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Slack vs Microsoft Teams

Compare cost, functionality and features before making a decision.

Amy Stoltenberg
Amy Stoltenberg

Posted

Fact checked

Trying to choose the right software for your business? Slack is best as a standalone IM tool, while Microsoft Teams comes with a full suite of office products.

Who are these brands best for?

Both Slack and Microsoft Teams are designed for businesses across a huge range of industries. The question of who they're best for really comes down to the daily functions of your team.

Microsoft Teams is best for companies looking for a full suite of office products, as it includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, cloud storage and more — in addition to instant messaging and video conferencing solutions.

Slack, on the other hand, shines with its instant messaging — but that's it. Its video conferencing tool can only support up to 15 users at a time.

How do Slack and Microsoft Teams compare?

Your team can access both Slack and Microsoft Teams via web browser, desktop app or mobile app. Both are compatible with MacOS, iOS, Windows, Android and Linux.

Get a side-by-side look at both products to determine which is best:

Slack logoMicrosoft Teams logo
Memberships & Price per user
  • Free: US$0
  • Standard: From US$6.67 monthly
  • Plus: From US$12.50 monthly
  • Enterprise: Custom
  • Free version: AUD$0
  • Business Basic: AUD$6.90 monthly
  • Business Standard: AUD$17.20 monthly
Benefits
  • Over 2,000 integration apps
  • Wide range of privacy settings and channel types
  • Monthly billing, so you can cancel at any time
  • Access the full suite of Microsoft desktop apps
  • Up to 250 members per video conference
  • Collaborate on documents without leaving the app
Drawbacks
  • Only 15 users per video conference
  • Pricey, considering it doesn't include other products
  • Tech support is limited to email
  • Less convenient if you don't work with Microsoft products
  • Hyper-organised interface can feel overwhelming
Unique features
  • SlackBot
  • Workflow builder
  • Slack analytics
  • Get answers with T-Bot and WhoBot
  • Record meetings
  • Offline phone calls and audio conferencing
Read our full review of Slack
Read our full review of Microsoft Teams

Which should I choose?

The good news is that both Microsoft Teams and Slack offer a free trial, so you can try it out before making a commitment if you're still on the fence.

Otherwise, here's our take:

Best for businesses with few employees: Teams

Microsoft Teams is best for businesses with few employees. Its full suite of office tools could increase efficiency for a tighter team. Also, it offers more ways to access customer support than Slack.

Best for businesses with large teams: Slack

Businesses with large teams may find Slack to be a more agile tool, as it integrates with more apps and focuses solely on instant messaging. Its interface is intuitive, and users can customise and filter settings.

Best for scalability: Slack

Slack is best for scalability, because you'll have more flexibility to adopt different tools as you grow — basically, you won't have to stick with Office 365's suite of products. Also, Slack's 2,000+ integrations means that you'll have more external apps to choose from as your needs change and evolve. Microsoft Teams, on the other hand, only offers 416 integration apps.

Best for price per user: Teams

Microsoft Teams' price at AUD$6.90 a month for its cloud-based live chat and video-conferencing software is the best bang for your buck. But keep in mind that this doesn't include desktop apps.

Businesses in need of an IM tool with a huge variety of app integrations should opt for Slack, while companies searching for a full-service suite of office products will benefit most from Microsoft Teams.

If neither are quite what you're looking for, browse other business software solutions to see what else is out there.

Compare other collaboration software

Data indicated here is updated regularly
Name Product Starting price Features App integration Tech support
Zoom
Zoom
Free
Video
Yes
Phone
Email
Live chat
Powerful collaboration tools to host virtual meetings or provide education services
Go to site
More Info
Slack
Slack
Free
Direct messaging
Public chat channels
Video
Project management
Yes
Email
Helps streamline communications across company teams and projects
Go to site
More Info
Monday.com
Monday.com
$39/month
Direct messaging
Project management
Calendar
Yes
Phone
Email
Connect to run projects and workflows with confidence
Go to site
Jira
Jira
Free
Project management
Calendar
Yes
Email
Plan, track, release and report your workflow
More Info
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams
Free
Direct messaging
Public chat channels
Video
Yes
Phone
Email
Invite everyone you work with to chat, meet, call, and collaborate all in one place
Asana
Asana
Free
Project management
Calendar
Yes
Email
Live chat
Helps you organize projects by task, milestone, assignee and deadline
More Info
Trello
Trello
Free
Project management
Calendar
Yes
Email
Collaborate on projects from beginning to end
More Info
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