Lark vs Slack pricing: what a small team actually pays
A plain comparison of how Lark and Slack charge, with a worked example for a 25-person team.
The short answer
Both Lark and Slack charge per person per month on paid plans, so the bill grows with headcount. They differ in what the free tier includes and in how much is bundled: Lark folds chat, meetings, docs and tasks into one subscription, while Slack is chat-first and teams usually add meetings and docs from other vendors.
Prices change and vary by region, billing period and promotion, so use the vendors' own pricing pages for today's numbers. What follows is the shape of the cost, not a quote.
How the two charge
| Lark | Slack | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per user per month on paid plans | Per user per month on paid plans |
| Free tier | Yes, with team-size and feature limits | Yes, with history and feature limits |
| What is bundled | Messenger, meetings, docs, tasks, calendar, email | Messenger and huddles; docs, tasks and meetings often come from other tools |
| Where data lives | Lark's cloud | Slack's cloud |
| Self-hosting | Not offered | Not offered |
Worked example: 25 people
Take a 25-person team and a made-up price of $10 per person per month for either tool. That is $250 a month, or $3,000 a year, and it rises by $120 a year for every person you hire. Swap in the real price from the pricing page; the arithmetic is the same.
If the team also pays for a separate video-meeting plan and a docs tool, add those lines. This is why a bundle that looks pricier per seat can still cost less overall, and why a chat-only plan that looks cheap can cost more once the other tools are added.
How to compare for your own team
List every subscription
Chat, meetings, docs, tasks, storage. Write the monthly price of each.
Multiply by seats
Use paying seats only. Include the people you plan to hire this year.
Add the hidden costs
Admin time, add-ons and the plan you would need for search history or security controls.
The third option: no seat meter
Dock takes a different route. It is self-hosted, so there is no per-seat licence; your cost is the server you run it on, which stays flat as the team grows. It includes chat, video meetings, docs, tables, calendar, tasks and a drive, and it can import Lark history.
The trade-off is real: you run the server, keep it updated and take backups, and the integration ecosystem is smaller than the hosted giants. See the Dock vs Lark comparison, the Dock vs Slack comparison and the savings calculator to put your own numbers in.
Questions
Is Lark cheaper than Slack?
It depends on what else you pay for. Lark bundles more, so teams that would otherwise buy meetings and docs separately often spend less. Compare the full stack, not one line.
Do both have a free plan?
Yes, both offer a free tier with limits. Check each vendor's pricing page for the current limits.
Can I move from Slack or Lark to a self-hosted tool?
Dock has a Lark history import today. A Slack import is not built; check the roadmap before planning a migration.
What does Dock cost?
There is no per-seat licence. You pay for your own server. Treat any monthly server figure as an estimate.