Roam vs Slack

Roam

• Remote and hybrid companies that want meetings, chat and presence in one tool
• Teams that prefer short drop-in conversations to scheduled calls
• Companies that want month-to-month billing with no annual contract
• All-hands presentations held in the same workspace as daily work

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

Roam

• There is no free plan; each new member gets a 14-day trial before appearing on the bill.
• Roam states it offers no discounts and no annual plans, so the per-member price is the same for every customer.
• The rate rises on a published schedule: $19.50 per active member a month in 2026 and $20.88 in 2027.
• Billing follows the number of active members each month, so the total can change from one bill to the next.

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.

Roam

Virtual office map

A live view of who is in the office, who is meeting with whom and who is talking. Click a person to chat with them or an empty seat to enter their room.

Drop-in meetings and meeting rooms

Knock on a seat in someone's office to start an audio-only drop-in meeting, or use a meeting room for video with screen sharing and a whiteboard.

AInbox group chat

Direct messages, group chats and confidential chats with custom folders, pinned chats, bookmarks, scheduled messages and search across the full history.

Magic Minutes

Turns on a transcription and AI summary that every participant receives in a group chat, where they can ask questions about the meeting.

Theater and On-Air

Theater seats an all-hands audience in rows with a backstage, a Q&A microphone and a stadium mode for 100 or more people. On-Air hosts virtual events.

Lobby, Magicast and On-It

Lobby links let guests book time or drop in, Magicast records the screen with a transcript, and On-It is an AI assistant that schedules and follows up.

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.

Roam

• Virtual Office Super Bundle$19.50

  per active member / month, billed monthly (2026 rate)

  All nine Roam products at one price, charged only for members active that month. Guests are free. The published 2027 rate is $20.88.

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.

Roam

No public discounts listed.

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.