Slack vs Yac (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Slack: it is first in our ranking of team communication apps, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Slack grades higher on features and platforms. Yac grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
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
Which one is for you
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
Pick Yac if
- Fits if you want to replace some meetings with short recorded messages
- Works for teams on Macs and phones that use Slack
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows, as no Windows or browser version is listed
- Tight if you stay free, since you cannot invite teammates and see only 100 messages
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $5 against $3 on yearly billing
- Watch out: the homepage says a new version is coming, and some pages carry a 2021 copyright
How we grade them
| 2.8GPASlackGood | 2.4GPAYacFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $7.25 a user a month billed annually, $8.75 monthly, which is a shade above the $7 this category typically starts at. The parts people actually ask for next, SAML single sign-on and AI search, wait for Business+ at $15, double the middle figure. | B$3 a user a month billed yearly, at the edge of the cheaper quarter, $5 if billed monthly. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free plan keeps only 90 days of messages searchable, which for a team is the cap that hurts: ask what was decided in March and it's gone. Add 10 app integrations and huddles and external messages limited to 1:1, and there's no trial of Pro either. | CFree for personal use with unlimited voice messages, but no teammates and only the last 100 messages. |
| Features | AChannels, direct messages, threads, huddles with screen sharing, clips, canvases, lists and a no-code Workflow Builder, and two things its rivals here don't list: more than 2,600 apps in the directory, and Slack Connect shared channels with up to 250 other organizations. | CVoice, screen and camera messages, channels and transcription search. Private groups, full history and the Slack link are paid. |
| Ease of use | C4.1 on the App Store from about 53,000 ratings, the lowest of the big three here. Channels are simple enough to join, but a workspace left to itself sprawls, and the canvases, lists and Workflow Builder are each another thing to learn. | CNo rating on record. A team has to be invited and the habit built before it helps. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus the biggest app directory in the category at 2,600-odd, Salesforce, Google Drive, Jira, Asana, Notion, GitHub, Zendesk and HubSpot among them. One oddity: in a browser, huddles work only in Chrome and Firefox. | BMac, iPhone and Android, with Slack and Zapier. No Windows or web version appears on the pages read. |
| Best for | channel-based chat that plugs into everything | voice and screen messages instead of meetings |
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 Yac. How we grade
Price against what you get
Slack starts at $7.25 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Yac starts at $3 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Slack scores higher, and starts $4.25 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other team communication apps on the chart, 1 scores higher than Slack for less, and 9 score higher than Yac for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Slack also covers workflow automation, documents, video calls and file sharing.
- Yac also covers transcription and screen recording.
At a glance
| Slack | Yac | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7.25 per user / month, billed annually | $3 per user / month, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 90 days of searchable message history, up to 10 app integrations, and huddles and external Slack Connect messages limited to 1:1. | Unlimited voice messages, screen and camera recording, public sharing links, a Yac.com profile and channels, with the last 100 messages visible. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Slack Technologies, LLC, a Salesforce company | Yac Inc. |
| Price read from | slack.com | yac.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
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.
Yac
- Free accounts see only the last 100 messages and cannot invite teammates.
- The homepage says a new version of Yac is coming soon, with a waitlist.
- The Mac, iOS and Android apps are listed; no Windows or browser version appears on the pages read.
- The pricing and footer pages show a 2021 copyright line, so some pages may be older than the rest.
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.
Yac
- Voice messages
- Record a message and share it in a channel or with one person, so teammates can reply when it suits them.
- Screen and camera recording
- Record your screen or camera to give feedback or report a bug. Included on the free plan.
- Channels and private groups
- Channels and personal connections are free; private groups and team management are on the paid plan.
- Transcription search
- Search the text of past voice messages. This needs the Teams plan.
- Public sharing links
- Share a recording through a link that can be opened outside the team.
- Slack and Zapier
- The Teams plan lists a Slack and Zapier integration; the page invites customers to ask about Asana and Jira.
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.
Yac
Free$0
For personal use. Inviting teammates or creating multiple teams needs a paid plan; message history is limited to the last 100.
Yac for Teams$3
per user / month, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly)
Unlimited message history, transcription search, team management, private groups and the Slack and Zapier integration.
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.
Yac
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Slack or Yac?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Yac is cheaper to start with: $3 a month for each person, against $7.25 a month for each person for Slack. Slack starts at $7.25 per user / month, billed annually, and Yac starts at $3 per user / month, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Slack or Yac?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Slack and Yac have a free plan.
Which platforms do Slack and Yac run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Slack lists a web app and Windows and Linux apps. Both list macOS, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.