Slack vs Microsoft Teams: Which is better in 2026?
A side-by-side comparison of pricing, features, and use cases to help you decide between Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Business communication platform
Chat, calls, and collaboration in Microsoft 365
Head-to-head comparison
| Feature | Slack | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $7.25/mo | $4/mo ✓ Cheaper |
| Free plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| G2 rating | 4.5/5 ↑ | 4.3/5 |
| Capterra rating | 4.7/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Founded | 2013 | 2017 |
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
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
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
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
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.
Slack vs Microsoft Teams: frequently asked questions
Is Slack better than Microsoft Teams?
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, Slack or Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams is cheaper, starting at $4/mo.
What is the main difference between Slack and Microsoft Teams?
Slack focuses on channels, direct messaging, huddles (voice/video). Microsoft Teams focuses on team chat, video meetings, file sharing (sharepoint). Both serve similar use cases but differ in approach and pricing model.
Can I migrate from Slack to Microsoft Teams?
Most teams migrate between Slack and Microsoft Teams within a day or two. Export your data from Slack (typically as CSV or via API), then use Microsoft Teams's import wizard to bring it across. Check each tool's help centre for a step-by-step migration guide before switching.