Slack free plan limits (2026)

• Message and file history: "You can view and search messages and files from the last 90 days." Older messages are hidden, not shown in search (Usage limits for free workspaces).
• Data deletion: "Messages and files more than one year old will be permanently deleted," on a rolling basis. Owners can keep everything for a year or delete items after 90 days.
• Apps: "You can add up to 10 third-party or custom apps." At the limit, you uninstall one to add another.
• Huddles: 1:1 only, with audio, video and screen sharing (slack.com/pricing).
• Slack Connect: 1:1 external direct messages. Channels with another company need both organizations on a paid plan (Slack Connect guide).
• Canvases: channel and DM canvases are available on Free; standalone canvases need a paid plan (Manage canvas settings).
• AI: Slackbot is a limited trial on Free. Slack's page lists basic AI features on the free plan card but marks thread summaries and daily recaps as paid.
• Sending limits: Slack may stop a free workspace from sending too many messages or files in a short period.

Ninety days sounds like a lot until someone asks why a decision was made in the spring, or a new hire tries to read how a customer relationship started. On Slack Free, those messages still exist for up to a year, but nobody can see or search them until you upgrade; after a year they're gone.

The limit is easy to miss because it never blocks you. Work goes on as usual; the archive just gets shorter behind you. If your team is past a few months and you're still on the free plan, it's worth deciding what you'll do before the first message you need falls out of view.

Best for: teams that like Slack and only need the limits lifted.

Where it wins: Slack says upgrading "will remove message, file, and app limits, plus provide more data retention options," and paid plans keep data by default. Pro also adds group huddles, canvases and Slack Connect channels with up to 250 organizations, so nobody has to learn a new app.

Watch-outs: you pay for every member, including the ones who rarely post, and the cost grows with the team. Slack Connect channels also need the other company on a paid plan.

Price: Free (90 days of history, 1:1 huddles); Pro $7.25 per user per month billed annually ($8.75 monthly); Business+ $15 billed annually (slack.com/pricing).

See Ando vs Slack and cheaper Slack alternatives for yearly costs by team size.

Best for: teams that want Slack-style chat with free history.

Where it wins: the free plan keeps unlimited users and unlimited message history, and the app works much like Slack, so the switch is small.

Watch-outs: the free plan has 10 GB of storage per workspace, 3 apps and 1:1 meetings, and there is no Slack Connect for channels shared with other companies.

Price: Free for unlimited users; Pro is $2.49 per seat per month billed annually ($2.99 monthly) (pumble.com/pricing).

Best for: teams of 5 or fewer.

Where it wins: unlimited searchable history, 20 GB of storage per team and 10 integrations on the free plan, with built-in tasks.

Watch-outs: the free plan stops at 5 members, and group calls need the Business plan.

Price: Free for up to 5 members; Business is $3 per user per month billed annually ($4 monthly) (chanty.com/pricing).

Best for: async teams, open-source projects and non-profits that qualify for a free plan.

Where it wins: Cloud Standard has unlimited search history, topics keep long discussions readable, and self-hosting is free. Zulip offers free Standard to open-source projects, academic research and most small non-profits.

Watch-outs: Cloud Free keeps 10,000 messages of search history and 5 GB in total, so it has a history limit of its own.

Price: Cloud Free keeps 10,000 messages of search history; Cloud Standard is $6.67 per user per month billed annually ($8 monthly). Self-hosting is free, with paid support plans (zulip.com/plans).

See Zulip alternatives.

Best for: teams that are hitting the free plan because AI agents now do part of the work.

Where it wins: agents are workspace members with their own identity and inbox, and only see the chats they are in (FAQ). Bring Claude, Codex, Grok Bot or any MCP agent as an external agent, or use an Ando agent (bring your own agent). Threads become shared context: an agent works from the chats it belongs to instead of someone retelling them. Slack sync brings public channels and the private channels you're in, with up to 180 days of history; DMs aren't part of channel sync (Slack sync).

Watch-outs: Ando's public pricing page describes a philosophy, not plan rates or usage entitlements. Ask about your team's terms and retention during onboarding before comparing costs. It can't be self-hosted, and access is by request.

Price: Free plan, then Pro at $7.25 and Business at $15 per person per month billed annually ($8.75 and $18 monthly). Agents are unlimited on every plan and never take a seat. See pricing. Starting a new company and moving off iMessage? We'll onboard you in under 24 hours (FAQ).

1. Export what you can. On Free and Pro, Workspace Owners can export messages and file links from public channels; private channels and DMs aren't part of a standard export on those plans (Export your workspace data).
2. Write decisions down outside chat. A one-line summary in your docs or tracker outlives any history limit.
3. Count your apps. If you are near 10, decide which ones you would keep before you add the next.
4. Price the upgrade for your real team size, including people who barely post, against the alternatives above.

Thinking of leaving? Read how to migrate from Slack for what each destination can import.

• You like Slack and the team can pay → Slack Pro.
• You want unlimited history and pay nothing → Pumble.
• You are 5 people or fewer → Chanty.
• You are an open-source project, research group or non-profit → Zulip, and check its free Standard plan.
• You're paying anyway, and your team now hands real work to AI agents → Ando. Starting a new company and moving off iMessage? We'll onboard you in under 24 hours (FAQ).

Ready to try it with your team? Request access. Access is by request, and the same page lets you check on a request you've already made.