Imagine having a communication platform that doubles as a project management tool. This is something Slack is popular for. Its free version has superb features, but like any other platform, there are benefits that you can only reap by subscribing to one of its paid tiers.
If you’re unsure whether you need a free or paid Slack for your business, this article will compare free Slack vs. paid Slack, so keep reading!
What Is Free Slack?
Free Slack is a platform’s version that doesn’t require a subscription fee. Unlike most apps that offer only a week of free trial, Slack’s trial period has no time limit. Once on Slack, you can create multiple channels, get 10 app integrations, have video calls, and enjoy 5GB of workspace storage.
This version is great for small-to-mid-sized organizations looking to meet their daily business needs. But as your business grows, free Slack might no longer be able to meet your needs, which opens the need for paid Slack.
What Is Paid Slack?
Paid Slack has more advanced features, such as more storage, group call feature, and more app integrations than the free version. The additional features you can access depends on your subscription plan.
The paid version of Slack is excellent for growing business groups that require premium messaging features.
Here’s a look at the paid Slack pricing plans:
- Pro Plan.
This plan costs $7.36 per month per active user and includes unlimited offers such as messages history, apps, and workflows. - Business+.
$12.80 per month per active user. It integrates all the Pro Plan features plus 99.99% guaranteed uptime and better response time from customer support. - Enterprise Grid.
The premium plan offers unlimited workspaces, excellent security features, and offline file backup. You can contact Slack’s sales page for pricing information.
The pricing mentioned in these plans is billed annually. There is a slight increase to their costs when billed monthly.
Free Slack Vs. Paid Slack Feature Comparison
Slack’s major features, such as messaging, file storage, and security, differ between the free and paid Slack versions.
Here’s how Slack’s major features vary between the free Slack and paid Slack:
1. Messaging
Free Slack
The free Slack version has a 10,000-free message limit, which is enough for small teams and personal use. But there’s a 90-day limit to accessing your message history. If you want unlimited access to your previous messages, you must subscribe to one of Slack’s paid plans.
Related Post: How to Keep Slack Active on Desktop
Paid Slack
The paid Slack plans provide an unlimited messaging feature, which is something you need if you’re working with a large team. You can access your message history anytime, no matter how old. Workspace owners can also hide messages from guests.
Find out what to do when Slack’s unread mentions won’t go away.
2. File Storage
Free Slack
Free Slack offers 5GB of file storage, enough for teams that don’t constantly have to send files back and forth. Teams with frequent file-sharing needs might need to upgrade for more storage.
The platform archives older files to free up space for you and your team. But this data, including direct messages, isn’t accessible to guests. Only workspace owners can access the archived data, while guests can only ask workspace owners to send them the files.
Paid Slack
Slack’s Pro Plan offers each team member 10GB of file storage. If you’re using free Slack and looking to hire more people, upgrading to the Pro plan is an ideal way to provide additional team members with their Slack storage space.
Meanwhile, the Business+ has 20GB of storage per member.
The Enterprise Grid plan offers 1TB of storage space per member. With such a large storage, you no longer need to worry about your team members losing important files.
Here’s more about File Sharing on Slack.
3. Audio & Video Calls Features
Free Slack
You only get one-on-one video calls when you use free Slack. If you need to talk to your entire team, you need to use another platform, such as Zoom or Google Meet.
Both free and paid Slack offer huddles. But can you record a Slack Huddle? Find out here!
Paid Slack
Unlike the free version, Slack Pro Plan and the Business+ allow audio and video calls for up to 15 individuals. The Enterprise Grid has no limit on the number of people joining video and audio calls.
Find out why big companies use Slack.
4. Advanced Integrations & Workflows
Advanced integration and workflow refers to the number of extension apps and workspaces you can include in Slack.
Free Slack
You get up to 10 integrations using the free Slack version. If you reach 10 integrations and need to add a new one, you must delete one of the 10 extension apps in your Slack account.
Though it may not be enough for some, the 10 app integrations are great and useful for personal use and small-group businesses
Find out the best Slack apps and integrations for remote teams!
Paid Slack
You’ll have unlimited app integrations with all the paid Slack plans. You can also use the app’s workflow automation feature called Workflow Builder to automate your daily tasks. This way, you can create custom workflows even without knowledge about coding.
Here are the number of automated actions on the different Slack plans:
- Pro Plan.
You can execute up to 1,000 automated actions within Slack each month. - Business+.
This tier allows users to run workflows up to 2,000 times a month. With this, your team can run multiple routine tasks to improve productivity. - Enterprise Grid.
This subscription tier allows your team members to run up to 5,000 automated workflows monthly.
Find out the best apps for virtual assistants that you can integrate with Slack.
5. Security & Compliance
Data security is essential both in free Slack and paid Slack. Teams usually share sensitive information, like business records and plans, which should not get into strangers’ hands. If you use Slack to share your company’s confidential data, it is worth knowing how secure its plans are.
Free Slack
Slack encrypts the messages in your channels, regardless of how old they are. Even the messages you are about to send are protected with Slack’s encryption. The platform even offers two-factor authentication to secure your messages further.
Slack also partners with data loss prevention providers to enhance its security protocols.
Paid Slack
In addition to free Slack’s security offerings, the Pro plan has an external authorization with Google. It lets you and your teams sign in to Slack using your Google accounts.
The Business+ plan has the same security features as the Pro plan, but it has an additional single sign-on feature. Users can log in using identity providers like OneLogin and Okta.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise Grid offers all of Slack’s security features. It includes Slack Enterprise Key Management and Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) integration. These features provide extra security tools and technology for corporate device usage.
The Slack Enterprise Key Management (EKM) is perfect for sharing sensitive information while meeting all security requirements. Meanwhile, the EMM feature provides encryption for the company’s database and operating system.
Find out more about Slack’s Plans & Features.
What Are the Limitations of Free Slack?
As observed from the feature comparison, there’s a clear distinction between free Slack and paid Slack. The free version has numerous drawbacks, though some argue they are not an issue.
These are the limitations of the free Slack package:
- Limited Storage.
The 5GB storage offering might sound like a lot, but this usage limit can be insufficient when consistently sharing large files. You’ll need to delete older conversations to free up your storage. -
Less Security Provisions.
The free plan’s special security features include two-factor authentication and message encryption.
Need more communication options? Here’s a list of remote communication tools.
Is Paid Slack Worth It?
Whether Slack is worth it depends on your needs and subscription plan. The Pro and Business+ plans fit personal and small teams, offering ideal features like file sharing and video/audio calls. The Enterprise Grid is perfect for continuously growing teams and businesses that need excellent data protection.
Slack allows you to downgrade from these paid packages whenever you feel like they no longer fit your needs.
Already on Slack? Find out the best Slack practices here.
Both Free & Paid Slack Are Excellent Business Solutions
Free and paid Slack packages are fairly comparable. First, the free version has an unlimited free trial period and has excellent and reliable basic features.
If you feel free Slack cannot handle your company’s needs, you can always subscribe to the Pro, Business+, or Enterprise Grid plan. The more expensive your plan is, the more features your team can access.
