Is Microsoft Teams available within my M365 subscription?

Microsoft Teams is a product offered by Microsoft. Organizations with a Microsoft 365 business subscription should check their specific plan documentation to confirm if Teams is included in their current service package.

Can I use Slack and Microsoft Teams together?

Yes, it is technically possible to use both. However, this often results in redundant costs and the need to manage two separate communication environments, which may lead to fragmented information storage and increased administrative burden.

Does Slack integrate with Microsoft 365?

Slack is a third-party platform that can be installed on various devices and offers integrations with many services. While it can be used alongside Microsoft 365, it does not function as a native part of the Microsoft 365 suite and requires separate management.

Slack vs. Microsoft Teams: Internal Communication Strategy for M365 Users

Question: Should a small business use Slack or Microsoft Teams for internal communication, considering existing Microsoft 365 licensing costs?

Prepared by the ChoiceScore Research Desk · Editor-approved for the curated library · Reviewed July 30, 2026

Recommended Choice Score: 70/100

Direct answer

For small businesses already committed to Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams serves as a primary candidate for internal communication because it is a product within the Microsoft ecosystem. Slack is a viable alternative if the organization determines that its specific feature set, interface, or third-party integration capabilities provide a measurable productivity advantage that outweighs the cost of maintaining a separate, redundant subscription. The choice should be driven by an audit of existing licensing and a pilot test to determine if the native integration of Teams provides sufficient utility for the team's specific workflow requirements.

Summary

The decision between Slack and Microsoft Teams involves balancing the fiscal efficiency of utilizing existing software investments against the potential productivity gains of specialized communication platforms. Microsoft Teams is a product offered by Microsoft, often bundled within various Microsoft 365 business service tiers. For organizations already subscribed to Microsoft 365, the evaluation of Teams involves assessing whether this existing service meets internal communication requirements. Conversely, Slack is a distinct, cloud-based communication platform owned by Salesforce that operates independently of the Microsoft 365 suite. Selecting Slack requires a separate financial commitment per user, which creates an incremental cost structure for organizations that already possess access to Teams through their existing Microsoft licensing. This report evaluates the financial and operational implications of these two paths, providing a framework for small businesses to weigh the cost-savings of consolidation against the potential user experience benefits of an external tool. The analysis emphasizes that while Slack offers a specialized interface, Teams provides a cohesive environment for users already embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Choice Score breakdown

Microsoft Teams (Cost Efficiency) 95/100 — Leverages existing M365 subscriptions to eliminate redundant communication software costs.
Slack (User Experience) 80/100 — Offers a distinct interface and ecosystem that some teams may find more specialized for high-velocity communication.

Best for / Not best for

Best for

Small businesses currently subscribed to Microsoft 365 who seek to minimize software overhead.
Organizations that require frequent, native collaboration on Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
Teams that prefer a single-vendor environment to simplify administrative oversight and security management.

Not best for

Organizations that have determined through pilot testing that the Microsoft Teams interface does not meet their specific workflow requirements.
Teams with a primary software stack that is entirely independent of Microsoft services.
Businesses that prioritize a 'best-of-breed' approach and are willing to pay for multiple, non-integrated software subscriptions.

Scenarios

The Cost-Optimizer (70% likely)
The business prioritizes minimizing overhead and maximizing the utility of existing software investments. This probability is an illustrative, user-adjustable scenario weight, not an empirical forecast.
The UX-First Startup (20% likely)
The business prioritizes team morale and ease of use, willing to pay a premium for a specific communication interface. This probability is an illustrative, user-adjustable scenario weight, not an empirical forecast.
The Hybrid Approach (10% likely)
The business uses Teams for formal document-heavy collaboration and Slack for informal, high-speed team chat. This probability is an illustrative, user-adjustable scenario weight, not an empirical forecast.

