The Lark Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Lark in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Lark
The Insider’s Guide
All-in-one suite of chat, meetings, docs, email and workflows
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among team communication apps, read from Lark’s own pages.
Made by Lark Technologies Pte. Ltd. · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Lark’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Lark’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 2 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade
Lark is a work suite that puts team chat, video meetings, documents, email, calendar, a wiki and Base, a no-code tool for workflows and dashboards, in one app. The free Starter plan covers up to 20 users with 100 GB of storage and message translation. Paid plans raise the limit to 500 users or more, and group video meetings of up to 500 participants start on the Pro plan.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Lark, taken from its own pages and our grades.
One sign-in covers the lot, but there's plenty to find your way around.
- 1
Best for chat, docs, email and meetings in one app
Lark puts chat, video meetings, docs, email, calendar, a wiki and a no-code workflow tool called Base in one app, free for up to 20 people with 100 GB of storage.
- 2
Paid plans start at $6 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $6 per user / month, billed annually.
- 3
There is a free plan
Starter plan: up to 20 users, 100 GB of storage, 1-on-1 video meetings, 18 months of message history, and 1,000 automations a month. No credit card needed.
- 4
It runs on 6 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
- 5
Messenger
Team chat with real-time message translation on every plan. Starter keeps 18 months of message history, and the paid plans keep it without a limit.
- 6
Video meetings
Starter and Basic are limited to 1-on-1 video meetings. Pro and Enterprise host up to 500 participants, and Pro lists single meetings of up to 24 hours.
- 7
Minutes and AI Meeting Notes
Minutes turns meetings into searchable transcripts. AI Meeting Notes, which writes summaries and tracks action items, is a paid add-on at $1,699 for 1,800 notes.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 2 of 33
That is against the other team communication apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Lark you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Lark at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $6 per user / month, billed annually
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Lark Technologies Pte. Ltd.
- Category
- Team Communication
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for chat, docs, email and meetings in one app
Lark puts chat, video meetings, docs, email, calendar, a wiki and a no-code workflow tool called Base in one app, free for up to 20 people with 100 GB of storage. The free plan keeps 18 months of message history, and group video only starts on Pro at $12 a user, so Starter and Basic are 1-on-1 calls. Single sign-on waits for Enterprise, AI meeting notes are a $1,699 add-on, and Basic isn't sold in several Asian markets.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Basic is $6 a user a month billed annually, about the going rate for team chat, and it buys 500 users, 5 TB and unlimited history. The sting is Pro at $12 for group video meetings, and AI Meeting Notes is a separate add-on at $1,699 for 1,800 notes. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Starter is free with no card and 100 GB of storage. But the caps are real: 20 users, 18 months of message history, 1,000 automations a month and 1-on-1 video meetings only, so a team of 25 that wants a group call is already paying. |
| Features | C | It covers messenger with live translation, docs, slides, wiki, email, calendar, Approval and Base for no-code workflows. One gap undercuts it, and the listing names it: Starter and Basic do 1-on-1 video only, so there's no group meeting until Pro, and SSO waits for Enterprise. |
| Ease of use | C | No App Store rating on record, and this is a big suite to meet on day one: chat, docs, wiki, email, calendar, approvals and Base tables, all in one window. One sign-in covers the lot, but there's plenty to find your way around. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, the full set of devices. The connecting is thinner: the integrations on record are Outlook, Exchange, Google Calendar and Gmail, all email and calendar, with no public API listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Lark is for
- Fits if your team of up to 20 wants chat, docs and email in one free app
- Works for teams that write in several languages, since message translation is on every plan
Who it is not for
- Skip it if group video calls matter and you won't pay for Pro at $12, as Starter and Basic are 1-on-1
- Tight if your free team passes 20 people, 100 GB or 1,000 automations a month, or needs history past 18 months
- Not for you if you need single sign-on or more than 500 users, as both mean Enterprise, priced by quote
- Pricey if you want AI meeting summaries, a paid add-on at $1,699 for 1,800 notes
- Watch out: Basic isn't sold in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan or South Korea, and no public API is listed
Good to know
Good for
- Teams of up to 20 that want free chat, docs and meetings in one app
- Multilingual teams, since message translation is on every plan
- Companies replacing separate chat, docs, email and workflow tools
Worth knowing
- The free Starter plan stops at 20 users, 100 GB of storage and 18 months of message history.
