Slack vs Zoom
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
Zoom
Video meetings bundled with team chat, phone and AI notes
Where they differ
- Slack starts at $7.25 per user / month, billed annually. Zoom starts at $14.16 per user / month, billed annually ($169.90 a year).
- Only Zoom lists a browser extension.
- Slack also covers workflow automation, documents and file sharing.
- Zoom also covers meeting notes, whiteboard and booking links.
At a glance
| Slack | Zoom | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7.25 per user / month, billed annually | $14.16 per user / month, billed annually ($169.90 a year) |
| Free plan | 90 days of searchable message history, up to 10 app integrations, and huddles and external Slack Connect messages limited to 1:1. | Workplace Basic: meetings of up to 40 minutes and 100 participants, instant messaging, 3 editable whiteboards, 5 two-minute clips, and AI summaries for 3 hosted meetings a month. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Slack Technologies, LLC, a Salesforce company | Zoom Communications, Inc. |
| Price read from | slack.com | zoom.us |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 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
Zoom
- Teams whose main need is video meetings with chat alongside
- Occasional hosts who can work within 40-minute meetings
- People who want AI meeting notes built into the meeting app
- Companies that plan to add phone, webinars or rooms later
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+, which is priced by sales.
- In a browser, huddles are supported only in Chrome and Firefox.
Zoom
- Basic meetings end at 40 minutes, and the plan records locally only with no cloud storage.
- Meetings of 300 people need Business; beyond that the Large Meeting add-on starts at $50 a month for 500 participants.
- SSO and managed domains start at Business, and webinars, the phone PBX and Rooms are bundled only into Enterprise, which is sold by sales.
- Annual plans are charged as one upfront payment; the monthly figure shown is the annual total divided by 12.
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.
Zoom
- Video meetings
- Meetings run up to 40 minutes on Basic and 30 hours on paid plans, with 100 participants on Basic and Pro, 300 on Business and 1,000 on Enterprise.
- Team chat
- Instant messaging is part of every Workplace plan, including the free Basic plan, and sits in the same app as meetings and calling.
- AI notes and meeting summaries
- Basic includes AI note-taking 3 times a month and summaries for 3 hosted meetings. Pro makes both unlimited and takes notes in Zoom, third-party and in-person conversations.
- Whiteboard and Clips
- Basic allows 3 editable whiteboards and 5 two-minute clips. Clips become unlimited on Pro, and whiteboards become unlimited on Business.
- Mail, Calendar and Scheduler
- Basic connects Gmail or Outlook and syncs Google or Microsoft calendars. Pro adds Zoom Mail and Zoom Calendar, and Business adds unlimited Scheduler booking pages.
- Recording and cloud storage
- Basic records locally only. Pro adds 10 GB of cloud recording storage per license, and extra cloud storage is sold as an add-on from $10 a month for 30 GB.
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+Custom
Adds enterprise search across connected apps, multiple SAML configurations, EMM support, native data loss prevention and unlimited workspaces.
Zoom
Workplace Basic$0
Meetings of up to 40 minutes and 100 participants, instant messaging, 3 editable whiteboards, 5 two-minute clips and limited AI features.
Workplace Pro$14.16
per user / month, billed annually ($16.99 billed monthly)
30-hour meetings with 100 participants, unlimited AI note-taking and meeting summaries, unlimited clips, and 10 GB of cloud storage per user.
Workplace Business$18.33
per user / month, billed annually ($21.99 billed monthly)
300 participants per meeting, Scheduler with unlimited booking pages, unlimited whiteboards, SSO and managed domains.
Workplace EnterpriseCustom
1,000 participants per meeting, plus a full-featured phone PBX, webinars for 500 attendees, Rooms and translated captions.
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.
Zoom
- Annual discount
About 17% less with annual billing
Workplace Pro is $169.90 a year ($14.16 a month) against $16.99 billed monthly, and Business is $219.90 a year ($18.33 a month) against $21.99.
- Nonprofit
50% off for verified nonprofits
Zoom's pricing FAQ says verified nonprofit organizations worldwide get a 50% discount on Workplace Pro, Workplace Business, Webinars and Large Meetings.
