Slack is a great communication app for your business, whether you use the free version or one of the paid options. They have a lot in common, from similar chatting options and video/voice calling to file-sharing features. Both versions are also available on various devices, whether you're using a Windows laptop or one of our favorite phones. But the paid version shines in areas that might be crucial for your business. For example, it offers unlimited integrations with other tools, plus enhanced data protection and security. We’ve tried Slack in its free and paid versions to help you decide which one is better for your business.

Price

Choose what you want to pay

If you don't want to stick with the free plan, you aren't limited to the basic version of Slack. Paid plans start at $7.25 per person/month if billed yearly, or $8.75 if billed monthly. The Business+ plan is $12.50 per person/month when billed yearly, or $15 per person/month if you go monthly. There’s also an Enterprise Grid plan, but the pricing isn’t listed—you’ll have to reach out to their sales team for a quote.

Features

Consider your team's likely needs

Slack’s paid plans come with a bunch of features that aren’t available for free. For starters, you get unlimited message history with any paid plan, while the free version hides messages older than 90 days. That can be a big deal if you often need to look back at old messages. Access to those older conversations is super helpful, especially when you're working on a long project and need to check what was said earlier.

Another thing to consider is Huddles, Slack’s audio and video tool. With the free version, you can only use it for 1:1 calls. But with the paid version, you can have Huddles with multiple people. If you have a big team and like to do daily stand-ups or planning meets, you’d either need to pay for Slack or use other tools like Google Meet or Zoom. You can integrate both with Slack, so it’s not much of a hassle either way. Meet and Zoom do have some better meeting and scheduling features anyway.

While we’re discussing integrations, it’s worth noting that the free version only allows you to add up to 10 external tools. However, with a paid plan, you can add as many as you want. Slack supports integration with over 2,000 apps, including Notion, Google Drive, Salesforce, Adobe Express, and Trello.

The paid tier also gives you access to automation tools like Workflow Builder, custom workflow steps, and the ability to deploy apps with the Slack infrastructure. Workflow Builder lets you automate routine tasks like sending messages, collecting approvals, or sharing updates across channels. Custom workflow steps let you tailor these automations to fit your team’s specific needs. Deploying apps to the Slack infrastructure means that you can build and integrate custom apps directly into Slack.

Workspace members

Often a non-issue

Both the free and paid versions of Slack let you add unlimited members to your workspace. Plus, you can create as many channels and groups as you want. You can even add members from other workspaces to yours. With a free plan, you can send 1:1 messages to external guests, but you won’t be able to include them in your channels.

AI features

At an additional cost

You don’t get Slack AI, the platform’s suite of AI features, with the free version. And you won’t get it with the paid versions either. But if you’re a paying customer, you can buy it as an add-on, and it has to be applied to every member of your workspace. The Slack AI add-on costs $10 per user per month, which can add up quickly.

Slack AI offers some decent features, but it doesn’t quite justify the $10 monthly fee. Slack claims it can save your team “45 hours per month,” but we didn’t really see those results during our testing. It does generate a daily recap to keep you updated on important messages in busy channels. You can also ask natural language questions in the search bar (like, “What’s the latest update on the marketing campaign?”), and it will give you a clear answer, linking to the source in your chat history so you can double-check the info. But that’s about it.

Security

Definitely varies based on plan

The free version of Slack comes with basic security. There’s data encryption at rest and in transit, which means your data is protected while it's stored and when it's being sent from one place to another. Plus, there’s two-factor authentication when signing up. These security features are not enough, especially if you're a public sector organization or a large enterprise, or you deal a lot with sensitive data.

You can get slightly better security if you upgrade to the base paid tier, which includes OAuth with Google. OAuth is important because it lets users log in securely without sharing their actual passwords, reducing the risk of breaches. If you go for the Business+ plan, you also get SAML-based single sign-on, which is key for larger organizations. SAML allows users to access multiple apps with one set of login credentials, streamlining security and making it easier for IT teams to manage access.

For more advanced features like HIPAA compliance, integration with Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM), audit logs, and Identity Provider (IDP) groups, you'll need to sign up for the Enterprise Grid plan.

Which one is right for you?

If you've got a big team and care about security features, Slack’s paid tiers are the way to go. But if your business isn’t super large, or if you're looking to build a community and don’t mind losing messages older than 90 days, the free version could work just fine for you.

While Slack has a ton of features in both its free and paid versions, you may also want to check out some alternatives. The free version has its limits, and the paid tiers can get pretty pricey without really delivering much more value. A solid alternative is Microsoft Teams, which gives you the features of Slack’s Enterprise Grid for just $4 a month per person. Plus, Teams has some features that actually outsmart Slack. Another option is Discord, which is free and doesn’t put limits on any features. Check out our separate guide if you are looking for other productivity solutions.