Slack
Pro
$7.25 × 10 seats$72.50
× 12 months$870.00
Per year
$7.25 per person / mo
$870
Slack vs Element
Compare with for .
Slack
78%
match · $870/yr
Element
45%
match · quote
Slack is the better fit.
It publishes its prices; the other needs a sales quote.
How we work out the matchWhat matters most?
Fine-tune
What you'd pay
Entry plan for 10 people, billed yearly where offered. Prices checked Oct 2026.
Element
Sales quote
No public priceask sales
Per year
Quote
No public price
Slack
From $7.25Free plan
G2 4.5 · 39,319 reviewsTeams that are happy to let a vendor host their chat and want the most polished app with the most integrations.
vs
Element
From FreeFree plan
G2 4.2 · 43 reviewsGovernments and organizations that need end-to-end encrypted, federated chat on an open standard, including air-gapped networks.
Side by side
 Slack | Element | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free; paid from $7.25/user/month (annual) | Free Community edition; paid plans by quote |
| G2 Rating | 4.5 (39,319 reviews) | 4.2 (43 reviews) |
| Best For | Teams that are happy to let a vendor host their chat and want the most polished app with the most integrations. | Governments and organizations that need end-to-end encrypted, federated chat on an open standard, including air-gapped networks. |
Pros and cons
Slack
Pros
- Most polished chat experience and fastest onboarding
- Huge app ecosystem and Slack Connect for partners
- Clear public prices for Pro and Business+
- Data residency options for teams that need data kept in a region
Cons
- No self-hosting; your messages live in Slack's cloud
- Free plan only shows 90 days of history
- Enterprise+ costs $45/user/month billed annually and is bought through sales
Element
Pros
- End-to-end encrypted by default, including calls
- Matrix federation lets separate organizations talk directly
- Air-gapped Sovereign plan with its own push gateway
- Open source under AGPL
Cons
- No public prices, and Enterprise starts at 100 users
- Free Community edition is not meant for production use
- LDAP/AD and audit logs need a paid plan
Sarah Chen