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Security & compliance databaseSOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA BAAs, and the plan you need for SSO, SCIM and audit logs. How to read security claimsSOC 2 vs ISO 27001, the single sign-on tax, and what “Not published” means.
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Team Communication

Slack vs Microsoft Teams: Which Is Actually Worth Paying For in 2026?

A polished, standalone chat tool you pay for directly vs. a bundled app most Microsoft 365 customers already have. Here is the real cost comparison.

Bill BelcaminoBy Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 12, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
Slack logoFrom $7.25/seat/mo

Slack

VS
Microsoft Teams logoFrom $4/user/mo (Teams Essentials)

Microsoft Teams

Run the cost calculator Compare pricing tiers
Slack vs Microsoft TeamsVerified Sep 12, 2026
Bill Belcamino
Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: Is Slack worth paying for when Microsoft Teams costs less or comes with Microsoft 365?

If your Microsoft 365 plan already includes Teams, Slack is a second bill for chat you own, and even standalone, Teams Essentials ($4 a user a month, paid yearly) undercuts Slack Pro ($7.25 a seat, annual).

Slack earns its premium with search and Slack Connect for shared channels with clients and partners. The mistake I'd avoid is running both. Two chat tools means every decision lives in one of two places, nobody searches both, and people drift back to whichever app their manager answers in, so you pay for Slack and still work in Teams. If you buy Slack, make it the only home for internal chat, say so in writing, and have leadership post there first. If you can't commit to that, use what Microsoft 365 already gives you.

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 12, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

Verified data

Slack vs Microsoft Teams: quick facts

At a glanceSlackMicrosoft Teams
CategoryTeam Communication
Entry priceFrom $7.25/seat/moFrom $4/user/mo (Teams Essentials)
Free planYes, 90-day message historyYes, 60-minute group meeting cap

Is Slack cheaper than Microsoft Teams?

Slack is priced at From $7.25/seat/mo and Microsoft Teams at From $4/user/mo (Teams Essentials). See the full breakdown below for what is included at each tier.

Verified data

Slack vs Microsoft Teams at a glance

CategorySlackMicrosoft Teams
Free planYes, 90-day message historyYes, 60-minute group meeting cap
Standalone entry price$7.25/seat/mo (Pro, annual)$4/user/mo (Teams Essentials, paid yearly)
Cost if already on Microsoft 365N/A — not bundled$0 marginal (included in Business Basic/Standard)
Top tier$15/seat/mo (Business+)Enterprise — custom, via M365 licensing
AIBundled into paid tiers (Business+ for advanced AI)Copilot add-on, $18/user/mo paid yearly (promotional; regular price $21)
External guest collaborationSlack Connect — mature, widely usedImproving, historically clunkier
Ecosystem/integrationsBroad App Directory + Salesforce tiesDeep Microsoft/Office 365 integration
2025 regulatory changeTriggered the original EU antitrust complaintEU forced unbundling from Office/M365 (Sept 2025)
UX/search reputationConsistently praised for polish and searchDescribed by some reviewers as “bundled/bloated”

Verified September 12, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources

From our original research

Our B2B SaaS Sticker Shock Index found Slack holds the cheapest published entry price in the Team Communication category at $7.25/seat/mo. Scaled to a 10-person team in our Startup Stack Cost calculator, that’s $72.50/mo for Slack versus $40.00/mo for Microsoft Teams, nearly double, seat-for-seat. Our AI Tax report also found Slack discontinued a paid AI add-on entirely in the past year, one of the few vendors we track moving an AI price down instead of up.

Editorial assessment

How they actually differ

This comparison comes down to one question: are you already paying for Microsoft 365? If yes, Teams is effectively a $0 marginal add; it’s included in Business Basic ($7/user/mo, paid yearly) and Business Standard with Copilot ($23.50/user/mo, paid yearly), so buying Slack on top means paying twice for overlapping functionality. If you’re not on Microsoft 365, Teams Essentials stands alone at $4/user/month (paid yearly), still cheaper than Slack’s $7.25 Pro tier.

What you actually get for Slack’s price

Slack’s standalone cost is real, and it climbs: Pro is $7.25/user/month annual (or $8.75 monthly), Business+ is $15/user/month annual and adds advanced AI search, recaps, and translation. In August 2025, Slack discontinued its separate “Slack AI” add-on and folded basic AI features into paid tiers instead; existing add-on customers keep it only until their next renewal.

