Slack

Slack

Enhance team communication, collaboration, and productivity through instant messaging, file sharing, and integrations.

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  • Overview
  • Features
  • Pricing
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Reviews

Slack Overview

  • Updated August 13, 2025

Slack is a cloud-based communication and collaboration platform designed for teams and businesses. It offers real-time messaging, organized channels, and file sharing to streamline workflows.

With robust integrations for tools like Google Drive, Trello, and Zoom, Slack enhances productivity by centralizing communication and automating tasks. Its customizable notifications, search functionality, and mobile accessibility ensure seamless team coordination, making it ideal for remote and in-office work environments.

Key Features

  • Channels: Organized spaces for team discussions, with topic-specific or project-based channels, keep conversations focused and reduce email clutter.
  • Direct Messages (DMs): Private one-on-one or small group messaging ensures quick, secure communication within the organization or with trusted external partners via Slack Connect.
  • App Integrations: Connection with over 2,600 apps like Google Drive, Salesforce, and Zoom enables seamless workflows by integrating third-party tools directly into Slack.
  • Workflow Builder: No-code tool for automation of routine tasks and processes streamlines operations like job bookings or approvals within Slack.
  • Slack AI: AI-powered features, including channel and thread summaries, daily recaps, and intelligent search, provide quick access to information and boost productivity.
  • Canvas: Collaborative space within Slack for creation, organization, and sharing of resources like text, files, and app data reduces the need to switch between tools.
  • Lists: Built-in project and task management tool tracks priorities, manages requests, and keeps teams aligned without external apps.
  • Enterprise Search: AI-powered search across conversations, third-party apps, and data sources delivers relevant results to support data-driven decisions.
  • Slack Connect: Secure connection with external partners, clients, or vendors in shared channels replaces email with more collaborative and secure communication.
  • Enterprise Key Management: Granular control over data encryption for admins ensures compliance with standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and FINRA for secure data handling.
  • Slack Sales Elevate: Integration of Salesforce data into Slack centralizes customer records, opportunities, and metrics to streamline sales processes and automate CRM updates.
  • Huddles: Instant audio or video calls for up to 50 participants, with screen sharing and automatic note-taking, enable quick team collaboration.
  • Enterprise-Grade Security: Compliance certifications (SOC 2, SOC 3, ISO/IEC 27001), data loss prevention, and protection against spam/phishing ensure secure communication.
  • Customizable Notifications: Granular controls for alerts allow users to prioritize important messages and reduce distractions.
  • Mobile Accessibility: Full functionality on iOS and Android enables teams to stay connected and productive from any device, anywhere.

Price

  • Free: Limited messaging history (90 days), 2-person video calls, 10 app integrations.
  • Pro: Unlimited message history, group video calls (up to 50 participants), unlimited app integrations. $4.38/user/month (3-month billing) or $8.75/user/month (monthly billing).
  • Business+: Advanced admin controls, 99.99% uptime guarantee, 24/7 support. $9/user/month (3-month billing) or $18/user/month (monthly billing)
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing, enhanced security, compliance features, tailored for large organizations.

Pricing details: https://slack.com/pricing

Pros

Competitor

Pros of Slack
Microsoft Teams Slack excels with its intuitive, channel-focused interface, ideal for agile teams and project-based work. It offers over 2,600 app integrations, including Jira, Salesforce, and Google Calendar, making it a versatile hub for diverse tech stacks. Users praise its clean, customizable design with features like custom emojis and light/dark modes.

Slack’s Workflow Builder allows no-code automation, streamlining tasks without technical expertise. Its Slack Connect feature enables seamless collaboration with external partners. Customer reviews highlight its ease of use and robust search functionality for quick information retrieval.
Google Chat Slack stands out with its extensive app ecosystem, offering over 2,600 integrations compared to Google Chat’s focus on Google Workspace. Its Canvas feature enables dynamic document collaboration, better than Google Chat’s simpler chat organization.

Slack AI provides advanced features like thread summaries and daily recaps, enhancing productivity. Reviews commend Slack’s user-friendly interface and mobile accessibility, making it more flexible for teams not tied to Google’s ecosystem. Slack’s customizable notifications and Slackbot automation further improve workflow efficiency.
Rocket.Chat Slack offers superior ease of use with a polished, modern interface compared to Rocket.Chat’s developer-focused UX, which can be less intuitive for non-technical users. Its vast integration library and no-code Workflow Builder make it more accessible for automating tasks without coding expertise.

Slack’s Enterprise plan provides advanced security features like HIPAA compliance, appealing to regulated industries. Customer reviews favor Slack for its seamless real-time communication and robust search capabilities, ideal for dynamic teams.
Discord Slack is tailored for professional environments, offering a structured, business-oriented platform with features like Canvas, Lists, and Slack AI for task management and collaboration.

Its extensive integrations and enterprise-grade security, including GDPR and FINRA compliance, make it more suitable for businesses than Discord’s community-focused design. Reviews highlight Slack’s intuitive interface and customizable workflows, which streamline communication and project tracking for corporate teams, unlike Discord’s gaming-oriented roots.

Cons

Competitor

Cons of Slack
Microsoft Teams Slack’s pricing is notably higher, with the Pro plan at $8.75/user/month and Business+ at $15/user/month, compared to Teams’ plans starting at $4/user/month. Its video and audio call quality is inferior to Teams’ robust video conferencing capabilities, which are better suited for large virtual meetings.

Some users report Slack’s task management requires additional apps, unlike Teams’ integrated project tools. Notifications can overwhelm users without careful customization, and conversation threads may get buried in busy channels.
Google Chat Slack’s cost can be a drawback, with paid plans starting at $8.75/user/month compared to Google Chat’s inclusion in Google Workspace plans from $6/user/month. Its AI features, while useful, are less integrated with a cohesive ecosystem like Google Chat’s seamless Google Docs and Meet functionality.

Users note Slack’s free plan is limited, storing messages for only 90 days, and its interface can become cluttered with excessive channels, requiring frequent organization.
Rocket.Chat Slack’s closed-source nature limits customization compared to Rocket.Chat’s open-source flexibility, which allows full control over data and custom apps. Its pricing, especially for the Enterprise plan, can be prohibitive for small businesses, whereas Rocket.Chat offers cost-effective self-hosted options.

Some reviews mention Slack’s lack of native customer support tools that require additional integrations, and its dependency on a stable internet connection can hinder offline functionality.
Discord Slack’s higher cost, starting at $8.75/user/month for paid plans, contrasts with Discord’s free or low-cost options, making it less appealing for budget-conscious teams. Its video conferencing lacks the always-on audio features Discord excels at, which may suit dynamic, informal teams better.

Users find Slack’s notification overload challenging without strict settings, and its task management tools are less robust for complex projects compared to dedicated platforms.

Customers' Reviews From Reliable Websites

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