Communication · head to head
Line vs Slack
Line
Communication
Messaging app that dominates Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, now run by LY Corporation under joint SoftBank and Naver ownership
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Line line has negligible market share outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, so it is the wrong choice for reaching contacts in most other regions.; Slack 90-day message history limit on free plan results in important conversations disappearing
- They diverge on capability: Line covers Line Pay, Slack covers Channels.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Line and Slack actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Communication).
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 Line
- Line Pay
- Official Accounts
- Stickers and themes
- Line News
- Group and open chat
- Timeline
Only in Slack
- Channels
- Direct messaging
- Voice & video calls
- Screen sharing
- File sharing
- Search
- Workflow builder
- Slack Connect
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Line
- A business selling to consumers in Japan that needs an Official Account rather than email or SMS to reach customersnot Slack
- An individual keeping in touch with contacts in Japan, Taiwan or Thailand where Line, not WhatsApp, is the defaultnot Slack
- A brand running promotions through Line stickers or Timeline content aimed at a Japanese audiencenot Slack
- A company processing consumer payments in Japan through Line Pay integrationnot Slack
Slack
- Team communicationnot Line
- Project coordinationnot Line
- Customer supportnot Line
- Remote worknot Line
- Cross-functional collaborationnot Line
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Line
- Line has negligible market share outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, so it is the wrong choice for reaching contacts in most other regions.
- A 2021 incident exposed that some user data had been accessible from servers operated in China, which led to a formal restructuring of data governance and remains a reference point for privacy sensitive users.
- Standard chats are not end to end encrypted by default in the way Signal is; Letter Sealing, an opt-in encryption feature, has to be manually enabled per chat.
- Business messaging through Official Accounts becomes expensive quickly once a company exceeds the free monthly message allowance and moves to a metered plan.
- Ownership sits inside a SoftBank and Naver joint venture with a history of governance disputes between the two partners, which creates strategic uncertainty for enterprise customers relying on the platform long term.
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
Line
Free- LineFree
- Free messaging, voice and video calling
- Individual sticker sets typically cost a few hundred yen each
- Line Official Account has a free tier with message volume limits, then paid tiers by monthly message count
Slack
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Slack review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Line if
- You need line pay.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
- You also want official accounts.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Line or Slack better?
- Neither clearly leads. Line 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, Line or Slack?
- Line starts at Free and Slack at Free.
- Does Line or Slack run on more platforms?
- Line runs on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web. Slack runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- Can I use Line for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Line best used for?
- Line is most often used for a business selling to consumers in japan that needs an official account rather than email or sms to reach customers, an individual keeping in touch with contacts in japan, taiwan or thailand where line, not whatsapp, is the default, a brand running promotions through line stickers or timeline content aimed at a japanese audience, a company processing consumer payments in japan through line pay integration. Of those, a business selling to consumers in japan that needs an official account rather than email or sms to reach customers and an individual keeping in touch with contacts in japan, taiwan or thailand where line, not whatsapp, is the default are not what Slack is typically brought in for.
- What can Line do that Slack cannot?
- Line covers Line Pay, Official Accounts, Stickers and themes, Line News. Slack covers Channels, Direct messaging, Voice & video calls, Screen sharing.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Line: Is Line encrypted by default?
Chats use standard transport encryption, but full end to end Letter Sealing encryption must be turned on manually per conversation, it is not the default.
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.
SourceLine: Does Line work well outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand?
Technically yes, but almost nobody uses it as their primary messenger outside those markets, so it is the wrong choice to reach most other audiences.
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.
SourceLine: Who owns Line now?
LY Corporation, formed from a merger of Line and Yahoo Japan businesses, controlled by A Holdings, a joint venture between SoftBank and Naver.
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.
SourceSlack: 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.
SourceRelated pages
Other head to heads
- Line vs WeChat
- Line vs KakaoTalk
- Line vs Viber
- Line vs Naver Works
- Line vs LINE WORKS
- Line vs Disciple
- Line vs Messenger
- Line vs Gupshup
- Line vs Chatwork
- Line vs Zoom
- Line vs Loom
- Line vs Rocket.Chat
- Line vs Sessions
- Line vs Signal
- Line vs TeamViewer
- Line vs Textline
- Line vs Twist
- Line vs WhatsApp
- Line vs Kakao Work
- Line vs RingCentral Video
- Line vs Telegram
- Line vs Webex by Cisco
- Line vs Microsoft Teams
- Line vs Chanty
- Line vs Flock
- Line vs Google Chat
- Slack vs WeChat
- Slack vs KakaoTalk
- Slack vs Viber
- Slack vs Naver Works
- Slack vs LINE WORKS
- Slack vs Disciple
- Slack vs Messenger
- Slack vs Gupshup
- Slack vs Chatwork
- Slack vs Zoom
- Slack vs Loom
- Slack vs Rocket.Chat
- Slack vs Sessions
- Slack vs Signal
- Slack vs TeamViewer
- Slack vs Textline
- Slack vs Twist
- Slack vs WhatsApp
- Slack vs Kakao Work
- Slack vs RingCentral Video
- Slack vs Telegram
- Slack vs Webex by Cisco
- Slack vs Microsoft Teams
- Slack vs Chanty
- Slack vs Flock
- Slack vs Google Chat