Slack Huddles vs Zoom: Which to Use for Team Calls

Use a Slack huddle for quick calls with teammates that start from a message, and Zoom for scheduled meetings, meetings with people outside your Slack, and anything you need recorded. On Slack's paid plans a huddle holds up to 50 people, 25 of them on video, and costs nothing beyond your Slack seat. On the free plan huddles are one-on-one. Slack does not record huddles at all. Zoom's free plan holds 100 people for 40 minutes per meeting, and paid Zoom plans run meetings up to 30 hours with cloud recording.

Joining a huddle keeps you active in Slack, but your dot still goes grey 10 minutes after your last keyboard or mouse input once you leave.

Slack huddles vs Zoom, side by side

Sources: Slack help "Use huddles in Slack", slack.com/pricing and zoom.us/pricing, checked on 23 September.

Are Slack huddles free?

Yes, on every plan, with a limit. On the free plan a huddle can have two people, so it works for one-on-one calls in DMs. Group huddles need Pro ($7.25 a user a month, paid yearly) or higher. The other free plan limits are in Slack free plan limits.

Slack huddle vs Zoom cost

If you already pay for Slack Pro, huddles cost nothing extra. Zoom is a second per-user subscription: third-party price trackers put Zoom Workplace Pro at about $13 to $14 a user a month in the US, paid yearly, and zoom.us shows the price in your local currency. For a team that already pays for Slack and mostly talks internally, dropping paid Zoom seats is the saving people mean when they ask whether huddles have replaced Zoom.

Most teams keep a few Zoom licenses for client calls, webinars and recorded sessions, and move internal calls to huddles.

Is a Slack huddle the same as a call?

Close to it. A huddle is an audio call you can turn into video, with screen sharing, a message thread, a notes canvas and reactions. The differences from a Zoom call:

• • It lives in a conversation. Anyone in the channel or DM can see the huddle and join.
• • It is informal by default. No invite or calendar event; it starts when someone clicks the headphones icon.
• • It is not recorded. Slack keeps the thread and the canvas, and AI notes if someone turns them on. See are Slack huddles recorded.
• • It holds fewer people. 50 per huddle, against 100 to 300 on Zoom's paid plans.

Can my boss hear my Slack huddles?

Only by joining the huddle, which everyone in it can see. Slack does not save huddle audio or video, and it tells everyone in the huddle when AI notes are turned on. What admins can see in general is in can Slack admins see DMs.

Which one to use

• • Quick question that started in a thread: huddle.
• • Daily standup of 5 to 15 people: huddle on a paid plan.
• • Client call, interview, or anyone outside your Slack: Zoom.
• • You need a recording: Zoom. For huddles, see how to record a Slack huddle.
• • All-hands over 50 people or a webinar: Zoom.

If your company runs Microsoft Teams, the same trade-off applies to Teams meetings; see Slack vs Teams. If huddles fail to connect, see Slack huddle not working.

FAQ

Is Slack better than Zoom?

For internal quick calls, yes, because huddles start from the conversation and cost nothing extra on a paid plan. For large, external or recorded meetings, Zoom is better.

What is the Slack huddle participant limit?

Two people on the free plan. Up to 50 people on paid plans, with 25 on video at a time.

Can you record a Slack huddle?

Not in Slack. You can turn on AI notes on Pro and above, or use a screen recorder.

Do huddles have a time limit?

Slack's help center does not list one. Zoom's free plan stops meetings at 40 minutes.

Has Slack huddles replaced Zoom?

For many teams' internal calls, yes. Most still keep Zoom for external calls, recordings and webinars.