Slack is a popular communication app for teams, but its pricing makes it less affordable than some alternatives. This raises questions, such as:
Is Slack worth the higher price?
Which Slack pricing plans are available right now, and which features are included in each?
Should teams spend more on Slack when alternatives like Lark cost less and offer more functionality?
This guide explains Slack's pricing, compares it with other tools, and highlights ways you can save money on your next collaboration platform.
Key takeaways
Slack offers four plans: Free, Pro, Business+, and Enterprise+. Each plan caters to different team sizes and needs.
If your team needs a platform that stores message history indefinitely, offers group calls for up to 50 participants, and provides guaranteed uptime, paid Slack plans are worth considering.
Paying annually, using free plans, limiting the number of users, and checking whether you qualify for Slack pricing discounts are some of the ways you can save money.
Slack alternatives including Lark, Google Chat, Microsoft Teams, Rocket.Chat, Pumble, and WhatsApp Business offer distinct advantages and in some cases provide more value for money.
What is Slack?
Slack is a modern team collaboration platform that brings messaging, file sharing, and app integrations together in one place. It's built to streamline collaboration, reduce email clutter, and help teams stay aligned—no matter where they work.
Channel-based messaging for organized team communication
Direct messages for one-on-one conversations
Slack Canvas for creating shared documents.
Slack Connect to collaborate with external teams and external partners
Slack Huddles for quick audio or video calls
Slack AI for finding info, summarizing chats, and getting daily updates.
Basic workflow automation with Slack Workflow Builder
Security features to protect your data
Integrations (such as Google Drive, Zoom, etc.) through Slack Marketplace (Formerly Slack App Directory)
It's no surprise that about 80% of Fortune 100 companies pay for Slack. Having a reliable communication tool is a business essential, with poor communication costing businesses up to $1.2 trillion annually. Investing in software like Slack can boost team productivity by keeping teams aligned, speeding up decision-making, and reducing costly misunderstandings.
Slack pricing plans explained
Slack offers both a free plan, as well as paid subscription plans.
The 4 Slack pricing tiers are:
Free
Pro ($8.75 user/month)
Business+ ($18 user/month)
Enterprise+ (custom Slack pricing upon request)
Below is a table that breaks down the key differences between each Slack plan.
Features
Free
Pro
Business+
Enterprise+
Pricing (billed monthly)
$0
$8.75 per user/month
$18 per user/month
Custom pricing
Channels
✅
✅
✅
✅
Message history
90 days
Unlimited
Unlimited
Unlimited
Huddles (Audio and video calls)
1 on 1 only
50 participants
50 participants
50 participants
Workspaces
1
1
1
Unlimited
Single sign-on (SSO)
-
OAuth with Google
SAML-based
Supports multi-SAML
Canvases
-
✅
✅
✅
AI features
AI summaries
-
✅
✅
✅
Huddle notes
-
✅
✅
✅
AI assistant apps
-
✅
✅
✅
Slackbot
-
-
✅
✅
Automation features
Integrations
10 apps
✅
✅
✅
Workflow builder
-
✅
✅
✅
Conditional branching
-
-
✅
✅
24/7 customer support
-
✅
✅
✅
Custom user groups
-
✅
✅
✅
SCIM user provisioning
-
-
✅
✅
Message activity & admin analytics
-
-
✅
✅
Two-factor authentication (2FA)
✅
✅
✅
✅
Access logs
-
✅
✅
✅
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)
-
-
-
✅
Slack uses a freemium pricing model. Slack's Free plan only offers a few essential features, with advanced features locked behind paid plans. For example, the Free plan restricts access to message history, allows only one-on-one calls, limits storage, and doesn't include basic AI tools.
Paid plans provide unlimited message history, 50-participant meetings, unlimited third-party app integrations, and a variety of AI tools depending on the plan you choose. Teams need to decide if the extra features and fewer restrictions are worth paying for in premium plans.