A regulatory footnote worth knowing

The EU forced Microsoft to unbundle Teams from Office/M365 as of September 11, 2025, following a Slack-triggered antitrust complaint that dates back to 2020, and the result gives EU customers unbundled pricing options and improved data portability going forward.

Editorial assessment

Pros & cons

Slack

Pros

  • Consistently praised for interface polish and search quality
  • Slack Connect enables mature, widely-used external collaboration
  • Broad App Directory ecosystem, deep Salesforce ties
  • Genuinely useful free tier for very small teams

Cons

  • Real standalone cost your team pays for directly ($7.25–$15/seat)
  • Free tier message history cut to just 90 days
  • Discontinued its separate AI add-on in Aug 2025
  • No marginal-cost advantage for teams already on Microsoft 365

Microsoft Teams

Pros

  • Often $0 marginal cost for existing Microsoft 365 customers
  • Deep native integration with Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint
  • Strong large-scale meeting and calling infrastructure
  • Standalone Essentials tier ($4/user/mo, paid yearly) undercuts Slack Pro

Cons

  • Copilot AI is a separate, pricier add-on ($18/user/mo paid yearly, promotional; regular $21)
  • Described by reviewers as feeling bundled/bloated, less intuitive
  • External guest/collaboration historically clunkier than Slack Connect
  • Naming and licensing bundles can be confusing to navigate
Verified data

Cost calculator: what does your team actually pay?

Slack

 
$0/mo

Microsoft Teams

 
$0/mo
 

Illustrative estimate based on publicly listed pricing as of September 2026. Always confirm current rates before purchasing.

Choose Slack if…

You’re not on Microsoft 365 (or don’t want to be), and you value Slack’s interface, search, and integration ecosystem enough to pay for it directly.

Choose Microsoft Teams if…

You’re already paying for Microsoft 365: Teams is effectively free, deeply integrated with Office, and hard to justify paying extra to replace.

Total cost over time

Uses your selections above. Estimate excludes add-ons, overages, and negotiated discounts.

Ready to pick your team chat tool?

Both offer a free tier. See current pricing directly from the source.

Try Slack Free Compare Teams Plans
Verified data

Slack vs Microsoft Teams: security, offline & remote work

How Slack and Microsoft Teams compare on compliance reports, sign-in controls, offline access and the setup details that matter for remote, hybrid and in-office teams. Every value links to the vendor page it came from.

What we checkedSlackMicrosoft Teams
Security & compliance
SOC 2 reportSOC 2 Type IIsourceSOC 2 Type IIsource
ISO/IEC 27001CertifiedsourceCertifiedsource
Other certificationsISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO/IEC 27701, ISO/IEC 42001, SOC 3, CSA STAR (registry listing), FedRAMP Moderate, TISAX, IRAP, ISMAP, C5, ENS High, Korea CSP Safety Assessment, FINRA 17a-4 configurablesourceISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO/IEC 27701, SOC 1source
HIPAA (BAA)BAA availableEnterprisesourceBAA availablesource
GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceDPA offeredsource
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)YesBusiness+sourceYessource
SCIM user provisioningYesBusiness+sourceNot published
Two-factor authenticationYesEnforcement: Free (available on all plans)sourceYesEnforcement: Microsoft Entra ID Free (security defaults)source
Admin audit logYesEnterprisesourceYessource
Data residency choicesUS, Germany, France, SE, Switzerland, Japan, India, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, UK, Canada, BrazilBusiness+sourceAustralia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, IT, Japan, NO, PL, QA, South Korea, South Africa, SE, Switzerland, UAE, UK, Americas, APAC, EMEAsource
EncryptionEncrypted at rest and in transit by default; optional customer-managed keys via Slack EKMsourceTLS 1.2+ with AES-256 in transit; BitLocker plus per-file encryption at rest; optional end-to-end encryption and Customer Keysource
Self-hosting optionNot publishedNot published
Offline access
Offline modeNot documentedNot documented
Desktop appsWindows, macOS, LinuxsourceWindows, macOSsource
Mobile appsiOS, AndroidsourceiOS, Androidsource
Remote, hybrid & in-office
IP allowlistingNot publishedYesMicrosoft Entra ID P1 (included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium)source
Device & session controlsYesFreeBlock desktop/mobile file downloads (desktop downloads can be limited to allowed IP ranges) and mobile message copying on all plans; session duration controls; EMM-managed mobile device requirement on Enterprise Grid/Enterprise+.sourceYesMicrosoft Entra Conditional Access policies apply to Teams sign-ins (device compliance, location); Intune mobile application management; Conditional Access requires Entra ID P1.source
Office & room hardware—Microsoft Teams Rooms turn meeting spaces from huddle areas to large conference rooms into one-touch-join Teams rooms, sold as Windows and Android devices from partners.source
Editorial assessment

