TL;DR: Slack is easier to use and has more popular features. MS Teams integrates fluidly into Microsoft 365 with email, docs, and more.
Slack vs Teams: What are They?
Slack and MS Teams are two of the world’s most popular team communication apps.
Slack made a public launch of its software in 2013. Slack is most known for its simple, chat-based interface. This helps teams chat with each other in real-time and is destined to be an “email killer.” Today they have over 10 million daily users and were purchased by Salesforce.
In direct competition with Slack, Microsoft Teams came out in 2017 as an all-in-one platform. It merges chat, video calls, and file-sharing platforms seamlessly. Rumor has it that Microsoft was planning to purchase Slack, but that was shut down by Bill Gates.
The competition between MS Teams vs Slack is rising intensely as they both fight to conquer the market share. “The winner is anyone’s guess,” according to David Yoffie, a professor at Harvard Business School.
As technology evolves, there is an increasing need for a real-time collaboration app between team members. Sometimes emails are just a little too long and formal for certain tasks.
These two communication apps step in to increase the level of connection a step above email. The need for tools like this was exacerbated by recent increases in remote work around the world.
Slack: What does it do?
In recent years, Slack quickly rose up the ranks as one of the most popular collaboration and team management apps. This innovative communication platform brings teams together in a central location.
Some of Slack’s most popular features include:
- Open discussions
- Direct messages
- Archiving messages
- Private groups
- File sharing
- Contextual search
On of its biggest benefits is its ability to integrate with other tools. Slack can connect with a multitude of apps such as:
- Tettra
- MailChimp
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- Zoom
- Outlook
These integrations enable it to work seamlessly across multiple platforms. Common use cases for Slack include:
- Instant messaging & communication
- Direct messages to specific people and groups
- Slack Huddles for video conferencing and audio
- Notifications from team members and shared channels
- Notifications from customers via Slack Connect
Its real time messaging feature enables your team to share information quickly. Its robust notification system allows you to keep up with your team’s progress.
It’s also ideal for resolving internal questions and then storing them in a separate Slack wiki apps. With its contextual search and direct messaging features, anyone on the team can pose a question and immediately receive feedback.
This effectively eliminates the need for lengthy email chains. It’s a productivity app as well that can save a ton of time.
You can have open discussions with your team on a multitude of topics. Or individual team members can create private groups in order to have more focused conversations.
It’s also available as a mobile app. All communications are secure, and you can keep track documents within the app.
The developers idea is to have an app that can avoid lengthy meetings. It sets up the infrastructure to have everything that could be discussed in a meeting readily available, and teams are always connected.
Pricing
- Free tier
- Pro: $7.25/user/month
- Business+: $12.50/user/month
- Enterprise Grid: Contact Sales
“Slack continues to lead the market as one of the most complete messaging apps for companies of all sizes.”
– G2 Review
Why do companies use Slack over Teams?
Many business prefer the advanced slash commands in the Slack app over MS Teams. These commands can streamline workflow. They can also easily automate repetitive tasks.
Slash commands are shortcuts that you can use to quickly execute certain tasks in Slack. For example, you can use a slash command to create reminders or schedule a meeting.
They can be customized to fit your unique needs. It’s a powerful feature that increases productivity.
Why do people prefer Slack?
One of the main attractions is its custom notification feature. You can choose to receive notifications from only those that matter to you. The preferences can also be set so that they only notify you during certain hours of the day. There is also the option to set up keywords that can trigger notifications.
What is the competitive advantage of Slack?
One of it’s significant advantages is the ability to integrate with more third party tools than Teams can. This is primarily because Microsoft likes to keep integrations mostly in house.
Microsoft Teams: What does it do?
MS Teams also allows users to collaborate in real time. It combines that with the ability to start a video call right from the chat and share files in the same place.
Microsofts main objective is to streamline communication, similar to Slack. There are also a wealth of unique features, which we’ll get to shortly.
The standout feature is its seamless integration with Microsoft 365. You can easily access your Outlook, OneDrive, and SharePoint filled all from Teams.
There is a mobile app for Teams as well. The secure communication makes it easy for your team to access work on the go.
Conversation channels are special groups that team members can create to communicate with each other. This can be good for a team working on a special project that needs a central place to share files and stay updated on each other’s progress.