Image source:slack.com
Slack Free plan features and limitations
What you can do on the Free plan
Unlimited users and direct messaging
Creation of channels for specific discussions
90 days access to message history
Audio and video clips
Up to 10 app integrations with other software
1:1 Slack Connect channels
1:1 audio and video calls (Slack Huddles)
Data encryption and 2FA
What you can't do on the Free plan
Integrate more than 10 apps
Data exports for all messages
No group audio and video meetings
No access to customer support
Who the Free plan is for
Small to medium businesses (SMBs) with basic collaboration needs and budget constraints
Startups and small teams
People seeking a free version of Slack for personal use
Slack Pro plan features and limitations
Cost of Pro plan
$7.25 per user/month when billed annually; $8.75 per user/month when billed monthly
What you can do on the Pro plan
Unlimited file history
Unlimited message history
Unlimited integrations with third-party apps
Access to 24/7 support
Group calls with video, audio, and screen sharing (Slack Huddles)
Basic AI features
Enhanced security features, such as SSO
What you can't do on the Pro plan
No data export for all messages
There is no guaranteed uptime, unlike the Business+ plan
Limited customizations to channel postings and permissions
Who the Pro plan is for
Growing businesses with expanding collaboration needs
Businesses looking for enhanced support and communication capabilities
$15 per user/month when billed annually; $18 per user/month when billed monthly
What you can do on the Business+ plan
Data exports for all messages
SAML-based single sign-on
Get priority support
Advanced AI features
SCIM user management
Slack Atlas for advanced search (add-on)
Advanced administrative controls, such as custom user groups
What you can't do on the Business+ plan
Support for data loss prevention and offline backup providers
HIPAA-compliant message and file collaboration
Who the Business+ plan is for
Larger teams prioritizing data protection, security, and analytics
Mid-sized to large businesses with complex communication needs
Slack Enterprise+ plan features and limitations
This is Slack's newly introduced plan positioned above Business+, which replaces the Slack Enterprise Grid plan.
Cost of Enterprise+ plan
Custom pricing - Contact Slack's sales team for more information.
What you can do on the Enterprise+ plan
Unlimited workspaces
All features available in the other plans
Built-in employee directory
Enterprise-Grade AI
Slack Atlas for advanced search
Support for data loss prevention and offline backup providers
Advanced compliance features like HIPAA compliance support and legal holds
EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management) integration
Enterprise key management available as an add-on
24/7 priority customer support
What you can't do on the Enterprise+ plan
The Enterprise+ plan gives you full access to all of Slack's features
Who the Enterprise+ plan is for
Large enterprises with complex communication structures
For the full list of features, limitations, and to compare the plans, visit Slack's pricing page.
Slack pricing discounts for education and nonprofit groups
Source: paycom.com
If you're a student, teacher, or a charity group with reservations about Slack's costs, then fear not. Slack offers discounts to those in the education and nonprofit sectors.
Slack for Education
The Slack for Education program offers an 85% discount on Pro or Business+ plans. To qualify, you must be one of the following:
Nonprofit educational institution
Accredited primary, secondary, or tertiary institution
A student group from any of the above
School districts and regional services
Slack for Nonprofits
The Slack for Nonprofits program gives free or discounted plan upgrades to nonprofit organizations:
Pro plan: Workspaces with 250 or fewer members can get a free upgrade, and an 85% discount for workspaces above that size.
Business+ plan: Workspaces of any size can get an 85% discount.
To qualify for Slack nonprofit pricing, you must be an organization that holds a valid charitable status with the IRS, a local tax service/charity commission, or a local TechSoup Global partner.
What are the hidden costs of Slack?
The subscription price doesn't tell the whole story. There are several extra expenses and efficiency drains to look out for after you've set up your workspace.
Hidden cost
Why it happens
How to quantify
Unused licenses
Slack's "Fair Billing Policy" charges you for any user who logs in just once, meaning you pay full price for contractors or employees who barely use the app.
