Slack vs Microsoft Teams
Slack sells channel messaging by the seat in four plans, with a free plan that permanently deletes messages and files older than one year, and it belongs to Salesforce. Microsoft Teams is sold alone as Teams Essentials or inside Microsoft 365 Business plans, with meetings of up to 300 people. Slack is the cleaner single-purpose buy; Teams makes sense when Microsoft 365 is already paid for.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose Slack ifyou want a messaging tool priced openly per seat, with a free plan to test and a large app directory, and do not want to move your office suite to get it.
Choose Microsoft Teams ifyour company already runs Microsoft 365, wants chat and meetings under one admin, and can manage extra add-on licences for phones or audio conferencing.
Slack and Microsoft Teams side by side
| Slack | Microsoft Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| Our team messaging software rank | #10 of 16 | #14 of 16 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| List price, 19 October 2026 | Free; Pro 8.25 euros per user a month (6.75 yearly); Business+ 18 euros (15 yearly); Enterprise+ on request | Not read this session; Microsoft's price pages timed out |
| Free tier | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Companies wanting the widest app ecosystem and a familiar channel model | Organisations already running Microsoft 365 that want chat and meetings under one admin |
| Not for | Teams needing full-conversation export or independence from a large vendor | Small teams wanting a quick, single-purpose chat tool outside Microsoft |
Both are reviewed in full in our team messaging software ranking: Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Where they differ
Slack 3 · Microsoft Teams 1 · open 1- 01
Free plan limits
Slack's free plan permanently deletes messages and files older than one year, allows up to 10 apps, and limits huddles to one-to-one. Microsoft's pages list a free Teams version, but we could not read its limits this session. Slack is the one whose free plan we can describe, and it is the more limited for team memory.
Depends on the buyer
- 02
Published seat price
Slack lists Pro at 8.25 euros a month (6.75 euros billed yearly) and Business+ at 18 euros (15 euros yearly) per user, with Enterprise+ on request. Microsoft's Teams price pages timed out for us, so we have no number to set against it. We make no price claim for Teams.
Edge: Slack
- 03
Meeting size
Microsoft's limits page says Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium and Teams Essentials host meetings for up to 300 people, and other plans up to 1,000. Slack's pricing page describes group huddles on paid plans and does not state a participant number. For large calls, Teams has the stated figure.
Edge: Microsoft Teams
- 04
Leaving with your data
Slack admins on free and Pro can export public channel messages and file links, with free workspaces limited to recent file links (Slack Free deletes files older than one year); private channels and DMs need Business+ and Slack approval. Microsoft keeps chats in the participants' Exchange Online mailboxes, so admins can search and hold them only for users with cloud mailboxes. Slack's export rules are clearer on paper.
Edge: Slack
- 05
Independence
Slack states that it is owned by Salesforce and lists its US entity in San Francisco. Teams Essentials is a standalone subscription, but the docs tie it to Microsoft Entra identity and require all users to be in the same domain. Neither is independent; Teams pulls you further into one vendor's identity system.
Edge: Slack
When neither fits
If you want messaging that is not owned by a larger platform, our team messaging ranking also lists Zulip, which has a self-hosted edition, and Mattermost, which can be self-hosted. Compare their own limits before switching.
Slack or Microsoft Teams: questions
4 answersDoes Slack have a free plan?
Yes. The free plan permanently deletes messages and files older than one year, allows up to ten apps and offers one-to-one huddles. Upgrading removes the app limit but cannot restore deleted data.
Can I buy Teams without Microsoft 365?
Yes. Microsoft documents Teams Essentials as a standalone subscription, available directly and through Cloud Partners, with the limitation that all users must be in the same domain.
How many people can join a Teams meeting?
Up to 300 on Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, Premium and Teams Essentials, and up to 1,000 on the enterprise plans listed, per Microsoft's limits page.
Who owns Slack?
Salesforce. Slack's about page states it was acquired by Salesforce in 2021, and the footer reads Slack Technologies, LLC, a Salesforce company.
Sources
Checked 19 October 2026- Slack pricing: plan prices, free plan, apps, huddles.
- Slack free plan limits: one-year deletion, ten apps.
- Slack export help: export by plan.
- About Slack: Salesforce ownership.
- Slack privacy policy: Slack Technologies, LLC, San Francisco.
- Microsoft Teams limits and specifications: meeting size by plan, chat storage in mailboxes, team and channel limits.
- Teams Essentials quickstart: standalone subscription, same-domain limitation, Entra identity.