As we alluded to above, MS Teams is a secure communication platform, both internally and externally. Your colleagues can collaborate with clients in a controlled environment. It’s robust search engine lets you recall any conversation within seconds as well.
Additional notable features include:
- Conversation threads
- Limited third party integrations
- Slash commands
- Two-factor authentication
- Cyber security suites
- Bot gallery
Pricing
- Free tier
- Microsoft Teams Essentials: $4/user/month
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6/user/month
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50/user/month
“Screen sharing is simple to do and joining 2 different conferences at a time is possible.”
– G2 Review
Why do companies use Teams over Slack?
On of the most important factors are its advanced video call features. Unlike Slack, Teams can hold 250 people in a video conference. It’s a more practical option for larger organizations. It also has screen sharing capabilities that can be more helpful for team collaboration.
Do users prefer MS Teams over Slack?
Microsoft may be quickly surpassing Slack as an industry standard communication tool. However, Slack still has a very loyal user base. It does have the household name attached to it that every one in the civilized world knows.
Of course its native ability to integrate well with Office 365, OneDrive, and Sharepoint is a huge plus. The powerful audio and video conferencing capabilities of Teams are giving Slack a run for its money.
What is the competitive advantage of MS Teams?
One of its main advantages is its value for large teams. MS Teams comes in at a lower price per user. Large businesses that are looking to save on overhead at scale can see this as an easy decision between two very similar apps.
What is the Difference between Teams and Slack?
One of the biggest differences between these two apps is their target audience. Teams is more geared toward those that need to manage communication across dozens of departments and locations.
Slack is ideal for smaller teams that are less corporate. Have more flexibility and customization features will appeal more to this demographic as well.
As mentioned above, Teams is closely integrated with Office and other Microsoft products. If you’re team is already 95% Microsoft equipped, this is a no brainer.
Slack has a wider range of integrations with third party apps. It doesn’t have a suite of software to handle as many tasks as Microsoft does. However this gives another level of flexibility that smaller teams will appreciate.
As far as communication preferences. Slack and Teams also differ. Teams has a stronger focus on video, while Slack is more known for its messaging capabilities.
Other points
Though Slack has significantly more, both applications can handle a significant number of integrations. Teams has over 1,000 integrations while there are more than 2,000 available Slack integrations.
The pricing structure also differs slightly. Both Teams and Slack have a free version with limited features. However, the paid plans are where they really shine.
Slack can be purchased on a monthly or annual subscription for their software. Teams also offers monthly and annual subscriptions, but it must be purchased as part of the Microsoft Office Suite.
If you’re team doesn’t use any other Microsoft software, it may not be cost effective to go with Teams. Even at the lower price point.
It’s also worth noting that the user interface of both apps is very similar. Slack has an AI that walks you through getting started with the app, so if you’re switching over to Teams you’ll be right at home.
Is Slack good for meetings?
Slack can have up to 50 participants on a video call with a premium subscription. Free accounts are limited to two people. Though its possible to have meetings in Slack, the software is designed to eliminate the need for routine meetings.
Is Slack bigger than MS Teams?
At this time, Microsoft has the upper hand when it comes to revenue and overall size. According to Harvard Business School, Microsoft’s revenue only jumped 18% compared to Slack’s 43% in 2021.
However, Microsoft did $168 billion in revenue that year, while Slack did $903 million. Though this is never the sole factor to consider when evaluating the productivity of the software, it shows the impact that Microsoft has made in the team communication space in a short amount of time.
How Does Tettra Work with Slack and Microsoft Teams?
Tettra is an AI-powered knowledge management system that helps you curate important company information into a knowledge base, use it to answer repetitive questions in Slack and MS Teams and keep it up-to-date, organized, and complete with automation.
As one of the best knowledge management tool in 2023, Tettra has a simple, user-friendly UI and integrates with Slack, Google Drive, MS Teams, and more. It also has a powerful context-driven search feature that lets you find any information in seconds.
One of Tettra’s standout features is its ability to use machine learning algorithms to recognize and tag information accurately. It keeps the knowledge base organized and up-to-date and helps users quickly find the necessary information.
As a third party app, Tettra integrates directly with Slack and MS Teams so you can end repetitive questions and quickly build your knowledge base.