Adding a free Single-Channel Guest to a second channel instantly upgrades them to a paid Multi-Channel Guest, which costs the same as a full employee.
Multi-channel guests who only need single-channel access × monthly per-seat cost.
Productivity & focus loss
Constant pings, poorly organized channels, and context switching drain employee focus and reduce time spent on deep work.
(Average hourly wage / 4) × total employees × 20 days (assuming 15 mins lost daily).
Tool overlap & sprawl
Slack is a messaging hub, not a full suite. You still have to pay separately for video (Zoom), documents (Google Docs), and storage (Dropbox).
Sum of monthly subscriptions for third-party video, storage, and document tools.
Admin & IT maintenance
IT spends significant, unbudgeted hours approving app integrations, archiving channels, managing permissions, and handling guest access.
Monthly IT hours spent managing Slack × IT administrator's hourly rate.
Cost breakdown: What drives Slack's true cost?
Here is the procurement and finance perspective checklist. You can use these fields directly in your internal budget spreadsheets to compare Slack's total cost of ownership against alternative solutions.
Cost item
How Slack charges
Hidden traps
Lark comparison
Seat
Billed per active user. Fair billing only refunds completely un-logged accounts.
Accounts that are inactive or left the company continue to be billed if not manually deactivated.
Free supports 20 seats. Pro includes messaging, docs, meetings, and calendar without needing extra modules.
Storage
Free gives 5GB per workspace. Pro gives 10GB per user. Business+ gives 20GB per user.
Exceeding limits requires add-ons or plan upgrades. Screen recordings consume space quickly.
Free gives 100GB per organization. Pro starts at 1TB per user. Docs, attachments, and videos share this quota.
Guest
Single-channel guests are free. Multi-channel guests cost the same as a regular seat.
Adding a second channel to a guest automatically triggers a paid seat upgrade, often noticed late on the bill.
External users are free. Joining multiple groups or docs does not trigger paid seat upgrades.
Automation
Workflow builder starts at Pro. Conditional branching requires Business+.
Building conditional routing forces a full upgrade to Business+, nearly doubling the unit price.
Base, approvals, and workflows are included. Conditional routing does not require higher tiers.
AI add-on
AI features are bundled into Pro and above. Standalone AI add-on is discontinued.
Accessing basic AI summaries requires upgrading the entire workspace with no cheap AI-only option.
Lark AI is included with the main plan. No extra per-seat purchase is required.
Admin & security
SSO, SCIM, and audit logs unlock at Business+ or above.
Basic compliance needs force a jump from Pro to Business+, raising costs from $7.25 to $15 per user monthly.
SSO, audit logs, and DLP are available from Pro. Enterprise adds data residency and advanced compliance.
How much does Slack cost for 5/20/50 users
To help you get a sense of how much Slack actually costs, here is a breakdown of the annual expense for different team sizes on a plan suitable for their size: Total Cost = (number of users × monthly rate × 12 months) + add-on services (costs an extra 10-20%).
Team size
Recommended plan
Annual base calculation
Est. total budget
Why this plan fits
When to upgrade
5 seats
Pro
$435
~$480–$520
Ideal for small teams outgrowing the Free plan's 90-day message history limit. Unlocks unlimited message history, unlimited app integrations, and group huddles.
When your team needs SAML-based single sign-on (SSO), 99.99% guaranteed uptime, or basic compliance data exports.
20 seats
Pro
$1,740
~$1,900–$2,100
Great value for growing teams. Uncapped group audio/video calls and Slack Connect make collaboration with external clients or vendors seamless.
Requiring priority 24/7 support, advanced identity management, or advanced Slack AI features for channel recaps and smart search.
50 seats
Business+
$9,000
~$9,900–$10,800
Security and administration are no longer optional. Provides advanced compliance, SSO, and powerful Slack AI tools to scale productivity.
Scaling to hundreds of employees, requiring multiple interconnected workspaces (Enterprise Grid), or needing complex data residency options.