What this means for your team

  • Audit reports: both publish a SOC 2 report, and Slack and Microsoft Teams also hold ISO/IEC 27001. Ask each vendor for the report under NDA before you sign; security reviews usually want the latest one.
  • Single sign-on: Slack includes it on Business+; Microsoft Teams includes it. If your team signs in through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or Google, price the plan that includes SSO, not the entry plan.
  • Health data: Slack and Microsoft Teams will sign a HIPAA business associate agreement (Slack: Enterprise).
  • Working offline: Slack and Microsoft Teams don’t document an offline mode. Details are in the Offline mode row above.
  • Office-only access: Microsoft Teams can restrict sign-ins to approved IP ranges on Microsoft Entra ID P1 (included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium). That suits an office network or a company VPN; fully remote teams need a VPN for it to work.
  • Where your data lives: Slack lets you choose US, Germany, France, SE, Switzerland, Japan, India, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, UK, Canada, Brazil on Business+; Microsoft Teams lets you choose Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, IT, Japan, NO, PL, QA, South Korea, South Africa, SE, Switzerland, UAE, UK, Americas, APAC, EMEA. This matters for teams hiring across the EU, UK or Australia.
  • In the office: Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams Rooms turn meeting spaces from huddle areas to large conference rooms into one-touch-join Teams rooms, sold as Windows and Android devices from partners.

Slack: worth knowing

  • OfficeSlack huddles need UDP/3478 (or legacy UDP/22466) and TCP/443 open on office networks. source
  • SecurityAdmins can block desktop file downloads except from specified IP ranges, e.g. office or VPN addresses. source
  • RemoteGuest accounts for contractors or clients require a paid plan; Single-Channel Guests are free, up to 5 per paid member. source
  • OfficeSlack needs a persistent WebSocket connection over port 443; proxies and firewalls must allow it. source

Microsoft Teams: worth knowing

  • RemoteMicrosoft says Teams can deliver HD video in under 1.5 Mbps; actual use varies per call. source
  • RemotePhone dial-in (Audio Conferencing) needs an add-on license for each organizer; people who dial in need none. source
  • RemoteExternal guests with any business or consumer email address can be added to teams. source
  • OfficeThere is no native Linux desktop app; Linux users use Teams on the web or as a PWA. source

Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

Making the switch?

Read our step-by-step migration guides

We mapped out exactly what transfers automatically and what you will need to rebuild by hand, in both directions.

Switching from Slack to Microsoft Teams → Switching from Microsoft Teams to Slack →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Slack?

Slack is a business messaging app used for team communication through channels, direct messages, and app integrations.

What is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is a chat, meetings, and collaboration hub bundled with Microsoft 365 for business communication and file sharing.

How much does Slack cost compared to Microsoft Teams?

Slack starts at $7.25/seat/mo (Pro, annual), while Microsoft Teams starts at $4/user/mo (Teams Essentials, paid yearly). For most companies already paying for Microsoft 365, Teams costs nothing extra and is the pragmatic default.

Does Slack or Microsoft Teams have a free plan?

Slack’s free plan: Yes — 90-day message history. Microsoft Teams’s free plan: Yes — basic chat/meetings.

Who should choose Slack?

You’re not on Microsoft 365 (or don’t want to be), and you value Slack’s interface, search, and integration ecosystem enough to pay for it directly.

Who should choose Microsoft Teams?

You’re already paying for Microsoft 365: Teams is effectively free, deeply integrated with Office, and hard to justify paying extra to replace.

Related

See more Team Communication comparisons

See the full Team Communication hub for more comparisons, including four separate Zoom match-ups.

View the Team Communication hub →

Canonical data for the tools on this page

Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.

Microsoft TeamsPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›SlackPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
Google Meet vs Microsoft TeamsHead-to-head comparisonZoom vs Microsoft TeamsHead-to-head comparison

Sources

Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

Cite this page: HelpCompare, “Slack vs Microsoft Teams”, helpcompare.com/slack-vs-microsoft-teams/ (updated ).

Source links on this site are checked every month; last check . How sources are checked.

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01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.132 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.264 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent eight and a half years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 12, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

Read Bill’s story How we verify pricingSpot an error? Tell Bill