diumDium vs Slack: Chat now, or answers later?
Slack is built for the conversation happening now. Dium is built for the answer someone needs next month. Here is an honest side-by-side.
The short answer
Many groups use both: Slack for day-to-day chat, Dium for questions, AMAs and live sessions.
Slack fits
Pick Slack if your group talks in real time all day, already pays for Slack, and needs its app directory and huddles.
Dium fits
Pick Dium if the same questions keep coming back, you want answers that stay findable, and you want one flat price per community instead of a per-seat bill.
Side by side, as of September 2026
Competitor prices come from each vendor's own page unless marked. Check Slack pricing for today's numbers.
| Criterion | Dium | Slack |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | One flat monthly price per community, set by member count | Per user, per monthAs of September 2026. Source: Slack pricing |
| Free plan | Free under 50 members. Your plan never hides old Waves. | Free, with 90 days of message history visibleAs of September 2026. Source: Slack pricing |
| Old messages on the free plan | Kept | Messages older than one year are deleted, since August 2024As of September 2026. Source: Zulip blog, July 2025 (a Slack competitor) |
| Entry paid price | $29/mo for Pro 50 (up to 50 members) | Pro: $7.25 per user/mo billed annually, $8.75 billed monthlyAs of September 2026. Source: Slack pricing |
| Price for 500 members | $179/mo on Pro 500 | About $3,625/mo if all 500 are Pro seats billed annuallyAs of September 2026. Source: Slack pricing |
| Marked best answers | The asker marks the best answer | No built-in best-answer marking |
| Live sessions | Scheduled sessions with RSVP seats, a Google Meet or Zoom link, raised hands, polls and breakouts | Huddles: 1:1 on Free, group huddles on ProAs of September 2026. Source: Slack pricing |
| Sponsor, speaker and exhibitor pages | ||
| App integrations | SSO and embedding on your own site for partner setups (talk to us). No app marketplace. | Large app directory. Free plan allows up to 10 appsAs of September 2026. Source: Slack pricing |
| Export | Owners can request a Flow export from [email protected] | Exporting private channels and DMs needs Business+ and an application to SlackAs of September 2026. Source: Zulip blog, July 2025 (a Slack competitor) |
How they compare on what matters
Will the answer still be there next year?
On Slack's free plan, only the last 90 days of messages are visible (as of September 2026, Slack pricing). Since August 2024, free-workspace messages older than one year are deleted, per a July 2025 post by Zulip, a Slack competitor. The same post reports that the Kubernetes community got less than a week's notice before losing its sponsored Slack plan in June 2025.
In Dium, each question is its own Wave (a thread with a type, such as question, AMA or session). Your plan never hides or deletes old Waves. When the asker marks a best answer, the Wave is solved and stays searchable.
What does it cost as the group grows?
Slack charges per user. Dium charges one flat price per community, based on how many members it has.
| Members | Dium | Slack Pro, all members as seats, billed annually |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | $29/mo | $362.50/mo |
| 100 | $49/mo | $725/mo |
| 250 | $99/mo | $1,812.50/mo |
| 500 | $179/mo | $3,625/mo |
If your group is small and fine with 90 days of history, Slack Free costs $0 and may be all you need.
Can people find the answer without asking again?
Slack search finds messages. In a busy channel, the right reply sits among many others, and nothing marks it as the answer.
In Dium, a question Wave has one marked best answer. Solved Waves form a searchable knowledge base, so a new member can find last year's answer before posting the same question.
Live sessions and events
Slack huddles are quick calls inside the workspace. Dium sessions are scheduled events: members RSVP for a seat, get the Google Meet or Zoom link, raise a hand, answer polls and join breakouts. Questions asked in the session stay on the Wave afterwards.
For conferences, Dium also gives each sponsor, speaker or exhibitor a Page with its own wall, sessions and team.
Where Slack is better
No tool is best for everyone. If these matter most to you, Slack is probably the better choice.
- Real-time chat. Slack is where many teams already talk all day, so there is no new habit to build.
- Huddles and quick calls inside the same app.
- A large directory of app integrations. Dium has no app marketplace.
- AI search and features on paid plans: Business+ at $15 per user/mo billed annually and Enterprise+ at $45, as of September 2026 (Slack pricing). Dium does not offer AI features.
- Mature desktop and mobile apps. Dium runs in the browser and can be installed as a web app.
Moving from Slack
Start small. Most groups move their questions first and keep everything else where it is.
Keep Slack for chat
You do not have to leave. Many groups keep Slack for quick talk and move questions to Dium.
Open a Flow
A Flow is your community space in Dium. It is free under 50 members. Set up profile types (custom roles) such as mentor or speaker.
Seed your top questions
Copy the 10 to 20 questions people ask most into question Waves and mark the best answer. Dium has no Slack importer today, so this step is by hand.
Point people to it
Pin your Flow's invite link in Slack. When a repeat question comes up, reply with a link to the solved Wave.
Dium vs Slack: questions
Can I import my Slack history into Dium?
Not today. There is no Slack importer. If you want help moving a specific set of threads, write to [email protected].
Can we use Slack and Dium together?
Yes. That is the most common setup we suggest: chat in Slack, questions and sessions in Dium, with links between them.
Does Dium have voice calls like huddles?
No. Dium sessions use your own Google Meet or Zoom link. Dium handles the RSVPs, raised hands, polls, breakouts and the questions around the call.
Is Dium always cheaper than Slack?
No. Slack Free costs $0 if 90 days of history is enough for you. Against Slack Pro billed per seat, Dium's flat price is lower at every size in the table above, as of September 2026.
Does Dium have mobile apps?
Dium runs in any modern browser and can be installed to your home screen as a web app. There is no app store app today.
Sources
- Slack pricing, checked September 28, 2026
- Zulip blog, July 2025 (a Slack competitor), checked September 28, 2026
- Dium pricing
Corrections and affiliation
Found something out of date or wrong? Email [email protected] with a link to the source. We check it, fix confirmed errors and change the "last checked" date only when the facts change.
Dium is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any company named on this page. Product names and trademarks belong to their owners and are used only to identify their products.
Try Dium next to Slack. Free under 50.
Open a Flow, move your top questions, and see if answers stick. No card needed.