Slack VS Microsoft Teams

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  • Microsoft Teams
  • Slack
  • 5 min read

Slack and Microsoft Teams are both great platforms for business communication. They offer instant direct messaging, group channels, voice and video conferencing, file sharing, and integration with a variety of apps. However, there are significant differences between the two tools. 

Microsoft Teams is a corporate platform that consolidates chat, meetings, audio and video calls, conferences, notes, and attachments in the workspace. Thanks to the integration with Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams offers collaborative editing of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. It is now the main competitor to the popular Slack solution in 2017.

Slack is an intuitive chat tool that offers great productivity features and integrations with more than 2,600 apps. Advanced search capabilities and powerful shortcuts called “slash command automations” make Slack a great collaboration platform. 

The choice between 2 apps depends on many factors such as the company’s tech stack, preferred format of communication, number of employees, and many other factors. 

In this article, we’re exploring the functionality of both apps a bit deeper, to provide you with more context and data points for comparison. 

More about Teams

Microsoft Teams has become increasingly popular, primarily due to its seamless integration with Microsoft Office apps and advanced features like video conferencing and task management. Its free plan offers more features than Slack’s, making it a cost-effective choice for many companies. Despite this, numerous users report that Teams often malfunctions due to persistent bugs.

Teams launched globally in early 2017 when Slack already had over 4 million daily active users. By the end of 2019, Teams surpassed Slack with 20 million daily active users to Slack’s 12 million. As of 2024, Teams boasts 320 million active users, significantly outstripping Slack’s 38.8 million daily and 65 million monthly active users.

Teams’ rapid growth can be attributed to several factors: its deep integration into Office 365, the migration of Skype for Business users to Teams, and the introduction of a free version targeted at small and medium-sized businesses in July 2018.

Microsoft Teams is available through corporate subscriptions, including the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) model, which allows customers to purchase Microsoft solutions through service providers. This program lets partners manage the complete Microsoft cloud customer lifecycle, using specialized tools to provision, manage, and support subscriptions. Partners can also bundle their products and services into a single monthly or annual bill.

More about Slack

Slack was launched in August 2013 and acquired by SalesForce in December 2020. It  follows a freemium business model. It combines the free model with a direct sales force to get premium and enterprise customers. 

“ We offer a self-service approach, for both free and paid subscriptions to Slack, which capitalize on strong word-of-mouth adoption and customer love for our brand. Since 2016, we have augmented our approach with a direct sales force and customer success professionals who are focused on driving successful adoption and expansion within organizations, whether on a free or paid subscription plan.”

Slack about its business model

Comparison: Slack vs. Microsoft Teams

CharacteristicsSlackMicrosoft Teams
User InterfaceFlexible, customizable with a minimalistic design. Strong search capabilities, user-friendlyOrganized, integrates well with Microsoft Office. May be challenging to figure out for new users at first
Meetings & ConferencingSupports up to 15 participants in paid plans, screen sharing availableSupports up to 10,000 participants with advanced features like meeting recording
Bots & WorkflowsSlackbot, Workflow Builder for automating tasksCortana, Power Automate for extensive workflow automation.
Security & ComplianceEnterprise-level data protection, unique compliance features for exporting messagesInherits Microsoft’s security protocols, complies with over 90 regulations worldwide
Slash CommandsExtensive command set, customizable with third-party app integrationsBasic commands, limited third-party integration
External CooperationOffers shared channels and guest accounts. Single-channel guests for specific project collaboration; multi-channel guests for broader team involvement. High flexibility for external partnershipsProvides guest access and external access for comprehensive participation in channels, meetings, and document exchanges, similar to internal team members. Enhances collaborative efforts across organizational boundaries
Integration CapabilitiesIntegrates with over 2600 apps, highly adaptable through various integrationsBuilt-in integration with Office 365, supports about 600 integrations with third-party apps
Pricing ModelsStarts at $7.25 per user per month when billed annuallyStarts at $4 per user per month
Free Plan FeaturesUp to 10,000 searchable messages, 10 integrations, one-on-one video calls, two-factor authenticationUnlimited searchable messages, unlimited integrations, group video calls up to 100 participants

Both Slack and Teams integrate with Approveit – a business process automation platform that becomes a decision-making hub for all departments across the company and allows streamlining approval and other workflows right in Slack or Microsoft Teams workspace. 

This interaction greatly enhances collaboration capabilities in both messengers and may greatly increase the productivity of your team by allowing them to manage their workflows right from Slack or Teams environment. 

In conclusion

Teams and Slack each offer unique strengths. Slack excels in productivity, with advanced slash commands, extensive third-party integrations, sophisticated search functions, and customizable notifications. Microsoft Teams, on the other hand, provides reliable and advanced video calling, robust access control, effective information management, enhanced collaboration tools, and stronger security measures.

The optimal choice between Microsoft Teams and Slack depends on your business needs. Teams integrates seamlessly with Office 365, making it ideal for those already using Microsoft’s ecosystem. Conversely, Slack is preferable for teams valuing a user-friendly interface and broad third-party integrations.

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