financial services firms, government agencies, and organizations needing HIPAA/compliance-certified collaboration tools.

Score71%
VS
S

Slack

Modern messaging platform optimized for user experience and fast information retrieval with extensive app integrations.

Tech startups, creative agencies, distributed remote teams, and organizations prioritizing speed and UX over cost; companies not locked into Microsoft ecosystems.

Score71%

Quick Answer

AI Summary

Microsoft Teams dominates enterprise integration with 300+ built-in connectors and tighter Office 365 bundling at $6/user/month, while Slack leads in user experience and messaging speed with 99.99% uptime and superior search functionality, commanding a 62% preference among knowledge workers who value communication over integration.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Choose Microsoft Teams if your organization heavily uses Office 365/Microsoft 365, requires 300+ employee video calls, or prioritizes cost savings with bundled productivity suites—Teams integrates seamlessly at $6/user/month. Choose Slack if your team values fast message search, superior chat UX, or works in creative/tech industries where communication speed and intuitive workflows outweigh integration depth.

Community feedback

Was this verdict helpful?

Microsoft Teams
8.2/10
Slack
6.8/10
S
Microsoft Teams

Choose Microsoft Teams if

Best pick

Large enterprises already invested in Microsoft 365, financial services firms, government agencies, and organizations needing HIPAA/compliance-certified collaboration tools.

S

Choose Slack if

Tech startups, creative agencies, distributed remote teams, and organizations prioritizing speed and UX over cost; companies not locked into Microsoft ecosystems.

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Price (per user/month):Microsoft Teams wins($6.00 (Pro plan) vs $12.50 (Pro plan))
  • Built-in third-party integrations:Microsoft Teams wins(300+ native integrations vs 100+ native integrations)
  • Message search speed:Slack wins(1,200-1,500ms average response time vs <500ms average response time)
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

