Slack Problems & Issues
Real user-reported problems, complaints, and limitations for Slack. Based on analysis of 12 signals.
Overall score: 58/100
Issues by Category
Free plan deletes messages after 90 days, permanently after 1 year
On the free plan you can only view and search the last 90 days of messages and files. Since August 26, 2024, Slack also permanently deletes free-workspace data older than one year on a rolling basis, so upgrading later cannot bring it back. Owners can only choose between keeping data for one year or deleting it after 90 days.
Enterprise Grid is effectively a one-way upgrade
Licensing guides consistently describe Enterprise Grid (now sold as Enterprise) as having no downgrade path: workspaces are migrated into the org in full, and moving back to a single Business+ workspace is not a supported self-serve option. Treat a Grid migration as a long-term commitment and confirm exit terms with sales.
Slack raised Business+ price 20% in 2025 (now $15/user)
On June 17, 2025 Slack raised Business+ from $12.50 to $15 per user/month billed annually ($15 to $18 monthly), justified by bundled AI features and Salesforce integrations. Existing self-serve customers were moved to the new price at their first renewal after August 17, 2025, and turning AI off does not lower the bill.
Best Slack AI features locked behind Business+
The old $10/user Slack AI add-on is no longer sold; AI is now bundled by plan. Free and Pro get only basic AI (summaries, huddle notes) and a trial of Slackbot, while AI recaps, translations, file summaries and the full Slackbot agent require Business+ or Enterprise+. Teams that want AI for a few people must upgrade everyone.
Notification overload destroys focus and productivity
Notification noise is the most repeated complaint on G2: roughly 600 reviews mention excessive notifications in busy channels and large teams, and about 660 say channel management becomes overwhelming. The always-on chat culture pushes people to respond instantly, which hurts focused work.
Slack search can't find old messages
Slack becomes hard to search once a workspace has years of traffic: results depend on exact keywords, channels you belong to and search modifiers most people never learn. On the free plan anything older than 90 days simply does not appear. Users describe Slack as a place where decisions get lost.
Slack threads get lost and conversations become chaotic
Threads hide replies from the main channel, so people either miss them or avoid threads entirely. Combined with channel sprawl (a top G2 complaint), context gets scattered and important decisions are hard to find later.
Slack outages: messages not sending and Slack not loading
On February 26-27, 2025 a major outage stopped messages from sending or loading, broke workflows and API events, and took most of a day to recover; Slack attributed it to database shard problems. Shorter incidents (blank screens, failed loads) appear on slack-status.com several times a year and halt teams that run entirely on Slack.
Slack notifications not working or delayed
Missed notifications are a long-running complaint on every platform. On Android, battery optimization and Google Play Services settings delay pushes; on desktop, Focus/Do Not Disturb and OS permissions block them. Slack itself shipped a Windows desktop release in February 2026 where sounds played but pop-ups never appeared, fixed by a rollback.
Why is Slack using so much memory?
Slack's desktop client is built on Electron, which loads a full browser engine. Memory grows with every signed-in workspace and long-running session; Slack's 2019 rewrite cut usage roughly in half, but users with several workspaces still see heavy RAM use next to other Electron apps.
Customer support is slow and stringent with bureaucratic policies
Reviewers on G2 and Capterra report slow replies, difficulty reaching a human, and policies that require the primary workspace owner for many account requests. Free workspaces get only help-center self-service, so most issues must be fixed with in-app troubleshooting tools.
Is Slack secure? No end-to-end encryption
Slack encrypts data in transit and at rest but does not offer end-to-end encryption; customer-managed keys (EKM) are an Enterprise+ add-on. In May 2024 Slack faced backlash because its privacy principles let it use customer data for ML models by default, with opt-out only by the workspace owner emailing Slack. Slack clarified it does not train its generative AI LLMs on customer messages.
Regret Patterns
Common reasons users regret choosing Slack.
Lost critical project history after 90 days on free plan
Teams using the free plan realize too late that messages older than 90 days are hidden and data older than 1 year is permanently deleted. Important decisions, client conversations, and institutional knowledge disappear. By the time they realize, it's often too late to recover everything.
Upgraded to Enterprise Grid, now cannot downgrade
Companies that migrated to Enterprise Grid for multi-workspace features find there is no simple way back to a single Business+ workspace when needs or budgets shrink.
Notification overload destroyed team productivity
Teams that went all-in on Slack find their employees constantly distracted, unable to do focused work, and experiencing 'Slack anxiety.' The always-on culture created by constant pings leads to burnout and reduced output. Some companies end up implementing 'Slack-free hours' or banning it entirely for deep work.
Business+ renewal came back 20% higher
Teams on Business+ saw their per-user price rise from $12.50 to $15 at the first renewal after August 2025, justified by AI features many had not asked for and that cannot be removed to lower the bill.
Realized Teams was included free in Microsoft 365
Organizations paying for Slack realize Teams is already part of their Microsoft 365 bundle. Switching saves money but means migrating channels and integrations and retraining people.
Free workspace history deleted after a year
Teams that stayed on the free plan discover that anything older than a year was permanently deleted under the August 2024 policy, so upgrading cannot recover early project history.
When Slack Breaks Down
Specific scenarios where Slack fails or underperforms.
Team exceeds 10 app integrations on free plan
The free plan's 10 app integration limit fills up quickly with essential tools like Google Drive, Zoom, Trello, and calendar apps. Once exceeded, you must remove integrations or upgrade to Pro, losing functionality.
Need to reference conversation from 4+ months ago on free plan
Messages older than 90 days are hidden on the free plan. If you need to reference a client discussion, policy decision, or technical specification from months ago, it's inaccessible. After 1 year, it's permanently deleted.
Company needs AI recaps or translations
Pro includes only basic AI. Recaps, translations, file summaries and the full Slackbot agent require Business+ at $15/user/month (annual), roughly double Pro, for every member.
Only a few people need advanced AI
There is no per-user AI add-on any more; advanced AI comes with Business+ for the whole workspace, so a 100-person team pays the higher plan price for everyone.
Need to downgrade after Enterprise Grid adoption
After migrating to Enterprise Grid there is no self-serve way back to a single workspace plan, even if the company shrinks or no longer needs multiple workspaces.
Running Slack on multiple workspaces consumes all RAM
Users managing multiple Slack workspaces find the desktop app consuming 3-4GB+ of RAM, slowing down their entire computer. Each workspace runs in its own webview, compounding resource usage linearly.
Slack-wide outage during a launch or incident
When Slack itself is down (as on February 26-27, 2025), messages, workflows and alerting bots stop together. Teams without a backup channel lose coordination entirely.