Slack subscription costs for a 5-person team
Slack plan
Billed monthly (total annual cost)
Billed annually (total annual cost)
Free tier
$0
$0
Pro tier
$525/year
$435/year
Business+ tier
$1,080/year
$900/year
Enterprise+ tier
Custom pricing
Custom pricing
Slack subscription costs for a 20-person team
Slack plan
Billed monthly (total annual cost)
Billed annually (total annual cost)
Free tier
$0
$0
Pro tier
$2,100/year
$1,740/year
Business+ tier
$4,320/year
$3,600/year
Enterprise+ tier
Custom pricing
Custom pricing
Slack subscription costs for a 50-person team
Slack plan
Billed monthly (total annual cost)
Billed annually (total annual cost)
Free tier
$0
$0
Pro tier
$5,250/year
$4,350/year
Business+ tier
$10,800/year
$9,000/year
Enterprise+ tier
Custom pricing
Custom pricing
If your team has 20 members or fewer, you can use Lark for free, saving you up to $2,100 per year! Bigger teams can also save up to 70% with Lark's Pro plan.
What to consider before you choose a Slack plan
When deciding on a Slack plan, it's crucial to consider your team's unique collaboration and communication needs. Think about factors like how much message history you need to access, your file-sharing requirements, and whether integrations with essential business tools are necessary.
Here are some recommendations based on your team size and organization type:
Freelancers, student groups, and micro-teams (1–10 users): For very small teams or casual projects, the Free plan is usually sufficient. If you use other tools for video conferencing and file storage, you likely won't mind the 90-day message history limit or the restriction to 1:1 huddles.
Small to medium businesses (SMBs) and startups (10–100+ users): Once a team grows, "institutional memory" becomes vital. The Pro plan is essential here because it unlocks unlimited message history, group huddles (up to 50 people), and Slack Connect, which lets you collaborate securely with external partners or vendors in shared channels.
Mid-sized companies and IT-managed teams (500+ users): When you reach a size where IT needs to manage access centrally, the Business+ plan becomes necessary. The key driver for this tier is SAML-based single sign-on (SSO) and 99.99% guaranteed uptime.You can also export data for all messages, which is often a requirement for company policy or legal reasons.
Large enterprises and regulated industries (1,000+ users): For massive organizations or those in healthcare and finance, the Enterprise+ plan (custom pricing) is the only viable option. It provides support for HIPAA compliance, data loss prevention (DLP), and unlimited workspaces to keep different departments organized and connected.
10 ways to pay less for Slack
1. Actively adjust licenses based on usage
The paid Slack plans are calculated based on the number of users, so make sure to only keep team members who absolutely need full access. Go beyond just removing departed employees; actively monitor engagement. If certain team members are rarely logging in or sending messages, consider deactivating their full licenses and moving them to a free guest tier or a different communication channel.
2. Optimize your guest and external sharing strategy
Don't buy full licenses for external partners, vendors, or freelancers. Instead, leverage Slack's Single-Channel Guest feature, which allows you to invite up to 5 guests for free per paid active user (as long as they stay in one channel). For B2B collaboration, use Slack Connect to bridge two separate workspaces together without burning through your own paid seats.
3. Implement strict role permissions and approvals
Without proper guardrails, your billing can suffer from "infinite expansion" as well-meaning employees invite new users to the workspace. Centralize your provisioning by locking down invite permissions. Require IT or management approval before any new user can be added to the paid workspace.
4. Streamline channel and retention strategies
A cluttered workspace increases hidden administrative costs and compliance risks. Set up auto-archive rules for dead channels and configure standard data retention policies. By automatically deleting messages after a set timeframe (e.g., 1 year), you reduce the IT hours spent managing workspace clutter and avoid the costly, time-consuming eDiscovery processes that force teams to upgrade to higher tiers.
5. Pay annually
Slack pricing is lower when you pay annually. For example, Slack Pro pricing costs $8.75 (per user) when paid monthly, but $7.25 annually, which is around 20% cheaper.
