Slack vs. Microsoft Teams: The Team Chat Showdown
If your company already runs on Microsoft 365, Teams is the obvious (and cheaper) choice. If you don't, or if you value a fast, clean chat experience with killer integrations, Slack is the better standalone tool. I used both daily for a month — here's the honest breakdown.
The Real Question Nobody Asks
Most "Slack vs. Teams" comparisons miss the point entirely. The question isn't really "which app has better features?" — it's "what does your company already pay for?" If you're on Microsoft 365, Teams is literally included in your subscription. Choosing Slack means paying extra on top of what you already have. That's the elephant in the room, and it explains why Teams has over 400 million monthly active users and counting.
But "included for free" doesn't automatically mean "better." I ran both platforms as my primary communication tool — one month each — to see which one actually makes work life better.
Slack: The Good and the Bad
✅ What I Liked
- The chat experience is just better — cleaner, faster, more intuitive than Teams
- Threaded conversations actually work — keeps channels organized instead of chaotic
- 2,600+ app integrations — connects to basically every tool your team uses
- Custom notifications are brilliant — mute channels, set VIP lists, keyword alerts
- Huddles for quick calls — hop into audio/video without scheduling a meeting
- Search is fantastic — actually finds what you're looking for across messages and files
❌ What Bugged Me
- Free plan limits chat history to 90 days — older messages disappear unless you pay
- Huddles cap at 50 people — fine for most team meetings, but Teams handles larger all-hands better
- It's just chat — no document editing, no file storage ecosystem
- AI add-on is $10/user/month extra — on top of your existing plan
- Gets noisy fast — without discipline around channel structure, it becomes overwhelming
- Owned by Salesforce now — the enterprise upsell pressure is real
Microsoft Teams: The Good and the Bad
✅ What I Liked
- Bundled with Microsoft 365 — if you already pay for Office apps, Teams is essentially free
- Video conferencing is enterprise-grade — supports hundreds of participants, breakout rooms, recording
- Live document collaboration — edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files right inside Teams
- Phone system available — add Teams Phone for full business calling from $4–10/user/month
- Better for large organizations — handles thousands of users with proper admin controls
- Meeting recaps with AI — Copilot summarizes meetings, pulls action items (Premium/Copilot add-on)
❌ What Bugged Me
- The chat experience feels clunky — threads get buried, the UI is dense and busy
- Setup is intimidating — getting Teams configured properly takes real IT effort
- Copilot AI costs $30/user/month — three times what Slack charges for its AI
- Notifications are a mess — less granular control than Slack, easy to miss important stuff
- Integration depth is shallower — 1,400+ apps but many feel like afterthoughts vs. native
- Overkill for small teams — if you just need chat, Teams brings a lot of baggage
Pricing: It's Complicated
Slack: Free plan with 90-day message history and 10 integrations. Pro at $8.75/user/month (monthly) or $7.25/user (annual). Business+ at $15/user/month with SSO and advanced compliance. Enterprise Grid is custom pricing. Slack AI is an additional $10/user/month on any paid plan.
Microsoft Teams: Free plan with unlimited chat, 60-minute group meetings for 100 people, and 5GB storage. Teams Essentials at $4/user/month for longer meetings and 10GB storage. But here's where it gets interesting — Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $6/user/month includes Teams PLUS web versions of all Office apps, Exchange email, SharePoint, and 1TB OneDrive. Business Standard at $12.50/user/month adds desktop Office apps. Copilot for Microsoft 365 is $30/user/month extra.
My take: If you're comparing annual pricing, Slack Pro ($7.25/user) vs. Teams Essentials ($4/user) — Teams is cheaper for just chat. But the real comparison is Slack Pro ($7.25/user/month annual) vs. Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6/user/month annual) — which includes Teams PLUS web versions of all Office apps, Exchange email, SharePoint, and 1TB OneDrive. On a monthly basis, Slack Pro is $8.75/user and Microsoft 365 Business Basic is $6/user. Either way, the value equation tilts in Microsoft's favor. You're basically getting an entire productivity suite for less than Slack alone costs. The catch is you have to actually want and use the Microsoft ecosystem.
Who Should Pick Slack?
- Your team uses Google Workspace, not Microsoft 365
- You're a startup, agency, or tech team that values speed and integrations
- Chat is your primary communication — not video calls
- You work with lots of external partners and need Slack Connect
- Your team uses diverse SaaS tools (GitHub, Notion, Figma, etc.) and wants them all in one hub
Who Should Pick Teams?
- Your company already pays for Microsoft 365 — Teams is literally included
- Video meetings are a big part of how your team works
- You need a business phone system built into your chat platform
- You want document collaboration (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) inside your chat app
- You're a larger organization that needs enterprise admin controls and compliance
My Final Take
As a standalone chat app, Slack is better. It's faster, cleaner, and more enjoyable to use day-to-day. The threading is superior, the integrations are deeper, and the overall experience just feels more polished.
But Teams isn't trying to be just a chat app. It's trying to be the hub where your entire work life happens — chat, meetings, files, calls, document editing. And if your company is already in the Microsoft ecosystem, the value is genuinely hard to argue with. Getting all of that for $6/user/month is a steal, even if the chat experience isn't as refined as Slack's.
What I'd actually do: Check what your company already pays for. If you're on Microsoft 365, just use Teams — buying Slack on top of it is hard to justify unless your team truly hates Teams. If you're on Google Workspace or a mix of non-Microsoft tools, Slack is the better standalone pick. And if you're a small team starting from scratch with no existing commitments? Try Slack's free plan first. The chat experience alone might be worth the subscription.
Both have free plans that are genuinely usable. Teams' free plan is surprisingly generous for meetings. Slack's free plan gives you a real feel for the chat experience.
Try Slack Free → Try Microsoft Teams Free →
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Tested by: UnbiasedSaaS | Last updated: February 2026 | Questions? Get in touch