# Slack — Channel-based team messaging platform with a free tier and paid plans from $8.75/user/month, owned by Salesforce.

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified September 15, 2026.

> **Slack** is a workplace messaging platform organized around channels — persistent, topic-based conversations — rather than a single continuous chat thread, making team communication easier to search and revisit later.

Beyond core messaging, Slack includes Huddles for quick audio/video calls without leaving a channel, Canvas for collaborative documents, Lists for lightweight task tracking, and Workflow Builder for no-code automation. Its AI features include Slackbot, a personal AI agent for summaries and searches, plus Claude and Agentforce integrations for more advanced AI-driven work. With 1.7 million actively used third-party apps connecting to it weekly, Slack functions as a hub connecting tools like Google Drive, Asana, Workday, and Salesforce's own CRM, and it's used across engineering, sales, customer service, and HR teams from small startups to large enterprises.

## Facts

- Website: https://slack.com
- Pricing: Free tier · paid from $8.75/mo (verified undefined NaN, NaN)
- License: Freemium
- Platforms: web, windows, macos, linux, ios, android
- Best for: teams that need organized, searchable chat with channels, quick huddles, and workflow automation, from small teams on the free tier up to large enterprises needing compliance controls
- Standout feature: Channel-based organization combined with a massive third-party app ecosystem (1.7 million weekly active app integrations) and built-in AI search and summarization through Slackbot.
- Biggest weakness: The Free plan's 90-day rolling message history forces most active teams onto a paid tier quickly, and compliance-critical features (SAML, data loss prevention, legal holds) are reserved for the custom-priced Enterprise+ tier rather than being available at Business+.
- Third-party ratings: Capterra 4.7/5 (24,182 reviews)
- Categories: [Team Chat & Messaging](https://findalternative.to/categories/team-chat)

## Pricing snapshot

| Plan | Price | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0/mo | 90-day message history, up to 10 app integrations, 1:1 meetings and external messages, basic AI features. |
| Pro | $8.75/mo | Unlimited message history, unlimited app integrations, group meetings and external messages, basic AI capabilities. $7.25/month billed annually. |
| Business+ | $18/mo | Advanced AI including the Slackbot personal agent, AI workflow generation, and enterprise search, on top of everything in Pro. $15/month billed annually. |
| Enterprise+ | Custom | Enterprise-grade AI, multiple SAML configurations, data loss prevention, information barriers, legal holds, unlimited workspaces. Contact sales. |

## Pros and cons

- Pro: Organized, searchable channel-based messaging that scales better than a flat group-chat model.
- Pro: Huge third-party integration ecosystem, including native Salesforce CRM and Google Drive integration.
- Pro: Built-in Huddles provide quick audio/video calls without a separate meeting tool.
- Pro: AI-powered search, summarization, and workflow automation available on Business+.
- Con: Free tier's 90-day message history is limiting for active teams.
- Con: Advanced compliance features (SAML, DLP, legal holds) require the custom-priced Enterprise+ tier.
- Con: Per-user pricing adds up for larger teams, especially at the $18/user/month Business+ tier.
- Con: Some advanced AI features are gated behind Business+ rather than included in Pro.

## AI summary

- Slack's Free plan caps message history at 90 days and integrations at 10 apps.
- Pro is $8.75/user/month ($7.25/month billed annually); Business+ is $18/user/month ($15/month annually).
- Slack holds a 4.7/5 rating from 24,182 reviews on Capterra.
- Slack has been owned by Salesforce since 2021.
- 1.7 million third-party apps are actively used with Slack weekly.
- Best for: teams needing organized, searchable channel-based chat with strong third-party app integration
- Pricing: Free tier available; Pro from $8.75/user/month; Business+ from $18/user/month; Enterprise+ custom.
- Top alternatives: Microsoft Teams, Discord, Google Chat, Zoom, Mattermost
- Limitation: Free tier's 90-day message history is limiting for active teams.
- Limitation: Compliance features (SAML, DLP, legal holds) require custom-priced Enterprise+.
- Limitation: Per-user pricing adds up for larger teams.

## Alternatives

5 vetted alternatives to Slack: https://findalternative.to/slack — top picks: Microsoft Teams, Discord, Zoom

## Comparisons

- https://findalternative.to/compare/discord-vs-slack
- https://findalternative.to/compare/google-workspace-vs-slack
- https://findalternative.to/compare/microsoft-teams-vs-slack
- https://findalternative.to/compare/slack-vs-zoom

---

Markdown mirror of https://findalternative.to/slack/about — findalternative.to, honestly ranked software alternatives. AI info: https://findalternative.to/ai