Slack vs Squirrel POS

Microsoft Teams

Connecteam

Google Workspace

Microsoft Teams is a chat-based workspace in Microsoft 365 which lets users collaborate on documents, make voice & video conference calls, view chat logs, and more. Teams has replaced Skype for Business as Microsoft's online meeting solution.

An all-in-one employee app that's both powerful, affordable and easy to use, especially for the mobile workforce.

Google Workspace is a suite of applications from Google which offers a number of tools to communicate and collaborate with colleagues, store files, and manage data from all devices.

Slack is a single workspace that connects users with the people and tools they work with everyday, no matter where they are or what they do

Access Controls/Permissions

Activity/News Feed

Activity Tracking

AI/Machine Learning

Alerts/Notifications

Archiving & Retention

Audio Calls

Audio Capture

Authentication

Brainstorming

Calendar Management

Call Conferencing

Call Recording

Call Routing

Chatbot

Chat/Messaging

Collaboration Tools

Commenting/Notes

Communication Management

Compliance Management

Conferencing

Contact Management

Content Management

Content Sharing

Customizable Templates

Discussions/Forums

Document Management

Drag & Drop

Employee Directory

Employee Engagement

Encryption

Feedback Management

File Sharing

File Transfer

Filtering

For Developers

For Sales Teams/Organizations

Full Text Search

Group Management

Group Messaging

Interaction Tracking

Knowledge Base Management

Live Chat

Meeting Management

Meeting Notes

Member Directory

@mentions

Messaging

Mobile Access

Moderation

Monitoring

Multi-Channel Communication

Multiple Data Sources

Multi-User Collaboration

Natural Language Processing

Notes Management

Presentation Streaming

Prioritization

Private Chat

Productivity Tools

Projections

Read Receipts

Real-Time Chat

Real-time Consumer-facing Chat

Real-Time Data

Real-Time Notifications

Real Time Synchronization

Real-Time Updates

Recording

Reminders

Remote Access/Control

Remote Support

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

Scheduling

Screen Capture

Screen Recording

Screen Sharing

Search/Filter

Server Monitoring

Single Sign On

SSL Security

Support Ticket Management

Surveys & Feedback

Tagging

Task Management

Team Collaboration

Third-Party Integrations

To-Do List

Transcripts/Chat History

Troubleshooting

Two-Factor Authentication

Two Way Audio & Video

Two-Way Audio & Video

User Management

Version Control

Video Chat

Video Conferencing

Reviews for Slack come from a wide variety of industries, including computer software (15% of reviewers), information technology and services (11%), and marketing and advertising (8%). The most frequent use case for Slack cited by reviewers is team communication (72% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Some reviewers find Slack’s free plan generous for small teams, and reviewers appreciate its value for those with tight budgets. However, users feel restricted by limited features, and some users say paid plans are expensive for larger teams. Reviewers indicate the cost-benefit ratio is less favorable than alternatives, and some users say more flexible pricing options are needed.

Value for money

The Slack integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: Google Drive (a cloud storage product rated 4.8 out of 5 for its integration with Slack), Google Calendar (a scheduling product, 4.9), and Jira (an IT project management product, 4.6).

Integrations

Slack is a team communication tool offering key features such as chat/messaging, real-time notifications, mobile access, and file sharing, among others.

Proprietary

Slack

Web-based

iPad

Android

iPhone

Windows

Google Meet

Trello

Discord

Zoom Workplace

Basecamp

Google Chat

Workplace from Meta

WhatsApp

Rocket.Chat

Asana

Webex Suite

Microsoft Viva Engage

Mattermost

Cisco Jabber

Telegram

Zoho Cliq

Free

Business+

Enterprise Grid

Frequent bugs and glitches

Student

Usually, I face glitches and errors that don't enable Slack to launch, and this problem is not fixed until now.

