What is the difference between Slack Connect and Flock?

Slack Connect is best for Organizations needing secure inter-company messaging, while Flock is best for Teams wanting messaging with built-in productivity tools. Slack Connect starts at $7.25/user/mo and Flock starts at Free.

Is Slack Connect or Flock cheaper?

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

Is there a free alternative to Slack Connect?

Yes, Flock offers a free tier (Free for up to 20 users).

Slack Connect vs Flock

Slack Connect is slack feature for connecting channels between different organizations securely, while Flock is team messaging with built-in to-dos, polls, notes, and file sharing. The biggest difference up front: Flock is free, while Slack Connect starts at $7.25/user/mo. Slack Connect is built for organizations needing secure inter-company messaging, whereas Flock targets teams wanting messaging with built-in productivity tools.

At a glance

	Slack Connect	Flock
Best for	Organizations needing secure inter-company messaging	Teams wanting messaging with built-in productivity tools
Starting price	$7.25/user/mo	Free
Free tier	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	✓
Open source	—	—
Cross-Org Channels	✓	—
DMs	✓	—
Notes	—	✓
Polls	—	✓
Security	✓	—
To-Dos	—	✓
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

Flock

Strengths

Lightweight to-do lists keep daily tasks front and center without project-management overhead
Includes Polls as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
Free for up to 20 users — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 12+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

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 Flock → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Flock is completely free (Free for up to 20 users), 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 Flock lacks. Flock brings Notes, Polls and To-Dos that Slack Connect does not have.

Team fit: Slack Connect is geared toward mid-size teams teams, while Flock 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. Flock's biggest strengths are: lightweight to-do lists keep daily tasks front and center without project-management overhead. includes polls 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 Flock, 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 Flock if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting messaging with built-in productivity tools
Budget is a hard constraint — Flock is free, Slack Connect is not
You specifically need Notes and Polls
You care about includes polls as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Flock is designed for