Is Teams or Slack better?

Teams is better for Microsoft 365 organisations as it integrates tightly with Outlook, SharePoint, and Office apps. Slack is better for tech companies and cross-company collaboration with its superior developer ecosystem and cleaner messaging experience.

Is Microsoft Teams free?

Yes. Microsoft Teams has a free tier with unlimited 1:1 and group calls, 5GB storage, and 60-minute meeting limit. Teams is also included in all Microsoft 365 plans. Slack free has 90-day message history limits.

Microsoft Teams vs Slack (2026): Which Should Your Team Use?

Quick Answer

If your organisation already pays for Microsoft 365, Teams is essentially free and deeply integrated. If you're a tech company that values developer-friendly tooling, a clean messaging UX, and external collaboration, Slack is the better choice.

Microsoft Teams

8.4/10

Best for Microsoft 365 organisations

Slack

9.2/10

Best for tech teams & external collab

Feature Comparison

Feature	Microsoft Teams	Slack
Pricing	Free / $4/mo Essentials / M365 bundle	Free / $7.25 / $12.50 per user/mo
Microsoft 365	Deeply integrated — Word, Excel, SharePoint	Via third-party integrations only
Video Meetings	Excellent — up to 1,000 participants	Huddles — up to 50 participants
App Integrations	700+ Teams apps	2,600+ Slack apps
Thread Quality	Threaded but harder to navigate	Better threaded conversations
External Guests	Yes — via guest access	Yes — via Slack Connect
Message History	Unlimited on paid plans	90 days free / unlimited paid
Best For	Corporate, government, M365 shops	Tech startups, agencies, developers

Which do you use?

Microsoft Teams

Slack

Who Should Choose What?

Choose Microsoft Teams if:

You pay for Microsoft 365 — Teams is included at no extra cost. The integration with Outlook calendars, SharePoint files, and Office co-authoring is genuinely valuable. Also the default for government, finance, and healthcare due to compliance certifications.

Choose Slack if:

You're a tech company, startup, or agency that values clean messaging, developer integrations, and external collaboration. Slack's 2,600+ apps, better search, and Slack Connect for external partners make it the power user's choice.

FAQ

Is Microsoft Teams replacing Slack in enterprises?

In large enterprises, yes — Teams has grown dramatically because it's included in Microsoft 365. Microsoft reports 300M+ monthly active Teams users. However, Slack retains strong loyalty in tech companies, startups, and organisations that prioritise developer tooling over Microsoft integration.

Can Teams and Slack work together?

There are third-party integrations (like Mio) that bridge Teams and Slack channels, allowing users on both platforms to message each other. However, the native integration is limited. In practice, most organisations standardise on one platform rather than running both.

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