Our verdict · 8.6/10 Excellent
Still the benchmark for team chat. Budget for a paid plan if you need history, and agree on channel conventions early.
Key takeaways
- Best for: Teams that live in chat.
- Strongest area: Integrations & ecosystem (9.8/10). Weakest: Value for money (7.6/10).
- Price: Free with limited history; paid from around $7–9 / user / month — free plan available.
- Watch out for: Free plan history limits.
What is Slack?
Slack organises team communication into channels, with huddles, clips and canvases plus thousands of integrations. Its free plan limits visible history, so most growing businesses move to a paid plan.
Slack is made by Salesforce and is reviewed here as a collaboration tool. It is priced on a freemium basis, and our editorial score is 8.6 out of 10, calculated from six weighted criteria.
Who it’s for — and who should skip it
Choose Slack if
- Teams that live in chat
- Companies with many integrated tools
- Working with external partners via shared channels
Not for you if
- Teams already paying for Microsoft Teams
- Very cost-sensitive teams
Key features
Organise conversations by topic or team.
Lightweight audio and video calls.
Shared channels with other organisations.
No-code automations inside Slack.
- Google Workspace
- Asana
- Zoom
- Salesforce
- GitHub
- Zapier
Pros & cons
What we like
- Excellent usability
- Huge integration ecosystem
- Shared channels with partners
- Workflow builder
Watch out for
- Free plan history limits
- Can become noisy
- Per-user cost adds up
Pricing & true cost
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 90-day message history |
| Pro | ≈ $7.25 / user / mo | Billed annually |
| Business+ | ≈ $12.50 / user / mo | Billed annually |
| Enterprise Grid | Custom quote | — |
True cost at 5, 10 and 25 seats
Cheapest paid plan that fits each team size, from indicative list prices checked October 30, 2026. Excludes tax, add-ons, onboarding fees and promotional discounts.
Pricing watch-outs
- Quote-only tier. Enterprise Grid has no public price. Ask for a written quote that includes onboarding and support fees.
Contract questions to ask before you sign
- Does the plan auto-renew, and how many days’ notice do you need to cancel?
- Is the advertised price for annual billing? What is the month-to-month price?
- Is the first-year price a promotion? What will renewal cost, and is it capped?
- Is there a minimum number of seats, or a charge for inactive users?
- Are onboarding, implementation or premium-support fees extra?
- How do we export all our data if we leave, and in what format?
General questions for any vendor — not findings about this product. Build a full checklist with our requirements builder.
Indicative USD pricing, last checked October 30, 2026. Vendors change prices and promotions often — always confirm on their website. Model your own numbers with our SaaS TCO calculator.
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Features & fit | 25% | 8.8 | 2.20 | |
| Ease of use | 20% | 9.0 | 1.80 | |
| Value for money | 20% | 7.6 | 1.50 | |
| Support & reliability | 10% | 8.0 | 0.80 | |
| Security & privacy | 10% | 8.4 | 0.80 | |
| Integrations & ecosystem | 15% | 9.8 | 1.50 | |
| Overall | 100% | Weighted for business software products | 8.6 | |
Security & compliance facts
| Item | Status | Question to ask Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-factor authenticationStops most account takeovers from reused or phished passwords. | Not verified by us | Can admins enforce MFA for every user, on every plan? |
| Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)Lets you remove a leaver’s access everywhere from one place. | Not verified by us | Is SSO included on the plan we are buying, or only on enterprise tiers? |
| SOC 2 Type II reportIndependent audit of the vendor’s security controls — often required by larger customers. | Not verified by us | Can we see your current SOC 2 Type II report (under NDA if needed)? |
| ISO/IEC 27001 certificationInternational standard for running an information-security programme. | Not verified by us | Which legal entity and services does your ISO 27001 certificate cover? |
| GDPR data processing agreementNeeded if you handle personal data of people in the EU/UK. | Not verified by us | Do you offer a signed DPA and list your sub-processors? |
| HIPAA business associate agreementRequired before US healthcare businesses store protected health information. | Not verified by us | Will you sign a BAA, and on which plans? |
We have not yet verified these items for Slack against a primary source, so we don’t claim them either way. Check Salesforce’s trust or security page and ask for documents in writing.
Before you buy any collaboration tool
Check Slack against the same list we use for every collaboration tool — and confirm each point on the plan you intend to buy, not the top tier.
- Fast, reliable search
- Permissions per space or channel
- Integrations with your core apps
- History and retention on free/paid tiers
- SSO and admin controls if needed
See every ranked option in Collaboration & Docs.
Slack alternatives
Pick an alternative by what matters to you
- Cheaper
Microsoft Teams≈ $40/mo vs $73/mo at 10 users (cheapest paid plans, indicative) - Stronger on securityMicrosoft TeamsSecurity & privacy score 9.0 vs 8.4
Computed from our published scores and indicative pricing for tools in the same category as Slack. Scores are editorial; see the methodology.
Editor’s picks
A flexible workspace for docs, wikis and lightweight project tracking.
An everything-app for work that packs tasks, docs, goals and chat into one place.
Head-to-head comparisons
Featured in: Best Team Collaboration Tools for Small Business
Review history
- Scored under methodology v2.0 (six weighted criteria, computed overall score).
Slack FAQ
What does Slack's free plan limit?
The free plan limits how much message history you can see, along with integrations and some features.
Does Slack have a free plan?
Yes. Slack offers a free plan. Paid plans start at Free with limited history; paid from around $7–9 / user / month (indicative — check the vendor for current pricing).
Who is Slack best for?
Slack is best for: teams that live in chat; companies with many integrated tools; working with external partners via shared channels.
How much does Slack cost for a team of 10?
On indicative list prices, the cheapest paid plan that fits 10 users (Pro) works out at roughly $73 per month, or about $870 per year, before tax, add-ons and discounts.
How is the Slack score calculated?
The 8.6/10 overall score is a weighted average of six sub-scores — features & fit, ease of use, value, support & reliability, security & privacy, and integrations — using the published weights for software products. Affiliate relationships have no input. See our methodology page for the full rubric.
What are the best alternatives to Slack?
Popular alternatives include Notion, ClickUp. See our comparisons for side-by-side verdicts.