Microsoft Teams vs Slack: Which is better in 2026?
A side-by-side comparison of pricing, features, and use cases to help you decide between Microsoft Teams and Slack.
Chat, calls, and collaboration in Microsoft 365
Business communication platform
Head-to-head comparison
| Feature | Microsoft Teams | Slack |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $4/mo ✓ Cheaper | $7.25/mo |
| Free plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| G2 rating | 4.3/5 | 4.5/5 ↑ |
| Capterra rating | 4.4/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Founded | 2017 | 2013 |
Microsoft Teams: pros & cons
- ✓Included in Microsoft 365
- ✓Deep Office integration
- ✓Strong enterprise features
- ✓Large meeting capacity
- ✗Complex and bloated UI
- ✗Notification management is poor
- ✗Less pleasant than Slack for daily use
- ✗Requires Microsoft ecosystem
Slack: pros & cons
- ✓Industry standard for teams
- ✓Huge integration library
- ✓Great search
- ✓Easy to set up
- ✗Free plan limits message history
- ✗Can become noisy
- ✗Video calls less featured than Teams/Zoom
Choose Microsoft Teams if...
- →Your organisation already pays for Microsoft 365 and wants chat, meetings, and file sharing without adding another subscription
- →Your team works heavily in Word, Excel, and SharePoint and wants to co-edit documents directly inside the communication tool
- →You're in enterprise or education where IT manages device policies and Microsoft 365 licensing is already standardised
Choose Slack if...
- →Your engineering or product team relies on bot integrations — GitHub, PagerDuty, Jira — that trigger alerts and actions directly in channels
- →You want to organise company communication into topic-specific channels so decisions and context are searchable later
- →You're a startup that needs a tool that connects to 2,000+ apps via Workflow Builder without custom dev work
Our verdict
Slack scores higher on G2 (4.5/5 vs 4.3/5), suggesting stronger overall user satisfaction. Microsoft Teams is the more affordable option. The right pick depends on your team size and workflow.
Microsoft Teams vs Slack: frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft Teams better than Slack?
Slack has a higher G2 score (4.5/5 vs 4.3/5). The best tool depends on your specific use case and budget.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Teams or Slack?
Microsoft Teams is cheaper, starting at $4/mo.
What is the main difference between Microsoft Teams and Slack?
Microsoft Teams focuses on team chat, video meetings, file sharing (sharepoint). Slack focuses on channels, direct messaging, huddles (voice/video). Both serve similar use cases but differ in approach and pricing model.
Can I migrate from Microsoft Teams to Slack?
Most teams migrate between Microsoft Teams and Slack within a day or two. Export your data from Microsoft Teams (typically as CSV or via API), then use Slack's import wizard to bring it across. Check each tool's help centre for a step-by-step migration guide before switching.