6. Negotiate multi-year contracts
If you have a growing team and are moving to the Business+ or Enterprise Grid tiers, don't just accept the sticker price. Reach out to Slack's sales team at the end of a fiscal quarter or year—when sales reps are highly motivated to hit quotas. Bring quotes from competitor tools into the conversation and ask for custom volume discounts in exchange for a two- or three-year lock-in commitment.
7. Downgrade plans and use only the most vital features
Do you need unlimited app integrations and message history? If you don't, consider whether Slack Pro is worth it instead of the free plan. While more features are generally good, you don't want to pay significantly more for features you hardly ever use.
By analyzing the features of each plan, you can determine which plan will suit the needs of your business best.
8. Use free workspaces for non-core users
A great way to save money on Slack is by using free workspaces for non-core team members, social clubs, or peripheral departments, while reserving the premium plans only for key teams that require advanced features like SSO or unlimited history.
9. Wait for promotional discounts
If you're not in a rush to make a Slack investment, discounts do appear on Slack's website throughout the year. For example, at the time of writing this, Slack is currently offering 50% off for 3 months for a Pro or Business+ plan, which equates to just $4.38 per user/month for the Pro plan and $9 per user/month for the Business+.
10. Choose a better value team collaboration tool
Slack offers powerful messaging and chat features that make team communication easy and efficient. However, if you're looking for more than just chat—like built-in task management, video conferencing, calendar integration, document co-editing, and even tools for CRM, performance management, and project tracking—you might find yourself needing several third-party apps to fill the gaps.
Lark solves this problem by bringing all your collaboration and productivity tools into a single, unified platform. From messaging and task management to scheduling, document collaboration, and video meetings, Lark lets you do it all without leaving the app—making your workflow simpler, faster, and more cost-effective.
How Slack pricing compares with other tools
If your team primarily needs a chat platform, Slack is a solid option. Its Free plan already provides built-in chat, organized channels, threads, and integrations with popular tools, making it a cost-effective choice. The paid plans, which start at $7.25 per user/month,offer extra features like unlimited message history and enhanced support, which can be sufficient for small to medium teams who mainly communicate via messaging.
However, if your team is looking for more than just chat, several Slack alternatives offer broader functionality within similar or slightly higher price ranges:
Lark
Lark offers an all-in-one solution that combines chat with meetings, document collaboration, task and project management, calendars, approvals, OKRs, and attendance tracking. It also includes native AI features for summarization, scheduling, and workflow automation, plus enterprise solutions like CRM and marketing tools.
The Free plan allows 20 users access to 11+ products, making it one of the best free Slack alternatives out there.
Paid plans start at $6/user/month, offering a comprehensive all-in-one platform that reduces the need for multiple apps.
Google Chat
Google Chat is a part of Google Workspace, which means companies already paying for Google Workspace get Google Chat for free. While only a basic chat app, Google Chat connects with other Google apps like Gmail, Drive, Docs, and Meet, so most of your work can stay in one system.
No free plan for businesses
Paid plans start at $7/user/month
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a digital workspace solution that combines messaging, real-time virtual meetings, and calls. For companies deeply integrated with Microsoft 365, Teams is a natural choice, offering tight integration with apps like Word, Excel, and SharePoint.
No free plan for businesses
Paid plans start at $4/user/month for limited features
Rocket.Chat
Rocket.Chat is an open-source, high-security alternative designed for organizations that require full control over their data. Unlike Slack, it offers on-premise hosting, allowing highly regulated industries (like government or healthcare) to keep data within their own infrastructure.
Free plan for up to 50 users
Paid plans start at $8/user/month
Pumble
Pumble is a budget-friendly Slack competitor with a free plan that includes unlimited message history, a paid feature in Slack. It provides a familiar interface with channels, threads, and voice messages, making the transition easy for teams.
