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Title: Slack vs Microsoft Teams for UK Small Businesses (2026): Which Team Chat Tool is Better?
Slug: slack-vs-microsoft-teams-uk-small-business-2026
Team communication tools have become essential for UK small businesses — whether you have two people or twenty, having a dedicated place for team chat, file sharing, and collaboration makes a real difference to how efficiently you work. Slack and Microsoft Teams are the two most popular options. Here’s how they compare.
Quick verdict
Choose Slack if: You want the best standalone team chat experience, you use a wide variety of third-party tools, or you’re not in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Choose Microsoft Teams if: You’re already paying for Microsoft 365 and want team chat integrated with your email, documents, and video conferencing in one place.
For most UK small businesses on Microsoft 365: Teams is already included — use it. The only reason to pay for Slack on top is if you find Teams’ interface genuinely frustrating or need Slack’s specific integrations.
What is Slack?
Slack is a team messaging platform built around channels — dedicated spaces for different topics, projects, or teams. It became the dominant workplace chat tool for technology companies and startups before expanding across industries.
Slack is known for its clean interface, powerful search, and extensive third-party integrations. It’s now owned by Salesforce.
Plans:
- Free — 90 days of message history, 10 app integrations, one-to-one calls only
- Pro — £5.75/user/month, unlimited message history, unlimited integrations, group calls
- Business+ — £9.75/user/month, advanced compliance, 24/7 support
- Enterprise Grid — contact for pricing
What is Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams combines team chat, video conferencing, file sharing, and Microsoft 365 integration in one platform. For businesses already using Microsoft 365, it’s included in most subscription tiers at no additional cost.
Teams is built around channels like Slack but adds video calling, meeting scheduling, and deep integration with Outlook, SharePoint, and Office apps.
Plans:
- Free — included with Microsoft accounts
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic — £5.10/user/month includes Teams
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard — £10.30/user/month includes Teams plus full Office apps
- Most Microsoft 365 plans include Teams
Head to head comparison
Interface and ease of use
Slack’s interface is cleaner and more intuitive — particularly for new users. The channel structure is straightforward, notifications are well-managed, and the overall experience feels polished and focused.
Teams’ interface is more complex — it combines chat, calls, meetings, files, and apps in one place, which can feel overwhelming initially. The navigation has improved significantly but still trails Slack for pure messaging ease of use.
Winner: Slack
Message search
Slack’s search is excellent — fast, accurate, and one of its standout features. Finding a specific message, file, or conversation from months ago is quick and reliable.
Teams’ search has improved but can be inconsistent — sometimes returning irrelevant results or missing messages that should appear. For businesses that rely heavily on searching through past conversations, this is a meaningful difference.
Winner: Slack
Third-party integrations
Slack has over 2,600 app integrations — connecting with virtually every business tool imaginable. Salesforce, HubSpot, Jira, GitHub, Google Workspace, Zoom, and hundreds more all integrate deeply with Slack.
Teams also has a strong integration marketplace but with fewer options — particularly for specialist tools. It integrates excellently with Microsoft products but less comprehensively with non-Microsoft tools.
Winner: Slack — for breadth of integrations
Video and audio calling
Teams is significantly stronger for video and audio — it’s built as a full communications platform with enterprise-grade video conferencing built in. For businesses that need video calls, Teams covers this comprehensively.
Slack’s video calling has improved with Slack Huddles — lightweight audio and video calls that are excellent for quick team check-ins. But for formal client calls or large meetings, Teams or Zoom are better choices.
Winner: Microsoft Teams
File sharing and collaboration
Teams integrates directly with SharePoint and OneDrive — files shared in Teams channels are stored in SharePoint and can be co-edited in real time in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint directly within Teams.
Slack handles file sharing but lacks the deep document collaboration that Teams provides. Files shared in Slack are stored in Slack’s own storage rather than integrating with your document management system.
Winner: Microsoft Teams — for Microsoft 365 users
Notifications and focus
Slack’s notification management is more granular — you can set different notification preferences for each channel, mute specific threads, and use Do Not Disturb effectively. The focus on reducing notification noise is built into Slack’s DNA.
Teams’ notifications can feel overwhelming — particularly if you’re active in many channels and teams simultaneously. Managing notification settings requires more effort.
Winner: Slack
Free plan
Slack’s free plan is significantly limited — only 90 days of message history means older conversations disappear, and only 10 app integrations restricts usefulness for businesses with multiple tools.
Teams’ free plan is more generous for basic use — unlimited message history and no integration limits. However the full value of Teams comes with a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Winner: Microsoft Teams — on free plan generosity
Threads and organisation
Slack pioneered threaded conversations — replies to specific messages are organised in threads, keeping channels clean and organised even with high message volumes.
Teams also has threaded conversations but the implementation is slightly less intuitive — it can be easy to accidentally reply in the main channel rather than a thread.
Winner: Slack — marginally
Security and compliance
Both platforms are enterprise-grade on security. Teams benefits from Microsoft’s compliance infrastructure — particularly valuable for businesses in regulated industries or those needing specific compliance certifications.
Slack also has strong security and compliance credentials, particularly on higher-tier plans.
Winner: Draw — both are enterprise-grade
Pricing comparison
| Plan | Slack | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Limited (90-day history) | More generous |
| Entry paid | £5.75/user/month | £3.40/user/month (Teams only) |
| With Office apps | N/A | £10.30/user/month |
| Video calls | Huddles (basic) | Full video conferencing |
| File collaboration | Basic | Full Office integration |
Microsoft Teams is cheaper — particularly when bundled with Microsoft 365 which most UK businesses already pay for.
Who should choose each platform?
Slack is better for:
- Technology companies and startups that use many different tools
- Businesses not using Microsoft 365
- Teams that prioritise clean, focused messaging over all-in-one functionality
- Businesses that need specific Slack integrations not available in Teams
- Companies where the team already knows and loves Slack
Microsoft Teams is better for:
- Businesses already using Microsoft 365 — it’s included
- Teams that need video conferencing alongside chat
- Businesses that collaborate heavily on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents
- Organisations that need enterprise compliance and security
- Businesses that want one platform for chat, calls, and collaboration
The honest verdict
For most UK small businesses, Microsoft Teams wins on value — if you’re already paying for Microsoft 365, Teams is included and capable. Paying £5.75/user/month extra for Slack when Teams is already available is hard to justify unless you have a specific reason.
Slack wins on experience — it’s a more pleasant, focused tool for team messaging. If you’re not in the Microsoft ecosystem and want the best standalone team chat tool, Slack is the better choice.
The real answer: Try Teams first if you have Microsoft 365. Switch to Slack only if you find Teams genuinely frustrating or need specific integrations Teams can’t provide.
Getting started
Slack: Go to slack.com and sign up free. The free plan is adequate for very small teams — upgrade to Pro when you hit the 90-day history limit or need more than 10 integrations.
Microsoft Teams: If you have Microsoft 365, open Teams from your dashboard — it’s already there. If not, go to microsoft.com/teams for the free version.
Final thoughts
Slack and Microsoft Teams are both excellent team communication tools — the choice between them comes down almost entirely to your existing software ecosystem and budget.
If you’re a Microsoft 365 business, Teams is the pragmatic choice. If you’re not, Slack’s superior messaging experience and broader integrations make it worth the monthly cost.
Either way — having a dedicated team communication tool is significantly better than relying on email and WhatsApp for business communication. Both Slack and Teams will improve how your team works together.