Slack vs Twist
Slack is team messaging platform with channels, threads, and integrations for workplace communication, while Twist is async communication tool from Doist that organizes conversations into threads, not a firehose. Twist comes in cheaper, but price alone does not tell the full story. Slack is built for teams that need organized, searchable communication, whereas Twist targets remote teams wanting async-first communication.
At a glance
|
Slack
|
Twist
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Teams that need organized, searchable communication | Remote teams wanting async-first communication |
| Starting price | $7.25/user/mo | $6/user/mo |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Free tier available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Async-First | — | ✓ |
| Channels | ✓ | ✓ |
| File Sharing | ✓ | — |
| Huddles | ✓ | — |
| Integrations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Threads | ✓ | ✓ |
Slack
Strengths
- Massive integration ecosystem with 2,400+ apps
- Excellent search across all messages and files
- Familiar interface that most people already know
- Strong API for custom bots and workflows
Weaknesses
- Expensive at scale — costs add up fast with large teams
- Can become noisy and distracting with many channels
- Free tier limits message history to 90 days
- Desktop app is resource-heavy
Twist
Strengths
- Threaded replies keep side conversations from cluttering the main channel
- Includes Async-First as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
- Free for 1 month history — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
- Includes channels 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
The bottom line
Pricing: Both tools offer free tiers, so you can test each before committing. Slack's free plan: Free for small teams, 90-day history. Twist's free plan: Free for 1 month history. When you outgrow the free tier, Twist is the cheaper option at $6/user/mo vs. $7.25/user/mo for Slack — roughly 20% less.
Feature gaps: Slack offers File Sharing and Huddles that Twist lacks. Twist brings Async-First that Slack does not have. Both share Channels, Integrations and Threads.
Team fit: Slack is geared toward any size teams, while Twist 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's biggest strengths are: massive integration ecosystem with 2,400+ apps. excellent search across all messages and files. Twist's biggest strengths are: threaded replies keep side conversations from cluttering the main channel. includes async-first as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows.
Watch out for: With Slack, users commonly note that expensive at scale — costs add up fast with large teams. With Twist, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.
Choose Slack if...
- Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that need organized, searchable communication
- You specifically need File Sharing and Huddles
- You care about excellent search across all messages and files
- Your team size fits the any size profile Slack is designed for
- The free tier works for you: free for small teams, 90-day history
Choose Twist if...
- You need a tool built for remote teams wanting async-first communication
- You want to save on per-user costs — Twist is $1.25/user/mo cheaper
- You specifically need Async-First
- You care about includes async-first as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
- Your team size fits the small teams profile Twist is designed for
Looking for more options?
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