How to Cancel Slack Pro in 2026 (The $8.75/User/Month Tax on Communication)
Updated 2026-02-19 · 6 min read
💬 The Per-Seat Tax
Slack Pro costs $8.75/user/month. For a 10-person team, that's $1,050/year. For 50 people, $5,250/year. And most teams use Slack for the same thing they could do with Microsoft Teams (free with Office 365 they probably already have) or Discord (completely free).
Hidden cost: Slack charges for ALL users including inactive ones — that intern from 2024 is still costing you $8.75/month
How to Cancel (or Downgrade)
Option 1: Downgrade to Free (Keep Your Workspace)
Only workspace owners/admins can do this
Go to slack.com/admin/billing (or Settings → Billing)
Click Change Plan → select Free
Confirm the downgrade
Your workspace stays active but you lose history beyond 90 days, integrations beyond 10, etc.
⚠️ Export Before Downgrading
When you downgrade to Free, messages older than 90 days become invisible (not deleted — just hidden). Export your workspace data FIRST: Settings → Workspace Settings → Import/Export Data → Export. This only exports public channels. For private channels/DMs, you need Business+ or Enterprise with a compliance export.
Option 2: Full Cancellation (Delete Workspace)
Export your data first (see above)
Go to Settings → Workspace Settings
Scroll to Delete Workspace
This is permanent — all messages, files, and integrations are deleted
All members are notified
Option 3: Remove Inactive Users (Quick Savings)
Before canceling entirely, check for inactive users you're still paying for:
Go to Admin → Members
Sort by Last Active
Deactivate anyone who hasn't logged in for 30+ days
A team of 15 with 5 inactive members = $525/year wasted
Free Alternatives
Microsoft Teams: Free with Microsoft 365 (which many companies already have) — unlimited messages, file sharing, video calls
Discord: Completely free for unlimited users, messages, voice channels — not just for gamers anymore
Google Chat: Free with Google Workspace (which many companies already have)
Mattermost: Open-source, self-hosted Slack alternative — free forever, unlimited history
Rocket.Chat: Self-hosted, open-source — full Slack feature parity, $0/month
The Salesforce Double-Pay Check
Since Salesforce acquired Slack, many companies now pay for both Salesforce AND Slack separately. If your company uses Salesforce, check whether Slack is included in your Salesforce contract — you might be double-paying without knowing it.
When Slack Pro Is Actually Worth It
50+ person teams that need searchable message history
Heavy integration users (11+ apps connected — free caps at 10)
Regulated industries needing compliance/audit trails (Business+ or Enterprise)
For everyone else: the free tier or a competitor is enough
💡 The SaaS Communication Stack Audit
Many companies pay for Slack + Zoom + Microsoft 365 + Google Workspace simultaneously. Teams covers chat + video + file sharing. Google Workspace covers chat + video + email + storage. You probably only need ONE communication platform, not three.
🔍 Business Subscription Audit
Slack, Zoom, Notion, Figma, GitHub, Jira — SaaS subscriptions are the fastest-growing business expense. Upload your bank statement to JustCancel to find every recurring charge and identify overlap.