Gather vs Slack

Gather

• Remote teams that want quick conversations without scheduling a call
• Teams that want availability and status visible at a glance
• Teams that want meetings, chat and presence in one workspace

Slack

• Teams that want conversations organized by channel rather than email threads
• Companies that work with outside partners in shared channels
• Organizations that already run on Salesforce
• Teams that connect many third-party apps to their chat

Gather

• There is no free plan: after the 30-day trial only one admin can enter the workspace until a subscription starts.
• Gather 2.0 has no mobile app and does not support Linux; its desktop apps are for Mac and Windows.
• Recording, transcription and guest time are monthly allowances tied to member count, with minimums of 20, 30 and 30 hours.
• Gather recommends 2.0 for offices of up to 100 people; single sign-on for 2.0 is in beta and listed under the Custom Plan.

Slack

• The Free plan keeps only 90 days of message history searchable, allows 10 apps, and limits huddles and Slack Connect to 1:1.
• SAML single sign-on and SCIM start at Business+; ongoing Slackbot access is on Business+ and Enterprise+, with a limited trial on Free and Pro.
• Enterprise search, multiple SAML configurations and native data loss prevention are limited to Enterprise+, which is priced by sales.
• In a browser, huddles are supported only in Chrome and Firefox.

Gather

Virtual office and presence

See who is available, busy or in a meeting, hear nearby conversations if you choose, and wave a teammate over or join a conversation in one click.

Meetings

Unlimited scheduled meetings with simultaneous screen sharing, Google Calendar sync, coworking sessions and interactive whiteboards.

Team chat

Permanent chat with public and private channels, DMs and group chats, thread replies and file uploads, plus meeting chat and nearby chat.

Recording and AI meeting notes

Meetings can be recorded and summarized as AI notes with a transcript. Paid plans include 2 recording hours and 3 transcription hours per member a month.

Guest hours

Clients and candidates join as guests after checking in with a member. Paid plans include 3 guest hours per member each month, with a minimum of 30.

Office customization

Start from a template, choose open, private or hybrid floor plans, edit rooms, walls and floors, and place more than 200 objects.

Slack

Channels and direct messages

Conversations are organized into channels for each project, topic or team, alongside direct messages. Paid plans keep the full message and file history searchable; Free keeps 90 days.

Huddles and clips

Huddles are audio and video meetings with screen sharing, 1:1 on Free and for groups on paid plans. Clips are recorded audio or screen updates shared in a conversation.

Slack Connect

Message people outside the company. Free allows 1:1 external direct messages; paid plans add group chats and shared channels with up to 250 organizations.

Canvases and lists

A canvas holds text, files, images and video inside Slack, and lists are used to manage projects and organize tasks with teammates.

Workflow Builder and apps

Workflow Builder automates routine processes without code, and the app directory lists more than 2,600 apps. A Free workspace can connect up to 10 of them.

AI in Slack

Pro includes AI conversation summaries. Business+ adds AI search, daily recaps, file summaries, workflow generation and the Slackbot personal agent, subject to plan limits.

Gather

• Essential Plan$12

  per member / month, billed yearly ($15 billed monthly)

  Every feature: custom virtual office, unlimited meetings and chat, and monthly recording, transcription and guest hours that grow with team size.

• Custom PlanCustom

  For large teams: custom pricing and onboarding, larger offices, hybrid solutions, single sign-on and an extended trial.

Slack

• Free$0

  90 days of message history, up to 10 app integrations, and 1:1 huddles and external messages.

• Pro$7.25

  per user / month, billed annually ($8.75 billed monthly)

  Unlimited message history and app integrations, group huddles, Slack Connect channels with up to 250 organizations, and AI conversation summaries.

• Business+$15

  per user / month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly)

  Adds AI search, daily recaps, file summaries and workflow generation, the Slackbot agent, SAML single sign-on and SCIM user management.

• Enterprise+Custom

  Adds enterprise search across connected apps, multiple SAML configurations, EMM support, native data loss prevention and unlimited workspaces.

Gather

• Annual discount

  20% less with yearly billing

  The Essential Plan costs $12 per member / month billed yearly against $15 billed monthly.

• Nonprofit

  30% off monthly plans for nonprofits and schools

  Gather's Classic (1.0) help center says spaces for nonprofits and educational institutions may be eligible for 30% off a monthly subscription, arranged through its sales team.

Slack

• Annual discount

  About 17% less with annual billing

  Pro is $7.25 per user / month paid annually against $8.75 paid monthly, and Business+ is $15 against $18. Salesforce's Slack pricing page puts the saving at approximately 16%.

• Other savings

  50% off the first 3 months for new teams

  A limited-time offer for teams that buy Pro or Business+ online within 7 days of creating the workspace. It applies to monthly billing only, and standard pricing follows after 3 months.

• Nonprofit

  Free or 85% off for eligible nonprofits

  Eligible nonprofits get a free Pro upgrade for workspaces with 250 or fewer members and 85% off above that size. Business+ is 85% off at any size.

• Education

  85% off for educational institutions

  The Slack for Education program gives approved institutions an 85% discount on the Pro or Business+ plan, applied at checkout.