Selecting between Microsoft Groups vs Slack depends upon your wants and preferences for office communication. Microsoft Groups is constructed for bigger enterprises searching for an all-in-one hub for video conferences, calls, and productiveness instruments. Smaller groups go for Slack with its versatile month-to-month plans, richer in-app options, and streamlined messaging.
Microsoft Groups: Finest for enterprise-level communications
Slack:Finest for chat-based collaborations
Why You Can Belief Match Small Enterprise
Microsoft Groups vs Slack at a Look
*Microsoft Groups pricing is predicated on an annual dedication.**Slack pricing is predicated on annual billing, however month-to-month plans are additionally accessible.
Finest Alternate options to Groups & Slack
Each group has distinctive collaboration wants, main them to discover different platforms. Whether or not you favor a enterprise cellphone system or an workplace productiveness suite, listed here are prime alternate options to Microsoft Groups and Slack.
RingCentral: RingCentral is an AI-powered unified communications supplier integrating chat, video, and cellphone in a single user-friendly platform. It has full options for name dealing with and cellphone administration for the efficient administration of excessive name volumes.
Google Workspace: A direct competitor to Groups, Google Workspace is constructed for companies counting on Google-based apps. It supplies a group of productiveness instruments that allow groups to collaborate on paperwork, spreadsheets, and shows in actual time.
Nextiva: This buyer expertise platform enables you to join together with your groups and prospects throughout a number of platforms. Supported channels embody messaging, stay chat, social media, SMS, evaluation administration, and video.
Finest for Pricing: Microsoft Groups
When you’re searching for the most effective worth between Slack vs Groups, the latter stands out with its per-user charges and complete characteristic set. Paid plans help large-scale conferences, cloud storage, and doc sharing by way of Microsoft 365 apps, whereas Slack primarily focuses on workforce messaging and asynchronous collaboration.
A Groups subscription requires an annual dedication, however its month-to-month per-user charge is considerably cheaper than Slack. Over a 12 months, Groups prices $48 per person, whereas Slack’s primary plan totals $87 yearly.
By way of free variations, Groups gives extra flexibility with limitless search historical past and hour-long video conferences with as much as 100 members. Slack, against this, helps audio conferences for 50 customers and solely retains the final 90 days of message historical past.
Finest for Convention Calls: Microsoft Groups
Microsoft Groups clearly has the benefit on the subject of internet hosting convention calls as a result of it basically features as a video assembly platform, in comparison with Slack.
Display sharing, polling, and 5GB storage are included in Groups’ free model, whereas premium plans help assembly recordings, stay translation, and whiteboarding. Slack, then again, depends on a third-party app to report a convention name.
Kind visible concepts throughout video conferences. (Supply: Microsoft Groups)
Slack is principally a chat-based service and solely works for small, spontaneous conferences. Huddles unify its audio, video, and screen-sharing capabilities with an attendee restrict of solely 50 customers.
Decrease your Huddle window so you possibly can multitask. (Supply: Slack)
Finest for Collaboration: Slack
Slack takes this spherical because it gives intuitive instruments for each synchronous and asynchronous collaboration. Customers can run command shortcuts inside subject channels, create activity lists, design workflows, share information, insert textual content snippets, and construct a collaborative wiki.
Play clips at your most well-liked pace. (Supply: Slack)
Past workforce messaging, Slack’s audio and video clips function time-saving instruments that allow channel members to look at and hearken to messages at their comfort. Its undertaking administration options let customers automate routine duties, make the most of premade workflows, monitor undertaking progress, and co-edit an organization information base.
Whereas Groups provide comparable capabilities, entry to those instruments usually includes a studying curve or a third-party app. Groups focuses on its workplace productiveness suite the place a number of customers can seamlessly collaborate on paperwork, shows, and spreadsheets.
Set the supply date of your message. (Supply: Groups)
Regardless of these variations, each Slack and Microsoft Groups help one-to-one and group messaging. Set up messages into totally different sections and comply with conversations simply by means of message threading and formatting choices, together with italics, daring, and bulleted lists. For added interactivity, each options allow you to tag a person, use emojis, and ship GIFs.
Finest for Integrations: Slack
Coming in at over 2,600 apps, Slack beats Microsoft Groups for third-party integrations. Subscribing to Slack’s free model consists of entry to 10 integrations, whereas paid plans unlock limitless entry to 1000’s of apps. Microsoft Groups, then again, requires a Microsoft 365 Enterprise subscription to unlock its built-in apps and companies.
Groups’ deep integration with Microsoft 365 merchandise makes it a superb match for corporations firmly embedded within the Microsoft ecosystem. With a Enterprise Fundamental bundle, you get desktop variations of Outlook, Phrase, Excel, PowerPoint, Entry, and Writer, together with entry to different Microsoft companies like SharePoint and Yammer.
For customers who depend on Google-based apps, Slack is extra appropriate resulting from its pre-built integration with Google Workspace. This permits seamless entry to Google Calendar, Meet, and Drive inside Slack without charge.
