Slack vs Microsoft Teams: What’s the Best Fit for Your Team?

Choosing between Slack and Microsoft Teams is a bit like choosing between coffee and tea. They serve a similar purpose, but depending on your taste, you'll likely prefer one over the other. 

Just like the coffee vs. tea or cats vs. dogs debate, the Slack vs. Microsoft Teams debate is still going strong. As hybrid and remote work continue to shape how teams operate, picking the right collaboration tool matters more than ever.

To help you cut through the noise, we’ve put together a clear, honest comparison of both tools, so you can decide which one fits your team’s needs best. 

Let’s get into it. 

Slack and Microsoft Teams: A Brief Overview 

Slack and Microsoft Teams are two of the most widely used communication software in modern workplaces, especially with hybrid and remote work now being the norm. 

Slack is designed around real-time messaging and flexible collaboration. It’s known for its clean interface, customizable channels, and strong integrations. Small teams often appreciate how easy it is to get started, while larger organizations use their Enterprise solutions to scale securely. 

Microsoft Teams is part of the Microsoft 365 suite. It combines chat, video calls, file sharing, and deep integration with tools like Outlook, Word, Excel, and SharePoint. For companies already using Microsoft 365, Teams often fits naturally into existing workflows. 

While both tools aim to help teams communicate and collaborate more effectively, they approach it in different ways. Below, we break down the key differences to help you decide which platform makes the most sense for your team. 

Microsoft Teams vs Slack: Pricing 

Pricing is often where decision-making starts, and for good reason. 

Both Microsoft Teams and Slack come with free plans. However, to make the most out of both tools, you’ll have to switch to one of their paid plans.  

Slack has two types of membership, base plans and AI plans, ranging from Pro to Enterprise. The base plans start at US $7.25 per user each month on an annual plan. AI plans, which include smart search, conversation summaries, and recaps, start at US$17.25 per user per month. The free Slack plan limits you to the most recent 90 days of messages and only allows one-on-one Huddles. 

Microsoft Teams is often bundled with Microsoft 365, so if your company already has that, you might already have Teams at no extra cost. If not, you can get Teams Essentials for US$4 per user per month on an annual plan. It covers chat, meetings (up to 30 hours and 300 participants), and 10GB of storage per user. 

Premium AI features, like automatic meeting recaps, are available as an add-on for around an extra US$10 per person. The Microsoft 365 Basic plan comes in at US$6 per user per month. 

The free Teams version is a little more generous than Slack’s, allowing 60-minute calls with up to 100 people and 5GB of storage. 

If your organization lives in Outlook and Excel, Teams may feel “already paid for.” If you rely on Google Workspace or a patchwork of SaaS apps, Slack’s single purpose spend is easier to forecast. 

Microsoft Teams vs Slack: Layout  

At first glance, Slack and Microsoft Teams look pretty similar. Both have a slim vertical panel for chats and a bigger section for conversations. 

But they organize collaboration a bit differently. 

Slack focuses on channels, which can be public or private. Microsoft Teams also uses channels, but lets you create sub-channels within each one. Plus, every meeting automatically gets its own dedicated chat, so recurring notes stay neatly in one place. 

When it comes to customization, Slack wins. You can change the app’s color scheme to match your vibe. Teams, by contrast, only offers three themes to pick from—light, dark, and high contrast. 

Microsoft Teams vs Slack: Video Calls 

Slack introduced Huddles for quick, casual taps on the shoulder. In paid Slack workspaces, up to 50 people can jump in, turn on their cameras, and share screens. But in the free version, calls are limited to one-on-one. Recordings require third-party integrations like Zoom, which many teams already pay for separately. 

Microsoft Teams leans harder into structured meetings. Standard licenses cover meetings with up to 300 participants, and they come with built-in recordings and live captions. 

Premium plans add AI-generated action items and speaker timelines, which are lifesavers when you’re managing back-to-back meetings. 

If your calendar looks like a game of Tetris, Teams is hands-down the better fit. The deep integration with Outlook and the built-in recording tools make scheduling and managing meetings practically automatic. 

But when it comes to messaging? Slack feels faster and lighter. I’ll explain why next. 

Microsoft Teams vs Slack: Messaging 

Both Slack and Microsoft Teams support 1:1 chats, group chats, and threaded conversations. 

