Lark vs. Slack comparison: which is better for collaboration?

6 min readDec 31, 2019

Collaboration tools, including team communication software, project management tool, knowledge management software enable the sharing of information by providing an online or intranet-based environment for virtual teamwork. It’s usually not easy to pick up a collaboration tool as there are so many collaboration tools available now (refer to Best Collaboration Tools for 2020 (Top 10 Reviews) to learn more).

That’s why I decided to put the collaboration tool Lark head to head with Slack to see how the two tools compare. Here is everything you need to know when deciding which collaboration tool better suites you.

Feature Comparison

Here is a general comparison between Lark and Slack features:

So what both tools can do for you?

Lark and Slack both stand for the new collaboration tool on the market and were designed for every kind of business. Their shared goal is to spin the gears of work with integrated workflows, business processes, data streams and applications for tens of thousands of business customers around the world. You can run both Lark and Slack as apps or through a browser.

Built to maximize efficiency, both Lark and Slack are loaded with features that include chats, video, document sharing and many other third-party apps. Even better, deadlines, task management, and support bots both in Lark and Slack are built into communications and easy to understand. Everyone is able to speak to the right person where they are and can solve the problem within an acceptable workflow.

Conversations on Lark and Slack persist over time and remain searchable on the cloud according to the chosen retention policy. On both platforms, users can create group threads or chat separately and they can ping other people using @-mentions. Message threads and emoji reactions can keep the conversation flowing without adding noise that could distract you. File sharing enables users to add and share files with their teammates, and uploaded files are stored, searchable, and shareable across workspaces or chats. Both platforms use multi-factor authentication for security.

What Lark can do for you?

The biggest difference between Lark and its collaboration tool alternatives is that Lark is more intelligent and advanced with the best mobile experience, no code/low code platform, AI intelligence, extra visibility and endless integrations. It aims to be an all-in-one collaboration and communication platform, so almost every tools you need to use or scenes you may encounter on work can be easily found on Lark. With Lark, you can:

See if your contacts are online or ask for a leave as Lark integrate seamlessly with the built-in calendar and other related apps
Set your OKRs easily and align with your team to meet a better team
Create, comment, or share Docs, Sheets and Mindnotes with smart formatting and rich insertions including images, videos, maps and polls
Collaborate and synchronize documents on cloud as it is a cloud-based service that lets you store all your documents online and access them anytime and from anywhere
Use advanced search to find anything you need, whether it’s a message or a document
Use simple @mention to notify someone or quote a document
Set auto-translate into English, Chinese, Japanese or Thai in chat or documents
Work in a number of apps as well as intelligent bots as Lark integrates seamlessly with Lark apps ecosystem and provides no code/low code platform
Subscribe a public/personal calendar and instantly know the public events or if someone is available
Send urgent messages with a “Buzz!” to make sure you get the recipient’s attention
Pin an important message to highlight it
Easy present or display the information on a video conference and record everything for later playback with the Lark’s built-in audio and video conferencing feature

And more! Except for the advanced search, @mention function and video conference, these are all things that Slack cannot handle.

Here is a full list of Lark collaboration features:

The downside of using Lark is that it may take longer to master all its features and functionalities.

In addition, the number of third-party integrations are currently much less than Slack with most of the app integrations only provide the basic functionality for now. However, when you begin to get familiar with the tool, you will surely find this newcomer a good choice.

What Slack can do for you?

Unlike Lark, Slack is a simple collaboration app mainly used for messaging that makes it easier for large teams to organize their work with endless integrations, modern UX and open channels. With Slack, you can:

Create dedicated channels for certain topics, teams, or projects so that everyone is in the loop on what’s going on
Join a conversation thread in an open channel
Experience modern UX with fresh design
Use the endless third-party integrations like Google Calendar, Gmail and Asana
Make a video call with remote team
Share or upload files via Google Drive, for the function of Slack doc is very basic
Set a remind for the calling
See if your contacts are online
Have a specific analytics of your work to help improve team efficiency

Here is a full list of Slack collaboration features:

The downside of Slack is that it focuses more on communication and you still need to work with a number of apps instead of staying on top of communication. Besides, the functionality of Slack is quite limited especially compared to Lark, which is more like Coda and Notion. Qualities like video/call solutions are not as good as Lark and have large limit on the number of participants.

Ultimately a minimalistic and professional UI like Lark can work better in the long run because not everyone is willing to spend time on understanding complex interfaces.

Cost Comparison

There’s no doubt that Lark has overwhelming advantages. It provides free version with powerful functions! Here is a table with pricing and some features provided within different tiers of both tools:

Lark and Slack’s plans are both limited by:

the number of apps
the number of meeting participants
cloud data storage
advanced control and security features

If you start with a small team and don’t want to spend much money, Lark would be a better choice undoubtedly.

Lark vs. Slack: which one should you choose?

Lark and Slack both offer an exceptional communication experience for users. Although the way that both of these applications work is a little different, they’ll both ensure that you can communicate more effectively with your team members through chat, video and voice.

The question is whether you feel more comfortable using something like Lark with team members who might not be familiar with the tool, or you’d prefer to access something that’s aligned with the third-party applications that you already use.