Slack vs Zoho Cliq
We give Slack a 3.2 GPA and Zoho Cliq a 3.6, out of 4.0. Zoho Cliq grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, 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
Zoho Cliq
Team chat, calls and meetings from the Zoho suite
How we grade them
| 3.2GPASlackVery good | 3.6GPAZoho CliqExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AStandard is $16.20 a month for up to 25 people on yearly billing. Not each. All of them. Professional is $1.80 a person. Slack Pro is $7.25 and Teams Essentials is $4. |
| 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. | BFree for the whole team, with chat, channels, 100 GB of storage and meetings for up to 100 people. But only 10,000 messages are searchable, and meetings end at 60 minutes. |
| 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. | AChats, channels, threads, voice and video messages, calls and meetings with screen sharing, plus bots, slash commands and widgets you can build yourself. Chat summaries need Professional. |
| 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. | B4.8 from about 6,500 App Store ratings, and recent reviewers call it easy. Older ones tell of crashes and menus you get lost in. The plans take some working out too, with one flat price and two per-person ones. |
| 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, iPad and Android, plus Apple Watch, CarPlay and Android Auto. There's a REST API, and it hooks into Google Drive, GitHub, Zendesk and Dropbox as well as Zoho's own apps. |
| Best for | channel-based chat that plugs into everything | cheap team chat, especially if you use Zoho |
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 Zoho Cliq. How we grade
Where they differ
- Slack starts at $7.25 per user / month, billed annually. Zoho Cliq starts at $16.20 per month for up to 25 users, billed annually (Standard).
- Slack also covers documents.
- Zoho Cliq also covers whiteboard.
At a glance
| Slack | Zoho Cliq | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7.25 per user / month, billed annually | $16.20 per month for up to 25 users, billed annually (Standard) |
| Free plan | 90 days of searchable message history, up to 10 app integrations, and huddles and external Slack Connect messages limited to 1:1. | 10,000 searchable messages, 100 GB of file storage per organization, 100 participants per group or channel, and meetings of up to 100 people limited to 60 minutes. |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial of the paid plans: 15 days according to the homepage, 14 days according to the pricing FAQ |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Slack Technologies, LLC, a Salesforce company | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | slack.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 6, 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
Zoho Cliq
- Organizations already using Zoho apps such as Zoho Projects, Desk or Mail
- Small teams: Standard is a flat monthly price for up to 25 users
- Teams that want to build bots, commands and widgets inside chat
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.
Zoho Cliq
- The Free plan searches only 10,000 messages, caps meetings at 60 minutes and has no call recording or external channels.
- Standard is a flat price covering up to 25 users, while Professional and Enterprise are per user with a 10-user minimum.
- Guest chat, task management, roles and permissions, and live events need Professional or Enterprise.
- Audit history, eDiscovery and data loss prevention are limited to Enterprise.
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.
Zoho Cliq
- Chats, channels and threads
- Unlimited 1-1 and group chats on every plan, with organization and personal channels, threads, read receipts and @mentions. Paid plans raise groups to 500 participants.
- Calls and meetings
- 1-1 audio and video calls, screen sharing and meetings for up to 100 participants. Professional and Enterprise allow 1,000 active participants and 10,000 viewers.
- Voice and video messages
- Audio and video messages and screen recordings can be sent in chat, limited to 5 minutes on Free, 15 on Standard and 60 on Professional and Enterprise.
- External channels and Networks
- From Standard, external channels bring in people from other organizations, 5 per user license. Networks, a separate space for partners, is a paid add-on; Professional and Enterprise include 3.
- Developer platform
- Bots, slash commands, message actions, functions, schedulers, databases and widgets are available on every plan with per-plan quotas, alongside a REST API.
- On-demand chat summary
- Professional and Enterprise can generate a summary of a chat on request, part of what Zoho describes as AI-powered conversations.
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.
Zoho Cliq
Free$0
Chats and channels, 10,000 searchable messages, 100 GB of storage per organization, and meetings for up to 100 participants capped at 60 minutes.
Standard$16.20
per month for up to 25 users, billed annually ($18 billed monthly)
Flat price covering up to 25 users. Unlimited searchable messages, external channels, call recording, 24-hour meetings, custom domain and basic usage reports.
Professional$1.80
per user / month, billed annually ($2 billed monthly)
10 users minimum. 100 GB of storage per user, guest chat, task and team management, roles and permissions, live events and on-demand chat summaries.
Enterprise$3.60
per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)
10 users minimum. Adds audit history, advanced usage reports, eDiscovery, data loss prevention and branded meetings.
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.
Zoho Cliq
- Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
Zoho's pricing page lists a 10% saving for yearly billing: Professional is $1.80 per user / month billed annually against $2 billed monthly.
- Nonprofit
Special pricing for nonprofits and schools
The pricing page says discounts and special pricing apply to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions, arranged by contacting Zoho. No amounts are published.