Finest for Usability: Slack
By way of usability, Slack edges out Microsoft Groups because it takes a extra private and intuitive strategy to its interface. Slack’s sidebar emphasizes channels, giving instantaneous entry to matters, message threads, and direct messages. It has extra customization choices, with the power to prepare the sidebar into totally different sections and decide from numerous coloration themes.
Slack caters to smaller groups that talk by way of chat. (Supply: Slack)
In distinction, Microsoft Groups is extra complicated and compartmentalized, with a number of tabs, groups, and channels. For company customers, its streamlined design offers it a cleaner and extra skilled look in comparison with Slack. Nonetheless, customization choices are restricted to themes, and alluring workforce members requires entry to the admin portal. In Slack, you merely ship an e mail invite so as to add a person.
Groups has devoted sections for chat, groups, information, and calls. (Supply: Groups)
Finest for AI Capabilities: Slack
Each platforms provide built-in generative AI capabilities however cater to totally different workflow wants. Slack AI is a robust selection for enhancing collaboration because it focuses on fast AI insights and activity effectivity—all at an inexpensive price ticket.
With AI-powered search, customers can rapidly browse shared information and public conversations to seek out related information. You too can schedule each day recaps and summarize lengthy threads to maintain up with the newest channel interactions.
Compensate for missed channel conversations inside seconds. (Supply: Slack)
Slack additionally features a self-service chatbot that delivers reminders and automatic messages to all customers. It may be programmed for deadline notifications, information base updates, and real-time alerts. The no-code automation instrument can be utilized for sharing automated updates and producing onboarding processes.
Microsoft Copilot is tailor-made for enterprise collaboration and is constructed throughout Microsoft 365 apps. It could possibly summarize assembly discussions, analyze visible information, and convert concepts into slideshow shows.
Nonetheless, Copilot misses the mark by way of automation because it lacks a built-in workflow bot. Tech-savvy customers solely have two choices: add bots by way of a third-party app or construct a bot app utilizing the Microsoft Bot Framework. Whereas I respect Copilot’s complete AI use instances, this may be overwhelming for groups that merely wish to improve activity productiveness.
Methodology: How I Evaluated Microsoft Groups vs Slack
On this Slack vs MS Groups comparability, I examined every platform and checked person suggestions on standard evaluation web sites. From there, I created a scoring system based mostly on the next classes: pricing, conferencing capabilities, collaboration options, ease of use, and integrations.
20% of General Rating
I analyze the month-to-month and annual per-user prices for Slack versus Groups, whereas evaluating the options accessible at every pricing tier. I additionally checked for the supply of a free plan, free trial, and reductions for annual billing and quantity purchases.
25% of General Rating
I checked out capabilities important to a workforce collaboration app, comparable to conversational channels, app integrations, and file sharing. I additionally checked which supplier gives automated instruments and has a bigger cloud storage capability.
20% of General Rating
Aside from workforce messaging, I thought of extra capabilities that help extra complicated collaboration wants. In selecting between Slack or Groups, I favored the supplier with a streamlined AI strategy, bigger video assembly capability, and extra customized options.
10% of General Rating
I used every platform for particular collaboration actions to find out how simple or difficult it was to carry out numerous duties, comparable to inviting workforce members, interacting inside channels, and scheduling a gathering. As well as, I evaluated every system based mostly on ease of setup and configuration.
10% of General Rating
I gave extra weight to the supplier that maintains 24/7 availability for its help channels, together with stay chat, cellphone, and e mail helpdesk. In weighing Slack vs MS Groups, I checked if the suppliers present a complete information base and onboarding information for rookies.
15% of General Rating
I analyzed every product’s worth by taking a look at complete prices and have units. I additionally checked person evaluations to find out the general recognition of each platforms whereas contemplating our personal experiences.
*Percentages of general rating
Steadily Requested Questions (FAQs)
Is Slack higher than Groups?
Slack is best than Microsft Groups in case your workforce prioritizes chat-based collaboration with intuitive messaging options. It excels in ease of use and automation, making it preferrred for groups that worth simplicity over intensive performance.
Why swap from Slack to Groups?
Switching to Groups is good for enterprises searching for an all-in-one workplace productiveness suite for messaging, video conferences, and workplace productiveness instruments. Its unified strategy makes it an amazing selection for corporations that discover Slack’s chat-based app insufficient for extra superior collaboration necessities.
What are the disadvantages of Slack?
Slack falls wanting its video conferencing capabilities, because it solely helps multi-screen sharing and accommodates solely 50 members. It additionally lacks built-in cloud storage, enterprise-level safety, and productiveness instruments for spreadsheets and shows.
Backside Line
The distinction between Slack and Groups lies in key areas comparable to ease of use, real-time collaboration, and connectivity with third-party apps. Whereas every platform has its strengths, your best option depends upon a workforce’s particular wants and preferences.
For this match-up, Slack wins as the most effective workforce collaboration app, significantly for small companies that worth usability, asynchronous communication, and streamlined workflows. Join a 30-day trial to see how Slack can deliver your groups collectively.