Free plan for unlimited users
Paid plans start at $2.49 per seat/month
WhatsApp Business
WhatsApp Business is a popular choice for client-facing communication rather than internal collaboration. It doesn't have the structured hierarchy of channels, threads, and integrations found in Slack, but is arguably more accessible since most users are already on the platform.
The standard app is free
Custom pricing for paid plans
For a similar price point as Slack pricing, some platforms offer not just chat, but also docs, video calls, and key work tools, helping you avoid the extra cost of third-party apps often needed with Slack. If you're looking for a unified workspace that covers tasks, projects, meetings, documents, and AI-powered workflows in one place, platforms like Lark deliver far more functionality for roughly the same cost.
Slack is undeniably a powerful communication platform, but it isn't the best fit for every team.
Whether Slack works for you ultimately depends on your team's size, workflows, and communication needs. For many organizations, the biggest drawback comes down to cost.
Consider a medium-sized company with 100 employees. If everyone needs access to Slack to maintain smooth internal communication, you'll need at least the Pro plan, which is $8.75 per user per month to unlock essentials like unlimited message history and group video calls.
That adds up quickly:
$875 per month (or $10,500 per year) on the monthly plan
$725 per month (or $8,700 per year) if billed annually
For larger organizations, those numbers scale dramatically. A team of 1,000 employees would be looking at $105,000 per year, which can take a significant bite out of any budget.
On top of that, even Slack's highest-tier plan caps meetings at 50 participants, which can be surprisingly restrictive for the price. In addition, you'll need to pay for the highest-tier plan to get Slack's complete AI toolset.
Beyond cost, Slack can become cumbersome for large or complex projects that require tightly connected discussions, documentation, and workflows. There's a reason why you don't hear people talk about Slack and CRM, or Slack and project management in the same sentence.
That's why many teams turn to more cost-efficient alternatives like Lark, which combine Slack's chat functionality with every other tool a team would need for their work.
Why Lark is a great alternative to Slack
Lark is an all-in-one collaboration platform that allows teams of all sizes to work together.
Unlike Slack, Lark combines all essential work tools into one superapp, so your team doesn't need to switch tools, and you don't need to pay for multiple subscriptions.
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Better value
The main differences between Slack and Lark come down to the value you get for the cost and the range of features each platform offers.
Although Slack includes a wide range of chat features, its $8.75 per-user monthly price doesn't offer strong value.
Slack also severely limits your message history and offers no AI tools on its free plan.
Lark's all-in-one workspace solution offers more value for money, and AI tools in every plan.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of Slack and Lark, comparing what each platform offers and their respective pricing.
Features
Lark
Slack
Core offering
All-in-one collaboration platform
Communication app
Built-in instant messaging
✅
✅
Built-in docs
✅
❌
Built-in project management
✅
❌
AI meeting summaries and data analysis
✅
❌
Real-time reports and dashboards
✅
❌
Max upload size per file
50 GB
1 GB
Max number of meeting participants
500
50
Free plan
18 months message history
1:1 calls
11+ features, including instant messaging, docs, email, calendar, meetings, approvals, and more.
90 days message history
1:1 calls
Instant messaging and calls
Paid plans (billed monthly)
Free
Basic: $6 per user/month
Pro: $12 per user/month
Enterprise: Custom
Free
Pro: $7.25 per user/month
Business+: $15 per user/month
Enterprise+: Custom
According to Lark users, the main reasons for switching from Slack to Lark include:
Joining a list of high-profile companies such as 7-11, Xiaomi, and POPMART that use Lark.
All tools are consolidating into one superapp, cutting costs.
Here is a quick Lark vs Slack cost comparison. If you have a team of 100 using Slack, you're probably subscribed to other apps like Notion and Trello for document collaboration or project management. Combined, these three apps cost thousands of dollars each year to use.
By switching to Lark Pro—which covers communication, real-time document collaboration, and project management—you could save $17,400 per year.
How many employees work at your company?