48% of reviewers feel negative about Slack’s bugs and issues. Users report experiencing crashes, glitches, and unexpected app behavior across devices. Reviewers mention problems with app stability, such as being logged out, status not updating, or features breaking after updates. Some say technical issues with plugins, notifications, or compatibility with certain devices can disrupt workflow. They indicate that customer support response times for resolving bugs can be slow, leading to frustration when urgent fixes are needed.

Thread organization challenges

45% of reviewers feel negative about Slack’s thread management. Users find that threads can be difficult to track, with replies often hidden or buried, leading to missed messages and confusion. Reviewers mention that the threading system is not intuitive, and important information can get lost in busy channels. Some say managing multiple threads across channels is overwhelming, and notifications for thread replies are easy to overlook. They indicate that the lack of inline thread expansion and limited organization options make it hard to maintain context in conversations.

Resource usage and slowness

74% of reviewers feel negative about Slack’s performance and speed. Users report high memory and CPU consumption, especially on older computers or during heavy use, which can slow down their systems. Reviewers mention frequent app crashes, laggy load times, and issues with mobile data usage. Some say video calls and large volumes of messages can cause delays or freezing. They indicate that the desktop app, built on Electron, is particularly resource-intensive, and connectivity issues or server outages can disrupt workflow and communication.

Expensive paid plans

46% of reviewers feel negative about Slack’s pricing. Users say the free version has significant limitations, such as restricted message history and storage, making it unsuitable for larger teams or long-term use. Reviewers mention that the cost per user for paid plans is high compared to competitors, and upgrading is often necessary to access essential features. Some feel pressured to pay for full functionality, and note that the pricing structure can be prohibitive for small businesses or organizations with tight budgets.

Overwhelming and inconsistent alerts

Medical Fronter

Being in a large team, the volume of my pings and channel alerts became overwhelming, leading to constant notifications and fragmented attention that actually decreased my deep-work productivity.

Software Engineer

The mobile app notifications are really annoying as when 5 messages are delivered at once, it vibrates and pings 5 times in a matter of milliseconds instead of just once even when it's coming from the same slackbot or person.

60% of reviewers feel negative about Slack’s notification system. Users report being overwhelmed by the volume of notifications, especially in large teams or busy channels, which can disrupt focus and productivity. Reviewers mention difficulties customizing notification settings, inconsistent delivery across devices, and missing important messages. Some say managing notifications between desktop and mobile is confusing, and silencing notifications can lead to missed communications. They also highlight that the lack of granular controls makes it hard to filter out non-essential alerts.

Personalized emoji interactions

Additionally, Slack's ability to react to messages with emojis, share messages with specific individuals, create private or public channels, and send group messages to team members creates an environment that encourages collaboration and communication in a way that feels organic and intuitive.

94% of reviewers feel positive about Slack’s emoji features. Users think the ability to create and use custom emojis, react to messages, and integrate GIFs adds personality and fun to workplace communication. Reviewers appreciate how emojis facilitate quick responses, lighten the mood, and make interactions more engaging. They mention that emoji reactions help streamline feedback and approvals, while also fostering team culture. Some users say the customization options and integration with tools like Giphy make Slack a more enjoyable and expressive platform for daily communication.

Centralized remote collaboration

98% of reviewers feel positive about Slack’s remote team communication. Reviewers appreciate having a single platform for real-time messaging, file sharing, and project updates, which helps remote teams stay connected and informed. They indicate that features like customizable channels, user access controls, and integrations with tools such as Google Drive and Trello streamline workflows. Users say Slack fosters both formal and informal interactions, making remote work feel more inclusive and collaborative. They find the mobile and desktop apps reliable for keeping everyone in sync, regardless of location, and value the transparency it brings to distributed teams.

