Happy Valley

Discord vs Slack

Discord and Slack are both team communication tools. Discord is aimed at creators and developers, while Slack is aimed at small businesses and enterprise. Discord costs less, from $2.99/mo versus $8.75/mo for Slack. Both have a free plan.

Discord

Voice, video and text communities

Slack

Channel-based team messaging

PricingFreemium · $3Freemium · $9
Starting price$2.99/mo$8.75/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forCreators, DevelopersSmall businesses, Enterprise
Platformsweb, macos, windows, linux, ios, androidweb, macos, windows, linux, ios, android
CountryUS · 2015US · 2013
Rating——

Choose Discord if

Communities, developer relations and creators who want free, real-time engagement.

  • Free and scalable to huge communities
  • Excellent voice chat and events
  • Massive bot ecosystem

Look elsewhere if: Internal company communication at scale or regulated environments.

Choose Slack if

Teams of any size that are not already standardized on Microsoft Teams and value integrations.

  • Best-in-class UX for team chat
  • Huge integration ecosystem
  • Slack Connect for working with partners

Look elsewhere if: Microsoft 365-centric organizations (Teams is included) or teams preferring async-first tools (Twist).

Discord vs Slack pricing

Discord

  • Free$0Servers, voice, video and text chat
  • Nitro Basic$2.99/mo$29.99/year option; custom emoji, larger uploads
  • Nitro$9.99/mo$99.99/year option; 2 server boosts, HD streaming

Slack

  • Free$090-day message history, 1:1 huddles
  • Pro$8.75/user/mo$7.25/mo billed annually; unlimited history and apps, group huddles
  • Business+$18/user/mo$15/mo billed annually; Slack AI, SAML SSO, data exports
  • Enterprise+CustomEnterprise search, DLP, advanced security; contact sales

Discord · Key features

  • Servers with text, voice, video, stage and forum channels
  • Roles, permissions and onboarding flows
  • Bots, webhooks and slash commands
  • Threads, events and server discovery
  • Screen sharing and streaming
  • Free with Nitro and boosts for perks

Cons

  • Search and knowledge retention are weak
  • Not designed for business compliance (no SSO on free)
  • Noise and moderation burden at scale

Slack · Key features

  • Channels, threads, DMs and shared channels across companies (Slack Connect)
  • Huddles with screen sharing and canvases for docs
  • Workflow Builder and 2,600+ app integrations
  • Slack AI: summaries, search answers, recaps
  • Lists for lightweight task tracking
  • Enterprise security: SSO, DLP, EKM, compliance exports

Cons

  • Expensive per seat for large teams
  • Free plan's 90-day history limit
  • Notification overload without discipline

Discord vs Slack: FAQ

Which is cheaper, Discord or Slack?

Discord starts at $2.99/mo and Slack at $8.75/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do Discord and Slack have a free plan?

Yes, both Discord and Slack have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Which is better for small businesses, Discord or Slack?

Slack lists small businesses as a core audience, while Discord is aimed more at creators and developers.

Not sure yet?