Google Chat vs Slack

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Google Chat

Google Workspace's built-in team messaging, with spaces, threads and Gemini features alongside Gmail.

Free plan + paid

Visit Google Chat Google Chat profile

Slack

Channel-based messaging for work.

Free plan + paid

Visit Slack Slack profile

The short answer

Google Chat suits organisations already on Google Workspace that want team chat without paying for another tool. Slack suits companies that want the most polished chat experience and the largest integration ecosystem, and will pay per seat for it. The biggest difference is cost and context: Google Chat is included with Workspace and tied to Gmail and Drive, while Slack is a separate subscription that connects to far more third-party tools.

Google Chat or Slack: our take

Both offer direct messages, group chats and channel-like rooms with threads. Google Chat's spaces hold threaded conversations, shared files and tasks, scale up to 500,000 members, and appear in Gmail's sidebar as well as in web, desktop-installable and mobile apps. Its strength is integration with the rest of Workspace: you can start a Meet call from a conversation, open Docs in place and use Gemini to summarise or translate messages on eligible plans. Slack organises work into channels with threads and audio huddles, and its Workflow Builder automates routine requests. Slack Connect lets companies share channels with partners and customers, and its integration catalogue is much larger than Google Chat's. Many users find Slack's threads and channels more refined.

On price, Google Chat is included with every paid Google Workspace plan at no extra cost, Workspace offers a 14-day free trial, and personal Google accounts can use Chat for free. Slack has a free plan with limited message history, a common reason small teams look elsewhere, and paid plans unlock full history, more integrations and admin controls, with costs rising per seat. Slack is owned by Salesforce and has native apps for web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. Google Chat runs in the browser and on iOS and Android, offers an API with webhooks, and can migrate history from Slack.

Choose Google Chat if your organisation already pays for Workspace and mainly needs internal messaging alongside Gmail, Drive and Meet. Choose Slack if chat is the hub where alerts, automations and tools meet, if you work with outside partners in shared channels, or if engineers want native desktop apps and a broad integration catalogue. Teams on Workspace often start with Google Chat and only move to Slack when integrations become the limit.

Choose Google Chat if…

Organisations already on Google Workspace that want chat without another subscription
Included with Google Workspace at no extra cost
Tight links with Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Meet

Choose Slack if…

Companies that want the largest integration ecosystem for chat
You need Windows, macOS and Linux, which Google Chat doesn't list
Huge integration ecosystem
Polished threads and huddles

What is Google Chat?

Google Chat is the messaging part of Google Workspace. It offers direct and group messages plus spaces, which work like channels with threaded conversations, shared files and tasks, and it sits in the left sidebar of Gmail as well as in its own web, desktop-installable and mobile apps. Because it is part of Workspace, it ties in closely with Drive, Calendar and Meet: you can start a huddle or meeting from a conversation, open Docs in place, and add apps and bots through Chat APIs and Apps Script. Gemini features summarise conversations, translate messages and help draft replies on eligible plans. Chat is included with every paid Workspace plan at no extra cost, so there is no separate price, and personal Google accounts can use it for free. It suits organisations already on Google Workspace that want team chat without paying for another tool.

What is Slack?

Slack organizes team communication into channels by topic, project or team, alongside direct messages, threads and audio huddles. Thousands of integrations bring alerts and actions from other tools into conversations, and Workflow Builder automates routine requests. Slack Connect lets companies share channels with partners and customers. It is owned by Salesforce. The free plan limits how much message history you can see, which is a frequent reason small teams and communities look for alternatives, while paid plans unlock full history, more integrations and administration controls.

Side by side

Attribute	Google Chat	Slack
Pricing	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Best for	Organisations already on Google Workspace that want chat without another subscription	Companies that want the largest integration ecosystem for chat
Status	Active	Active