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Category pricing · Team communication software

Team chat and meeting pricing — Slack, Teams, Zoom, and the alternatives

Per-seat list price is a poor decision driver because the real competitor is whatever bundle (M365, Google Workspace) you already pay for.

At a glance

17 tools in this category. Every row in the table below links to the full per-tier pricing page for that vendor, with hidden fees, recommended tier by team size, and tier-jump pain spelled out.

About Team communication software

Team communication is the SaaS category where the platform-bundling decision matters more than the per-seat list price. Slack's per-seat cost is straightforward, but its competitive position lives or dies on the Microsoft 365 bundle — if your team already pays for Microsoft 365 E3, Teams is functionally free, and the question is whether Slack's product advantage justifies a redundant 8 USD per seat per month. The same logic applies to Google Meet bundled inside Google Workspace, and to the question of whether Zoom is a discrete spend or a Slack / Teams add-on. The pages below show the standalone per-seat cost for each tool at 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 200 seats and call out the bundle-comparison numbers so you can see the real cost difference rather than the list cost.

17 team communication software compared

Entry-tier price below is the cheapest paid per-seat or per-month tier each vendor publishes. Custom-quote tiers and usage-based add-ons aren't included; click any tool to see the full per-tier breakdown.

Tool Entry paid tier Entry price Billing unit Hidden fees Full breakdown
Aircall Essentials $30 user/month 3 See all tiers →
CallHippo Starter $13.50 user/month 4 See all tiers →
Dialpad Standard $15 user/month 3 See all tiers →
Google Meet Business Starter $6 user/month 2 See all tiers →
Google Voice for Workspace Starter $10 user/month 3 See all tiers →
Grasshopper True Solo $12.60 account/month 3 See all tiers →
JustCall Team $29 user/month 3 See all tiers →
Krisp Core $8 user/month 2 See all tiers →
Microsoft Teams Teams Essentials $4 user/month 4 See all tiers →
OpenPhone Starter $15 user/month 3 See all tiers →
RingCentral Core $20 user/month 3 See all tiers →
Slack Pro $7.25 user/month 2 See all tiers →
Talkdesk Digital Essentials $85 agent/month 3 See all tiers →
Vimeo Starter $12 user/month 3 See all tiers →
Vonage Business Communications Mobile $12.59 user/month 3 See all tiers →
Whereby Pro $9.12 host/month 2 See all tiers →
Wistia Business $79 account/month 3 See all tiers →

Best for

  • Startups choosing their first paid team-chat tool
  • IT teams comparing Slack standalone vs Microsoft Teams inside M365
  • Operations teams budgeting the video conferencing line item

What to evaluate

  • Standalone per-seat cost vs incremental cost inside an existing bundle
  • Message-history cap on the free / Pro tier
  • External-channel / guest policy and per-guest pricing
  • Compliance edition (HIPAA, data residency) gating

Frequently asked questions

Is Slack cheaper than Microsoft Teams?

Slack Pro is 7.25 USD per seat per month on annual billing as a standalone product. Microsoft Teams is included free with any Microsoft 365 Business Basic seat (6 USD per seat per month) or higher, which means for teams already paying for M365, Teams is functionally free and Slack is a 7.25 USD per seat per month incremental spend. For teams not on M365, Teams Essentials standalone is 4 USD per seat per month, roughly half Slack's price.

What does Zoom actually cost on top of Slack or Teams?

Zoom Pro is 14.99 USD per seat per month on annual billing. Many teams pay for Zoom on top of Slack or Teams because the meeting experience is the team's preference even when a free alternative ships in the bundle. Whether that delta is worth paying is the central buying question for the video line item.

When does the free tier of Slack stop working?

Slack Free now caps message history to 90 days and limits integrations to 10 active apps. For teams above ~25 active users or any team needing audit-log access, SSO, or guest management, the Pro tier becomes mandatory. Most teams hit the wall on integrations before they hit the history cap.

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