What is the difference between Slack Connect and Chanty?

Slack Connect is best for Organizations needing secure inter-company messaging, while Chanty is best for Small teams wanting simple, affordable team chat. Slack Connect starts at $7.25/user/mo and Chanty starts at Free.

Is Slack Connect or Chanty cheaper?

Slack Connect starts at $7.25/user/mo. Chanty starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Slack Connect?

Yes, Chanty offers a free tier (Free for up to 5 members).

Slack Connect vs Chanty

Slack Connect is slack feature for connecting channels between different organizations securely, while Chanty is simple team messaging with tasks, video calls, and unlimited message history on the free plan. The biggest difference up front: Chanty is free, while Slack Connect starts at $7.25/user/mo. Slack Connect is built for organizations needing secure inter-company messaging, whereas Chanty targets small teams wanting simple, affordable team chat.

At a glance

	Slack Connect	Chanty
Best for	Organizations needing secure inter-company messaging	Small teams wanting simple, affordable team chat
Starting price	$7.25/user/mo	Free
Free tier	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Cross-Org Channels	✓	—
DMs	✓	—
Security	✓	—
Tasks	—	✓
Threads	—	✓
Unlimited History	—	✓
Video Calls	—	✓
Workflows	✓	—

Slack Connect

Strengths

Cross-organization channels let you collaborate with external partners in shared spaces
Includes Security as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
Affordable at $7.25/user/mo — one of the lower-priced options in the team communication category
Includes dms alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

No free plan — you need to pay $7.25/user/mo from day one to use it
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Notification overload is a real problem as the number of channels grows
Relatively new (founded 2020) — the feature set and integrations are still maturing

Try Slack Connect → Full review

Chanty

Strengths

Unlimited message history on every plan — nothing gets lost or archived
Includes Tasks as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
Free for up to 5 members — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes video calls alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Notification overload is a real problem as the number of channels grows
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Chanty → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Chanty is completely free (Free for up to 5 members), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Slack Connect starts at $7.25/user/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Slack Connect offers Cross-Org Channels, DMs and Security that Chanty lacks. Chanty brings Tasks, Threads and Unlimited History that Slack Connect does not have.

Team fit: Slack Connect is geared toward mid-size teams teams, while Chanty is aimed at small teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: Slack Connect's biggest strengths are: cross-organization channels let you collaborate with external partners in shared spaces. includes security as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows. Chanty's biggest strengths are: unlimited message history on every plan — nothing gets lost or archived. includes tasks as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows.

Watch out for: With Slack Connect, users commonly note that no free plan — you need to pay $7.25/user/mo from day one to use it. With Chanty, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Slack Connect if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: organizations needing secure inter-company messaging
You specifically need Cross-Org Channels and DMs
You care about includes security as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile Slack Connect is designed for

Choose Chanty if...

You need a tool built for small teams wanting simple, affordable team chat
Budget is a hard constraint — Chanty is free, Slack Connect is not
You specifically need Tasks and Threads
You care about includes tasks as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Chanty is designed for