110 numeric metrics compared

MetricMicrosoft TeamsSlackRatio
Daily Active Users(millions)320 million~38 Million
App Integrations(count)~7002,600+
Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo)Included with M365$7.25
Maximum Webinar Participants(participants)10,000
Free Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)60 minutes
Maximum Free Breakout Rooms(rooms)50 rooms
Starting Paid Plan Cost(USD/month)$6/month (Microsoft 365 bundle)
Standalone Monthly Pricing (Pro Tier)(USD per user per month)$6.00 (with Microsoft 365 Business Basic)$7.25
Annual Cost per User (Pro Tier)(USD)$72 (bundled pricing)$87 (billed yearly)
Third-Party App Integrations(integrations)1,000+2,400+
Video Meeting Capacity(participants)Up to 10,000Up to 2,000 (with paid plan)
Mobile App Feature Parity(%)85%95%
Free Plan Monthly Cost(USD)$6 (Teams Essentials)
Maximum Free Tier Group Meeting Duration(hours)24 hours
Free Tier Participant Limit(participants)100 participants
Gartner Meeting Solutions Rating(stars)4.5 stars
Gartner Review Sample Size(reviews)3,669 reviews
Gartner Customer Rating(stars)4.5 stars
Customer Reviews Analyzed(count)3,668 reviews
Video Quality Rating(%)7.9% positive
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)1,000+ participants
Starting Monthly Price per User(USD)$4.50
Free Meeting Duration (3+ participants)(minutes)60 minutes
Real-Time Translation Languages(count)31 languages
Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)(percentage)67% of deployments
3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365(percentage savings)47% lower cost
Base Pricing (Monthly)(USD)$7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price)
Maximum Video Meeting Participants(participants)300+ participants
Language Translation Support(languages)40+ languages (Teams Premium)
Registered Users Globally(millions)350+ million monthly active users
Monthly Active Users (MAU)(millions)320M
Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)60 minutes (group calls)
Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD per user)$6.50 or free with Microsoft 365$8.75
Minimum Bandwidth for HD Video(Mbps)4.5 Mbps
Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions)320 million
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)$0 (Free) or $6 (Standard)
Native third-party integrations(count)500+ apps100+
Maximum Video Conference Participants(participants)10,000 participants
Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/user/month)$6$7.25
Third-Party Integrations(count)500+2000+
Max Video Conference Participants(people)100001000
Message History (Free Plan)(days)unlimited90
Voice Codec Quality Rating(score (1-10))87.5
Enterprise Security Certifications(count)SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR, DLP, eDiscoverySOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR
Time to Deploy(days)1-33-7
Uptime Guarantee(%)99.9%99.99%
Video Conference Max Participants(participants)300150
Free Tier File Storage(GB per user)100 GB per user1 GB shared workspace
Message Search History (Free Tier)(days)90 days90 days
Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)(USD)$7,800 or free with Microsoft 365$10,500
Desktop App Memory Usage(MB)450 MB280 MB
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)$8$8
Free Tier Meeting Participant Limit(participants)Unlimited (Slack Huddles for video limited to 50 participants)Unlimited (Slack Huddles for video limited to 50 participants)
Asynchronous Communication Strength(scale 1-5)5 out of 5 (core feature with channels, threads, and history)5 out of 5 (core feature with channels, threads, and history)
Google Workspace Integration Level2 out of 5 (available via integration, not native)2 out of 5 (available via integration, not native)
AI Features Count (2026)(features)30+ (CRM tools, meeting summaries, automation, SlackBot enhancements)30+ (CRM tools, meeting summaries, automation, SlackBot enhancements)
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)$7.25$7.25
Business+ Tier Monthly Cost Per User(USD)$12.50$12.50
Available Integrations(integrations)2000+2000+
Price Stability (2024-2026)(months)No increases for 33 monthsNo increases for 33 months
Free Tier Cost(USD)FreeFree
Pro/Standard Monthly Cost(USD per user/month)$7.25$7.25
Third-party Integrations(integrations)2000+2000+
Minimum Monthly Cost Per User(USD)$7.25$7.25
Third-Party Integrations Available(count)2,000+2,000+
Years Price Stable (2026)(months)33+ months33+ months
Native Integrations Available(count)2,200+2,200+
Pro Plan Annual Cost(USD)$150 (billed monthly)$150 (billed monthly)
Free Tier Message History Retention(days)90 days90 days
AI Transcription Languages Supported(languages)0 (not native feature)0 (not native feature)
Enterprise Uptime SLA(percent)99.99%99.99%
User Workspace Limit (Free Tier)(workspaces)1 workspace1 workspace
Maximum Meeting Participants (Free)(participants)3 participants3 participants
Pro Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)(USD per user)$8.75$8.75
Available Integrations(count)2,000+ integrations2,000+ integrations
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD)$12.50 per user/month$12.50 per user/month
Free Message History(days)90 days maximum90 days maximum
Voice Audio Codec Quality(kHz)16 kHz16 kHz
Maximum Video Call Participants(people)15 participants15 participants
Total Registered Users(millions)750 million750 million
Enterprise Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD)$12.50$12.50
Free Plan Message History Retention(days)90 days90 days
Third-Party Integrations Available(integrations)2,300+ integrations2,300+ integrations
Cloud Storage (Base Plan)(GB)10 GB10 GB
Monthly Cost Per User(USD)$8-12.50 (Pro/Business+)$8-12.50 (Pro/Business+)
Active Workspaces(workspaces)750,000+750,000+
Native Integrations(integrations)2,300+2,300+
Message History Searchable(years)10 years standard10 years standard
Workflow Automation Steps(built-in steps)50+50+
Native App Integrations Available(count)2,400+ apps2,400+ apps
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan, 50 users)(USD)$412.50/month$412.50/month
Paid Workspaces/Users (Enterprise Adoption)(workspaces)750,000+ paid workspaces750,000+ paid workspaces
Monthly Cost (10 Users, Annual)(USD)$150/month ($1,800/year)$150/month ($1,800/year)
Pre-built Integrations(integrations)2,400+ integrations2,400+ integrations
Message History on Free Plan(days)90-day limited access90-day limited access
Active Global Workspaces/Deployments(count)750,000+ active workspaces750,000+ active workspaces
Uptime SLA Guarantee(%)99.99%99.99%
Price Per User Per Month (Pro/Standard)(USD)$12.50/user (Pro plan)$12.50/user (Pro plan)
Base Monthly Cost (10-person team)(USD)$80-150$80-150
Cost for 50-person team(USD/month)$400-750$400-750
Real-time Messaging Speed(ms (message delivery latency))50-100ms (instant)50-100ms (instant)
File Storage Included(GB)5GB (free); unlimited (paid plan)5GB (free); unlimited (paid plan)
Setup Time for New Team(hours)0.5-1 hour0.5-1 hour
Monthly subscription cost (Pro plan)(USD per user)$12.50$12.50
Message search response time(milliseconds)<500ms<500ms
User interface satisfaction rating(out of 10)9.2/109.2/10
Maximum video call participants (free tier)(people)100 participants100 participants
Service uptime SLA guarantee(percent)99.99%99.99%
Message history retention (free plan)(days)90 days searchable90 days searchable
Enterprise app marketplace size(applications)2,000+ apps (Slack App Directory)2,000+ apps (Slack App Directory)

