Slack vs Microsoft Teams: Team Collaboration Compared (2026)
Slack and Microsoft Teams are the two best-known workplace chat platforms.
- Verified 27 Oct 2026Sources are dated on this page
- 10 sourcesLinked, typed and dated
- No winner declaredFit depends on your criteria
- Not tested by Stack18Editorial summary of documented facts
Slack vs Microsoft Teams: the short answer
Slack and Microsoft Teams are the two best-known workplace chat platforms. Slack, owned by Salesforce, is a standalone channel-based messaging product sold in Free, Pro, Business+ and Enterprise+ plans. Teams is chat, meetings and calling from Microsoft, offered free, as a standalone Teams Essentials plan, or bundled into Microsoft 365 business and enterprise suites.
The core trade-off in the sources reviewed is ecosystem against specialism. Teams is cheaper per user and sits inside Microsoft 365 with SharePoint, OneDrive and Copilot. Slack is reported to lead on third-party app integrations and day-to-day messaging experience, with AI bundled into paid plans. If your organisation already pays for Microsoft 365, Teams often costs little extra. If it does not, the comparison is closer than the sticker prices suggest.
We compare what independent 2026 sources support and mark the rest Unknown. Microsoft raised several Microsoft 365 prices on 1 July 2026, so older guides show lower Teams-related prices. No winner is declared: the better fit depends on the tools your team already uses.
Choose Slack if you- Teams that live in many third-party tools and want a large app directory
- Organisations on Google Workspace or a mixed stack that do not get a Microsoft bundle benefit
- Teams that want AI summaries and search bundled into a standalone chat product
Choose Microsoft Teams if you- Organisations already licensed for Microsoft 365 that want chat and meetings with little extra cost
- Teams that run large meetings, webinars or calling from the same app
- Enterprises that standardise on Microsoft identity, security and compliance
Slack and Microsoft Teams at a glance.
One card per product, drawn from each full profile. Open a profile for features, pricing plans, limits and sources.
Slack
Slack Technologies (Salesforce) · Collaboration Software
Slack is a team messaging and collaboration platform, owned by Salesforce, that organises conversations into channels and offers huddles, search, integrations and AI features, sold per user in Free, Pro, Business+ and Enterprise+ plans.
- Pricing
- Free plan; Pro reported at $7.25 per user per month billed annually.
- Best for
- Teams that want real-time channel-based communication
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Corporation · Collaboration Software
Microsoft Teams is a chat, video meeting, calling and collaboration app from Microsoft that works with Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive and Loop, offered as a free version, a standalone Teams Essentials plan and as part of Microsoft 365 plans.
- Pricing
- Free version; standalone Essentials at $4 and Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7 per user per month billed annually.
- Best for
- Organisations already using Microsoft 365
Slack vs Microsoft Teams: feature-by-feature comparison.
Every row is drawn from the sources listed below. Rows that differ are marked, and you can filter the table to show only those.
- YesDocumented
- PartialAvailable with limits or on some plans
- NoDocumented as unavailable
- UnknownNot documented in the sources reviewed
| Dimension |  Slack |  Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Product | ||
| Core approach | YesChannel-based messaging with huddles, search, canvases and integrations; owned by Salesforce. | YesChat, channels, meetings and calling inside the Microsoft 365 suite. |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | YesFree plan with 90-day message history and up to 10 integrations. | YesFree version with meetings up to 60 minutes and 100 participants, about 5 GB per user and limited app integrations. |
| Entry paid price (annual) | YesPro reported at $7.25 per user per month billed annually; $8.75 billed monthly. | YesTeams Essentials at $4 per user per month billed annually; Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7 since 1 July 2026 (was $6). |
| Mid-tier price (annual) | YesBusiness+ reported at $15 per user per month; some older guides show $12.50 from before the 2025 change. | YesMicrosoft 365 Business Standard at $14 (was $12.50); Business Premium at $22 unchanged. |
| Enterprise pricingDiffers | PartialEnterprise+ is custom-priced and replaced Enterprise Grid. | YesMicrosoft 365 E3 at $39 and E5 at $60 per user per month after the July 2026 increase. |
| Messaging | ||
| Message historyDiffers | Partial90 days on Free; unlimited on paid plans. | UnknownHistory limits by plan were not documented in the sources reviewed; one guide lists unlimited history on its free tier. |
| Meetings | ||
| Video meetingsDiffers | PartialHuddles for audio and video calls; guides describe them as more casual than full conferencing. | YesFull meetings: up to 300 participants and 30 hours from Essentials; webinars from Business Standard. |
| Phone systemDiffers | UnknownA built-in phone system was not documented in the sources reviewed. | PartialTeams Phone is an add-on reported at about $8 to $10 per user per month, with calling plans extra. |
| Integrations | ||
| Third-party app ecosystemDiffers | YesGuides report roughly 2,500 to 2,600 integrations; unlimited on paid plans, though many connected apps charge separately. | PartialStrong inside Microsoft 365; breadth of third-party apps was not assessed, and the free version has limited integrations. |
| Files | ||
| Storage and filesDiffers | PartialSlack is channel history and files, not a document store; storage limits by plan were not documented in the sources reviewed. | YesAbout 5 GB free, 10 GB on Essentials and 1 TB per user on Business plans via OneDrive and SharePoint. |
| AI | ||
| AI assistantDiffers | YesSlack AI is bundled into paid plans: basic on Pro, advanced on Business+. | PartialCopilot is a $30 per user add-on on qualifying plans; Copilot Chat enhancements were added to Business plans in 2026. |
| External | ||
| Working with outside partnersDiffers | YesSlack Connect for messaging with external organisations, listed on the Free plan. | PartialGuest access is supported through Azure AD, per one guide; setup depends on your Microsoft tenant. |
| Enterprise | ||
| Compliance and admin | YesBusiness+ is reported to add SCIM, compliance exports and a 99.99 percent uptime SLA; sources differ on which plan adds SSO. | YesBusiness Premium adds advanced security and device management; enterprise suites add Microsoft's compliance tooling. |
Slack vs Microsoft Teams pricing.
