Slack vs Troop Messenger
We give Slack a 3.2 GPA and Troop Messenger a 3.4, out of 4.0. Slack grades higher on the free plan. Troop Messenger grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Slack
Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI
Troop Messenger
Secure business messenger with calls, sold as SaaS or on-premise
How we grade them
| 3.2GPASlackVery good | 3.4GPATroop MessengerVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $7.25 a user a month billed annually, or $8.75 monthly, right on the $7 team chat typically starts at. It brings unlimited history and apps, group huddles and AI conversation summaries. But single sign-on, AI search and the Slackbot agent wait for Business+ at $15. | APremium is $2.50 a user a month, and Enterprise is $5. Both are under the going rate for team chat. Premium comes with 150 GB of storage and Enterprise with 1 TB, so you're not paying extra for space either. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree with no time limit, but tight. Only 90 days of message history stay searchable, you can connect up to 10 apps, and huddles and outside Slack Connect messages are 1:1 only. A busy team will feel that 90-day wall sooner or later. | CNo free plan is shown. The pricing page offers a 7-day free trial of the Enterprise plan, and the listing doesn't say whether it asks for a card. A week isn't long to try a chat app with a whole team. |
| Features | AChannels and direct messages, huddles with screen sharing, recorded clips, canvases for documents and lists for tracking work. Workflow Builder automates routine jobs without code. On paid plans Slack Connect shares channels with up to 250 organizations, and AI summaries come with Pro. | AOne-to-one and group chat with message recall, voice and video messages, calls with screen sharing, and guest access for customers. Burnout wipes a private chat when its timer runs out, and Forkout sends one message to many people at once. The FAQ says video calls don't work in the UAE. |
| Ease of use | C4.1 from about 53,000 App Store ratings, which is a C on our ladder. Channels and direct messages are easy enough to grasp, so we'd have guessed higher for something this widely used. In a browser, huddles only work in Chrome and Firefox. | BNo App Store rating is on record, so a B is as high as we go. On the hosted service it's an app you install and sign in to. Hosting it on your own servers is a choice here, not a must. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. The app directory lists more than 2,600 apps, with Salesforce, Google Drive, Jira, GitHub and Notion among them, and there's an API for building your own. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. The integrations list is short, just Google Drive and Dropbox. LDAP, Active Directory and SSO hook in on the Enterprise plan. |
| Best for | channel-based chat that plugs into everything | cheap, security-minded chat you can host yourself |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Slack and Troop Messenger. How we grade
Where they differ
- Slack starts at $7.25 per user / month, billed annually. Troop Messenger starts at $2.50 per user / month.
- Slack has a free plan. Troop Messenger does not, though it has a free trial.
- Troop Messenger is self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Slack also covers workflow automation and documents.
At a glance
| Slack | Troop Messenger | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $7.25 per user / month, billed annually | $2.50 per user / month |
| Free plan | 90 days of searchable message history, up to 10 app integrations, and huddles and external Slack Connect messages limited to 1:1. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial of the Enterprise plan |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Slack Technologies, LLC, a Salesforce company | Tvisha Communications Pvt Ltd |
| Price read from | slack.com | troopmessenger.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Troop Messenger
- Organizations that want to host their chat on their own servers
- Government and defense organizations, a segment the vendor targets directly
- Teams looking for chat and calls at a low per-user price
Worth knowing
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.
Troop Messenger
- No free plan is shown: the pricing page offers a 7-day trial of the Enterprise plan.
- Screen sharing, group calling, Burnout and LDAP/SSO need the Enterprise plan; Premium has audio calls and 1:1 video calls only.
- A Superior tier for 500+ users is marked as coming soon on the pricing page, and the vendor's own pages disagree on its price.
- The vendor's FAQ says video calling and screen sharing do not work in the UAE.
Key features
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.
Troop Messenger
- Messaging and groups
- One-to-one and group chats with replies, forwarding, message edit and recall, and voice and video messages. Airtime groups let only admins and moderators post.
- Audio and video calls
- 1:1 and group audio-video calls with screen sharing, plus Join Now for entering a group call already in progress. Group calling and screen sharing are Enterprise features.
- Burnout
- A one-to-one private chat window for confidential exchanges. Its messages vanish when a preset timer runs out and no chat backup is kept.
- Forkout and Orange Member
- Forkout sends one message or attachment to many users and groups in a single step. Orange Member invites customers and other non-employees as guest users.
- AI features
- AI File Summary gives in-chat summaries of shared files and AI Smart Suggestions proposes replies to incoming messages. The homepage also promotes translation and an AI Buddy assistant.
- SaaS or on-premise hosting
- Use the hosted service or run Troop Messenger on your own servers. LDAP, Active Directory and SSO integration is part of the Enterprise plan.
Plans
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.
Troop Messenger
Premium$2.50
per user / month
One-to-one and group messaging, file sharing, audio calls and 1:1 video calls, guest users (Orange Member), Forkout and 150 GB of storage.
Enterprise$5
per user / month
Premium plus screen sharing, group calling and video conferencing, Burnout chats, read receipts, LDAP/Active Directory/SSO and 1 TB of storage.
Ways to pay less
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.
Troop Messenger
- Education
70% off Enterprise for education
The education pricing page invites schools, universities and training institutes to apply for 70% off the Enterprise subscription, with a 15-day free trial.
- Nonprofit
70% off Enterprise for NGOs
The NGO pricing page invites nonprofits and foundations to apply for 70% off the Enterprise subscription, with a 15-day free trial.
