Microsoft Teams vs Slack

This chart tells a big story fast. Slack built a product people loved. Microsoft built a distribution machine. The result? Teams skyrocketed to 75 million daily users while Slack hovered around 12 million.

Marketing analysis

Microsoft didn’t “beat” Slack with better UX. They bundled Teams into Office 365 and made adoption frictionless. Every company already using Outlook or Word got Teams automatically. That’s killer distribution.

Why it works

• Bundling: Teams piggybacked on an existing product suite.
• Network effect: More users → more switching costs → more stickiness.
• Low friction: Free inclusion lowers resistance to trial.
• Trust: Buyers already trusted Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Examples

• Apple pre-installs Safari and locks in millions of users.
• Amazon bundles Prime Video with shipping perks.
• Google drives Chrome installs through Android defaults.
• Adobe pushes Creative Cloud apps as one subscription.