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

Microsoft Teams
4Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams leads
S
3Slack
  • Price (per user/month)

    Microsoft Teams

    $6.00 (Pro plan)(winner)

    Slack

    $12.50 (Pro plan)

  • Built-in third-party integrations

    Microsoft Teams

    300+ native integrations(winner)

    Slack

    100+ native integrations

  • Message search speed

    Microsoft Teams

    <500ms average response time

    Slack

    1,200-1,500ms average response time(winner)

  • User interface intuitiveness

    Microsoft Teams

    9.2/10 (avg user rating)

    Slack

    7.8/10 (avg user rating)(winner)

  • Video conferencing participants (free tier)

    Microsoft Teams

    Up to 100 participants(winner)

    Slack

    Up to 300 participants

  • Uptime SLA

    Microsoft Teams

    99.99% guaranteed

    Slack

    99.9% guaranteed(winner)

  • Message retention (free plan)

    Microsoft Teams

    90 days searchable(winner)

    Slack

    Unlimited searchable history

Full Comparison

Microsoft Teams
SSlack
Daily Active Users(millions)
320 million
~38 Million
App Integrations(count)
~700
2,600+
Native Microsoft Office Integration
Full (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Native third-party integrations(count)
500+ apps
100+
Google Workspace Native Integration
Limited (requires custom setup)
Available Integrations(count)
2,000+ integrations
Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo)
Included with M365
$7.25
Free Cloud Recording Capability
No, paid only
Free Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)
60 minutes
Office 365 Native Integration
Full native integration
Browser Join Without App
Often requires app/account
Maximum Webinar Participants(participants)
10,000
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)
1,000+ participants
Users Per Workspace(count)
Unlimited
Maximum Free Breakout Rooms(rooms)
50 rooms
Starting Paid Plan Cost(USD/month)
$6/month (Microsoft 365 bundle)
Standalone Monthly Pricing (Pro Tier)(USD per user per month)
$6.00 (with Microsoft 365 Business Basic)
$7.25
Annual Cost per User (Pro Tier)(USD)
$72 (bundled pricing)
$87 (billed yearly)
Free Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$6 (Teams Essentials)
Starting Monthly Price per User(USD)
$4.50
Show 25 more attributes
Base Pricing (Monthly)(USD)
$7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price)
Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)
60 minutes (group calls)
Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD per user)
$6.50 or free with Microsoft 365
$8.75
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)
$0 (Free) or $6 (Standard)
Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/user/month)
$6
$7.25
Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)(USD)
$7,800 or free with Microsoft 365
$10,500
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$8
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$7.25
Business+ Tier Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$12.50
Price Stability (2024-2026)(months)
No increases for 33 months
Free Tier Cost(USD)
Free
Pro/Standard Monthly Cost(USD per user/month)
$7.25
Minimum Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$7.25
Years Price Stable (2026)(months)
33+ months
Pro Plan Annual Cost(USD)
$150 (billed monthly)
Pro Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)(USD per user)
$8.75
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD)
$12.50 per user/month
Enterprise Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$12.50
Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$8-12.50 (Pro/Business+)
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan, 50 users)(USD)
$412.50/month
Monthly Cost (10 Users, Annual)(USD)
$150/month ($1,800/year)
Price Per User Per Month (Pro/Standard)(USD)
$12.50/user (Pro plan)
Base Monthly Cost (10-person team)(USD)
$80-150
Cost for 50-person team(USD/month)
$400-750
Monthly subscription cost (Pro plan)(USD per user)
$12.50
AI Translation Languages (2026)(languages)
Limited translation features
AI Meeting Assistant Cost(USD/month)
Copilot Pro required ($20+ per tenant)
AI Assistant Capability
Slack AI (optional on paid plans)
AI Transcription Languages Supported(languages)
0 (not native feature)
AI Meeting Assistant
Slack AI (search, summarization, drafting)
Third-Party App Integrations(integrations)
1,000+
2,400+
Enterprise app marketplace size(applications)
2,000+ apps (Slack App Directory)
Video Meeting Capacity(participants)
Up to 10,000
Up to 2,000 (with paid plan)
Native Office Integration
Native with SharePoint, OneDrive, Office Web Apps
Limited (third-party connectors)
AI Copilot Features
Microsoft Copilot Pro (enterprise AI, meeting insights)
Slack AI (summarization, search, assisted writing)
Maximum Free Tier Group Meeting Duration(hours)
24 hours
AI Meeting Notes Availability
Premium only ($10/user/month)
Show 27 more attributes
AI Meeting Summaries
Basic transcription only
Free Meeting Duration (3+ participants)(minutes)
60 minutes
Real-Time Translation Languages(count)
31 languages
Maximum Video Meeting Participants(participants)
300+ participants
Language Translation Support(languages)
40+ languages (Teams Premium)
Maximum Video Conference Participants(participants)
10,000 participants
AI Assistant Integration(capability)
Copilot with GPT-4, speech-to-text, real-time translation
Max Video Conference Participants(people)
10000
1000
Message History (Free Plan)(days)
unlimited
90
Video Conference Max Participants(participants)
300
150
Message Search History (Free Tier)(days)
90 days
90 days
Free Tier Meeting Participant Limit(participants)
Unlimited (Slack Huddles for video limited to 50 participants)
Native Video Conferencing
Huddles for brief video, limited to 50 participants; requires external tool for full conferencing
Meeting Recording & Auto-Transcription
Not native; requires integration with Otter.ai or similar third-party services
Asynchronous Communication Strength(scale 1-5)
5 out of 5 (core feature with channels, threads, and history)
Third-Party Integrations Available(count)
2,000+
Enterprise AI Features
Advanced AI assistant, smart summaries, automation
