Team chat · Comparison
Google Chat vs Slack vs Zoom Workplace
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 | Zoom Workplace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 includedRetention periods, legal holds and searchable chat exports on the entry paid plan, with meetings, mail and calendar in the same app. |
| Overall score | 7.0 | 7.1Best | 5.9 |
| Free option | 14-day free trial | Free plan | Free plan |
| Card to start | –Not measured | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $7/user/mo | $7.25/user/mo | $14.16/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) | Workplace Pro, $14.16/user/mo billed annually ($16.99 on the monthly view) |
| What else the plan includes | Gmail, Meet, Drive (30 GB pooled per user), Docs | Chat only: huddles, canvases, lists, workflows | Meetings up to 30 hours, Mail and Calendar clients, 10 GB cloud recording per user |
| 50 people, annual terms | $350/mo | $362.50/mo | $708/mo |
| Free option | 14-day Workspace trial | Free plan: 90 days of history, data older than 1 year deleted | Basic: one free license; cloud chat copies kept 2 years |
| Retention, legal hold, eDiscovery | Vault on Business Plus ($22) | Custom retention on Pro; legal holds and Discovery API on Enterprise+ | Retention periods, legal holds and Chat History search and export on every paid plan |
| SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 | Both (Google Workspace) | Both | Both (Zoom Chat in scope) |
| HIPAA BAA | Accepted by an admin in the Admin console | HIPAA support listed on Enterprise+ | Zoom signs BAAs; plans not named, healthcare through sales |
| EU data storage | Data regions from Business Standard ($14) | Business+ and up, set up through sales | Regional Infrastructure for Education and Enterprise accounts |
| Company SSO | Third-party IdP on every Business plan | SAML from Business+ ($15); Pro has Google OAuth | SAML from Business ($18.33) |
| Audit log | Chat log events on every Business plan | Enterprise+ | Admin activity logs from Pro |
| Working with outside people | Starter: external 1:1 and group DMs; external spaces from Standard | Pro: guests and Slack Connect channels | External contacts in chats and channels, admin-controlled |
| 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, Zoom Workplace puts the most records controls on its entry paid plan here: retention, legal holds and chat exports on Pro. It is also the most expensive way here to give 50 people chat, and SSO starts on Business. |
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; Zoom Workplace: 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.
From our Zoom Workplace review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Zoom Workplace when
- You need legal holds and chat exports without an enterprise plan, and want meetings in the same price.
- Pick Slack when
- You want a lower price for chat alone, a free team plan and history kept for the life of the workspace.
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
- Zoom WorkplacePro$14.16/user/moBilled annually as one upfront charge ($16.99 on the monthly view); 1–99 licenses
- Meetings up to 30 hours
- Zoom Mail and Calendar clients
- 10 GB cloud recording per user
- Chat retention settings, legal holds and the Chat History report
- Admin activity logs
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Google Chat 2026-10-15, Slack 2026-10-15, Zoom Workplace 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).
- 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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