Automate Basics

Slack vs Google Chat vs Zoom Workplace

Pick up to 4 tools and see their free plans, entry prices, platforms and limits in one table. Every fact comes from each vendor's own pages, checked 7 November 2026.

Compared on
Slack

Free plan · from $7.25/user/mo

Google Chat

Free trial · from €6.80/user/mo

Zoom Workplace

Free plan · from $14.16/user/mo

What it isTeam messaging built around channels, with huddles, canvases and workflow automationDirect messages and spaces inside Google Workspace, with Meet and Gemini built inVideo meetings with team chat, mail, calendar, docs and an AI companion in one app
Free planFree plan keeps 90 days of message history, allows up to 10 app integrations, and limits huddles and Slack Connect external messages to 1:1NoMeetings up to 40 minutes; up to 100 participants per meeting; 3 editable whiteboards; 5 two-minute clips; local recording only; 3 meeting summaries a month
Cheapest paid plan$7.25/user/mo billed annually (Pro)Slack pricing€6.80/user/mo billed annually (Google Workspace Business Starter (includes Chat))Google Chat pricing$14.16/user/mo billed annually (Pro)Zoom Workplace pricing
What it coversList prices. Slack also lists a 50% promotional price for the first 3 months on monthly Pro billing for teams that buy online within 7 days of creating the workspace. Members active in a 28-day period are billed.Chat has no separate price; it comes with a Workspace subscription. Price shown in EUR, excluding tax, with a 1-year commitment. Google also lists a 50% intro price (EUR 3.40) for a limited period.Pro is $16.99 per user a month billed monthly, or $14.16 per user a month billed annually; USD list prices on zoom.us/pricing.
Free trialNone stated14-day trial of Google Workspace for people not already using itNone stated
PlatformsWeb, Windows, Mac, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Integrations (vendor's figure)Over 2,600 apps in the Slack MarketplaceNot statedNot stated
Open sourceNoNoNo
Good for
  • Teams that want channel-based conversation with a large set of connected apps
  • Companies that need to message people at other organizations through Slack Connect
  • Workspaces that want to automate approvals and routine requests without code
  • Teams that already use Google Workspace for email, Docs and Meet
  • Organizations that want chat without paying for a separate messaging tool
  • Teams building small custom chat apps with webhooks or AppSheet
  • Teams that want meetings and team chat in one app
  • Short free calls with up to 100 people (40-minute cap)
  • Companies that need SSO and admin controls on a business plan
Watch out for
  • The Free plan keeps only 90 days of message history and 10 apps
  • Group huddles and group external messages need a paid plan
  • Single sign-on needs Business+ and above
  • Sold only as part of a Google Workspace subscription, not on its own
  • Some features are available only on Business and Enterprise plans
  • Whether personal Google accounts can use Chat free was not stated on the pages read
  • Free Basic plan caps meetings at 40 minutes
  • Free plan records locally only; cloud recording needs a paid plan
  • Participant caps per plan are shown inconsistently on Zoom's pricing page
Made bySlack Technologies (Salesforce)GoogleZoom Communications

Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, as each vendor publishes it; “What it covers” says what that price is per (a user, a channel, a brand, a number of contacts). The sources are listed on each tool's page.

Every tool in team chat apps and video conferencing apps is on their category pages, with the written head-to-heads on Compare.