Team chat · Comparison
Google Chat vs Slack vs Webex
3 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | Google Chat | Slack | Webex |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Compliance includedChat included with Workspace from $7 a user, with SSO, Chat audit logs and a HIPAA BAA on the cheapest Business plan. | Built-in reachChat on its own terms: channels shared with other companies, unlimited history and custom retention from $7.25 per active user. | Compliance includedHIPAA/BAA compliance and chat with outside accounts listed on every Webex plan, with EU data storage set by country, from $12 a user. |
| Overall score | 7.0 | 7.1Best | 5.3 |
| Free option | 14-day free trial | Free plan | Free plan |
| Card to start | –Not measured | –Not measured | No card needed |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $7/user/mo | $7.25/user/mo | $12/user/mo |
| Pricing model | Per seat | Per seat | Per seat |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Plan priced for 50 people | Workspace Business Starter, $7/user/mo with a 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible) | Pro, $7.25/user/mo billed annually ($8.75 monthly) | Webex Meet, $12/user/mo billed annually ($14.50 monthly) |
| What else the plan includes | Gmail, Meet, Drive (30 GB pooled per user), Docs | Chat only: huddles, canvases, lists, workflows | Meetings up to 24 hours and 200 attendees, AI Assistant, 10 GB cloud recording |
| 50 people, annual terms | $350/mo | $362.50/mo | $600/mo |
| Free option | 14-day Workspace trial | Free plan: 90 days of history, data older than 1 year deleted | Webex Free: unlimited messaging, 40-minute meetings, no card |
| Retention, legal hold, eDiscovery | Vault on Business Plus ($22) | Custom retention on Pro; legal holds and Discovery API on Enterprise+ | Messages kept 360 days by default; custom retention and legal hold with Pro Pack; eDiscovery covers 90 days without it |
| SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 | Both (Google Workspace) | Both | Both (Webex) |
| HIPAA BAA | Accepted by an admin in the Admin console | HIPAA support listed on Enterprise+ | HIPAA/BAA marked on every plan |
| EU data storage | Data regions from Business Standard ($14) | Business+ and up, set up through sales | For organizations set up with a European, Middle Eastern or African country |
| Company SSO | Third-party IdP on every Business plan | SAML from Business+ ($15); Pro has Google OAuth | Documented in Control Hub; not on the plan comparison |
| Audit log | Chat log events on every Business plan | Enterprise+ | Documented in Control Hub; not on the plan comparison |
| Working with outside people | Starter: external 1:1 and group DMs; external spaces from Standard | Pro: guests and Slack Connect channels | Chat with external accounts on every plan |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, Google Chat gives the strongest admin controls on the cheapest plan here, because they come with Workspace. It is not sold alone, and retention, eDiscovery and EU regions start on higher plans. | From its public pages, Slack is the most complete chat product sold on its own, with the only free team plan here. Admin and compliance controls step up by plan: SAML on Business+, audit logs, legal holds and HIPAA on Enterprise+. | From its public pages, Webex and Microsoft Teams are the two here that list a BAA and EU storage on their cheapest paid plans. History control is the trade-off: messages are kept 360 days by default, and retention and legal hold need Pro Pack. |
Evidence: Google Chat: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Slack: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Webex: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our Google Chat review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Google Chat when
- You also need email and documents, and want SSO, an audit log and a BAA on the cheapest plan.
- Pick Slack when
- You want chat alone, a free team plan, and custom retention on the entry paid plan.
From our Slack review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Slack when
- You already have email and documents and want chat alone, with retention control on the entry plan.
- Pick Google Chat when
- You also need business email and documents, and want SSO and an audit log on the cheapest plan.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- Google ChatLowest priceBusiness Starter$7/user/mo1-year commitment, billed monthly ($8.40 flexible); up to 300 users
- Chat, Gmail with a custom domain, Meet (100 participants)
- 30 GB pooled storage per user
- SSO with a third-party IdP and Chat audit logs
- External one-to-one and group direct messages
- SlackPro$7.25/user/moPer active user, billed annually ($8.75 monthly)
- Unlimited message history
- Custom retention policies
- Guests and Slack Connect channels
- Group huddles
- Google OAuth sign-in
- 24/7 support
- WebexWebex Meet$12/user/mo$144 per license a year ($14.50 billed monthly)
- Meetings up to 24 hours and 200 attendees
- AI Assistant, including message summaries
- 10 GB cloud recording
- Slido polling and Q&A
- Support by chat, call and case form
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Google Chat 2026-10-15, Slack 2026-10-15, Webex 2026-10-15.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- SlackSelf-serve sign-up; the highest score of the 3 self-serve products here (7.1/10).
- If you want to try it without entering a card
- WebexFree plan, no card needed; scored 5.3/10.
- Lowest starter price
- Google Chat$7/user/mo for the Business Starter plan.
- Highest overall score
- Slack7.1/10 (Good). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score
Full reviews
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