Slack Software Reviews

“Dependable workplace messaging platform”

Pros

It works really well as a workplace messaging platform for team communication. The interface is clean, simple to use. It supports both group and one-on-one calls, lets you set up multiple workspaces and offers plenty of other useful features. I can honestly say I've never run into any problems with call quality and the chat has always been consistently reliable too.

Cons

Because it comes loaded with so many features, it can feel a little heavy on lower-spec devices and tends to use a lot of memory. The pricing is also on the expensive side. On top of that, the free plan removes older messages after a certain period which can be frustrating.

“Easily one of the best tools”

Pros

Among the internal communication tools I've used over the past few years, this has easily been one of the best. It feels noticeably better than other major competitors and it works really well across different platforms, whether I'm on a PC, Mac or phone.

Cons

Once you're dealing with a large number of channels, finding something quickly can get a little tricky but overall it's still an excellent product.

“Popular product with tons of integrations”

Pros

Getting started with Slack is very simple. It's widely used across a lot of companies so it feels familiar right away and it comes with plenty of integrations that make it really useful.

Cons

Every now and then it runs into noticeable lag or may crash but aside from that I haven't had any other real issues.

“Offers a library of integrations”

Pros

It has been a really solid place for collaboration. It offers an app-store-like library of integrations with tools like Google and Microsoft and the access controls make it possible to limit certain areas for more private or closed teamwork. It's also useful that you can work with people outside your organization, as long as they use Slack too.

Cons

Things can get overly complicated when there are too many workspaces involved and if the setup isn't managed properly, you can end up with too many people sending notifications to everyone in a global channel. That gets frustrating pretty quickly when it keeps happening.

“Brings personality to communication”

Pros

One thing that immediately stood out to me is how much personality it brings to team communication. Having lots of emoji options, plus the ability to create custom ones, might sound small or even silly but it actually does a lot for morale and team bonding. On top of that, being able to jump on a quick Zoom call with teammates for fast, unplanned help is really useful. I also appreciate how clear it is when someone needs to get in touch with me right away. Another big plus is how well it connects with other tools like Google Drive since that makes it simple to see who needs to collaborate with me on certain tasks and to grant or request access without wasting time.

Cons

Overall, I'm very happy with it and don't really have many complaints. The only real downside I can think of has to do with message replies. When a teammate responds directly to one of my messages, it starts a separate thread so that conversation can continue without cluttering up the main chat which is helpful in theory. The problem is that I still haven't found a reliable way to get notified when that thread is created. Because of that, I sometimes miss important replies or details simply because I didn't realize someone had responded directly to my message in a thread.

“This tool is amazing”

Pros

It is really simple to use and packed with excellent features. It works especially well for large teams or remote setups because it still gives you that feeling of being connected. You can mute notifications whenever you need to focus and it's also simple to update your status so coworkers know if you're out of office, away or in a meeting. The whole style of communication feels informal which saves a lot of time compared with sending internal emails. Responses usually come quickly especially when you ask something in a channel where the whole team can see it. It's also very useful for feedback and open discussions.

Cons

One thing that helps is setting up some communication guidelines in the office so people don't get interrupted too often by notifications although these can normally be adjusted without much trouble in the settings. I'd also really like to see a better conferencing option especially for meetings with several people in a private room without needing to create new groups every time. Aside from that, the tool is amazing.

“Necessary part of our operations”

Pros

Between instant messaging, real-time visibility into who's online and available and the overall conferencing and collaboration tools, this has become such a central part of work that it's hard to even remember what things were like before using it.

Cons

At the same time, it can create a pretty overwhelming sense that you always need to be present which leaves very little room to disconnect and the notifications start to get irritating after a while.

“Accessible place to handle all communication”

Pros

Easy to use and gives our team an accessible place to handle all kinds of office, data and operations communication. It's constantly open and gets used throughout the day.

Cons

At the moment, I don't really have any complaints. We did run into some audio problems on calls before but that doesn't seem to happen with the newer huddle feature so that's what we use instead.

“Smooth across web and mobile”

Pros

Having separate channels for different topics really helps keep conversations and files organized. Mentioning teammates is also useful since it alerts them to check a thread or post right away. Another big plus is that the web and mobile versions feel the same so switching between them is smooth.

Cons

lack of notification control for specific channels or even individual workspaces bothers me, it feels like everything is either fully on or fully off. It's also frustrating that a single post can't include more than 5 files or links which can get annoying when sharing materials and collaborating with others.

“Allows me to share a screenshot”

Pros

Keeping conversations organized is one of the best things about it. It makes team communication feel simple and I can quickly share a screenshot or even a screen recording when I need to explain something. Being able to search old messages, pin important details and still have room for fun with silly memes makes it even better.

Cons

Honestly, I don't really have any complaints. There might be a feature missing here and there but nothing comes to mind right away. It's been that good for me.

