Updated October 2026 · 5 apps compared

Best AI Apps for Slack 2026 Comparison

Slack AI, ChatGPT for Slack, Claude for Slack, Perplexity for Slack, and Plug and AI — we break down pricing, features, and which one actually makes sense for your team.

Channel summarization
Image generation
Free Slack plan support
Multi-model access
Team pricing

At a glance

Apps comparedpricing, features, fit: 5
Slack AI, team of 10requires paid Slack: $72.50–180/mo
ChatGPT for Slack, team of 10Business, billed annually: $200/mo
Plug and AI fixed costpay per use, shared balance: $0
Plug and AI modelsworks on free Slack: 300+

The 5 major AI apps for Slack

Slack AIby Salesforce / Slack

Native Slack feature focused on summarizing your workspace — channels, threads, catch-up digest. No model choice, no image gen.

Price: $7.25–18/user/mo (paid plan)
Free Slack plan: No
Models: Slack's own AI
Image gen: No

ChatGPT for Slackby OpenAI

OpenAI's official Slack app (@ChatGPT). Summarizes discussions and answers questions — but requires a ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace.

Price: $20/user/mo (per seat)
Free Slack plan: Not stated
Models: OpenAI models only
Image gen: No

Claude for Slackby Anthropic

Anthropic's official Slack integration. Strong reasoning and writing — but Claude Tag requires a Claude Team or Enterprise org, with channel work billed by usage.

Price: Team/Ent + usage
Free Slack plan: Not stated
Models: Claude only
Image gen: No

Perplexity for Slackby Perplexity AI

AI-powered web search in Slack. Excellent for finding real-time information from the web — not for Slack-native features or image generation.

Price: Paid plan (Computer)
Free Slack plan: Not stated
Models: Perplexity-selected models
Image gen: No

Plug and AIMulti-model · Pay-per-useBest for teams

300+ models (GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Llama…) from a single Slack app. One shared workspace balance — no per-seat pricing. Works on free Slack plans. The only app compared here with both image generation AND channel summarization.

Price: Pay per use · $0 fixed
Free Slack plan: Yes
Models: 300+ (all major)
Image gen: Yes (Nano Banana 2)
Channel summarization: Free with open-source
Per-seat pricing: None

Full feature comparison

Every major capability side-by-side. Last updated October 2026.

Feature	Slack AI	ChatGPT for Slack	Claude for Slack	Perplexity for Slack	Plug and AI
Works on free Slack	No	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated	Yes
Team pricing (no per-seat)	No	No	Org plan + usage	No	Yes
Channel summarization	Yes	Business/Ent	Team/Ent	No	free
Thread summarization	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Image generation	No	No	No	No	Yes
Image analysis (vision)	—	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Multiple AI models	Slack's own	GPT only	Claude only	Perplexity-selected models	300+ models
Web search	No	Limited	No	Yes	Via models
DM support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Thread context awareness	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Cross-channel reading	Yes (Business+)	—	—	—	up to 5yrs
Zero Data Retention option	No	No	No	No	opt-in
Free open-source models	No	No	No	No	Nemotron and more

Pricing for a team of 10

Most apps charge per user — costs multiply fast. Here's what your team actually pays each month.

App	Pricing model	Cost for 10 people	Requires paid Slack?
Slack AI	Paid plan: $7.25–18/user/mo	$72.50–180/mo	Yes — Pro or Business+
ChatGPT for Slack	Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace (Business from 2 seats, $20/user/mo annual)	$200/mo	Not stated
Claude for Slack	Claude Team/Enterprise org + usage	Org plan + usage (varies)	Not stated
Perplexity for Slack	Paid Perplexity plan with Computer access	Varies by plan	—
Plug and AI	Pay-per-use, shared balance	Pay per use · $0 fixed (pricing)	No

* ChatGPT estimate assumes a team of 10 on ChatGPT Business at $20/user/mo billed annually; @ChatGPT in Slack needs a Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace (see the Slack Marketplace listing). Claude Tag needs a Claude Team or Enterprise org (Team Standard seats list at $20/seat/mo annual or $25 monthly); channel, thread, and group-DM use bills by usage to the org's usage balance — no Claude seat per Slack user, and Anthropic publishes no separate Claude Tag rate card.

