Teams or Slack? Which is the better collaboration tool for hybrid work? Here’s what you need to know about the differences between the two, so you can choose the platform that works best for your organization.
Some teams can collaborate more effectively in a completely remote environment. On the other hand, some have found a hybrid work model to best match how their company operates. In any case, digital collaboration has become the foundation of the modern work environment.
The question then arises: What collaboration tool to choose? Two popular choices are Microsoft Teams and Slack. Both take different approaches to digital collaboration.
Today, we settle this debate once and for all. Drawing on feedback and experiences from large companies we can help determine the tool that works best for hybrid work. Let’s dive in!
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Understanding the needs of hybrid work
For many organizations, the post-COVID period has been ground zero for experimentation on suitable work models for team culture and work requirements. The nature of some companies and how they operate has led them to discover a hybrid model that is the best fit.
The hybrid work model removes the inefficiencies of being in the office all the time and being more productive at home. At the same time, you still show up at the office for various reasons, like dealing with critical work that requires on-site presence and preserving a team-building spirit through in-person collaboration.
Organizations choosing the hybrid work model thus require a tool that caters to both on-site and off-site collaboration in teams. The feature set for whatever tool you choose must be flexible enough so that you can collaborate efficiently no matter where you’re working from.
Platform comparison: Microsoft Teams vs. Slack for hybrid work environments
In our opinion, Microsoft Teams is hands-down the better option if your team relies heavily on video/audio conferencing calls. Slack works only if collaboration and communication are limited to text-based chats, as Slack’s audio/video functionality is limited, especially with larger teams.
Of course, tons of other things, like integrations, file sharing, search capabilities, etc., need to be considered. Let’s do a deep comparison of both platforms and compare the most important features required for hybrid work one by one.
Integrations with third-party tools
Winner: Slack
Today, collaboration requires moving across different products and apps seamlessly. To work towards a common goal effectively, this means choosing a tool that boasts integration with all sorts of tools that you might be using.
In this aspect, Slack offers 2,500+ integrations with other apps, and the number is continuously growing. You can connect Slack with outside apps and products like Outlook, Jira, Asana, Google Drive, Google Calendar, GitHub, Salesforce, Twitter/X, and more.
Microsoft Teams takes an entirely different approach. You get a full-fledged collaboration platform with many different functionalities built in from day one. This means a native M365 product for all your digital workspace needs, such as SharePoint, for content collaboration, OneDrive for storage, PowerPoint for presentations, etc. You can integrate Microsoft Teams with outside tools, but it’s more complicated than Slack.
The sheer number and variety of apps available means that you can customize your Slack workspace to work in tandem with the tools and
Meetings and video conferencing
Winner: Microsoft Teams
Picture this: You and some colleagues might be in the office. Others might be working from home. Everyone needs to be on a video call, and screen sharing is an important feature required during the call. If you try out both Microsoft Teams and Slack, you’ll see Microsoft Teams emerging as the clear winner.
This is because Slack is not built to be a full-fledged video conferencing app. You can ‘huddle’ and collaborate for a quick call, but even then, it’s not a complete solution, especially when more users are on the call. Only two users can be in a huddle with the current free plan, while even paid plans are currently capped at a 50-user limit. Disruptions during the call increase when more users are on the call, even on the paid plan. You can integrate Slack with third-party tools like Zoom or Google Meet (adding another layer of complexity), but Slack in itself is not a robust video conferencing app.
On the other hand, Microsoft Teams offers advanced features for collaboration on video and audio calls, especially when many users are on the call. Up to 100 people can be on the call with the current free plan (it increases to 250 participants with the paid plan) compared to Slack on the paid plan. Video/audio calls are also smoother with added features like 5GB of data storage available and unlimited chat with colleagues. This makes Microsoft Teams the better video collaboration tool for hybrid teams.
User limits
Winner: Slack (for text chat-based collaboration) and Microsoft Teams (for hybrid work where video conferencing is required)
The latest Slack version supports up to 500,000 users in the advanced enterprise plan. On the other hand, Microsoft Teams is limited with 25,000 members allowed in a team. Of course, the catch here is that Slack allows for more users, but video conferencing limitations mean this no-limit cap is good if your organization relies solely on text-based chats. But, if your team members collaborate in video calls (which is likely with hybrid work), you might be good with using Teams.