Slack pricing
Per user per month by plan, with discounts for annual billing. Enterprise+ is custom-priced.
- Free$0
- Pro$7.25 per user per month billed annually; $8.75 billed monthly
- Business+$15 per user per month billed annually; $18 billed monthly
- Enterprise+Custom
Figures reported consistently by independent sources; vendor page not reviewed directly. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
All Slack plans and sources
Microsoft Teams pricing
Per user per month by plan: free, a standalone Teams Essentials plan, or Teams as part of Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise suites. Add-ons for Phone, Premium and Copilot are separate.
- Teams (free)$0
- Microsoft Teams Essentials$4 per user per month billed annually
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic$7 per user per month billed annually
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard$14 per user per month billed annually
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium$22 per user per month billed annually
Figures reported consistently by independent sources; vendor page not reviewed directly. Checked 17 Oct 2026.
All Microsoft Teams plans and sourcesTeams is cheaper at every comparable entry point. Our arithmetic on reported annual prices for 25 users gives about $2,175 a year on Slack Pro ($7.25 x 25 x 12) against $1,200 on Teams Essentials ($4 x 25 x 12) or $2,100 on Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7 x 25 x 12). At the mid tier, Slack Business+ at $15 is about $4,500 a year and Microsoft 365 Business Standard at $14 about $4,200.
Those totals understate the real gap for Microsoft shops, because Business Basic and Standard also include business email, OneDrive storage and Office apps. For an organisation that already pays for Microsoft 365, Teams adds little or no marginal cost, while Slack is a second subscription. Conversely, a team on Google Workspace gets no bundle benefit from Teams.
Watch the add-ons. Copilot at about $30 per user per month would add roughly $750 a month for 25 users, and Teams Phone and Teams Premium are priced separately. On the Slack side, the cost of connected third-party apps can exceed the Slack subscription itself. Microsoft's July 2026 increases mean older price guides are out of date, so confirm current terms with each vendor.
Prices and plans change. Confirm current terms with each vendor before you decide.
Slack vs Microsoft Teams: implementation, ecosystem, AI and security.
Ease of implementation and usability
We did not test setup or migration for either product. Slack is a standalone app that teams can adopt in a day. Teams is easiest to roll out where Microsoft 365 licensing and identity are already in place, but sources note that Microsoft has unbundled Teams from some suites, so check your licence before assuming it is included.
Integrations and ecosystem
Slack is reported to lead on third-party integrations, with roughly 2,500 to 2,600 apps and a developer-friendly API and workflow builder, according to independent guides. Teams is strongest with Microsoft's own products: SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Loop and Planner. Integration counts differ between sources and we did not test either directory, so check the specific tools you use.
AI capabilities
Slack bundles AI into paid plans, with summaries and huddle notes on Pro and advanced AI search and recaps on Business+. Teams relies on Microsoft Copilot, which independent guides say is strongest for meeting summaries and for questions across Microsoft 365 data, but which costs about $30 per user per month extra. We did not test output quality for either.
Security, deployment and administration
Slack reports SCIM, compliance exports and a 99.99 percent uptime SLA on Business+, with Enterprise Key Management as an add-on for Enterprise plans. Microsoft offers advanced security and device management on Business Premium at $22 and its enterprise compliance suite on E3 and E5. We did not review certifications for either product, so request current security documentation from both vendors.
Slack and Microsoft Teams: each option, in balance.
Slack
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- A free plan lets small teams start without paying, with Slack Connect for external messaging.
- AI is bundled into paid tiers instead of sold as a separate add-on, with advanced AI on Business+.
- Unlimited integrations on Pro and Business+ let teams connect many tools.
- Business+ adds compliance exports and a 99.99 percent uptime SLA for organisations with governance needs.
- Per-user pricing grows quickly with team size, and external guests can add to cost.
- The Free plan limits message history to 90 days and integrations to 10.
- Advanced AI needs Business+, so teams on Pro get only basic AI features.
- Many connected apps charge separately, which raises total cost.
Microsoft Teams
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- A free version and a $4 standalone plan make it easy to start with chat and meetings.
- Teams is included in Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise plans, so organisations on Microsoft 365 can use it without a separate collaboration tool.
- Meetings of up to 300 participants and 30 hours are available from Essentials upward.
- Business Premium at $22 held its price in July 2026 and adds security and device management.
- Microsoft added mailbox storage, link protection and Copilot Chat enhancements to Business plans in 2026.
- Business Basic and Standard prices rose 16% and 12% on 1 July 2026, and older guides still show the old prices.
- Microsoft has unbundled Teams from some suites, so licensing can be confusing and may need an add-on.
- Add-ons are costly: Copilot at $30, Teams Phone at about $8 to $10, and Teams Premium around $10 per user per month.
- The free version limits meetings to 60 minutes and 100 participants and does not allow recording.
- A 5% premium applies to annual subscriptions billed monthly since April 2026.
Slack or Microsoft Teams: which fits which situation?
No overall winner is declared. The better choice depends on the criteria that matter most to you, so test both against your own requirements.
Choose Slack if you…
- Teams that live in many third-party tools and want a large app directory
- Organisations on Google Workspace or a mixed stack that do not get a Microsoft bundle benefit
- Teams that want AI summaries and search bundled into a standalone chat product
Choose Microsoft Teams if you…
- Organisations already licensed for Microsoft 365 that want chat and meetings with little extra cost
- Teams that run large meetings, webinars or calling from the same app
- Enterprises that standardise on Microsoft identity, security and compliance
Switching between Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Moving between Slack and Teams means migrating channels and history, recreating integrations and workflows, and retraining habits. Channel history and files do not always transfer cleanly, and third-party migration tools exist for the job. Run both in parallel for one team, agree which tool is the system of record for decisions, and set a firm cut-off date.
- Export a sample of your data and test an import into the other product.
- List the automations, integrations and permissions you would need to rebuild.
- Pilot with one team before a full cut-over.
- Check contract terms and notice periods with both vendors.
General guidance, not specific to either vendor. Confirm migration options with the vendors.
Slack vs Microsoft Teams: questions and answers
Is Slack or Microsoft Teams cheaper?
Teams is cheaper at comparable entry points: $4 per user per month for Teams Essentials against $7.25 for Slack Pro, on annual billing. For organisations already on Microsoft 365, Teams adds little or no extra cost. Prices rose for some Microsoft 365 plans on 1 July 2026.
Does Slack or Teams have a better free plan?
Slack's free plan keeps 90 days of message history and 10 integrations. The free Teams version limits meetings to 60 minutes and 100 participants and has about 5 GB of storage. Which is better depends on whether messaging history or meetings matter more to you.
Which has better integrations?
Independent guides report Slack leads on third-party integrations, with roughly 2,500 to 2,600 apps, while Teams is stronger inside Microsoft 365. Counts differ by source, so check the apps you need.
Which has better AI, Slack AI or Microsoft Copilot?
Slack AI is bundled into paid plans, while Copilot for Teams is typically a $30 per user add-on. Guides credit Copilot with deeper meeting and Microsoft 365 context. The sources reviewed do not support a quality ranking.
Is Slack or Teams better for video meetings?
Teams is built for full meetings, with up to 300 participants and 30 hours on paid plans and webinars from Business Standard. Slack huddles are described as lighter weight calls.
Can I use Slack and Teams together?
Yes, some organisations do, but guides note that paying for two collaboration platforms raises cost and splits conversations. Decide which one is the system of record.
Did Microsoft Teams prices go up in 2026?
Teams Essentials stayed at $4, but Microsoft 365 Business Basic rose from $6 to $7 and Business Standard from $12.50 to $14 on 1 July 2026, per independent reports. Older guides still show the earlier prices.
Where this comparison comes from.
- Slack vs. Microsoft Teams Zapier Third-party Accessed 27 Oct 2026
- Slack vs Teams: Which is Better for Your Business in 2026? CloudFuze Third-party Accessed 27 Oct 2026
- Slack AI vs Teams AI Asian Efficiency Third-party Accessed 27 Oct 2026
- Slack vs Microsoft Teams (2026): Which Team Communication Tool Is Better? DEV Community (AI Productivity Picks) Third-party Accessed 27 Oct 2026
- Slack Pricing: What 38K+ Users Say About Free Vs. Paid G2 Learn Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Slack Pricing in 2026: Complete Guide & What It Really Costs Your Business Zenzap Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Microsoft 365 Prices Rise on 1 July: What IT Teams Need to Do Before the Deadline UC Today Third-party Accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Microsoft Teams pricing Jotform Third-party Accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Microsoft Licensing: Teams Pillar Guide 2026 Redress Compliance Third-party Accessed 17 Oct 2026
- Microsoft Teams pricing 2026: License changes guide eesel AI Third-party Accessed 17 Oct 2026
Comparison rows summarise the sources listed and the two profiles. Confirm current details with each vendor. Stack18 has not tested either product. One or both profiles are secondary-source profiles: vendor pages were not reviewed directly, so verify figures with the vendors.
Ready to test Slack and Microsoft Teams?
Check each vendor's current pricing and terms, run both against a real scenario from your business, or talk to Stack18 if off-the-shelf software is not the answer.
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