Our verdict: Slack is a polished team chat with the best ecosystem of integrations. The free plan works for small teams and communities, but it only shows the last 90 days of messages and limits calls and apps, so growing teams quickly hit the paywall.
About Slack
Slack is owned by Salesforce. Conversations are organized into workspaces with public and private channels, direct messages and threads. Huddles provide quick audio and video calls with screen sharing, and the app connects to thousands of other services such as Google Drive, GitHub and Jira.
The free plan includes unlimited channels, 90 days of searchable message history, up to 10 app integrations and audio and video calls of up to 30 minutes. Paid plans unlock full history, unlimited apps, longer huddles with more people, AI features and admin controls.
What it does well
- Channels and threads. Organize work into public or private channels with threaded replies.
- Huddles. Start an audio or video call with screen sharing straight from a channel or DM.
- App integrations. Connect tools such as Google Drive, GitHub and Jira; the free plan allows up to 10.
- Slack Connect. Chat in shared channels with people from other companies.
- Workflows. Automate routine requests and notifications without writing code.
Who it is for
Good fit
Small teams and communities that want organized chat with integrations for the tools they already use.
Look elsewhere
Groups that need full message history for free or want to self-host their chat.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Clean channels and threads
- Large catalog of integrations
- Huddles for quick calls
- Works in the browser too
Cons
- Free plan hides messages older than 90 days
- Only 10 integrations and 30-minute calls on the free plan
- Electron app uses a lot of memory
How to install Slack
Download the Windows installer from slack.com; it installs for the current user and opens the sign-in screen. Sign in to an existing workspace or create a new one with your email. Adjust notifications in Preferences so channels do not ping you all day.
Questions about Slack
Is Slack free?
Yes. The free plan has unlimited channels but keeps only 90 days of searchable messages and allows up to 10 app integrations.
What happens to messages older than 90 days?
On the free plan they are no longer visible or searchable. Paid plans give access to the full history.
Can I use Slack without installing it?
Yes. Slack works in a web browser at slack.com, with the same workspaces and channels.
