Glue vs Slack

Glue

• Teams that find channel-based chat noisy and want every topic in its own thread
• Teams that want an AI assistant and coding agents inside their chat threads
• Workspaces of five people or fewer, which can stay on the free Startup allowance

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

Glue

• Only a Startup workspace's first 5 users are free, and it is capped at 5 groups and 1 admin; Glue's docs say this is not a freemium plan.
• Premium AI models from Gemini, Anthropic and OpenAI need Business or Enterprise; Startup uses open-source models.
• Data imports are not part of the Startup plan; Business allows up to 100 MB and Enterprise is unlimited.
• The plan cards and docs put SAML SSO and SCIM on Enterprise only, though the pricing page's comparison table also ticks SAML SSO for Business.

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+, listed at $45 per user / month paid annually and bought through sales.
• In a browser, huddles are supported only in Chrome and Firefox.

Glue

Named threads

Every conversation is a thread with a subject line, sent to any combination of groups and people. Any message can be turned into a new thread, and a finished thread can be closed.

Personal inbox

The threads that involve you are tracked in your own inbox, so you follow individual conversations instead of whole channels and archive them when you are done.

Groups

Groups collect people and threads for a department, team or project, and each has a group chat private to its members. Guests from outside the workspace can be added.

Glue AI

Mention @Glue AI in a thread to ask about a project's status or get a summary. It answers from the web and from the threads and groups the person asking is allowed to see.

Agents and MCP servers

Agents such as Cursor can be mentioned in a thread to work alongside the team, and the Apps section offers MCP servers next to the regular app integrations.

Integrations and public API

Pre-built integrations post updates and link previews from tools like GitHub and Linear. Zapier, webhooks and a public API cover custom integrations on every plan.

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.

Glue

• Startup$0 up to 5 users, then $6

  per user / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)

  Up to 5 groups and 1 admin, unlimited threads, message history, apps, webhooks and external users, public API access and open-source AI models.

• Business$12

  per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly)

  Everything in Startup plus unlimited groups, multiple admins, data imports up to 100 MB and premium AI models from Gemini, Anthropic and OpenAI.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Everything in Business plus unlimited data import, SAML and SCIM, priority support and guided onboarding.

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+$45

  per user / month, billed annually

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

Glue

• Annual discount

  About 14% less with annual billing

  Glue's billing docs list Business at $12 per user / month on an annual plan against $14 monthly, and Startup at $6 against $7, a saving of about 14%.

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.

• By country

  Lower price shown to buyers in India

  On October 9, 2026 Slack's pricing page showed a reader in India Pro at ₹245.25 per user / month paid yearly, beside a crossed-out ₹545. Its US page lists Pro at $7.25 per user / month paid annually.