Introduction

In today's fast-paced business world, effective communication and collaboration between team members have become essential. With so many instant messaging platforms available, it can be challenging to choose the perfect one for your team. Slack and Microsoft Teams are two of the most popular digital collaboration tools that have gained popularity in recent years. But which one is better?

In this comparison blog post, we will take an unbiased look at both Slack and Microsoft Teams, and provide you with the essential facts and figures to help you make an informed decision.

Popularity

When it comes to popularity, Slack has been around for much longer than Microsoft Teams, and thus, boasts a larger user base. However, Microsoft Teams has been catching up and now has over 145 million daily active users, as of October 2021.

Features

Both Slack and Microsoft Teams offer a host of features that make them popular choices for business communication and collaboration. Slack's interface is user-friendly and features tools for collaboration, file sharing, project management, audio and video calls, and integration with other apps. Conversely, Microsoft Teams has a slightly steeper learning curve but offers more robust features, such as Office 365 integration, screen sharing, and co-authoring.

Pricing

One of the most significant differences between Slack and Microsoft Teams is their pricing models. Slack offers a free version with limited features, while its paid versions start at $6.67 per user per month. Microsoft Teams, on the other hand, is included with Microsoft Office 365, which means it may be a more cost-effective option for businesses that already use Office 365.

Integration

Both Slack and Microsoft Teams offer numerous integrations with third-party apps, which is a critical feature for businesses that rely on a multitude of applications. Slack offers approximately 2,200 integrations, while Teams offers only about 700. However, Teams has the advantage of being part of the Microsoft Suite, which makes it easier to integrate with other Microsoft products such as SharePoint, OneNote, and Outlook.

Verdict

Ultimately, the choice between Slack and Microsoft Teams depends on the individual needs of your business. If user-friendliness and a larger pool of integrations are priorities, then Slack is the better choice. If you already use Microsoft products and need robust collaboration features like co-authoring and screen sharing, then Microsoft Teams would be an excellent investment.

References:

[1] "Microsoft Teams Statistics: 56 Essential Stats for 2021" by Alex Stewart, Feb. 8, 2021, https://backlinko.com/microsoft-teams-users.

[2] “Slack vs. Microsoft Teams: How they compare on collaboration - GeekWire”, Tom Krazit Sep. 27, 2021, https://www.geekwire.com/2021/slack-vs-microsoft-teams-compare-collaboration/.