Calculations

Metric	Result	Formula
Illustrative Annual Cost of Slack (Scenario)	1,740 USD/year	monthly_slack_cost_per_user × 12 × number_of_employees
Illustrative Total Cost of Ownership (M365 + Slack)	4,740 USD/year	(m365_license_cost × 12 × employees) + (slack_cost × 12 × employees)
Illustrative Monthly Cost per Employee (Teams)	12.50 USD/month	m365_license_cost

Pros & cons

Pros

Microsoft Teams: Available as a product within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, allowing organizations to leverage existing service subscriptions.
Microsoft Teams: Native integration with Microsoft 365 services, facilitating document sharing and collaborative editing of Office files.
Microsoft Teams: Centralized administration for organizations already managing Microsoft 365 security and user policies.
Slack: Operates as a specialized, cloud-based team communication platform with a distinct feature set.
Slack: Offers various pricing tiers to accommodate different team sizes and feature requirements.
Slack: Available for download and use on multiple devices, including Windows, macOS, and mobile platforms.

Cons

Microsoft Teams: May present a learning curve for users unfamiliar with the Microsoft 365 interface and its specific collaboration paradigms.
Microsoft Teams: Performance and resource utilization can vary depending on the local system environment and the complexity of the workspace.
Slack: Requires a separate financial subscription, which is an incremental cost for M365 users.
Slack: Necessitates the management of a separate set of administrative credentials and security policies, increasing IT overhead.
Slack: Potential for data fragmentation if not carefully managed alongside existing M365 file storage and document management systems.
Slack: Does not offer the same native, built-in integration with the M365 ecosystem as Teams, potentially requiring additional connectors.

Assumptions

M365 License Cost: 12.50 USD/month — Illustrative value for M365 Business Standard.
Slack Pro Pricing: 7.25 USD/month — Illustrative value for Slack Pro annual billing.
Team Size: 20 employees — Illustrative size for a small business.
Illustrative scenario probability — The Cost-Optimizer: 70% — A user-adjustable modeling weight used to compare scenarios; it is not a measured probability or forecast.
Illustrative scenario probability — The UX-First Startup: 20% — A user-adjustable modeling weight used to compare scenarios; it is not a measured probability or forecast.
Illustrative scenario probability — The Hybrid Approach: 10% — A user-adjustable modeling weight used to compare scenarios; it is not a measured probability or forecast.

Practical next steps

Audit your current Microsoft 365 subscription to confirm the specific features and products included in your plan.
Evaluate the team's daily workflow to determine if the native M365 integration of Teams provides sufficient utility for document collaboration.
Calculate the total annual cost of adding a Slack subscription for all employees to understand the full financial impact.
Conduct a pilot test of Microsoft Teams to assess if it meets the organization's communication requirements compared to the current workflow.
Compare the operational cost of the Slack subscription against the potential productivity benefits of the platform's specific interface.
Consolidate communication tools to a single platform to simplify administration and reduce redundant subscription costs.

Methodology

The analysis focuses on the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by comparing the cost-inclusive nature of Microsoft Teams within the M365 ecosystem against the incremental costs of a standalone Slack subscription. Calculations use illustrative, user-adjustable assumptions to demonstrate the financial impact of redundant software. The recommendation is based on fiscal efficiency and the operational benefits of platform consolidation.

Sources

Sources support specific claims; they do not replace our analysis. Read the research and source standards.

FAQ

Is Microsoft Teams available within my M365 subscription?: Microsoft Teams is a product offered by Microsoft. Organizations with a Microsoft 365 business subscription should check their specific plan documentation to confirm if Teams is included in their current service package.
Can I use Slack and Microsoft Teams together?: Yes, it is technically possible to use both. However, this often results in redundant costs and the need to manage two separate communication environments, which may lead to fragmented information storage and increased administrative burden.
Does Slack integrate with Microsoft 365?: Slack is a third-party platform that can be installed on various devices and offers integrations with many services. While it can be used alongside Microsoft 365, it does not function as a native part of the Microsoft 365 suite and requires separate management.

Related decisions

How to migrate from Slack to Microsoft Teams?
What are the security differences between Slack and Teams?

Disclaimers

All financial figures are illustrative and user-adjustable; they do not constitute guaranteed pricing.

Pricing and licensing terms are subject to change by the respective vendors.

This report is for informational purposes and does not replace professional IT procurement advice.