Slack vs Telegram

2024. Telegram launches Business accounts



Telegram is gearing up to compete against Meta's WhatsApp and Messenger by unveiling a suite of new features tailored for businesses, alongside support for ad-revenue sharing. Launched recently following an initial announcement, Telegram Business introduces various options such as personalized start pages, the ability to establish business hours, preset replies, greetings, and automated away messages, as well as chatbots and chat tags. This move is expected to further bolster Telegram's Premium service, providing accessible tools and features for business users without the need for coding knowledge. Notably, businesses can now showcase their operating hours and location on a map, and initiate conversations with customers through customized start pages, offering text and sticker options. Similar to WhatsApp, Telegram Business also includes "quick replies" enabling users to access formatted preset messages containing links, media, stickers, and files.


2022. Slack adds persistent information layer to channels called Canvas



Slack has achieved considerable success in the enterprise realm by offering various communication options and seamless integration with common enterprise applications. However, until now, Slack has lacked a persistent way to share project-related information. While users could create channels to narrow down content and share documents, links, and other materials, finding them again required searching or extensive scrolling. Acknowledging this limitation, Slack has taken a step forward by combining the collaborative tooling of Quip with Slack's communication capabilities, resulting in a new tool called Canvas. Positioned alongside a channel's conversation stream, Canvas grants users access to a range of information, including data and charts, text, tasks, internal and external links, training videos, and more. This integration allows for a seamless experience where project-related information can be easily shared and accessed within the Slack platform.


2022. Slack gains new automation features, including conditional logic for workflows



Announcing a significant update, Slack has introduced new automation features aimed at enhancing the shareability and discoverability of workflows. Building upon the existing Workflow Builder tool launched in 2019, these latest capabilities enable users to easily send workflows to other Slack users and utilize "if-then" statements to create more advanced flows. Slack's increased focus on automation aligns with the growing popularity of no-code development tools, which empower users to build apps and pipelines without requiring programming expertise. According to a survey conducted by 451 Research and FileMaker, nearly 60% of all custom apps, including automations, are now developed outside of the IT department. Furthermore, the survey revealed that 30% of these apps are created by employees with limited or no technical development skills. This trend emphasizes the importance of providing accessible automation solutions to a broader range of users.


2022. Slack is increasing prices and changing the way its free plan works



Slack, the chat platform widely used as an online watercooler for numerous teams, is implementing changes to its pricing structure and free plan functionality. For users subscribed to the "Pro" plan on a monthly basis, the price will increase from $8 per user per month to $8.75 per user per month. Similarly, for users on the annual "Pro" plan, the price will rise from $6.67 per user per month to $7.25 per user per month. As for the free plan, Slack is modifying how messages are stored. Previously, free users had access to the last 10,000 messages and 5 GB of uploads. Going forward, message retention will be based on time rather than quantity, allowing free users to view the last 90 days' worth of messages and uploads, regardless of the volume exchanged.


2022. Telegram is now offering a Premium subscription



Telegram is introducing a Premium subscription to leverage its significant growth. Priced at $5 per month, Telegram Premium offers a range of additional features alongside the existing free functionalities. Subscribers can now enjoy the ability to upload larger files, with a size limit of up to 4GB, as well as accelerated file downloads. Furthermore, the subscription doubles various limits within the app, such as the ability to follow up to 1,000 channels, create 20 chat folders with 200 chats each, pin 10 chats, save 10 favorite stickers, and add a fourth account to the app. Premium users also gain access to exclusive stickers, including those with full-screen animations, unique reaction emojis, premium badges, and voice-to-text conversation capabilities.


2021. Salesforce announces first integrations with Slack



When Salesforce completed its acquisition of Slack towards the end of the previous year, it was evident that they had ambitious plans for the company. Today, the renowned CRM giant has unveiled the initial integrations that are set to benefit Salesforce customers. To begin with, the Sales Cloud now offers dedicated deal rooms. These rooms allow all parties involved in a complex sale, including internal departments such as finance and product teams, as well as external partners, to collaborate within Slack throughout the sales cycle. This enables them to stay updated on the fluctuations and progress of all sales activities. By leveraging Slack's capability to integrate external enterprise applications within its platform, the goal is to foster collaboration and discover methods to streamline and automate various Salesforce tasks. This ultimately results in faster and more efficient usage of Salesforce, eliminating the need to switch contexts in order to achieve desired outcomes.


2021. Telegram added group video chat and screen-sharing



Telegram has introduced a new feature that allows users to engage in video chats with up to 30 people. This functionality is integrated into the Voice Chat feature of the app. When initiating a voice chat room, you will now notice a camera icon, which, when tapped, enables your video feed. Similar to other video conferencing applications like Zoom and Google Meet, Telegram allows you to expand the video to fullscreen and pin a specific participant to the center of the call. This ensures that the focus remains on the pinned individual even when others join the chat. Furthermore, Telegram now supports screen sharing. While on a video call, you have the flexibility to switch between your camera feed and the content displayed on your screen or even show both simultaneously.


2021. Slack now lets you DM employees in other companies



Slack has recently introduced a new feature that enables users of the platform to send direct messages to each other. Known as Slack Connect DMs, this functionality allows Slack users to privately communicate with individuals outside their own company. While primarily intended for companies collaborating with partners or clients, it can also be utilized to message friends employed at other companies. This new DM feature expands on Slack's existing Connect feature, which was introduced last year. Slack Connect primarily facilitates business collaboration through shared channels, and cross-organizational DMs represent the next significant aspect of Connect. To initiate a DM, users send a special link to start a conversation, and depending on your organization's Slack setup, Slack admin approval may be required.


2020. Salesforce buys Slack for $27.7B



Salesforce, the renowned CRM giant, has embarked on a monumental $27.7 billion acquisition of Slack. This substantial deal positions Salesforce in closer competition with its longtime rival and occasional ally, Microsoft, whose Teams product has been directly challenging Slack in the market. Microsoft, having previously passed on acquiring Slack for a fraction of the current purchase price, has now prioritized Teams as a key focus, determined not to concede any portion of the enterprise software market to another company. What has truly set Slack apart, particularly in its early stages, is its remarkable ability to seamlessly integrate with other enterprise software. Coupled with intelligent digital assistants known as bots, Slack has the potential to offer Salesforce customers a centralized platform where they can carry out their work without shifting focus, as virtually all their necessary tasks can be accomplished within the Slack environment.


2020. Slack introduces simplified interface as usage moves deeper into companies



Slack has unveiled its most significant update to date, focusing on enhancing the user experience and transforming it into a more accessible enterprise communications hub. Over the years, Slack has continuously introduced new features to meet the evolving needs of its user base. However, this has led to some interface clutter. The latest redesign aims to address this issue. In addition to a cleaner overall look, one notable feature is the ability to nest channels in the Channel sidebar, allowing for better organization. As the number of channels grows, it can become challenging to navigate through them all. With the new update, users now have the option to group their channels logically and label them for easier access and management.