Slack is a digital communication and team collaboration platform designed to organize conversations and send and receive files. Its key advantages include a user-friendly interface, a free plan, and extensive third-party integrations. Over 100,000 organizations use Slack, and small businesses interested in using the platform need to understand its tangible impact on business operations. These Slack statistics will help you gauge if this platform is worth the investment.
Slack Statistics for Small Businesses
Slack Statistics: User Base & Usage
As a communication tool, Slack was founded in 2009 and was designed for remote workplaces looking for a single place for messaging, task management, and file sharing. As a unified communications (UC) solution, it integrates communication services such as instant messaging, audio and video clips, and presence information. Here are the critical Slack stats on usage and customer base:
1. Over 100,000 organizations use Slack
(Source: Slack)
Slack is a leading collaboration tool used by over 100,000 brands, including Airbnb, Zendesk, and Time. It’s also used by 77 of the Fortune 100 companies, demonstrating how the platform makes reaching and coordinating with people inside and outside your organization easy. Slack supports businesses by centralizing knowledge, securing company data, and improving employee productivity through remote collaboration.
2. Microsoft, Slack’s biggest competitor, has a 24.86% market share
(Source: enlyft)
Microsoft SharePoint leads the collaborative software market with a nearly 25% market share. Slack comes in second with a 17.49% market share. According to Statista’s recent study, the collaboration software market is projected to grow continuously to $16.2 billion by 2028. This impressive figure indicates the increasing adoption of collaborative tools across industries. Read our Microsoft Teams vs Slack comparison to learn more about how the two industry leaders compare.
3. 55% of Slack users are based in the United States
(Source: enlyft)
More than half of Slack users are based in the United States, and communication solutions like Slack have revolutionized workplace communication and collaboration. Gallup reports that about a third of U.S. employees worked exclusively remotely in 2022, and according to experts, time flexibility is the most significant benefit of working remotely.
4. Slack is expected to have 47.2 million daily active users by 2025
(Source: Statista)
Slack has been on an upward trajectory since its inception, which was bolstered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Statista projects that there will be over 47 million daily and 79 million monthly active Slack users by 2025. As remote and hybrid work continues in this new normal, Slack is well-positioned to capitalize on trends in workplace arrangements.
5. Slack has more than 100 million monthly visitors
(Source: Similarweb)
Similarweb estimates Slack gets over 100 million monthly visitors from desktop and mobile users. The top five countries where the most traffic comes from are the United States, Japan, India, the United Kingdom, and Canada. This reflects the continuing interest in Slack as a collaboration and productivity tool.
6. 40% of Slack users are small businesses
(Source: enlyft)
About 40% of Slack’s customer organizations are small businesses with 20 to 49 employees. With features like file sharing, real-time messaging, and threaded group conversations, it’s an excellent option for small businesses needing a solution that will keep them agile and efficient. This group is closely followed by smaller companies with less than 10 employees, accounting for 33% of Slack’s customer base.
7. The top three industries using Slack are IT, computer software & marketing
(Source: enlyft via Bootcamp.com)
IT leads the distribution of companies using Slack by industry at 13%. This is followed by computer software (12%) and marketing and advertising (7%). Slack is popular among tech startups because of its free plan, allowing teams to communicate and stay organized at little to no cost.
Slack’s Financial & Economic Statistics
Communication has quickly become the cornerstone of how companies conduct business today. The right communication platform can do wonders for your business, especially for small businesses wanting to achieve a transparent and efficient flow of information. Here are critical Slack statistics regarding financials and economics you need to know.
8. Salesforce acquired Slack for $27.7 billion in 2021
(Source: The Verge)
Salesforce purchased Slack in 2021 for nearly $28 billion, adding the messaging tool to its extensive enterprise software solution stack. Salesforce is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software. By adding Slack to its group of solutions, customers gain access to a robust, single source of truth for business data. By bringing Slack into the fold, Salesforce connects employees, customers, partners, and all productivity tools into a single platform.
9. Slack’s market capitalization is estimated to be $26.51 billion
(Source: CompaniesMarketCap)
With a market capitalization estimated at $26.51 billion as of November 2023, Slack is one of the few unicorn startups in the market today. In 2022, Slack reported that nearly 80% of Fortune 100 companies use Slack Connect to foster seamless communication with customers, colleagues, and partners.
