LINE WORKS vs Slack (2026): which should you pick?

Pick LINE WORKS if

• Fits if your customers or partners are on LINE
• Makes sense if you want chat and groupware in one app for a team in Japan

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you add Drive at ¥100 or archiving at ¥300 per person a month on top of the plan
• Tight if you stay free, with 30 members, 5 GB and 4-person group calls
• Watch out: prices are in yen, exclude tax and the paid plans are bought through a contact step
• Watch out: the pricing page mentions plans applying from April 2022, so check the current figures
• Skip it if you want third-party integrations, as none are listed

Pick Slack if

• Fits if your team wants conversations sorted by channel instead of email threads
• Works for teams that share channels with outside partners or plug many apps into chat

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're staying free, as only 90 days of messages stay searchable and you get 10 apps
• Skip it if you want group huddles or Slack Connect for free, as both are 1:1 until Pro, which has no trial
• Pricey if you need single sign-on, SCIM or AI search, which start at Business+ for $15 a user a month
• Watch out: enterprise search and data loss prevention are on Enterprise+ at $45 a user, bought through sales
• Not for you if you'd run huddles in a browser other than Chrome or Firefox, as they aren't supported there

LINE WORKS

• Prices are listed in Japanese yen and exclude tax; the pricing page notes the Standard and Advanced plans are bought through a contact-us step.
• Drive is a paid option on the Standard plan at ¥100 per person a month billed annually; Mail is only on Advanced.
• Message archiving costs ¥300 per person a month billed annually, and email archiving needs Advanced.
• The pricing page carries a notice about plans applying from April 2022, so confirm current prices with the vendor.

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.

LINE WORKS

Chat with LINE users

Messaging works like the LINE app, with stickers, and members can exchange messages with people on LINE outside the company.

Groupware in one app

Message, Board for notices, Calendar, Task, Form for surveys, and Contacts are included, with Drive and Mail on higher plans.

Video calls and screen sharing

Free plan calls hold up to 4 people for 60 minutes; Standard and Advanced allow up to 200 people.

Admin and security controls

A central admin console manages permissions and usage. The vendor lists SOC 2 and 3 and ISO/IEC 27001, 27017 and 27018 certifications.

Archiving options

Paid add-ons store message data or email data for up to 10 years.

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.

LINE WORKS

• Free¥0

  Up to 30 members, 5 GB shared storage, messaging, board, calendar, task, form and contacts, limited admin features.

• Standard¥450

  per user / month, billed annually (¥540 billed monthly)

  Unlimited members, 1 TB shared storage, calls and screen sharing for up to 200 people, full admin features and SLA support.

• Advanced¥800

  per user / month, billed annually (¥960 billed monthly)

  Standard plus Drive and Mail, with 100 TB of shared storage and unlimited members.

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.

LINE WORKS

• Annual discount

  20% off with annual contract

  The pricing page shows an annual contract at ¥450 versus ¥540 monthly for Standard, and ¥800 versus ¥960 for Advanced, per person per month.

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.