By number of people
1
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500
5000+
1000
Which tools do you use?
Estimates are for reference only, contact us for an official quote
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Lark Enterprisecan replace and surpass at least 4 of your existing business tools.
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With 1000 employees, your company could save at least $390,000 per year by using Lark.
Estimates are for reference only, contact us for an official quote
Enhanced efficiency
With Lark, your team can access a range of advanced tools without ever leaving the platform, eliminating the constant context switching that drains productivity.
Here are some ways efficiency is transformed with Lark:
End-to-end workflows: Chat, hold meetings, assign tasks, and manage projects seamlessly in one place.
Simplified onboarding: New team members only need to learn one platform with a unified user-friendly interface, reducing training time and making transitions easier.
Intuitive automation features: Automation is easy to set up in Lark, no technical training needed. Team members can set it up on their own to automate repetitive tasks in their workflow.
This unified environment directly translates into faster execution and business agility. Muuve, a fast-growing platform, experienced this first-hand when they consolidated their tools:
"For Muuve, speed and agility are key. With Lark we feel that we have a platform that truly embraces those ideals. Lark has all the features we need and unlike other solutions we tried such as Slack and Gsuite, we never need to leave the Lark ecosystem."
Phanith Panh
Co-Founder & CEO of Muuve
Seamless collaboration
One of the biggest frustrations with using multiple tools is the constant back-and-forth between apps.
Unlike Slack, Lark's full suite of tools work seamlessly together right out of the box—no integrations needed.
Here are some ways collaboration is redefined with Lark:
Integrated communication: Read notifications, approve requests, schedule meetings, edit documents, and manage tasks directly from your chat feed.
Advanced messaging features: Translate messages, schedule them to send later, tag members, share emails, or convert audio to text for easier reading.
Organized group chats: Topic groups and threaded replies keep discussions clear and allow new members to catch up easily.
Plans for every team
Whether you're a large enterprise or a small startup, Lark offers a solution for you.
Unlike Slack, essential AI tools come with every Lark plan. You get access to 11+ features and solutions, including:
Instant messaging, email, and video conferencing
Online docs, spreadsheets, slides, databases, mind maps, boards
Personal task management and project management solution
Workflow builder for approval management and general team workflows
CRM, ticketing system, attendance manager, store audit, and many other built-in solutions.
Slack is a major player in the collaboration software space, and it's easy to see why. Its focus on streamlined communication makes it a go-to choice for many teams in 2026. If all you need is a solid messaging tool, Slack's free plan is hard to beat.
But if you're looking for more, and want features like unlimited integrations, advanced admin controls, or deeper collaboration tools, Slack's paid plans can start to add up quickly, so much so that some businesses leave Slack.
There are now some great alternatives available that offer much greater value. For example, Lark gives you all the essential chat features you'd expect, plus built-in tools for video meetings, project and performance management, shared calendars, attendance tracking, and more. It's a complete collaboration platform that comes at a more budget-friendly price.
Yes, Slack has a free plan that is suitable for small teams, with essential features such as messaging, audio and video clips, channels, and huddles.
Is Slack's free plan enough?
It depends entirely on your team's size and needs:
Yes, if you are a micro-team (1-10 users) that only requires basic messaging, 1:1 calls, and 10 or fewer app integrations.
No, if your growing team requires message history beyond 90 days, group audio/video meetings, unlimited integrations, or advanced AI tools.
How do I set up Slack?
Slack is fairly easy to set up, though it could get complicated if you need to integrate a lot of apps. The basic steps include:
Create a workspace: Enter your email on the Slack website, verify it, and name your workspace (usually your company name).
Set up your profile: Add your full name, job title, and a clear photo to help colleagues recognize you.
Organize your channels: Beyond the default #general and #random, add specific channels for departments or projects.
Invite your team: Send email invitations via the admin dashboard or share a direct join link for larger groups.
Connect your apps: Integrate essential tools like Google Drive or Zoom to centralize your team's workflow.
