Google Chat vs Slack: what a business with assistants actually pays

Google Chat comes with Google Workspace. Slack is a separate bill. Here's what you and two assistants would pay on each, and where each one wins.

The verdict, if you work with remote assistants

If your business runs on Gmail and Google Drive, start with Google Chat: it's already in your Workspace plan at no extra cost. Pick Slack if you want more apps plugged into your chat, over 2,600 of them, and you're fine paying per person for it. Either one keeps the conversation. Neither is built around your assistant's day: the jobs they repeat, the logins they use and the report you read at 6pm.

Google Chat vs Slack at a glance

Prices in US dollars as listed on workspace.google.com and slack.com on 7 October 2026, before any introductory discounts.

How you pay: Included with every Google Workspace plan at no extra cost / Its own plan, priced per user
Cheapest paid plan: Workspace Business Starter: US$7 per user a month with a one-year commitment, with Gmail on your domain and Meet / Pro: US$7.25 per user a month, billed yearly (US$8.75 monthly)
Free option: A 14-day Workspace trial / Free plan: 90 days of message history, up to 10 apps
Calls: Google Meet, with video meetings for up to 100 people on Business Starter / Huddles: one-to-one on Free, group calls with screen sharing on Pro
Tasks: Create and assign tasks in a chat, with due dates / Lists, to manage projects inside Slack
Apps: Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Meet built in, plus apps such as Asana, Jira and Zapier / Over 2,600 in the Slack App Directory

You and two assistants: one year

Three people, list prices, before any introductory discounts.

Google Workspace Business Starter (one-year commitment): US$252, with Gmail, Meet and 30 GB of storage per person
Google Workspace Business Standard (one-year commitment): US$504
Slack Pro, billed yearly: US$261
Slack Pro, billed monthly: US$315

Google Chat comes with Workspace at no extra cost

Google says Chat is included with Workspace at no additional cost, and it sits in the left bar of Gmail. If you pay for Workspace today, you and your assistants already have it. Slack is a second bill on top of your email.

Instructions from three months ago: Slack Free hides them

Slack Free keeps messages saved and searchable for 90 days. If you give your assistant instructions in chat, what you wrote in March is out of reach by July. Slack Pro keeps the full history.

Which has better integrations, Google Chat or Slack?

It depends on where your work lives. Google Chat works with Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Meet out of the box, and with apps such as Asana, Jira and Zapier. Slack's directory lists over 2,600 apps, from Google Drive to Salesforce. If your business runs on Google, Chat is already wired in. If it runs on many other tools, start with Slack's directory.

How to decide between them

Pick Google Chat if you already pay for Google Workspace and live in Gmail and Drive.
Pick Slack if your chat needs to connect to many other tools, and you're fine paying per person for it.
Pick Crewhall if you have a Catalyst assistant, or plan to: it puts their routines, logins and end-of-day report next to the chat.

What if you also need to see what your assistant got done?

Google Chat and Slack keep the conversation. Running a remote assistant takes three more things: the jobs they repeat every week, the logins they use, and a report of what got done. Most owners add a password manager, a time tracker and a doc of SOPs on top, and pay for each one.

Routines: the jobs your assistant repeats, written as steps they tick off
Shared logins: share a login with one assistant, and revoke it when they leave
End-of-day reports: what got done and the hours worked, as a PDF or a link

Google Chat, Slack, or something built for assistants?

Crewhall is our app. Catalyst built it for clients who work with our remote assistants, and it comes with every placement. It has chat, calls with screen sharing, routines, shared logins, SOPs and the end-of-day report in one place. It isn't sold on its own, so if you don't work with assistants, pick from the other two.

See Crewhall

Sources

Google Chat: workspace.google.com/products/chat and workspace.google.com/pricing, read 7 October 2026
Slack: slack.com/pricing, read 7 October 2026
Crewhall: the app itself, checked 7 October 2026

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Chat free?

It comes with every Google Workspace plan at no extra cost. Business Starter is US$7 per user a month with a one-year commitment, and Google offers a 14-day trial.

Is Google Chat better than Slack?

For a business already on Google Workspace, often yes, because you already pay for it. Slack is the better pick if your chat needs to connect to many other tools: its directory lists over 2,600 apps.

Can I move from Slack to Google Chat?

Yes. Google says businesses can move their data from Slack or Teams to Google Chat with Workspace's migration tools or a Google Cloud partner.

Does Slack's free plan delete old messages?

Slack Free keeps messages saved and searchable for 90 days. Upgrading to a paid plan gives you the full history.

What does a small team pay for Slack or Google Chat?

You and two assistants on Slack Pro, billed yearly, pay US$261 a year. The same three people on Google Workspace Business Starter pay US$252 a year, with Gmail and Meet included.

Which is better for a small team with remote assistants?

Either works for chat with one or two assistants. The harder part is everything around the chat: the jobs they repeat, the logins they use and a daily report of what got done.