Slack Hidden Costs
What they don't show you on the pricing page
Slack pricing starts at $0 and goes up to $15 per user/month. Most teams pay around $8.75/user/month for the features they need.
The actual cost of Slack ownership typically runs 40-60% higher than the listed license price. For a 25-person team, expect to pay $3,938+ in year one vs the $2,625 license cost.
Hidden Costs Breakdown
Free plan limits message history to 90 days (messages are deleted)
Free plan caps integrations at 10 total
Slack Connect (external channels) requires Pro or higher
Group video calls require Pro or higher
SAML SSO requires Business+ or higher
Example: True Cost for 25 Users
| License (25 × $8.75 × 12) | $2,625/yr |
| Implementation (one-time) | +$15,000–$50,000 |
| Premium Support (20%) | +$525/yr |
| Training (25 × $500) | +$12,500 |
| Admin (part-time) | +$15,000–$25,000/yr |
| Year 1 Total | $28,938–$64,200 |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 What hidden costs should I budget for with Slack?
Beyond the license fee, budget for implementation ($5K-$100K+), training ($500-$2K per user), premium support (15-20% of license), and admin costs. Most companies see 40-60% higher total cost than the listed price.
02 Does Slack charge for implementation?
Slack doesn't include implementation in the license cost. Implementation is typically done by partners and costs range from $5,000 for basic setup to $100,000+ for enterprise deployments with customization.
03 How much does Slack support cost?
Basic support is included, but premium support (faster response times, 24/7 availability) typically adds 15-20% to your annual contract. This can be thousands of dollars per year for larger deployments.
04 Are there storage costs with Slack?
Most Slack plans include limited storage. Once you exceed the included amount, you'll pay overage fees which can range from $50-$500+ per month depending on data volume.
05 What add-ons cost extra with Slack?
Many features marketed as part of Slack are actually add-ons: advanced reporting, API access, integrations, and specialized modules. Each can add $10-$100+ per user per month.
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