Slack and Microsoft Teams are the two dominant team communication platforms. Slack pioneered channel-based chat; Teams bundles chat with video, file storage, and Office integration. Both support hybrid and remote work. This comparison breaks down the key differences to help you choose.

For project management tools that often pair with chat, see our Best Project Management Tools guide and How to Choose Project Management Software.

Quick Verdict

  • Choose Slack if you want the best-in-class chat experience, strong integrations, and a tool that excels at asynchronous communication. Best for teams that value conversation and workflow integrations.
  • Choose Microsoft Teams if your organization already uses Microsoft 365, you need tight Office integration, and you want chat, video, and file storage in one place. Best for Microsoft-centric organizations.

Overview

Slack is a channel-based messaging platform. You create channels for projects, topics, or teams; conversations stay organized and searchable. Slack's strength is its integration ecosystem—thousands of apps connect workflows into channels. The free tier is generous. Slack is now owned by Salesforce but remains a standalone product.

Microsoft Teams is part of Microsoft 365. It combines chat, video meetings, file storage (SharePoint), and Office apps. If you use Outlook, Word, Excel, and OneDrive, Teams fits naturally. The free tier includes basic chat and video. Paid plans come with Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Teams is deeply integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem.

Feature Comparison

Feature Slack Microsoft Teams
Chat style Channel-first, threaded Teams/channels, threaded
Video meetings Huddles, paid calls Built-in, robust
File storage Integrations (Drive, Dropbox) SharePoint/OneDrive built-in
Integrations 2,500+ apps 1,000+ apps, Office native
Free tier 90-day message history 60-minute meetings, 5GB storage
Paid from ~$7.25/user/mo Included with M365 (~$12.50/user/mo)

Pricing Comparison

Slack's free tier includes unlimited messages (90-day history), 10 integrations, and 1:1 video. Pro is about $7.25/user/month (annual) and adds unlimited history, more integrations, and screen sharing. Business+ adds SSO and compliance features. Microsoft Teams is included with Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6/user/month) and above. If you already pay for Microsoft 365, Teams adds no extra cost. Standalone Teams is available but most organizations get it via M365.

Pros and Cons

Slack Pros

  • Best-in-class chat UX
  • Powerful search and threading
  • Extensive integration ecosystem
  • Strong for async communication

Slack Cons

  • Video/meetings less robust than Teams
  • Extra cost if you also need M365
  • Can feel noisy with many channels

Microsoft Teams Pros

  • Included with Microsoft 365
  • Office integration (Word, Excel, etc.)
  • Strong video and meetings
  • Unified with Outlook and SharePoint

Microsoft Teams Cons

  • Chat UX less refined than Slack
  • Can feel heavy and complex
  • Integrations skewed toward Microsoft

Best Use Cases

Slack suits: Teams that prioritize fast, searchable conversation; organizations using diverse tools (Google, Salesforce, etc.); remote teams that communicate asynchronously; companies that want best-in-class chat even if they use Office for other things. Microsoft Teams suits: Organizations already on Microsoft 365; teams that need video meetings and file collaboration in one place; enterprises with strict compliance requirements; companies that want a single vendor for productivity tools.

Who Should Choose Each Tool

Choose Slack if you want the best chat experience and strong integrations. Best for teams that value conversation and workflow integrations. Choose Microsoft Teams if your organization uses Microsoft 365 and you want chat, video, and files in one place. Best for Microsoft-centric organizations.

Final Recommendation

If your organization lives in Microsoft 365, Teams is the pragmatic choice—you likely already have it, and the integration is seamless. If you want the best chat experience and your stack is mixed (or you're willing to pay for Slack alongside other tools), Slack delivers. Many organizations use both: Teams for meetings and Office work, Slack for project-specific channels. Evaluate based on your existing tools and communication patterns.

For project management options, see our Best Project Management Tools guide.