Slack vs Microsoft Teams

The short answer: Pick Slack if your team lives in chat and connects lots of outside tools; pick Microsoft Teams if your company already pays for Microsoft 365 and video meetings are central. Slack is the better messaging experience; Teams is the better value when it is already in your bundle.

This is rarely a fair fight because the starting points differ. Slack is a standalone product you choose on purpose. Teams usually arrives with Microsoft 365 whether you chose it or not. So the real question is: does Slack's superior chat experience justify paying extra, or is Teams good enough given you may already own it?

Slack vs Microsoft Teams, side by side

Feature comparison between Slack and Microsoft Teams
	Slack	Microsoft Teams
Messaging feel	Fast, clean channels and threads; the benchmark the category is judged against.	Capable but busier; conversations and channels can feel bolted onto a bigger suite.
Video and meetings	Huddles are excellent for quick audio/video chats; not a full meeting platform.	Full meeting platform: scheduled calls, webinars, recording and transcripts built in.
Integrations	Thousands of apps, deeply integrated; the default choice for SaaS-heavy teams.	Strong around Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, SharePoint, Outlook); weaker beyond it.
Free plan	Usable but limited: message history and features are restricted.	A genuine free tier with meetings and chat, plus Teams included in most 365 plans.
Search and history	Excellent search across channels — paid plans keep full history.	Deep history tied to your Microsoft tenant; search is solid but less loved.
External collaboration	Slack Connect makes shared channels with clients and partners feel native.	Guest access works but is more awkward to set up and manage.
Price logic	Per-user subscription on top of whatever else you pay for.	Effectively free if you already pay for Microsoft 365 Business.
Best fit	Startups, agencies and SaaS-heavy teams who live in chat.	Organisations standardised on Microsoft 365, especially meeting-heavy ones.

Choose Slack if

Your team connects many non-Microsoft tools and wants them inside chat.
Quick, informal audio check-ins (huddles) matter more than formal meetings.
You collaborate in shared channels with clients or partners outside your company.
Messaging quality is worth paying for because your team types all day.

Choose Microsoft Teams if

You already pay for Microsoft 365 — Teams is effectively included.
Scheduled video meetings, webinars and recorded calls are central to your work.
Your files already live in SharePoint, OneDrive and Office documents.
IT wants one vendor, one login and one security policy across everything.

Still not sure which one fits you?

Tell AI Online Office what you're actually trying to do and it picks one for your situation — then walks you through setting it up, screen by screen.

Help me choose

Mistakes people make choosing between them

Paying for Slack out of habit

If your team barely integrates other apps and mostly video-calls, you may be paying for a badge of startup culture while Teams sits unused in a bundle you already own.

Choosing Teams purely because it is bundled

A tool nobody enjoys using costs more than its subscription. If chat is your team's main workspace, trial both with real conversations before defaulting to the bundled option.

Ignoring the free-plan limits

Slack's free plan restricts message history, which quietly becomes a problem as the team grows. Teams' free tier is more generous — but locks you deeper into Microsoft's world.

Slack vs Microsoft Teams FAQ

Is Slack better than Microsoft Teams?

For messaging, most teams say yes — Slack is faster and cleaner. For video meetings and Microsoft 365 integration, Teams is stronger. The honest answer depends on whether chat or meetings dominate your day.

Is Microsoft Teams free?

There is a genuine free version with chat and meetings, and Teams is included in most Microsoft 365 business subscriptions. Slack has a free plan too, but with tighter limits on history and features.

Can Slack and Teams work together?

Some companies run both during transitions, but it splits conversations and search. Pick one home for chat and integrate the other tool's meetings into it if needed.

Which is better for small businesses?

If you already pay for Microsoft 365, Teams is the economical choice. If your business runs on Google Workspace and assorted SaaS tools, Slack usually fits the stack better.

More comparisons

Or read the plain-English setup guides once you've picked one.