“Quick to pick up”

Pros

Coming from tools like Hangouts, MS Teams or even regular texting, it feels quick to pick up for communication and collaboration. Sending a direct message is as simple as typing '@' before someone's username and when you start a conversation with several people, it automatically saves as a group you can reach out to again anytime. Replies within conversations are neatly organized into threads which helps keep channels from getting cluttered. It's also really useful for connecting with outside vendors or agencies, as long as they're on Slack too. Compared with email, it saves a ton of time. On top of that, it connects smoothly with lots of collaboration and productivity apps like Google Calendar, Clockwise and Zoom. That means your schedule, status updates and reply availability can all update automatically. Starting a Zoom meeting is also fast with a shortcut and inviting others takes no time. File sharing works well too since attachments are simple to add, preview and view in full.

Cons

Slack relies quite a bit on shortcuts to trigger certain apps or actions. That works well for people who are comfortable thinking in a more technical or code-like way but for others it can mean a pretty steep learning curve just to remember everything. Because of that some users may never really tap into its more advanced features. The same issue comes up with Slack's markdown support in general. There are useful templates that can make posts more functional but they depend on using and editing markdown which is usually most manageable in the markdown builder tool before pasting it back into Slack. The markdown itself isn't especially complicated but for teams that don't code and realistically may not need to, it feels like a missed chance to make those features more accessible.

“Easy to share progress updates”

Pros

Across teams and even across the organization, communication and chat work really well. It's convenient to create smaller group chats with just a few participants, whether it's to solve an issue quickly or simply share progress updates. The channels tied to projects, tasks or specific teams help keep communication organized and make it easier for everyone to stay aligned. File and document sharing is also very convenient and I haven't run into any size limits so far. On top of that, it connects with a lot of other tools like Jira, Confluence, Google Docs, calendars and more so it becomes one place to receive notifications from almost everything.

Cons

Calls and video meetings are where it falls short. There are often delays and the audio quality isn't very good. A couple of years ago, screen sharing also had a feature that let another user take control of the screen to make code or inspector changes directly but unfortunately that option was removed.

“Collaboration feels natural”

Pros

Being able to set up different workspaces for communities, teams and group chats makes online collaboration feel natural. I genuinely enjoy using it to chat and work with my teammates remotely because it gives off the feeling that we're all together in the same physical workspace.

Cons

I don't really have any complaints though I'd still love to see a screen-sharing feature added.

“Ability to mute specific channels”

Pros

Messaging people one-on-one or in groups feels really simple and I appreciate being able to mute specific channels and control what I see. File sharing works well and the integrations add a lot of value too.

Cons

Keeping up with messages from multiple users and groups can get a bit overwhelming at times. I also still prefer Zoom for calls since I'm not a big fan of Slack's calling interface.

“Not much to dislike”

Pros

We really appreciate being able to see when teammates are in meetings, set away notifications and keep everything synced with our calendars. The newer scheduled message feature has been especially useful because it lets us send messages during business hours which helps a lot when someone is working outside the usual schedule.

Cons

There honestly isn't much to dislike. The tool has been very reliable overall although the call feature can occasionally be a bit buggy. It doesn't happen often though.

“Can chat with vendors outside my organization”

Pros

Being able to chat with vendors outside my organization is probably the biggest benefit for me. I also appreciate that it gives me a reminder before I send a message externally. On top of that, the gifs and emojis make conversations feel more lively and add a little fun to the workday.

Cons

Something I wish were better is how unread messages are displayed. It would help a lot if they were highlighted more clearly or marked in a more obvious way. When I've been out of the office, it can be tricky to figure out what I missed.

“Better shift coverage”

Pros

Keeping shifts covered became much simpler for employees and everyone could check the schedule whenever they needed to.

Cons

people are constantly posting about things that have nothing to do with work.

“Offers many plugins”

Pros

It comes with a lot of features that make staying organized at work much easier. Messages can be separated into channels based on specific topics which helps keep conversations focused and manageable. It also offers plenty of plugins so connecting it with other products and tools is very convenient.

Cons

Audio device selection feels a bit glitchy. When my Bluetooth headphones are connected and I join a call, Slack doesn't automatically use them as the audio output.

“Free, flexible team coordination”

Pros

I really appreciated that it was free to use, made coordinating with large groups of people simple and let us create breakout groups quickly as projects changed over time. It was also nice that the platform worked well on both desktop and smartphone versions.

Cons

I do wish the overall design looked a little more polished.

“Stable performance”

Pros

Getting started with the basic features is very simple and it works really well on a cellphone. It's also stable which makes it dependable for everyday communication.

Cons

It doesn't let you track documents properly so it's not something you can really rely on as a knowledge repository. The search feature also isn't very thorough which means an older chat with an important detail can be hard to find or may get missed. On top of that, creating channels is a little too unrestricted so non-work topics can quickly take over and make it feel more like a workplace social network than a tool for getting things done.