- Starter and Basic allow only 1-on-1 video meetings; group meetings need Pro at $12 per user / month.
- Single sign-on and advanced security controls are limited to Enterprise, and Basic and Pro stop at 500 users.
- Lark Basic is not sold in the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan or South Korea, and payment is in USD, SGD or JPY depending on country.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$6
A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too
Lark has a free plan. Paid plans start at $6 per user / month, billed annually.
Starter
$0
Up to 20 users, 100 GB of storage, 1-on-1 video meetings, 18 months of message history and 1,000 automations a month.
Basic
$6
per user / month, billed annually
Up to 500 users, 5 TB of storage and unlimited message history. Video meetings stay 1-on-1.
Pro
$12
per user / month, billed annually
Up to 500 users, 15 TB of storage, 500-participant video meetings, 50,000 automations a month and Base advanced permissions.
Enterprise
Custom
Unlimited users, 15 TB plus 30 GB per user, single sign-on, 500,000 automations a month and advanced security and compliance controls.
The free plan
Starter plan: up to 20 users, 100 GB of storage, 1-on-1 video meetings, 18 months of message history, and 1,000 automations a month. No credit card needed.
Read from larksuite.com on Oct 9, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 16.6% with yearly billing
Lark's plans page states a 16.6% saving for yearly billing. Monthly subscriptions are available for Basic and Pro at a higher rate.
Stated on larksuite.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
All-in-one suite of chat, meetings, docs, email and workflows. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: transcription, wiki, calendar, workflow automation, documents, team chat, video calls.
It covers messenger with live translation, docs, slides, wiki, email, calendar, Approval and Base for no-code workflows.
- Messenger
- Team chat with real-time message translation on every plan. Starter keeps 18 months of message history, and the paid plans keep it without a limit.
- Video meetings
- Starter and Basic are limited to 1-on-1 video meetings. Pro and Enterprise host up to 500 participants, and Pro lists single meetings of up to 24 hours.
- Minutes and AI Meeting Notes
- Minutes turns meetings into searchable transcripts. AI Meeting Notes, which writes summaries and tracks action items, is a paid add-on at $1,699 for 1,800 notes.
- Docs, Slides and Wiki
- Documents, sheets and slides are created and shared inside Lark, and Wiki works as a central team knowledge base.
- Base and Approval
- Base builds workflows and dashboards without code, and Approval automates sign-offs. Tables hold 2,000 rows on Starter and Basic and 20,000 on Pro.
- Email and Calendar
- Lark includes team email and a shared calendar, with direct integrations for Exchange, Outlook, Google Calendar and Gmail.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Outlook
- Exchange
- Google Calendar
- Gmail
Who makes Lark
Lark Technologies Pte. Ltd., a Singapore company, provides Lark, which ByteDance counts among its products. Lark sells per-user subscriptions on top of a free plan.
