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Customer Support · head to head

Amazon Connect vs Slack

Amazon Connect logo

Amazon Connect

Customer Support

Cloud contact center from AWS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Slack logo

Slack

All industries

Where work happens

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Connect telephony is charged separately from the platform, so the $0.038 per minute voice rate is not the whole cost of a call; Slack 90-day message history limit on free plan results in important conversations disappearing
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Connect covers Voice, Slack covers Channels.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Connect and Slack actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Connect and Slack differ
AttributeAmazon ConnectSlack
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux
CategoryCustomer SupportAll industries
Founded20062009

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Amazon Connect

  • Voice
  • Chat
  • Tasks
  • ML-powered analytics
  • Contact Lens
  • Outbound campaigns
  • Forecasting
  • ServiceNow

Only in Slack

  • Channels
  • Direct messaging
  • Voice & video calls
  • Screen sharing
  • File sharing
  • Search
  • Workflow builder
  • Slack Connect

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • SOC2
  • HIPAA
  • FedRAMP
  • ISO27001

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Amazon Connect

  • Cloud contact centre with no per-seat licencenot Slack
  • Voice, chat, email and SMS in one queuenot Slack
  • Conversational analytics and agent assistnot Slack
  • Outbound campaigns and automated contactnot Slack
  • Workforce scheduling for contact centre agentsnot Slack

Slack

  • Team communicationnot Amazon Connect
  • Project coordinationnot Amazon Connect
  • Customer supportnot Amazon Connect
  • Remote worknot Amazon Connect
  • Cross-functional collaborationnot Amazon Connect

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Amazon Connect

  • Telephony is charged separately from the platform, so the $0.038 per minute voice rate is not the whole cost of a call
  • Every channel is metered individually: $0.010 per chat message, $0.080 per email and $0.014 per SMS
  • Rates vary by region and by third-party provider, so a published figure is indicative rather than final
  • Cost tracks contact volume, which makes forecasting hard for a queue with seasonal peaks

Slack

  • 90-day message history limit on free plan results in important conversations disappearing
  • Per-user pricing becomes expensive quickly for larger teams
  • Notification overload with 78% of employees feeling overwhelmed by notifications
  • Mobile app performance issues including lag and slow syncing
  • Huddles limited to 50 people and cannot be recorded
  • Requires dedicated video conferencing service for formal meetings and webinars

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon Connect

Free
  • Pay-as-you-go$0.018/minute
    • Voice minutes
    • Free tier available
    • No upfront costs

Slack

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Slack review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Connect if

  • You need voice.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want chat.
Amazon Connect review

Choose Slack if

  • You need channels.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux.
  • You also want direct messaging.
Slack review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Connect or Slack better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Connect starts at Free and Slack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Connect or Slack?
Amazon Connect starts at Free and Slack at Free.
Does Amazon Connect or Slack run on more platforms?
Amazon Connect runs on Web. Slack runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux.
Can I use Amazon Connect for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Amazon Connect best used for?
Amazon Connect is most often used for cloud contact centre with no per-seat licence, voice, chat, email and sms in one queue, conversational analytics and agent assist, outbound campaigns and automated contact. Of those, cloud contact centre with no per-seat licence and voice, chat, email and sms in one queue are not what Slack is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Connect do that Slack cannot?
Amazon Connect covers Voice, Chat, Tasks, ML-powered analytics. Slack covers Channels, Direct messaging, Voice & video calls, Screen sharing. Both handle Salesforce, SOC2, HIPAA, FedRAMP.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Slack: Does Slack have a free plan?

Yes, Slack offers a free plan indefinitely with no credit card required. Free users get 90-day message history, up to 10 app integrations, and 1:1 huddles.

Source
Slack: What are Slack's pricing plans?

Slack offers Free, Pro ($7.25/user/month with annual billing), Business+ ($12.50/user/month), and Enterprise Grid (custom pricing). Monthly billing costs approximately 20% more than annual.

Source
Slack: Does Slack support offline use?

Slack is a cloud-based platform and does not support robust offline work. Internet connectivity is required to access messages and collaborate.

Source
Slack: What integrations does Slack support?

Slack integrates with 43+ apps on average per team, including Google Drive, ChatGPT, Vercel, Asana, GitHub, and many others through their app marketplace.

Source
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Related pages

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