Slack vs Discord: Which Platform Is Best for Your Team?

With the rise of remote work globally, selecting the appropriate messaging application has emerged as a crucial business choice, and it's essential to avoid making a mistake.

When organizations consider "message apps," they usually compare the advantages and disadvantages of two significant players: Slack and Discord.

Choosing a suitable chat app can expedite team communications and foster connections between team members, but making the wrong selection will require starting over again soon.

Knowing the Difference Between Slack vs Discord

Slack and Discord are messaging tools for team communication with similar features like direct messaging, private groups, and chat rooms. They both have free and paid plans, video and voice chat, and file-sharing capabilities, making them suitable for teams of all sizes.

Despite these similarities, significant differences between them will be discussed later. Before comparing the apps, let's briefly examine their backgrounds.

Slack

Tiny Speck, founded by Stewart Butterfield, created Slack as an internal tool for "Glitch" developers. In 2013, Slack became available to the public. In 2018, Slack Technologies took the company public and was later acquired by Salesforce for $27.7 billion. Slack has over 12 million daily users and is used by 65 Fortune 100 companies. "Slack" stands for "Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge."

Now, onto Discord!

Discord

Discord Inc., formerly Hammer & Chisel, created Discord as a VoIP software for gamers to share tactics in 2015. The name "Discord" was chosen for its superb sound and association with talking.

Unlike Slack, Discord has over 140 million users and 19 million servers for diverse topics and has gained popularity since its launch.

Slack vs Discord: Interface

Discord and Slack's interface affect team communication, making it crucial to compare them. Slack has a simple, customizable interface with eight themes, while Discord has a more detailed interface with light or dark modes.

Discord's interface can be personalized with bots. Slack's interface is easy to use and customizable, making it the winner over Discord's more straightforward interface.

Slack vs Discord: Text Communication

Comparing Slack and Discord's text communication capabilities, Slack has three communication places: direct messaging, channels, and threads. Slack's threads are easy to follow, and natural messaging is standard.

On the other hand, Discord has text-based messages through text chats and direct messages with a "See New Messages" feature to help with active threads. However, Slack wins because it is more straightforward and accessible for text chatting.

Slack vs Discord: Audio Calls

Comparing Slack and Discord's voice call capabilities with the push-to-talk feature, Discord allows more people in a call, up to 5,000 users. In contrast, Slack's voice call feature depends on the plan and allows up to 15 users. Discord is the clear choice for voice calls.

Slack vs Discord: Video Calls

Compare Slack and Discord's video call features. Slack allows two users on its Free plan, while Slack users can integrate Zoom into their channels. Discord allows up to eight users on its Free and 25 on its paid plans. Discord's video calls have more features, making it the clear winner.

Slack vs Discord: Integrations

Integrations enhance team messaging. Slack has over 2,400 productivity-focused apps, while Discord has third-party-created bots. Slack allows up to 10 integrations for Free and an unlimited number for paid plans. Adding apps takes three steps. Adding bots on Discord requires visiting the top.gg, selecting the app and authorizing it. Slack wins with more integration options.

Slack vs Discord: File Sharing

Teams need file-sharing in their chat tool. Slack allows file-sharing from Google Drive or a computer and has more considerable storage capabilities, while Discord limits file size and storage. Consequently, Slack wins for regular file-sharing.

Slack vs Discord: Supported Languages, Countries, and Time Zones

Slack supports 11 languages and over 150 countries, with personalized time zones and localized customer service in 5 languages. Discord supports 28 languages but lacks an inbuilt time zone setting. The winner depends on the team's needs: Slack for multilingual customer service and Discord for more language options.

Slack vs Discord: Pricing

Slack and Discord employ a freemium pricing strategy that allows users to opt for either a free plan or a premium version with additional features. This section will analyze the pricing of both options.

Slack

Slack has four pricing plans: Free, Standard, Plus, and Enterprise Grid. Free includes 10k message search, 10 app connections, file sharing, and one-on-one voice and video calls. Standard ($6.67/month) adds unlimited search, apps, and Google sign-on. Plus ($12.50/month) adds guaranteed uptime, user provisioning and de-provisioning, and data exports. Enterprise Grid is for large, regulated organizations with customized pricing and added features.

Discord

Discord has three pricing plans: Free, Nitro, and Classic. Free offers unlimited messages, 8-person video conferencing, and 8 MB file uploads. Nitro costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year and includes 100 MB file uploads, custom emojis, HD video, and more. Classic costs $4.99/month or $49.99/year and has all Nitro features except server boosts. Discord Free is more capable than Slack Free and is cost-effective for small teams.

Summary

Comparing Slack vs Discord is difficult since both are powerful, user-friendly, and suitable for global teams. Each app has its strengths and target audience. Slack is ideal if you need a chat tool that integrates with work systems and supports file sharing, while Discord is an excellent alternative to Slack if you require better voice and video calling features.

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