- Based
- Singapore, with offices worldwidelarksuite.com
- Ownership
- Part of a larger company. Part of ByteDance: ByteDance lists Lark among its products and calls it its first enterprise product, and the Careers link on Lark's site opens ByteDance's job board. The service is provided by Lark Technologies Pte. Ltd.bytedance.com
- Hiring
- Lark's Careers link opens ByteDance's job board searched for "lark", which shows 42 open roles; the first page is mostly sales, customer success and marketing jobs in Asia-Pacific.jobs.bytedance.com
- Referral program
- Lark Ambassador program: 10% commission of deal value, up to US $10,000 for every closed-won deal, for businesses referred through a personal link.larksuite.com
- Partner program
- Partner program for firms that sell and service Lark: partners become certified, promote Lark in approved territories, provide solutions and services to customers and agree a joint business plan. No payment terms are published.larksuite.com
- Lately
- V8.1 Collect and crunch data more flexibly with new question types in Lark Forms! · Sep 28, 2026
- V7.75 Do more in Base with new formulas, signature fields, and form notifications! · Aug 31, 2026
- V7.71 Upload HTML files to Lark to preview pages and review code! · Jul 7, 2026
- V7.70 Download Lark documents as Markdown for seamless cross-platform editing! · Jun 23, 2026
Read on Oct 6, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
2/33
Other team communication apps it is graded above
Lark's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 2 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 1 of 33) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $6 a month for each person, against a middle price of $7 for the category: 9 of the 28 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 6 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 34 team communication apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Lark’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 33
- CFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 33
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 33
- CEase of useAbove 6 of 33
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 33
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 31 team communication apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Lark is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Lark you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 26 of the 33 other team communication apps grade higher. It costs $72 a year.
What you could make
- Documents, wiki and calendar: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
- Video calls.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
What this rests on. Lark’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, Zoho Cliq and Flock
The 5 tools Lark is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Slack
Free plan · from $7.25/mo
Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI.
- Lark also covers transcription, wiki and calendar.
- Slack also covers file sharing.
- 3.0GPA
Microsoft Teams
Free plan · from $4.00/mo
Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365.
- Only Lark lists a Linux app.
- Lark also covers wiki, calendar, workflow automation and documents.
- Microsoft Teams also covers noise cancellation, whiteboard and file sharing.
- 2.8GPA
Google Chat
Free plan · from $7/mo
Team messaging and spaces built into Google Workspace.
- Only Lark lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Lark also covers transcription, wiki, calendar, workflow automation, documents and video calls.
- Google Chat also covers tasks and file sharing.
- 3.4GPA
Zoho Cliq
Free plan · from $16.20/mo
Team chat, calls and meetings from the Zoho suite.
- Lark also covers transcription, wiki, calendar and documents.
- Zoho Cliq also covers whiteboard and file sharing.
- 2.4GPA
Flock
Free plan · from $4.50/mo
Team messenger with channels, video calls and shared to-dos.
- Lark also covers transcription, wiki, calendar, workflow automation and documents.
- Flock also covers tasks and file sharing.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
11
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Lark free?
Lark has a free plan. Starter plan: up to 20 users, 100 GB of storage, 1-on-1 video meetings, 18 months of message history, and 1,000 automations a month.
How much does Lark cost?
Lark lists 4 plans. Starter: $0.
What platforms does Lark work on?
Lark is available on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
Does Lark offer any discounts?
Lark publicly lists the following: Save 16.6% with yearly billing.
Is Lark open source?
Lark is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.
What does Lark integrate with?
Lark's listing names Outlook, Exchange, Google Calendar and Gmail. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Lark?
Lark is made by Lark Technologies. Part of ByteDance: ByteDance lists Lark among its products and calls it its first enterprise product, and the Careers link on Lark's site opens ByteDance's job board.
What are the alternatives to Lark?
The closest alternatives to Lark in our directory are Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, Zoho Cliq and Flock.
How does Lark compare with other team communication apps?
Lark's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 2 of the 33 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 5.
Is Lark good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Lark C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $6 a month for each person, against a middle price of $7 for the category: 9 of the 28 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Lark?
To replace Lark you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Lark’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Lark's own pages on 9 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-08-22.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Lark Technologies Pte. Ltd. Prices change, so check larksuite.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Lark, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/lark
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Lark: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/lark
Know someone choosing between team communication apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/lark/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded team communication apps after Lark, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Team Communication Insider's GuideEvery one of the 34 team communication apps we grade, compared
- Discord Insider's GuideFree text, voice and video chat built around servers3.6 GPA
- Pumble Insider's GuideTeam chat with unlimited message history on the free plan3.6 GPA
- Zoho Cliq Insider's GuideTeam chat, calls and meetings from the Zoho suite3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Lark’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Lark is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Lark Technologies Pte. Ltd. Prices and plans change: check larksuite.com before you buy.