{"id":18766,"date":"2023-09-04T13:11:55","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T13:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brosix.com\/?p=18766"},"modified":"2023-09-04T13:11:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T13:11:55","slug":"slack-vs-viva-engage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brosix.com\/blog\/slack-vs-viva-engage\/","title":{"rendered":"Slack vs. Microsoft Viva Engage (Yammer): Which One Is Better for Team Collaboration?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Collaboration tools <\/a>are an important part of any organization that works remotely.<\/p>\n

They make work easier by streamlining communication, enabling file sharing, and performing many other tasks that used to be impossible to perform if you\u2019re running a remote team. Some collaboration tools even have advanced project management options like time tracking and budget planning.<\/p>\n

In this article, we will be focusing on two platforms \u2013 Slack vs. Viva Engage (Yammer). Both of them are known as team communication tools<\/a>, which is what makes them competitors.<\/p>\n

Before we start comparing these products and their features, let\u2019s first get to know them a little better.<\/p>\n

What Is Slack?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Founded in 2013, when a software company called Tiny Speck decided to roll out its internal communication<\/a> platform and make it public, Slack<\/a> is one of the most popular names in the collaboration tool industry. The company made its way to the top with an innovative, user-friendly approach that has helped it reach an impressive 32.3 million daily active users<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It has since gone through several changes and now sports a simple, modern look, with signature chat design, or \u201cchannels\u201d.<\/p>\n

What Is Microsoft Viva Engage?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Microsoft Viva Engage is the rebranded and evolved Yammer. Much like Slack, Yammer was also started as an internal company communications tool by the genealogy website Geni.com in 2008. In a high-profile acquisition worth $1.2 billion, Microsoft purchased the tool in 2012, and it was included in the Office 365 Suite. It was used by a lot of Fortune 500 companies, including Virgin Trains and British Airways, and it came with both desktop and mobile apps.<\/p>\n

In March 2023, Yammer<\/a> changed its name to Viva Engage. It kept its features and capabilities of a corporate communication and social media network, and Microsoft 365 customers smoothly transitioned to the renamed tool. Viva Engage is available on web, desktop, iOS, and Android.<\/p>\n

How We Compared Slack and Viva Engage<\/b><\/h2>\n

To decide on which tool might be better for your business needs, we highlighted six criteria that we believe are the most important.<\/p>\n

Pricing <\/b>\u2013 which plans are available and how much you get for what you paid is crucial. Some pricing models might favor smaller companies with teams of limited size, but there\u2019s no doubt that cost is one of the most important factors when choosing new software.<\/p>\n

Interface<\/b> \u2013 knowing where everything is and how to get to it is crucial. Good user experience and an intuitive interface will make your life easier, especially if you\u2019re planning to use an app several hours every day.<\/p>\n

Integrations <\/b>\u2013 since both of these tools are used for communication purposes, integrating them with other tools for project management or time tracking could be very useful. It\u2019s safe to say that the more integrations a tool has, the more natural it will be for you to use it.<\/p>\n

Chat experience <\/b>\u2013 this maybe goes without saying, but the very experience of how you receive notifications, how you reply to messages, how you search chat history \u2013 all of this is important for good team communication<\/a>. It\u2019s when we get to these details that a tool can lose ground to competition and even frustrate its users.<\/p>\n

File sharing <\/b>\u2013 sending and receiving files<\/a>, archiving them, and finding them in chat history is an essential part of remote team collaboration<\/a>. You\u2019ll want to make sure that your collaboration tool makes this process as easy as possible.<\/p>\n

Security <\/b>\u2013 finally, all of this is worth nothing if your company information gets compromised. Making sure your data is safe should be more important than any kind of user experience or integrations with third-party apps.<\/p>\n

So, now that we know what we\u2019re looking at, let\u2019s get to comparing!<\/p>\n

Slack vs. Viva Engage (Yammer): Pricing<\/b><\/h2>\n

One great advantage that Slack has over Microsoft Viva Engage: it can be completely free. Slack works on a \u201cfreemium\u201d<\/a> model, meaning you can use it for free, with limited access to features. However, to fully experience Slack, you\u2019ll likely need to upgrade to one of the paid plans.<\/p>\n

The Slack plans are as follows: Pro ($7.25 per user, per month), Business+ ($12.50 per user, per month), and Enterprise Grid, for which you need to contact the sales team to get the price. Keep in mind that these prices apply only when you pay annually \u2013 for monthly payments, prices are slightly higher.<\/p>\n

\"Pricing<\/p>\n

Source: Brightscout<\/a><\/p>\n

Viva Engage neither has a free option nor is it available for purchase outside Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plans. This means that if you want it, you need to invest in one of\u00a0these plans<\/a>:<\/p>\n