Softwr

All industries · head to head

Slack vs Tana

Slack logo

Slack

All industries

Where work happens

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tana logo

Tana

Productivity

The everything app for your personal workspace

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Slack 90-day message history limit on free plan results in important conversations disappearing; Tana the free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries
  • They diverge on capability: Slack covers Channels, Tana covers Outliner interface.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Slack and Tana actually diverge.

Attributes where Slack and Tana differ
AttributeSlackTana
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, LinuxWeb, Desktop
CategoryAll industriesProductivity
Founded20092020

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 Slack

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

Only in Tana

  • Outliner interface
  • Supertags
  • Live queries
  • AI integration
  • Graph views
  • Email capture
  • API
  • Zapier

What people use each for

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

Slack

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

Tana

  • Structured note taking with a graph based supertag data modelnot Slack
  • Automatic meeting capture with AI transcripts and summariesnot Slack
  • Turning notes into queryable structured databasesnot Slack

Where each one falls short

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

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

Tana

  • The free plan hosts only 5 meetings a month with AI transcripts and summaries
  • The free plan connects only 1 calendar and allows 50 AI queries
  • Pro is $30 per user per month at standard price, with $20 shown as an early bird rate
  • Max is $120 per user per month at standard price, with $80 shown as an early bird rate
  • Integrations and full MCP require the Pro plan
  • Dedicated support and onboarding, and unlimited agents, skills and types, require the Max plan
  • The Business plan is custom priced, billed yearly and has no published rate
  • The free trial runs 30 days

Pricing, plan by plan

Slack

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Slack review.

Tana

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core features
    • Supertags
    • Searches
  • Pro$10/month
    • Advanced AI
    • Priority support
    • Extended history

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Tana if

  • You need outliner interface.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop.
  • You also want supertags.
Tana review

Questions people ask

Is Slack or Tana better?
Neither clearly leads. Slack starts at Free and Tana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Slack or Tana?
Slack starts at Free and Tana at Free.
Does Slack or Tana run on more platforms?
Slack runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux. Tana runs on Web, Desktop.
Can I use Slack for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Slack best used for?
Slack is most often used for team communication, project coordination, customer support, remote work. Of those, team communication and project coordination are not what Tana is typically brought in for.
What can Slack do that Tana cannot?
Slack covers Channels, Direct messaging, Voice & video calls, Screen sharing. Tana covers Outliner interface, Supertags, Live queries, AI integration.

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

More on Slack

More on Tana

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