10. Respondents experienced a 302% return on investment with Slack
(Source: Forrester Consulting)
According to the Total Economic Impact Study, which assessed an organization’s return on investment (ROI), organizations see an average 302% return on investment with Slack. It also reports that companies earn an investment payback within six months. As a robust communications platform, Slack improves productivity in several ways, including email reduction, improvement of transparency, and company culture.
Slack Productivity Statistics
Slack is our recommended best team chat app because it allows organizations to integrate real-time communication capabilities such as instant messaging and voice and video calling. Collaboration tools improve transparency by enabling employees to access and share information quickly, increasing overall productivity. This section will review some of the most critical Slack statistics regarding productivity and performance.
11. Slack reduces meetings by 23% & email usage by 32%
(Source: Slack)
Help your team focus on their work by consolidating communication channels and notifications into one platform. Slack changes how employees work by decreasing email usage by 32% and meetings by 23%. By introducing a faster and easier way to communicate, Slack allows teams to shorten processes like product development cycles and situational and incident management through instant coordination.
12. Slack has over 2,600 apps & 650,000 custom apps in its App Directory
(Source: Slack)
Slack is a versatile platform with thousands of Slack apps with categories ranging from productivity to sales and marketing. Choose from over 2,600 apps in the Slack App Directory, including a Workflow Builder that lets you create your own work system. Slack application programming interface (API) enables you to create custom apps seamlessly integrating with your internal tools, processes, and data.
13. Study finds Slack is an effective tool in delivering project-based learning courses
(Source: Sage Journals)
Thanks to its channel structure that categorizes discussions, Slack was noted to be an effective medium for learning courses. Its private channels help conduct group work and sideline conversations, and users may want to be kept from the larger, more public channels.
In an office setting, Slack generates usage statistics, giving you an overview of how your team uses Slack. For instance, its analytics dashboard can generate the number of messages sent and opened. However, this feature is only available for paid plans.
14. 87% of surveyed users said Slack improved internal communication & collaboration
(Source: Slack)
In a survey of U.S.-based users, nearly nine out of 10 respondents said Slack has contributed to enhancing communication and collaboration. Users spend over nine hours connected and actively using the service among paid customers. This results in a weekly average of over 5 billion actions, including writing and reading messages, performing searches, and uploading and downloading shared files.
Key Slack Information at a Glance
Best For | Teams looking for a user-friendly, responsive messaging tool with rich integrations |
Monthly Starting Price | $8.75 per active user |
Free Plan | Yes |
Slack Channels or Huddle | 1:1 for the free plan; team huddles for paid plans |
Video Meetings | 1:1 for the free plan; unlimited for paid plans |
Integrations | Unlimited app integrations and workflows |
Uptime Guarantee | 99.99% service level agreement |
Security | Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant message and file collaboration |
Learn More |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Slack makes access to your coworkers easy; users can message anyone inside or outside your organization and collaborate like they would in a physical setting. You can work in dedicated spaces called channels, where concerned people can share information and discuss efficiently. Its free-to-use plan is great for small teams seeking a cost-effective instant messaging solution.
Yes and no. Slack offers free and paid plans. Its free plan allows up to 10 published workflows or app integrations. It also provides a quick and easy way to try Slack, thanks to its 90-day message history, 1:1 audio and video meeting, and one workspace.
The answer depends on your needs. Both platforms offer feature-rich solutions that facilitate team collaboration. If you’re looking for extensive UC capabilities, Microsoft Teams offers more robust video conferencing, while Slack is primarily a chat-based collaboration tool. Slack is a standalone communications tool, while Teams is part of the Microsoft ecosystem.
Bottom Line
This rundown of key Slack statistics demonstrates the strong usage and popularity of the communications solution. It’s a preferred messaging tool that has helped businesses of all sizes gain results through enhanced collaboration. With a user base of over 100,000 organizations and a projected 47.2 million daily active users by 2025, Slack stats indicate the platform delivers on its promise to bring people and information together.