Microsoft Teams has richer formatting options: you can change font colors, resize text, highlight sections, and even create tables directly in chat. 

Slack keeps it simpler but throws in a very handy reminder feature. You can set reminders on any message, which is a lifesaver when you’re drowning in tasks and can’t afford to lose track of important follow-ups. 

Microsoft Teams vs Slack: Security

Both platforms offer enterprise-grade security, with data encryption and multi-factor authentication baked in. 

But Microsoft Teams takes it a step further because it’s part of Microsoft 365. 

Teams is connected to the Microsoft Purview portal, which is where companies manage their security, compliance, and data protection tools in one place. Through Purview, IT teams can set up things like eDiscovery (to search chat records if needed), audit logs (to track what’s happening in Teams), legal holds (to keep certain messages safe for lawsuits), and data retention policies (to decide how long information stays saved). 

If your company already uses Microsoft 365, it’s easy to extend these protections to Teams without adding anything new. Everything is controlled from the same dashboard your IT and legal teams already know. 

Slack also takes security seriously across all plans. Every Slack workspace uses encryption to protect messages and files, both when they’re sent and when they’re stored. Slack also offers multi-factor authentication and goes through regular security audits to stay up-to-date with industry standards. 

For companies with stricter needs, Slack’s Enterprise Grid adds extra layers of protection. You can control your own encryption keys with Enterprise Key Management, limit who can access what with granular permissions, and connect Slack to tools like Single Sign-On for easier, more secure logins. 

Slack’s approach to security is all about adding strong protections without making it harder for teams to collaborate. 

For most mid-sized firms, either tool will check the security boxes. The smoother fit usually just comes down to whichever ecosystem your IT team already uses. 

Microsoft Teams vs Slack: Ai

Both Slack and Microsoft Teams have leaned into AI in 2025, but they focus on different needs. 

Slack AI specializes in managing conversations. It can summarize noisy channels, pull up answers from message history, and help organize tasks.  

Microsoft Teams Copilot is broader. It works across the full Microsoft 365 suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, to assist with writing, summarizing meetings, analyzing data, creating presentations, and managing tasks. It uses information from your calendar, emails, chats, and files to offer real-time summaries and suggestions. 

Microsoft Teams vs Slack: Integrations

Slack’s App Directory is massive, offering over 2,600 integrations with tools like BambooHR, Asana, and Jira. Its Workflow Builder lets you automate tasks like incident reporting or daily stand-ups, no developer needed. 

Microsoft Teams has fewer marketplace apps but deeply integrates Microsoft tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint. You can open and edit documents right in the chat sidebar, keeping conversations and collaboration in one place. 

Both platforms are strong choices for workplace communication and collaboration. The right fit depends on how your team works, what tools you already use, and how much visibility and control you want built into your workflow. 

If managing time off is part of the challenge, whether it’s avoiding scheduling conflicts or keeping everyone updated, integrating a tool like Vacation Tracker can help reduce friction and bring more clarity to your day-to-day planning. 

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If your team uses Slack, the Vacation Tracker integration is quick and seamless. Team members can request time off directly in a channel using a simple command, and managers are notified instantly. You can check who’s away, approve requests, and keep everyone informed, without ever leaving Slack. 

Watch how Vacation Tracker works in Slack: 

If you’re on Microsoft Teams, Vacation Tracker works just as smoothly. Employees can submit leave requests right through the Teams chat, and approvals happen in just a few clicks. The integration keeps your team’s time-off schedule visible and in sync with your existing workflow. 

Watch how Vacation Tracker works in Microsoft Teams: 

Now that you know what sets these tools apart, you’re ready to choose the one that fits your team, and get back to doing work that actually matters. 

Reviewing Key Differences

Microsoft Teams: Integrated with Office 365, optimized for mid-sized and enterprise businesses, and packed with built-in collaboration tools and stronger security. 

Slack: More flexible, easier to customize, built for lighter, faster communication, and extremely friendly to third-party SaaS integrations, but potentially more expensive if you need to buy extras separately. 

Both Slack and Microsoft Teams are powerful collaboration platforms. Neither choice is wrong, but your team’s workflows, tech stack, and meeting habits should drive your decision. 

Now that we've compared Slack vs MS Teams, you’ll be able to make the best decision for your team, and get back to doing great work.