Free Message History(days)
90 days maximum
Free Plan Message History Retention(days)
90 days
Free Plan External Guest Collaboration(capacity)
Unlimited external guests via workspace invite
Email Service Included
No
Message History Searchable(years)
10 years standard
Workflow Automation Steps(built-in steps)
50+
Message History on Free Plan(days)
90-day limited access
Message History Retention(status)
10,000 messages (free); unlimited (paid)
Built-in Project Management(status)
No (requires integrations)
File Storage Included(GB)
5GB (free); unlimited (paid plan)
Message Search Speed(seconds)
Good - improving with Copilot enhancements
Excellent - optimized search indexing
Minimum Bandwidth for HD Video(Mbps)
4.5 Mbps
Desktop App Memory Usage(MB)
450 MB
280 MB
Voice Audio Codec Quality(kHz)
16 kHz
Maximum Video Call Participants(people)
15 participants
Show 2 more attributes
Real-time Messaging Speed(ms (message delivery latency))
50-100ms (instant)
Message search response time(milliseconds)
<500ms
Mobile App Feature Parity(%)
85%
95%
Mobile App Type
Native iOS/Android with feature-parity
Free Tier Participant Limit(participants)
100 participants
Microsoft 365 Integration Depth(Apps Integrated)
8+ apps (Outlook, Excel, Word, OneDrive, SharePoint, Project, Planner, Power BI)
Third-party Integrations(integrations)
2000+
Native Integrations(integrations)
2,300+
Advanced Chat Features (Channels, Threading, Workflows)
Advanced (channels, nested threads, queues, connectors)
Gartner Meeting Solutions Rating(stars)
4.5 stars
Gartner Review Sample Size(reviews)
3,669 reviews
Gartner Customer Rating(stars)
4.5 stars
Customer Reviews Analyzed(count)
3,668 reviews
3-Year Total Cost of Ownership (1,000 users)(USD)
Lower (integrated M365)
Video Quality Rating(%)
7.9% positive
Real-Time Translation Support(null)
Limited to basic captions
Native Cisco Hardware Integration(null)
Third-party device support only
AI Features in Base Tier
Limited (Copilot requires E5)
Maximum Video Sharing Quality(fps at resolution)
4K at 30fps
Maximum Video Resolution(pixels)
1080p @ 30fps
Requires 3rd party
Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)(percentage)
67% of deployments
3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365(percentage savings)
47% lower cost
Voice Chat Quality Rating(subjective score)
Excellent (optimized for reliability)
Voice Codec Quality Rating(score (1-10))
8
7.5
Video Resolution Support(maximum resolution)
4K (3840x2160)
User Learning Curve(difficulty rating)
Steep (enterprise-focused interface)
Learning Curve(1-10 scale (1=easiest))
5
2
Registered Users Globally(millions)
350+ million monthly active users
Monthly Active Users (MAU)(millions)
320M
Active Workspaces(workspaces)
750,000+
Enterprise Security Compliance(certifications)
ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR
Enterprise Security Certifications(count)
SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR, DLP, eDiscovery
SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR
GDPR & Data Sovereignty Compliance
Compliant but data on Salesforce servers
End-to-End Encryption Available
DMs only, Enterprise+ plan
End-to-End Encryption Default
Not available
Meeting Recording Retention (Free)(days)
Unlimited (OneDrive)
Free Tier File Storage(GB per user)
100 GB per user
1 GB shared workspace
Storage Per User (Standard Plan)(GB)
Variable by plan
Cloud Storage (Base Plan)(GB)
10 GB
Message history retention (free plan)(days)
90 days searchable
Supported Operating Systems(platforms)
Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web
Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions)
320 million
Deployment Options
Cloud-only (SaaS)
Deployment Options
Cloud-based SaaS only
Source Code Availability
Proprietary (closed-source)
Proprietary/closed
Data Residency Control
Microsoft-managed regional datacenters (limited control)
FedRAMP Authorization(boolean)
No
HIPAA Compliance Certified
Yes (Business+ plan required)
Third-Party Integrations(count)
500+
2000+
Available Integrations(integrations)
2000+
Native Integrations Available(count)
2,200+
Third-Party Integrations Available(integrations)
2,300+ integrations
Time to Deploy(days)
1-3
3-7
Uptime Guarantee(%)
99.9%
99.99%
Enterprise Uptime SLA(percent)
99.99%
Uptime SLA Guarantee(%)
99.99%
Service uptime SLA guarantee(percent)
99.99%
Monthly Active Users(millions)
320 million monthly active users
750,000 paid customers
Google Workspace Integration Level
2 out of 5 (available via integration, not native)
AI Features Count (2026)(features)
30+ (CRM tools, meeting summaries, automation, SlackBot enhancements)
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)
Unlimited group chats
AI Features (2026)
Workflow automation, search enhancement
Real-Time Translation
Not available
Asynchronous Communication
Optimized with threads and archives
Zoom Rooms Cost(USD per room/month)
N/A
Workflow Automation Complexity
Advanced with conditional logic
Open Source
No, proprietary
Maximum Video Length (Free Tier)(minutes)
N/A
Free Tier Message History Retention(days)
90 days
User Workspace Limit (Free Tier)(workspaces)
1 workspace
Maximum Meeting Participants (Free)(participants)
3 participants
Maximum Meeting Participants (Paid)(participants)
Unlimited (slide deck view only)
Free Plan Message History(months)
90 days
SOC 2 Type II Certified
Yes
Custom Workflow Automation
Advanced (Workflow Builder, automations)
Total Registered Users(millions)
750 million
Daily Posts Published (Organic)(millions)
N/A
Threading Model
Channel-based threads (contextual loss in active channels)
Open Source
Proprietary (closed-source)
Native Video/Audio Calls
Yes (Slack Huddles)
Native App Integrations Available(count)
2,400+ apps
Self-Hosting Capability
No, cloud-only
Self-Hosted/On-Premises Option
No (cloud-only)
Paid Workspaces/Users (Enterprise Adoption)(workspaces)
750,000+ paid workspaces
Active Global Workspaces/Deployments(count)
750,000+ active workspaces
Pre-built Integrations(integrations)
2,400+ integrations
Setup Time for New Team(hours)
0.5-1 hour
User interface satisfaction rating(out of 10)
9.2/10
Maximum video call participants (free tier)(people)
100 participants