What is Slack's AI pricing?
Slack provides a set of generative AI tools, but the features you can use depend on the plan you purchase. For example, on the Pro plan, you get AI conversation and thread summaries and huddle notes. On the Business+ plan, you get additional tools, and if you're willing to pay Slack's Enterprise+ price, you get all 9 of Slack's AI features. The free plan does not include any AI features, and AI add-ons are no longer available.
How many total users can access Slack's free plan?
Slack's free plan allows an unlimited number of users, making it a practical choice for small teams or organizations that want to try out Slack without any cost. With this plan, teams can access message history from the past 90 days, connect up to 10 external apps, and make one-to-one voice and video calls.
Can I add and remove users during the subscription period?
You can add and remove new users to your Slack workspace anytime during your subscription period.
To add users, invite them to join your workspace by sending an invitation through their email address (to ease and speed up the email address search, you can use additional tools).
To remove users, access the workspace settings to remove users
What is Slack's pricing strategy?
Slack's pricing tiers include a free plan and three paid plans. Pro, Business+, and Enterprise+.
Is Slack more expensive than alternatives such as Microsoft Teams?
This depends on what you'd like to use the software for. Slack and Microsoft Teams both offer free plans with limited features. For paid plans, the Microsoft Teams Essentials plan starts at just $4 per user/month, which is cheaper than Slack Pro at $7.25 per user/month.
If Slack plans don't offer enough features, try Lark for its advanced communication, project management, and document creation capabilities.
Is Slack's Enterprise Grid now called Enterprise+?
Not exactly. Slack's Enterprise+ isn't a renaming of Enterprise Grid, but a newly introduced plan positioned above Business+ in Salesforce's updated structure. Slack's Enterprise Grid pricing tier is no longer listed on Slack's website. Instead, Enterprise+ serves as its replacement for businesses needing enterprise-grade security, compliance, AI-powered search, and admin controls.
How much is Slack Pro?
Slack Pro costs $7.25 per user/month when paid annually and $8.75 per user/month when paid monthly.
What is the best Slack alternative?
Lark, Google Chat, and Microsoft Teams are all great alternatives to Slack, each offering a different approach to collaboration. Some teams also consider ClickUp, monday.com, and Asana as alternatives, although their chat functions aren't as refined. For a more in-depth review of Slack alternatives, see The 12 Best Slack Alternatives for Every Business.
How can enterprises negotiate Slack pricing?
To get a better deal on Slack, don't be afraid to ask for a custom volume discount in exchange for locking in a multi-year contract. You'll have way more bargaining power if you bring competitor quotes to the table as well and time your talks for the end of the quarter when sales reps are more eager to close deals.
Can I get a discount on Slack pricing?
Yes, Slack offers a standard discount if you opt for annual billing rather than paying month-to-month. Additionally, qualifying non-profit organizations and educational institutions can receive up to 85% off or even free upgrades to premium tiers.
Does Slack pricing increase each year?
Standard list prices do not automatically increase every year, though Slack occasionally adjusts its global pricing. However, if your team is on a negotiated enterprise contract, Slack's parent company (Salesforce) often builds a mandatory annual price increase of around 9% into the renewal terms.
Can I downgrade my Slack plan to save money?
Yes, you can downgrade your workspace to a lower paid tier or the free plan at any time via your billing settings. If you downgrade in the middle of a billing cycle, Slack applies a prorated credit to your workspace account for the unused time, rather than issuing a direct cash refund.
Marcus Mak is a Product Marketing Specialist who focuses on turning product updates into clear, actionable value for customers. With experience supporting launches and competitive messaging, he helps business teams deliver stronger adoption outcomes.
Lark recognized in 2023 Gartner® Collaborative Content Workspaces and Meeting Solutions reports
Lark, the global superapp for productivity, is delighted to announce it receives recognition in the Gartner's 2023 Innovation Insight for Collaborative Content Workspaces and Market Guide for Meeting Solutions.