File sharing and high-volume messages
Winner: Teams
Both Teams and Slack allow file sharing and storage to users. But the question is, what level of storage is possible when team members increase, and content storage requirements grow?
On the free plan, Slack starts limiting message and file visibility after 90 days, and restricts users from sending too many messages in a short period of time. On the other hand, Teams allows for far greater file storage and messaging capabilities. On the basic plan, organizations have access to up to 1TB per organization and a 250GB maximum file upload limit. There are also more capabilities for high-volume messages (28 KB per post).
Calendars and scheduling
Winner: Teams
Teams has built-in capabilities for scheduling meetings. In hybrid work environments, this makes it easier for team members using Teams to schedule meetings. You can view schedules for other team members more easily and instantly book a meeting within the platform. On the other hand, you need to integrate a third-party app to schedule meetings in Slack which adds to the operational complexity.
Security
Winner: It’s a tie!
For the most part, both Teams and Slack have a pretty robust security infrastructure in place. You have features like two-factor authentication and encryption in transit and at rest available. For hybrid teams that will be regularly switching locations, these features should be enough to keep your sensitive data secure.
That said, Teams (as part of your Microsoft 365 subscription) offers integration with existing security infrastructure within the suite and additional governance tools. This is important for organizations of all sizes, especially ones where meeting regulatory requirements is important.
UI/UX
Winner: It’s a tie!
The desktop and mobile apps for Teams and Slack have a smooth, friendly, and easy-to-use interface that supports collaboration for hybrid teams. Of course, both take somewhat of a different approach to design.
Slack has a more flexible and visual interface built to support easier text-based chat. On the other hand, Teams has a more structured interface to make it easier to audio/video call even from your mobile app.
Text-based chats
Winner: Slack
Slack has more functionality built-in to support text-based chats. For example, support for GIFs, emojis, and stickers enables users to have more natural and fluid conversations on texts. You also have shortcuts available to take actions more quickly simply by typing them in. On the other hand, text-based conversations on Teams are more of a professional nature. There is support for features like shortcuts, GIFS, emojis, stickers, etc., in Microsoft Teams, but it’s just not as advanced as Slack has designed it to be.
Reasons you may want to switch platforms
Every organization is unique and will face unique hybrid model challenges. If you feel collaboration is somewhat limited with your current tool (Teams or Slack), here are some possible reasons to switch.
Slack → Microsoft Teams
- Video conferencing needs: In many cases, hybrid work requires a robust video conferencing tool that can support a large number of users collaborating on calls and has features such as screen sharing. If this is the case, Teams will be the better option.
- Integration with M365 products: Many companies are already using some M365 products (Word, SharePoint, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), and would like to purchase the complete M365 bundle to streamline things. If this is the case, switching to Microsoft Teams is worthwhile as it means easier integration with other M365 products and moving everything under one digital workspace.
Better pricing for larger teams: For larger organizations that need to manage more content and team members, Microsoft Teams is the cheaper option.
- Better calling features: Microsoft Teams has better built-in capabilities for audio calls, especially Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls to phone numbers. For hybrid teams that are on the move, audio calls are an important feature.
- Better interface for larger teams: Teams group chats by team structure, which keeps the interface clean and compartmentalized, especially when a large set of users are involved. On the other hand, Slack can feel cluttered with many Slack channels.
Teams —> Slack
- Text-based communication preference: If you’re a company where a majority of communication can happen with text-based chats without affecting operations too much, you can switch over from Teams to Slack.
- Better pricing for smaller teams: Slack is the better option for smaller teams with a limited number of users. The free plan allows basic communication, such as text-based chats and 1:1 huddles.
You can also integrate third-party tools for added features like storage and video conferencing without too much extra cost because users and content requirements are limited.
- Integrations: If your company requires operating with many non-Microsoft 365 products (like Asana, HubSpot, Jira, Salesforce, etc.) and seamless integration is necessary for collaboration, Slack will be the better option.
Navigating the future of hybrid work with confidence
The way we work is evolving. New technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are empowering organizations to become more productive and achieve more with less. Hybrid work is the perfect example, and a representation of how fast companies are willing to change how they operate to create more value.
As the hybrid model becomes the new norm, it’s important for IT teams to stay confident about embracing change and finding new ways to empower their organization. This means being on the lookout for new tools and strategies that can increase productivity and improve collaboration for everyone.
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