See full pricing →

App-by-app breakdown

What each app is actually good at — and what's missing.

Slack AI

Built-in Slack feature · Included in paid Slack plans · $7.25–18/user/mo

Best at

Channel catch-up summaries
Thread recap ("summarize this thread")
Native Slack integration — no setup
Searches across your Slack workspace

Limitations

Requires paid Slack plan (Pro or Business+)
No image generation
Only Slack's own AI — no GPT, Claude, Gemini
Cost applies to every paid Slack seat
No free-tier channel summarization

Best for: Teams already on paid Slack who want a native, no-config channel digest. Not worth it if you're on free Slack or need more than summarization.

ChatGPT for Slack

Official OpenAI integration · Requires ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu

Best at

Drafting and editing directly in Slack
Thread summarization (with @ChatGPT)
Answering complex questions in channels
Code review and analysis

Limitations

Needs a paid ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace
~$200/mo for a team of 10 on Business (annual)
Image generation not listed
Locked to GPT — no Claude, Gemini, etc.

Best for: Organizations already on ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu that want @ChatGPT inside Slack. Too expensive for team-wide rollout.

Claude for Slack

Official Anthropic integration (Claude Tag) · Requires Claude Team or Enterprise

Best at

Long-form writing and editing
Deep reasoning and analysis
Document review and feedback
Following complex multi-step instructions

Limitations

Needs a Claude Team or Enterprise org — not Free, Pro, or Max
Channel work bills by usage to the org balance (no published Tag rate card)
No image generation
Locked to Claude models only

Best for: Organizations that need Claude specifically and already run a Claude Team or Enterprise plan. Slack users don't each need a Claude seat for channel work, but you still pay for the org plan plus usage under an Owner-set spend limit. Plug and AI gives you Claude plus 300+ other models on one pay-per-use balance, with no plan or seats required.

Perplexity for Slack

AI-powered web search · Requires a paid Perplexity plan with Computer access

Best at

Real-time web search with sources
Research and fact-checking
News and current events
Cited answers (with references)

Limitations

Needs a paid Perplexity plan with Computer access
Channel summarization not a listed feature
No image generation or analysis
Limited as a general assistant

Best for: Research-heavy teams that need web search and citations. Narrow use case — not a general AI assistant for teams.

Plug and AI

300+ models · Pay-per-use shared balance · Works on free Slack

Best at

Giving your whole team AI at minimal cost
Switching models per message — no config, no new subscriptions
Generating and analyzing images in Slack
Summarizing channels & threads (free with open-source models)
Reading up to 5 years of channel history
Works on free Slack plans — no Slack upgrade needed
Zero Data Retention option for compliance teams

@ai premium Draft a contract → GPT-5.6 Luna → Grok 4.5 → Gemini 3.8 Flash
@ai claude Review this legal doc → Claude Haiku 5.5
@ai free Summarize #product from last week → Nemotron 3 Super (free)
@ai image A logo for our new feature → Nano Banana 2 Lite

Trade-offs

Requires topping up a shared balance
Workspace search happens on demand across channels and threads you have access to — no separate pre-built index
Some models don't support ZDR when enabled

Best for: Teams on free or paid Slack who want access to all major AI models at a fraction of per-seat pricing. The only option that covers image generation + channel summarization + multi-model access in one app.

Which app is right for your team?

Not every team has the same needs. Here's a quick guide.

