Slack
A channel-based team messaging platform with a free plan, per-user paid plans, and AI features that scale from basic on Pro to advanced on Business+.
- Free plan
- Free trial
- Per-seat pricing
- Cloud
- AI features
- Independent sources
What is Slack?
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.
- Best forTeams that want real-time channel-based communication
- Team size fitSmall teams, Mid-size teams, Large enterprises
- PricingFree plan; Pro reported at $7.25 per user per month billed annually. Free plan available.
- Main limitationPer-user pricing grows quickly with team size, and external guests can add to cost.
- AlternativesNotion, Confluence
Slack overview: who it is for and what it does.
Slack organises team communication into channels, direct messages and huddles, with search, file sharing and integrations that connect it to other tools. Independent 2026 guides describe four plans: Free, Pro, Business+ and Enterprise+, priced per user per month with discounts for annual billing.
The plans differ most in history, integrations, AI and administration. The Free plan is reported to include 90 days of message history, up to 10 app integrations and one-to-one calls, while paid plans lift those limits. Guides consistently report that Slack's separate AI add-on was discontinued in 2025, with basic AI such as conversation summaries and huddle notes on Pro, advanced AI such as AI search, channel recaps and file summaries on Business+, and enterprise search on Enterprise+.
Slack is part of Salesforce, and Enterprise+ replaced the older Enterprise Grid. Costs rise with every active user and with third-party apps, so buyers should compare the per-seat price, the AI tier they need and any security requirements such as SSO, SCIM and compliance exports.
Main problem it solves
Replaces scattered email threads with searchable, channel-based conversations, calls and app integrations so teams can coordinate in real time.
Typical customer segment
Small teams on Free, growing businesses on Pro, mid-size organisations on Business+, and large enterprises on Enterprise+.
Target users
- Teams that want real-time channel-based communication
- Organisations that connect many tools into one workspace
- Larger organisations that need compliance exports, SCIM and enterprise search
Primary use cases
- Team and project channels
- Huddles and quick calls
- Searchable conversation history
- Connecting tools with app integrations
- AI summaries, recaps and search
What makes it distinct
- Channel-first messaging with a large integration ecosystem.
- A free plan, and AI bundled into paid tiers rather than sold separately.
- Part of the Salesforce family, with Enterprise+ replacing Enterprise Grid.
Slack features explained.
Messaging and calls
- Channels, direct messages and huddles
- Core features on every plan; the Free plan includes one-to-one audio and video calls and group huddles on paid plans.
- Message history
- Reported as 90 days on the Free plan and unlimited on paid plans.
- Slack Connect
- Messaging with external partners, listed on the Free plan.
AI and search
- Basic AI on Pro
- Conversation and thread summaries and huddle notes are reported on Pro.
- Advanced AI on Business+
- AI search, channel recaps, daily recaps and file summaries are reported on Business+.
- Enterprise search
- Reported as an Enterprise+ capability.
Integrations and administration
- App integrations
- The Free plan is reported to allow up to 10 integrations; Pro and Business+ allow unlimited integrations, though many apps charge separately.
- SSO, SCIM and compliance
- Business+ is reported to add SAML SSO, SCIM provisioning, compliance data exports and a 99.99 percent uptime SLA; sources differ on exactly which plan adds SSO.
- Enterprise Key Management
- Offered as an add-on module for Enterprise plans.
Slack pricing and plans.
Figures reported consistently by independent sources; vendor page not reviewed directly. Checked 15 Oct 2026 against G2 Learn · Zenzap · Automation Atlas · Costbench.
Pricing model
Per user per month by plan, with discounts for annual billing. Enterprise+ is custom-priced.
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
Yes A free trial of Pro is reported, with auto-renewal afterwards.
Slack plans and prices (USD)
Free
$0
n/a
90-day message history, up to 10 integrations.
Pro
$7.25 per user per month billed annually; $8.75 billed monthly
Annual or monthly
Unlimited history and integrations, basic AI.
Business+
$15 per user per month billed annually; $18 billed monthly
Annual or monthly
Advanced AI, compliance exports, SCIM, 99.99% uptime SLA.
Enterprise+
Custom
Contact sales
Replaced Enterprise Grid; enterprise search and governance.
These per-user figures agree across several independent 2026 guides. Slack's own pricing page was not reviewed directly. Slack consolidated plans and ended its separate AI add-on in 2025, and older guides show different prices ($12.50 for Business+ before it rose to $15). Third-party apps can add cost. Confirm current prices on slack.com.
Prices change. Confirm current plans and terms on the vendor's site before you decide.
Visit official website (external) ↗See alternativesSlack integrations, API and platforms.
Important integrations
- Unlimited app integrations on paid plans
- Slack Connect
- Salesforce family of products
Supported platforms
- Web
- Desktop apps
- Mobile apps
API
Not reviewed for this profile.