Pros & Cons

10 pros·4 cons across both

Microsoft Teams
S
Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams

+5-2

Pros

  • 60% lower cost at $6/user/month when bundled with Office 365
  • 300+ native third-party integrations (Salesforce, ServiceNow, Jira, etc.)
  • Seamless synchronization with Excel, Word, and SharePoint documents
  • Up to 300 participants on free tier video calls
  • Integrated audio/video with Teams Phone System for PSTN connectivity

Cons

  • 1,200-1,500ms message search latency creates noticeable delays
  • UI complexity and cluttered navigation compared to competitors; steep learning curve for non-Microsoft users
S

Slack

+5-2

Pros

  • 99.99% guaranteed uptime with <500ms average message search response time
  • 9.2/10 user satisfaction rating—cleanest, most intuitive interface in category
  • Threaded conversations prevent message chaos in high-volume channels
  • 100+ native integrations plus 2,000+ apps via Slack App Directory
  • Superior full-text search indexed across all message history (Pro+)

Cons

  • 2x price of Teams Pro plan at $12.50/user/month, no bundling discounts
  • Limited to 100 participants on free video calls; requires phone system add-ons for PSTN calling

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. Microsoft Teams is dramatically cheaper—at $6/user/month when bundled with Microsoft 365 Enterprise E3/E5, it costs 50% less than Slack's $12.50/month Pro plan. A 500-person company saves $39,000/year choosing Teams. However, standalone Teams (without Office) costs $11/user/month, narrowing the gap.

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