Consider Slack when…
Shortlist Slack when the group is a company that needs workplace integrations, shared channels with partners, and admin controls.
Explore Slack alternativesFIND YOUR FIT
Slack vs Discord
Slack vs Discord: compare a workplace chat tool with a community chat app by price, message history, voice channels, and admin controls.
The decision in brief
Both organise chat into channels, but they are built for different groups. Slack is aimed at companies, with Slack Connect for working with other organisations and per-user paid plans; its free plan shows 90 days of history. Discord is free for servers and chat, with always-open voice channels and optional Nitro perks for each person.
A focused editorial selection based on the linked official documentation. Fit notes are our judgment, rather than firsthand benchmark results or a universal ranking. How we select and verify information.
Compare the working details
| Decision factor | Slack | Discord |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Organising team conversations into channels, and working with partners and customers in shared channels. | Communities and informal groups that drop in and out of always-open voice channels as well as text chat. |
| Working setup | Create a workspace, set up channels for teams and projects, invite members and guests, then add apps and workflows from the directory. | Create a server from a template, add text and voice channels, then share an invite link with members. |
| Pricing model | A free plan shows 90 days of message and file history, allows up to ten apps, and deletes data older than one year. Paid plans are priced per user per month, and you are billed only for members who were active in the last 28 days, with prorated credit for inactive ones. | Creating servers and chatting is free. Nitro Basic and Nitro are optional subscriptions for each person, adding perks such as larger uploads and custom emoji everywhere; Server Boosts unlock extra perks for a whole server. |
| What to verify | On the free plan, group huddles are not available and anything older than a year is deleted; review your workspace analytics before downgrading. | It is designed for communities rather than companies, so check message retention, export, and admin controls against your own requirements before moving work conversations. |
Which belongs on your shortlist?
Consider Discord when…
Shortlist Discord when you run a community or informal group that values free voice channels and does not need workplace administration.
Run the same evaluation in both
- Set up the same three channels and one voice or huddle space in each, and invite five test members.
- Search for a message older than three months and check what each shows on the plan you would use.
- Connect one integration or bot that posts updates, and note how permissions and moderation work for it.
Try the same task before you choose
Run one launch week in a shared channel
Use the same fictional setup in each candidate. A seven-person product team at a fictional company, Brightwell, is launching a feature. They need a #launch channel, a private #leads channel, and one external contractor who should see #launch only. Use test accounts and invented messages, never real customer data.
Every check starts as Not run. Record your own observations; these are evaluation criteria, rather than completed product tests. Your worksheet stays in this page and can be downloaded.
| Task and expected observation | Slack | Discord |
|---|---|---|
| Create #launch and the private #leads channel Members see #launch; only the three leads can find and read #leads. | ||
| Invite the external contractor The contractor can read and post in #launch but cannot see #leads or browse other channels. Record the plan this needs. | ||
| Run two discussions at once in #launch Replies stay attached to the right discussion, and a member who was away can catch up on each separately. | ||
| Start a quick audio call with screen sharing Three members join from the channel without scheduling; record any participant limit on your plan. | ||
| Post an update from an incoming webhook or bot A fictional build-status message appears in #launch with a link, and you can mute it without leaving the channel. | ||
| Search for a message and a file from the start of the week, then export the channel Both are found, and the export includes messages and files in a format you could import elsewhere. | ||
| Price the setup for seven members and one guest Record the plan these checks need and the monthly and yearly cost, including any suite you already pay for. |
0 of 14 checks have an observation. An observation does not imply a passed test.
Sources and check dates
Provider documentation supports the product and billing descriptions. Confirm current limits and terms before choosing a plan.
ShowMeYourSaaS also offers commercial product coverage. These guides follow our editorial selection criteria; placement is not a purchased ranking. Send a correction with the page and a supporting source.