You want the simplest possible setup

If your team is already on a paid Slack plan and you just want a quick summary each morning without any extra setup —

→ Consider Slack AI

Your team does a lot of research

If your primary use case is finding and citing information from the web — news, facts, current events —

→ Consider Perplexity for Slack

You want to give AI to your whole team affordably

If you want everyone to have AI access — not just power users — without paying per seat or upgrading Slack —

→ Use Plug and AI

You need image generation in Slack

If your team creates content, visuals, or mockups directly from Slack conversations —

→ Only Plug and AI supports this

Free Slack plan, want AI for everyone

If your team uses Slack's free plan and can't or won't pay for a Slack upgrade, but still wants AI access —

→ Plug and AI is the only option

You need the best possible model

If you specifically need Claude or GPT-5 and already pay for ChatGPT seats or a Claude Team/Enterprise plan —

→ ChatGPT for Slack (ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu) or Claude Tag (org plan + usage) works

Frequently asked questions

Pricing, free Slack plans, models.

How do Slack AI app prices compare for a team of 10?

Plug and AI has no per-seat fee — $0/month fixed, pay per use (usage-based rates; details on the pricing page); free models cost $0. Slack AI costs $72.50–180/month and requires a paid Slack plan. ChatGPT for Slack (@ChatGPT) needs a ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace (Business: at least 2 seats at $20/user/month billed annually); Perplexity's Slack app needs a paid Perplexity plan with Computer access. Claude Tag (Claude for Slack) needs a Claude Team or Enterprise organization (Team Standard seats list at $20/seat/month billed annually or $25 monthly), but Slack users don't each need a Claude seat for channel, thread, and group-DM use — that work bills by usage to the organization's usage balance under an Owner-set spend limit.

Which Slack AI app works on free Slack plans?

Only Plug and AI works fully on free Slack plans. Slack AI requires a paid Slack Pro or Business+ plan. ChatGPT for Slack requires the organization to have a ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace. Claude Tag (Claude for Slack) requires a Claude Team or Enterprise organization — it is not available on Claude Free, Pro, or Max. Perplexity's Slack app needs a paid Perplexity plan with Computer access.

Does Slack AI work on the free Slack plan?

No. Slack AI features are only included in paid Slack plans — Pro (from $7.25/user/mo) for summaries, Business+ ($15–18/user/mo) for full AI. On Slack's free plan you get at most a limited Slackbot preview. Plug and AI works on free Slack plans with no upgrade needed.

Which Slack AI app can summarize channels?

Slack AI, ChatGPT for Slack, Claude Tag, and Plug and AI can summarize channels. Slack AI requires a paid Slack plan ($7.25–18/user/month) and uses Slack's own AI. Claude Tag can catch up on and summarize channel context, but needs a Claude Team or Enterprise organization with usage billing. Plug and AI can summarize any channel it's been invited to using @ai or the /channel command — and with free open-source models, channel summarization is effectively free. ChatGPT for Slack can also summarize a channel or thread discussion when @mentioned, but needs a ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace. Channel summarization isn't a listed feature of Perplexity's Slack app.

Can I use GPT-5, Claude, and Gemini from the same Slack app?

Yes — Plug and AI lets you pick GPT, Claude or Gemini per message. ChatGPT for Slack gives you OpenAI only and Claude for Slack gives you Anthropic only; Perplexity and Manus pick their own models for you. Plug and AI gives you 300+ models from all major providers from a single @ai mention. For a head-to-head look at the underlying models, see our best AI chatbots ranking.

Which Slack AI app generates images?

Of the apps compared here, only Plug and AI. Type @ai image a minimalist logo for a fintech startup and get a generated image directly in Slack. Supported models include Google's Nano Banana 2. None of the other apps compared here supports image generation.

Is Plug and AI a replacement for Slack AI?

For most teams, yes — Plug and AI covers the workflows they actually use most: channel and thread summaries, cross-channel Q&A across any channel or thread you have access to, 300+ models, image generation, image analysis, and shared billing on free Slack plans. Slack AI still has a native pre-indexed search layer — useful if pre-indexed full-text search across the whole workspace is your primary need. To preview the same models outside Slack before installing, try our no-login AI chat.

Try the AI that covers it all

300+ models · Image generation · Free channel summarization · Works on free Slack · No per-seat pricing.
Add it to your Slack workspace in one click — $1.00 free credit included.

Includes $1.00 free credit · No credit card needed · Web Chat App

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