Slack vs Microsoft Teams, round by round
Teams comes with Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7 a user billed yearly) alongside Outlook, SharePoint and 1 TB of OneDrive per user, and files co-edit in Office. Slack connects to Microsoft 365 through apps, but it is a second bill and a second place to look.
Slack is faster and lighter, threads and search are cleaner, and most developer and SaaS tools (GitHub, Jira, Linear, PagerDuty, Vercel) ship a Slack app first. Teams feels more formal and heavier on older laptops.
Slack Connect shares channels with up to 250 outside organizations on Pro and above, and both sides keep their own workspace. Teams has guest access from Essentials and shared channels, but cross-company work is clunkier and guests switch tenants.
Teams meetings hold up to 300 people for up to 30 hours from Essentials ($4), with recordings and transcripts. Slack huddles are for quick calls: 2 people on Free and up to 50 on paid plans, with video for 25 at a time.
Slack's App Directory lists 2,600+ apps and Workflow Builder automates requests and alerts without code. Teams has its own app store and Power Automate, but many SaaS tools have no Teams app or a thinner one.
Teams Essentials is $4 a user a month billed yearly, or $7 inside Microsoft 365 Business Basic with email and storage. Slack Pro is $7.25 billed yearly ($8.75 monthly) and Business+ $15 ($18 monthly), on top of whatever email suite you pay for.
Slack Free works for a whole team, but shows only 90 days of history, deletes content older than a year and allows 10 apps and 1:1 huddles. Free Microsoft Teams is meant for personal use, with 60-minute group meetings for up to 100 people and 5 GB of storage.
Pick Slack if
You are a startup or tech team that lives in third-party tools, works in shared channels with clients or partners, and wants the fastest chat.
Pick Microsoft Teams if
You already pay for Microsoft 365, meet as much as you chat, or want the lowest price per user.
Questions buyers ask
Is Slack or Microsoft Teams better?
Teams is better for companies on Microsoft 365: chat, 300-person meetings and SharePoint files from $4 to $7 a user. Slack is better for startups and tech teams that depend on third-party apps, for shared channels with outside companies through Slack Connect, and for a faster, lighter chat experience.
Slack vs Teams: which is cheaper?
Teams. Teams Essentials is $4 a user a month billed yearly and Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which adds email, SharePoint and 1 TB of storage per user, is $7 ($8.40 monthly). Slack Pro is $7.25 billed yearly ($8.75 monthly), Business+ $15 and Enterprise+ $45, and you still need an email suite. US prices checked November 14, 2026 on slack.com and microsoft.com.
Does Slack or Teams have the better free plan?
Slack's free plan is the one built for teams: unlimited members and channels, but only 90 days of visible history, content older than a year deleted, 10 apps and 1:1 huddles. Free Microsoft Teams targets personal use, with group meetings up to 60 minutes and 100 people and 5 GB of storage; business features start at $4 a user.
Can I move from Slack to Teams, or back?
Yes, but plan it. Slack exports public channels on every plan and all messages on Business+ and above. Microsoft has no built-in Slack importer, so history moves through paid third-party migration tools, and Slack has no Teams importer either. Apps, workflows and integrations must be rebuilt on the other side.
Comparing every option? Best Slack alternatives.
Choosing a meeting app too? Best Zoom alternatives.
Full review: Slack.
Full review: Microsoft Teams.
Full reviews: Slack and Microsoft Teams.