Efficient colleague interaction

95% of reviewers feel positive about Slack’s colleague communication capabilities. Users say they can instantly message coworkers, share files, and organize conversations by topic or project, reducing reliance on email. Reviewers appreciate being able to connect with colleagues across different locations and time zones, facilitating both professional and social interactions. They find the ability to integrate with calendars and other tools helpful for keeping everyone updated. Some reviewers highlight the convenience of direct messaging, group chats, and the ability to maintain a professional boundary by not sharing personal contact details.

Engineer

However, managing constant notifications can be overwhelming at times, and finding older messages in a busy channel can be tricky. While it improves team connectivity, the volume of communication can become distracting, making it essential to manage notifications effectively for a smoother experience.

Salesforce Administrator

What I most like about Slack are the video call feature (Huddle) and screen-recording feature (which also allows you to record audio and camera with it).

Lead Designer

Not only is it helpful for communication purposes, but the project management features, collaborative workflow tools and customized add-ons make it great as a tool where every project can be seamlessly managed, without relying on too many apps.

Technical Support Engineer

There are many features I love about slack, such as the threads feature to categorize conversations, huddle feature to quickly hop on a call with colleagues, and the activity tab to see the latest activities to follow up and keep up to date with information.

Engineering

I love using slack This tool organizes team communication into focused, topic-specific channels, cutting down on email overload by consolidating discussions, files, and data in one place.

Customer Support

It allows us to share screens and call others when needed and we can even export channels to gather data for our teams.

I use slack literally everyday during for my work, where I direct message my colleagues, comment on threads, and keep up to date with channels and groups.

Transfer Sales Agent

It made communication feel organized and efficient, especially with the managers‑only group where important information was shared and our campaign page where we stayed connected as a team.

Software Analyst

The things that I disliked about the Slack are depicted below The important messages can sometimes did not get in focus, when there are too many active channels or notification popping out at the same time. When there is a large teams or active workplaces, messages from multiple channels ,threads , and direct message can become overwhelming making it difficult to focus on high priority conversations.

Account Executive

Aside from the occasional notification fatigue and the premium price tag, it remains an indispensable tool for our day-to-day operations, quick huddles, and project tracking.

Head of Quality

It helps me manage communication topics, stay on top of my work, and go back through chat histories to find information and files I need.

Overall my experience with Slack has been great, it is a great tool to keep all team communication organized and clear, plus the customization, like the use of bots for scheduled messages, was a great tool to foster rapport amongst the team.

Accounting Assistant

I liked how quickly information can be shared and how easy it is to collaborate in real time, especially with integrations that bring other tools into one place. While it can feel overwhelming in busy workspaces, it becomes much more manageable with good notification and channel settings.

The best thing I like about slack is the connectivity through online chats, meetings and much more valuable tools that keeps my team connected and in touch!

IT Operations Manager

Message history/export for admins is only available on the enterprise or Grid subscription and even when you do get it, it comes as JSON file that you still have to parse through.

QA Lead

Another pain point is that important information can get trapped in threads and DMs; if something isn’t documented elsewhere, it can become hard to rediscover later, especially when channel volume is high and older context gets buried.

Fullstack web developper

The Pro and Business pricing model proves expensive for small teams while users experience difficulties in locating specific historical files and messages through the search function.

Medical Assistance Specialist

I hate the notification overload when the shift is very busy and at times, there are bugs which makes me revisit the messages twice so that I am not missing anything important.

Recruiter

The lack of proper conditional logic (if/then branching) is frustrating. If you want to build complex, multi-step flows with different outcomes based on user input, the native builder just can't handle it.

School Administrator

The chat tools are handy, and I love the ability to make group chats for teams such as grade level teams or admin chat groups.

Integration with other software tools like Google Drive ,Zoom and other workplace apps are generally considered as a big advantage for me ,as everything can be managed from one platform .

Training and Development Manager

We were able to integrate our TrackVia account with Slack through Workato integrations, which allowed a discussion to start in a specific channel when a record was updated or added into a view in TrackVia.

Slack vs Squirrel POS Comparison (2026)

Slack

Squirrel POS

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives