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Buzz vs Slack
Slack redefined how teams communicate. It replaced bloated email threads with channels, made integrations a first-class concept, and created a collaboration culture that millions of teams now depend on. Then Salesforce acquired it and the price went up. And up. Today, Slack charges per seat, gates essential features behind expensive tiers, and sells AI as a paid add-on on top of an already premium subscription. Buzz offers a different model: real end-to-end encryption included by default, an AI assistant that's part of the core product, European data hosting without an enterprise surcharge, and pricing that doesn't penalise you for growing your team.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Buzz | Slack |
|---|---|---|
| End-to-end encryption | ✓ | ✗ |
| AI assistant built-in | ✓ | Paid add-on |
| Data hosted in Europe | ✓ | Enterprise only |
| Communities for external users | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mobile-first design | ✓ | ✗ |
| File storage included | ✓ | Limited free tier |
| No per-seat pricing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Voice & video calls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Channels & threads | ✓ | ✓ |
| GDPR compliant | ✓ | Partial |
Where Buzz goes further
Pricing that makes sense
Slack's per-seat model means your costs scale linearly with headcount, and essential features like extended message history, SSO, and compliance tools are locked behind Pro and Business+ tiers. Buzz takes a fundamentally different approach to pricing - one that doesn't punish you for inviting your whole team. AI, encryption, and European hosting are included from day one, not gated behind enterprise negotiations.
Real encryption, not compliance theatre
Slack does not offer end-to-end encryption. Messages are encrypted in transit and at rest, but Slack - and by extension Salesforce - can access your content. Compliance certifications like SOC 2 protect against external breaches but don't prevent the platform itself from reading your data. Buzz encrypts every message end-to-end, meaning not even we can read your conversations. For teams that handle sensitive information, this is a fundamental difference.
AI that's included, not upsold
Slack launched Slack AI as a separate paid add-on, requiring teams to pay extra on top of their already per-seat subscription. Buzz's AI assistant is a core part of the product, available to every user. Summarise channels, draft messages, search across your file storage, and get answers about your conversation history - all included. We believe AI should make your existing tools better, not become another line item on your invoice.
Is Buzz a good Slack alternative?
If your team values privacy, fair pricing, and integrated AI, yes. Buzz provides channels, threads, file sharing, and voice and video calls - the core collaboration features that made Slack successful - alongside end-to-end encryption, European data hosting, and a built-in AI assistant. It's particularly well-suited for teams that have outgrown Slack's free tier but balk at the escalating per-seat costs of paid plans, or for organisations that need genuine encryption rather than compliance checkboxes.
The hidden cost of per-seat pricing
Slack's pricing looks reasonable at first glance, but it compounds quickly. A 50-person team on Slack Pro pays over $400 per month - and that doesn't include Slack AI, which adds another $10 per person per month. At 200 people, you're looking at significant five-figure annual costs before you've even added enterprise features like data residency or compliance exports. Buzz's pricing model is designed so that growing your team doesn't feel like a financial penalty, and features like AI and European hosting aren't locked behind premium tiers.
Slack's encryption isn't end-to-end
This surprises many teams. Slack encrypts data in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256), which protects against external eavesdropping and server theft. But Slack itself - and Salesforce as its parent company - retains the ability to decrypt and access your messages. This is by design: Slack's search, compliance, and AI features require server-side access to plaintext content. Buzz takes the opposite approach, encrypting end-to-end so that only the participants in a conversation can read its contents. Our AI processes data with your explicit permission within the encrypted context.
Moving beyond internal communication
Slack was designed for internal teams, and it shows. Inviting external collaborators requires Slack Connect, which is cumbersome and limited. Buzz supports communities for external users alongside your internal workspace, making it natural to collaborate with clients, partners, freelancers, and community members in the same app. There's no separate product or add-on required - just create a community, invite people, and start collaborating with the same encryption and features your internal team enjoys.