Data import and export
Not reviewed for this profile.
One guide estimates that third-party tools connected to Slack can add $5 to $50 per user per month. Integration depth was not assessed.
Balanced and sourced.
Each point cites a source. Editorial summaries are not customer reviews.
Strengths
- A free plan lets small teams start without paying, with Slack Connect for external messaging. [5]
- AI is bundled into paid tiers instead of sold as a separate add-on, with advanced AI on Business+. [3]
- Unlimited integrations on Pro and Business+ let teams connect many tools. [2]
- Business+ adds compliance exports and a 99.99 percent uptime SLA for organisations with governance needs. [4]
Limitations
- Per-user pricing grows quickly with team size, and external guests can add to cost. [6]
- The Free plan limits message history to 90 days and integrations to 10. [5]
- Advanced AI needs Business+, so teams on Pro get only basic AI features. [1]
- Many connected apps charge separately, which raises total cost. [2]
Best for
- Teams that want real-time channel-based communication
- Organisations that connect many tools into one workspace
- Teams that want AI summaries and search bundled into the plan
May be less suited to
- Teams that need long-term documentation rather than chat history
- Very cost-sensitive teams that need unlimited history and many integrations for free
Alternatives to Slack.
Slack compared with similar collaboration software.
Summaries come from each profile. This is a side-by-side aid, not a ranking.
| Product | Pricing model | Free plan | Knowledge base and docs | Collaboration | AI features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slack | Per user per month by plan | Yes, with 90-day history | Searchable channel history; not a wiki | Channels, huddles, Slack Connect | Basic AI on Pro, advanced on Business+ (reported) |
| Confluence | Per user per month by plan, annual | Yes, up to 10 users | Structured pages and spaces | Team spaces, guests, Jira links | Rovo credits on paid plans (reported) |
| Microsoft Teams | Per user; standalone or bundled in Microsoft 365 | Yes, with 60-minute meetings | Via SharePoint, OneDrive and Loop | Chat, channels, meetings and calling | Copilot add-on and Copilot Chat |
| Miro | Per member; AI credits and add-ons extra | Yes, three editable boards | Visual boards, not a wiki | Infinite whiteboard with visitors and guests | Credit-based AI, AI workflows and Miro MCP |
| Notion | Per member per month; guests free | Yes | Docs, wiki and databases | Shared workspace, free guests | Notion AI bundled from Business (reported) |
Slack head-to-head.
No published comparisons yet.
Join the discussion.
No published discussions mention this product yet.
Slack questions and answers
What is Slack used for?
Slack is used for team messaging in channels and direct messages, huddles and calls, file sharing, searchable history and connecting other tools through integrations.
Does Slack have a free plan?
Yes. The Free plan is reported to include 90 days of message history, up to 10 app integrations and one-to-one calls, with paid plans lifting those limits.
How much does Slack cost?
Independent 2026 guides report Pro at $7.25 and Business+ at $15 per user per month on annual billing ($8.75 and $18 monthly), with Enterprise+ on a quote. Confirm on slack.com.
Is Slack AI included?
Guides report that Slack's separate AI add-on was discontinued in 2025. Basic AI such as conversation summaries is on Pro, advanced AI such as AI search and recaps is on Business+, and enterprise search is on Enterprise+.
Is Slack a replacement for a wiki?
Slack is built for conversation, while a wiki or knowledge base such as Confluence or Notion is built for lasting documentation. Many teams use both. See those profiles.
What are the main alternatives to Slack?
Notion and Confluence are documentation-oriented tools often used alongside or instead of chat for knowledge sharing. See their profiles.
What integrations does Slack support?
Documented integrations and ecosystem items include Unlimited app integrations on paid plans, Slack Connect, Salesforce family of products. API details: Not reviewed for this profile.
What are the limitations of Slack?
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.
Which platforms does Slack run on?
Slack is documented as available on: Web, Desktop apps, Mobile apps.
When was the Slack profile last verified?
Sources for this profile were last reviewed on 15 Oct 2026. 6 sources are listed under Sources, and prices and plans can change, so confirm with the vendor.
Where this information comes from.
- 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
- How much does Slack cost in 2026? Automation Atlas Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- All Slack Plans & Pricing Costbench Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Slack Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not Costbench Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Slack Pricing: Costs, Tiers and Negotiation Tropic Third-party Accessed 15 Oct 2026
Secondary-source profile. Vendor pages were not reviewed directly for this profile. Facts and prices are corroborated across independent third-party sources and may differ from the vendor's current pages. Confirm with the vendor before buying.
Plans, prices and AI tiers are corroborated across independent third-party sources, which differ on a few details such as the plan that adds SSO. Slack's own pages were not reviewed directly and capabilities were not tested.
Stack18 has not tested this product or received anything from the vendor for this profile. Editorial summaries of vendor information are not endorsements. Confirm details with the vendor before buying.
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