Slack vs Teams for team communication, integrations, and workplace productivity.
Slack offers a better user experience and more integrations. Teams wins on cost if you already have Office 365.
Pick Slack when messaging quality and integrations matter more than cost — it is the better-designed product with stronger third-party integrations and threaded conversations. Pick Microsoft Teams when your company already runs Microsoft 365, because the cost is effectively zero on top of licenses you already pay and the native Office, calendar, and video integration outweigh Slack polish for most enterprise users. The honest shortcut: a Google Workspace or non-Microsoft company should usually pick Slack; a Microsoft 365 company should usually stay on Teams unless messaging quality is a top complaint.
Slack: Slack is a separate per-seat subscription on top of your other tools.
Microsoft Teams: Teams is included with most Microsoft 365 plans, so for an existing M365 company its marginal cost is near zero.
When this matters: Decides it for most organizations. For a company not on Microsoft 365, Teams loses this advantage entirely.
Slack: Slack has best-in-class messaging UX — threaded conversations, cleaner channels, and thousands of third-party integrations.
Microsoft Teams: Teams is functional but denser; notifications can lag and third-party app integration is weaker outside the Microsoft ecosystem.
When this matters: Matters for teams that live in chat all day and rely on many external apps such as GitHub, Zendesk, and marketing tools.
Slack: Slack Huddles cover quick voice; serious video calls usually happen in a separate tool.
Microsoft Teams: Teams includes full video conferencing, and calendars are deeply integrated, reducing tool switching for meetings.
When this matters: Matters if you want chat and meetings in one app with calendar ties. Slack users often bolt on Zoom or Meet.
Slack: Slack Connect makes working with outside companies, clients, and partners clean and well-supported.
Microsoft Teams: Teams guest access works but is clunkier for cross-company collaboration.
When this matters: Matters for agencies and consultancies that share channels with clients.
| Spec | Slack | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7/user/mo | $4/user/mo (with M365) |
| UX | Excellent | Fair |
| Integrations | 2,400+ | 1,800+ |
| Video | Huddles | Full conferencing |
Startups, product teams, agencies, and non-Microsoft companies that want the best messaging UX and the widest third-party integration ecosystem.
If your company already pays for Microsoft 365 and you are not unhappy with Teams, switching everyone to Slack adds real per-seat cost with little practical gain.
Existing Microsoft 365 organizations that want chat, meetings, and Office documents under one roof with near-zero marginal cost.
If your team is not on Microsoft 365 and messaging quality or external-client channels are important, Teams will feel clunkier for roughly the same or higher cost once you buy the licenses.
This comparison was built from a structured review of official product documentation, published specifications, current pricing, and feature documentation — the same methodology ToolStep describes on the /how-we-test/ page. Because we did not run these products hands-on, we do not claim testing that did not happen.
Based on official product documentation and published pricing as of June 2026. Pricing and included features change; verify current plans and whether your M365 tier includes Teams before choosing.
Yes, Teams is included with most Microsoft 365 plans, making it effectively free if you already use Office.