Slack is team chat: channels for each topic, direct messages, quick calls and integrations with the tools you already use. It's for small teams, co-founders and freelancers working with clients who want conversations out of email. The free plan includes 90 days of message history, up to 10 app integrations and 1:1 huddles. New teams can also get a launch discount on paid plans if they buy within the first 7 days.
What it can do for you
Give each project, client or topic its own channel, so conversations stay organised and searchable. Connect your other tools so alerts, such as new sales or form entries, land where your team will see them. Huddles let you jump on a quick voice call without booking a meeting.
What people like
It's familiar. Most people you hire or work with already know Slack, and the app ecosystem is huge. For a small team, the free plan covers day-to-day chat well.
The honest downsides
- History disappears. Slack's own help says the free plan shows only the most recent 90 days of messages and files, and deletes anything older than a year. Decisions buried in old threads will be gone.
- Ten integrations fill up fast. Comparisons note that the 10-app cap on free goes quickly once you connect a few tools.
- Huddles are 1:1 on free. Group calls need a paid plan.
- Paid plans are per user. The cost grows with every person you add.
Skip it if
- you need a searchable record of past decisions
- you want group calls without paying
- you're a solo founder (you probably don't need team chat)
Alternatives
- Better pick if you need your full history for free: Pumble. Its free plan keeps unlimited message history for unlimited users, with channels, threads and 1:1 calls, and imports from Slack. It isn't a better Slack overall: it has far fewer integrations, group calls need a paid plan, and reviewers report some notification and call reliability issues.
- Keep important decisions in a doc or project tool such as Trello, whichever chat you use.
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