Twist vs. Slack: Which Team Chat App is Best for You?

Keeping team communication clear and organized isn’t easy. 

Messages pile up, updates get buried, and before you know it, you’re sifting through endless conversations just to find what matters.

Some teams thrive on instant feedback and dynamic collaboration, while others prioritize thoughtful communication and asynchronous collaboration. The key is to choose a communication tool depending on how your team works best.

And that’s where the Twist vs. Slack debate begins. Slack keeps conversations flowing, which is perfect for fast-moving teams. Twist, on the other hand, focuses on deep, structured discussions; great for teams that prefer deep work over constant pings.

Both serve different needs, but which one works for your team? Let’s figure it out. 

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Twist vs. Slack at a Glance

Here’s a quick comparison to get you started:

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How we review software at ClickUp

Our editorial team follows a transparent, research-backed, and vendor-neutral process, so you can trust that our recommendations are based on real product value.

Here’s a detailed rundown of how we review software at ClickUp.

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What is Twist?

Twist is a team communication tool built for async collaboration. You can respond thoughtfully and at your own pace without the pressure of real-time messaging.

The tool allows users to focus on deep work with minimal interruptions. 

It keeps conversations structured and separates discussions by topic. This ensures replies are contextual, so you don’t have to keep scrolling to find important updates. By default, Twist doesn’t send constant notifications for every new message that pops up. Users are notified if they’re mentioned or if they’re following a specific thread.

Developed by Doist, Twist is ideal for teams that need forum-style asynchronous communication. It’s especially suited for remote teams spread across different time zones.

Twist features

Here are some of the key features of Twist that support structured, focused collaboration for teams that prefer asynchronous communication. 

Feature #1: Threaded conversations

In Twist, a channel serves as a dedicated space for project, client, or topic-specific discussions. Within these channels, threads keep conversations structured by grouping related messages together.

There is no option to send standalone messages in a channel; every message must be part of an existing thread, or you can create a new thread in the relevant channel.

This way, communication remains focused, and messages don’t get lost. The threaded structure makes it easier to track and revisit discussions without losing context.

Feature #2: Clean message formatting

Twist makes it simple to keep all context in one place. Instead of splitting updates across multiple short messages, users can write detailed responses within a thread, just like drafting a well-structured email. 

This is especially useful when documenting project progress, summarizing discussions, or sharing next steps. You can interlink references, add files, and keep everything tied to a single thread, making it easy for anyone to follow along. Team members can grasp key information at a glance without the need for constant back-and-forth.

Feature #3: Inbox 

Inbox is your home in Twist. It gathers all the threads and direct messages assigned to you so that no important updates go unnoticed. This way, you can prioritize your responses without feeling pressured to check every conversation. After responding to the message, you can mark the thread as done to clear it from your inbox. 

Feature #4: Searchable archive

The tool automatically saves all conversations, threads, and messages for up to a month on the free plan. Its advanced search filters make it easy to find messages, discussions, and shared files without going through your entire chat history. Simply filter your search with keywords, participants, or specific threads.

The searchable archive in Twist keeps communication organized and accessible for quick retrieval. 

Twist pricing

Twist offers two monthly subscription plans, priced per user:

• Free plan: Free
• Unlimited: $6 per user/month

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What is Slack?

Slack is a real-time messaging and collaboration tool designed to keep teams connected. Its interface and features are built for synchronous, instant communication, making it essential for quick decision-making.

Slack replaces clunky email threads and unorganized communication with structured channels, direct messaging, and seamless integrations. It essentially provides a centralized hub where teams can chat, share files, and collaborate efficiently.

A part of Salesforce, Slack is best suited for teams working in a fast-paced environment, especially those that require instant responses.

Slack features

Now, let’s look at the key features that make Slack a good fit for real-time, seamless communication.

Feature #1: Instant messaging and channels

Team collaboration in Slack starts with a channel. Channels, whether public or private, serve as dedicated spaces for projects, departments, or specific discussions.

Messages are posted directly within channels, and users can create threads within messages to keep discussions focused, clutter-free, and easy to follow.

Slack also supports one-on-one conversations through direct messages. This way, team members can share necessary information privately without involving the entire team.

Feature #2: Huddles and clips

Slack offers a way to hold quick audio and video call sessions with your team without scheduling a meeting. With Huddles, you can share documents, templates, references, and even your screen in real time for a more interactive and contextual conversation.

If a team member is unavailable, you can even record and send video, voice, or screen recordings with Clips. This allows them to review the details at their convenience while making sure no communication gets lost in translation. 

Feature #3: Slack AI

Slack AI helps users find answers instantly. Whether it’s “Who should I talk to about page load time issues?” or “What were the key takeaways from yesterday’s discussion?”, Slack searches public conversations and shared files to surface the most relevant information.

It provides smart summaries, thread recaps, and advanced search capabilities, allowing users to catch up on long conversations without reading every message. It can also take notes during Huddles and automate routine tasks by integrating with the Workflow Builder.

Feature #4: Templates and Canvas

Slack’s ready-to-deploy templates give teams a quick head start with pre-configured channels, streamlined workflows, canvases, and lists. These templates simplify common tasks like project management, onboarding, and meeting management, helping the teams focus on execution instead of setup.

Slack Canvas acts as a dedicated workspace for organizing and sharing important information. Teams can create, edit, and collaborate on documents directly within Slack. This structure makes resources accessible and handy without having to switch between multiple tools. 

Slack pricing 

• Free: Free
• Pro: $8.75 per user/month
• Business+: $18 per user/month
• Enterprise Grid: Custom pricing 

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Twist vs. Slack: Features Compared 

Both Twist and Slack are powerful team communication tools, but they take different approaches to collaboration. While Twist prioritizes async discussions, Slack is built for real-time, rapid collaboration.

Neither is inherently better—it all depends on what your team needs, including the workflow, communication expectations, and level of immediacy your work requires.

Let’s take a more detailed look at how both Slack and Twist compare against each other.

Feature #1: Communication style

The way a team communicates directly impacts productivity, collaboration, and workflow efficiency. While both Slack and Twist are designed to help teams collaborate effectively, they follow distinct communication styles that cater to different work environments.

Twist

Twist is built for asynchronous communication. It allows the team members to reply at their own pace without the pressure to respond instantly. To support async collaboration, Twist uses threaded conversations within channels.

This structure keeps discussions organized, reduces message clutter, and ensures team members stay focused. Instead of constant interruptions, teams engage in meaningful, thoughtful conversations without losing track of important updates.

Slack 

Slack, however, focuses on synchronous and asynchronous communication; it supports instant decision-making, real-time collaboration, and fast-moving discussions with advanced features, such as Huddles, Clips, Canvases, and Workflow Builder.

Feature #2: Design and UI

Whether you spend most of your day on a communication app or use it only for essential updates, you need a tool that is clean, easy to use, and doesn’t overcomplicate communication.

Both Twist and Slack offer intuitive interfaces, but they are designed with different priorities in mind.

Twist

Twist’s interface is built around a threaded structure that resembles an email inbox. The left side of Twist’s interface displays threads, inbox, and messages, and the right side shows the selected thread and its full conversation. This split layout helps users follow discussions without losing context.

You can also tag new employees in the thread, and they can catch up on past discussions quickly without needing separate briefings. Users can also attach links, files, and references within threads, keeping all relevant information in one place.

Twist also offers a calm, minimal design that supports focused work. It avoids real-time chat cues like typing indicators or online statuses, which some teams may find distracting during heads-down work. Additionally, users can switch between dark and light modes for a more comfortable experience.

Slack 

Slack’s interface is lively and interactive. It keeps every conversation within reach by placing channels, DMs, and threads in a single visible sidebar. It follows a direct message-first approach reflecting its focus on fluid, real-time communication. Features like Huddles, Clips, Canvases, and Templates help teams communicate and collaborate seamlessly.

In addition to switching between dark and light modes, users can even create custom themes to personalize their workspace.

Feature #3: Integrations

Integrations with other apps help manage tasks, share files, sync important data, and automate workflows. Let’s take a closer look at how Twist and Slack handle integrations.

Twist 

Twist integrates with key tools like Todoist, Google Drive, GitHub, Zapier, Skype, Trello, and a couple more (33 to be precise) to support async communication and seamless file sharing. Its minimal integrations align with its structured and distraction-free workflow without adding unnecessary complexity. 

Slack 

Slack integrates with over 2,400 tools across categories like analytics, customer support, file management, security & compliance, and more. These Slack integrations allow teams to manage projects, track tasks, and share updates without leaving the platform.

Feature #4: Custom notifications

A good communication tool should provide control over notifications so that users don’t miss important messages while also avoiding constant distractions. Both Twist and Slack offer notification management, but their approaches are quite different.

Twist 

Twist keeps notifications simple and distraction-free by sending alerts only for mentions, assigned tasks, and followed threads.

Users have full control over how they receive alerts, choosing between email, mobile, or desktop notifications. Twist also allows users to set their time off, which appears under their name so teammates know when they are on vacation, asleep, or focused on deep work.

Further, there’s a Do Not Disturb (DND) mode and an option to schedule DND weekly, which helps teams respect each other’s working hours.

Slack 

Slack, on the other hand, offers more control over managing notifications. Users can customize alerts at the channel, keyword, or direct message level, ensuring they receive only the most relevant updates.

The platform also allows users to set their profile to “Away” or enable the Do Not Disturb (DND) mode when they want to mute notifications and focus without distractions.

Feature #5: Search and message history

Users need instant access to past messages, discussions, and shared files without wasting time scrolling through cluttered conversations. Both Twist and Slack allow users to retrieve past messages, but they handle message history and search differently.

Twist 

Twist’s free plan offers access to one month of comments and messages, while its Unlimited plan unlocks full conversation history.

Its search function helps users find specific information buried in threads by allowing searches based on thread and message. Users can further filter results by specifying criteria such as thread names or participants. This advanced search criterion makes it easier to locate relevant discussions without endless scrolling.

Slack 

Slack’s free plan offers access to over 10,000 past messages, while its paid plans unlock full conversation history.

It provides fast and flexible search across channels, DMs, and shared files. With AI-powered suggestions, search modifiers, and filters, users can quickly find specific messages without digging through long chat histories.

Slack also allows you to search for content within a specific channel or even exclude certain channels from your search.

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Twist vs. Slack on Reddit 

We took to Reddit to see where people land on the Twist vs. Slack debate. When you search Twist vs. Slack on Reddit, many users agree that Twist’s structured approach keeps the conversation clutter-free and easy to follow.

One Reddit user preferred Twist over Slack for its chat features,

Another Reddit user praised the tool for keeping work conversation focused and organized,

Other Reddit users share how Slack channels are good for dedicated discussions and quick clarifications.

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Meet ClickUp—The Best Alternative to Twist vs. Slack 

Slack and Twist keep teams talking. You can chat, organize group discussions together, and even assign tasks with these team communication apps. But what happens next?

How do you track progress when tasks live in a project management tool while updates stay buried in chat threads? Conversations move fast, but execution falls behind.

When work and communication aren’t connected, gaps appear, leading to Work Sprawl. Teams lose context, chase updates, and waste time switching between apps. Discussions flow, but the execution feels scattered.

This is where ClickUp’s everything app steps in. It brings chat, tasks, and projects together, keeping everything aligned in one place so you can say goodbye to disjointed workflows and unnecessary tab-switching.

Before we discuss how ClickUp is a better alternative, here’s a surprising insight from our survey: 

ClickUp’s One Up #1: ClickUp Chat

ClickUp Chat is more than just a messaging tool; it keeps your conversations connected to work.

Teams can chat, share updates, and take action without switching between apps. Instead of scattered messages across different platforms, everything stays inside ClickUp so that discussions turn into trackable tasks.

Here’s how ClickUp Chat stands out:

• Turn messages into actionable tasks: Turn any message into a task and link it to relevant docs, tasks, and chat in a single click
• Integrated chat: Access all conversations, whether they belong to a task, project, or general discussion, from one central location
• Embedded messages: Chat lets you embed videos, documents, webpages, and spreadsheet databases in your message for fully contextual communication
• Async and synchronous: Offers everything you’d expect from a communication tool, i.e., chats and channels, direct messages, Clips, threads, activity feed, reminders, and integrations
• Voice and video calls: Host video and voice calls with your team members for quick project discussions

ClickUp’s One Up #2: ClickUp Brain

ClickUp’s AI transforms the way teams work by connecting conversations, tasks, and knowledge with intelligent automation and instant answers. Instead of spending time searching for information, catching up on meetings, or handling repetitive work, your team can focus on what matters most: getting things done.

With AI built into every corner of ClickUp, you’ll move faster, stay aligned, and never miss a beat. Here’s how ClickUp AI stands out:

• ClickUp Brain: Summarize threads, messages, and meetings in seconds. Pull out key takeaways, draft replies, and get answers from your company’s knowledge base, tasks, and connected tools—all without leaving ClickUp
• Multiple LLM Access and web search: Tap into multiple large language models (LLMs) or search the web for the most accurate, up-to-date AI support, tailored to your needs
• AI Agents: Automate repetitive processes and workflows. Let AI Agents update statuses, send reminders, and handle routine steps so your team can focus on high-impact work.
• AI Notetaker: Never miss a detail in meetings. The AI Notetaker joins your calls, transcribes conversations, and generates clear, actionable notes
• Ask AI from Anywhere: Need help or answers? Just “Ask AI” from any chat, task, doc, or project. Instantly get summaries, generate content, or find information

ClickUp’s One Up #3: ClickUp Comments

Getting work done often requires input from multiple team members. But when tasks involve back-and-forth discussions, requests can get lost, and accountability becomes unclear.

Here’s how ClickUp Assign Comments keeps discussions on track:

• Assign Comments:  Assign comments to concerned team members within the context of a task
• Make accountability clear: Assigned comments appear in the recipient’s inbox and task list, so they always know what requires their action
• Resolve comments: Once the assigned task is done, mark the comment as resolved to keep workspaces clean and discussions focused
• Threaded discussions: Keeps the conversation clean and focused with threaded replies
• Quote comments: Highlight specific text for precise feedback or questions

ClickUp One Up #4: ClickUp Tasks

ClickUp Tasks sit at the centre of execution, bringing assignments, deadlines, discussions, and progress tracking into one place. Instead of scattered to-do lists and endless follow-ups, teams can plan, collaborate, and take action—all within a single task.

Here’s how ClickUp Tasks keeps teams aligned:

• Custom task statuses: Set priorities, define task urgency, and set deadlines to keep the projects on track
• Dependency views: Track project impact by linking tasks and dependencies
• Collaboration inside tasks: Discuss work, tag teammates, and attach files within the task itself
• Custom task structures for every workflow: Break down work into subtasks, checklists, or dependencies, and assign multiple team members

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Streamline your Workflows and Communication With ClickUp

Both Twist and Slack are solid communication tools for businesses of all sizes.

They help teams stay connected, share updates, and collaborate; whether in real-time or asynchronously. But communication alone doesn’t get work done.

Teams need a centralized system where tasks, projects, and discussions stay connected. Without it, work gets scattered across multiple tools, making it harder to track progress and keep context in one place.

Sign up for ClickUp and bring chat, tasks, projects, and automation together, all powered by AI. Experience seamless collaboration that turns conversations into execution.

Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.

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