Basecamp vs. Slack

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Basecamp
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Basecamp is a web-based project-management tool. Basecamp offers features standard to project management platforms, as well as mobile accessibility, unlimited users, and 3rd party integrations. Basecamp is priced by space requirements and concurrent projects.
$15
per month per user
Slack
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Slack is a group messaging or team collaboration app that aims to simplify communication for businesses. Features include open discussions, private groups, and direct messaging, as well as deep contextual search and message archiving, and file sharing. Slack integrates with a number of other tools, such as MailChimp, Dropbox, and Google Drive. Slack was acquired by Salesforce in December 2020. The product is free to use, and also has paid plans with more features and greater controls. The…
$0
Pricing
BasecampSlack
Editions & Modules
Basecamp Plus
$15
per month per user
Basecamp Pro Unlimited
$299
per month (billed annually)
Basecamp Free
Free
Limited Capabilities
Free
$0
Pro
$7.25*
per month per user
Business+
$12.50*
per month per user
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BasecampSlack
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details*Per active user, per month, when paying once a year. Pro is $8.75 USD per active user when paying month to month. Business+ is $15.00 USD per active user when paying month to month.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BasecampSlack
Features
BasecampSlack
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Basecamp
7.9
Ratings
3% above category average
Slack
8.2
Ratings
6% above category average
Task Management9.40 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Resource Management8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Gantt Charts2.00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Scheduling6.90 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Workflow Automation7.00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Team Collaboration10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology6.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology6.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Document Management9.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Email integration7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Access9.60 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Change request and Case Management8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Search00 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Visual planning tools00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
Basecamp
6.8
Ratings
10% below category average
Slack
-
Ratings
Quotes/estimates8.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Invoicing6.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Project & financial reporting8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with accounting software4.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Communication
Comparison of Communication features of Product A and Product B
Basecamp
-
Ratings
Slack
8.8
Ratings
11% above category average
Chat00 Ratings9.80 Ratings
Notifications00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Discussions00 Ratings9.60 Ratings
Surveys00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Internal knowledgebase00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Integrates with GoToMeeting00 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts00 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Integrates with Outlook00 Ratings8.90 Ratings
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Basecamp
-
Ratings
Slack
8.7
Ratings
11% above category average
Versioning00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Video files00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Audio files00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Document collaboration00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Access control00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Advanced security features00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Integrates with Google Drive00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Device sync00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BasecampSlack
Small Businesses
Stackby
Stackby
Score 9.0 out of 10
Stackby
Stackby
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
InEight
InEight
Score 8.3 out of 10
Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
InEight
InEight
Score 8.3 out of 10
HCL Connections
HCL Connections
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BasecampSlack
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(0 ratings)
9.4
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
9.2
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.3
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.8
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Online Training
5.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.7
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BasecampSlack
Likelihood to Recommend
Small to mid-size would be a great fit [for Basecamp]. It's simple to use and does not require a ton of ramp-up. Unlike other platforms that require you to learn their terminology in order to use the platform this works well for the non technical user whom just needs to put in simple task updates[.]
Read full review
Slack is really effective for smaller teams to use as an internal communication platform. I think that it's still suitable even for companies of up to 500-1000 employees, but for larger teams it's less appropriate (or would require more aggressive organization, e.g. keeping channels protected and on an invite-only basis). It's really helpful for small team-to-small team communication too (like in our case where we create external channels to support POCs/business partnerships). It's not great for direct collaboration (e.g. it's hard to iterate on a project spec or a document together, directly in Slack) but it's well suited for conversational coordination, like planning meetings or asking informational questions.
Read full review
Pros
  • Task management - It is very easy to add, organize and discuss tasks within Basecamp's interface.
  • The "Campfire" function is great for communicating when you just have a quick question for someone on the team.
  • Notifications - Basecamp lets you decide how often and about what you'd like to be notified. The ability to respond to messages in Basecamp directly via email saves a lot of time.
Read full review
  • Huddles Run smoothly without any interferences.
  • Smooth individual calls quick and easy without any interruptions.
  • seamless notifications across multiple devices
  • The ability to easily tag a team member to urgently attend to a specific escalation.
  • Slack being user friendly and able to integrate easily with other platforms and apps.
  • How to easily open up different channels for different escalations and needs.
  • a safe direct messaging option.
Read full review
Cons
  • High Learning Curve. It's true that it can be easy to use, but to use well and effectively takes some time to learn. It's recommended to have an agreed-upon system in your team of what tools to use and when.
  • Notification Overload. If people aren't careful they could send a notification to everyone when only a couple people were meant to be prompted. And since emails are sent by default, you could have your mailbox overloaded with unnecessary updates. This is where it takes a bit of training in your team to have an agreed-upon system.
  • Lack of organization with Archived Projects. I will often need to reference an archived project to make a new one, but there is only a list of archived projects in alphabetical order, with no way to organize by archive date, or even search.
Read full review
  • Undoubtedly Slack’s search function is powerful but sometimes it is difficult to find specific messages or files in very active channels with high message volumes. This needs an improvement.
  • I have experienced notification issues on my phone. I am not receiving notifications and have missed important updates as a result. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app, but the problem still persists.
  • The Business Plus plan does not include support for data loss prevention or offline backup providers.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
When I bring new people onto a project, it's immediately obvious how to use Basecamp. I don't have to worry about teaching them the features or walking them through it, it's just incredibly user-friendly. For this reason, I'll continue to renew my subscription even as new people are brought onto production jobs or the client changes.
Read full review
Slack sitll lacks in functionality. It's better than Skype for Business in many ways, but it is still another chat/message board app. It has limits in free version and paid versions. Also Windows app has errors that bother me, for example, I see number on one of my team's icons. It suggests that one of channels has unread messages; I check all channels - no unread messages, but that "1" still appears
Read full review
Usability
I would give it a ten but we have some very minor issues. Those have all been easy to work around and I still really like Basecamp. We also have trouble with some clients who can only handle email—but those are rare cases when technology is just not their thing.
Read full review
The product is fantastic, it keeps everyone connected and ensures detailed connection.
User interface of Slack software is very is very straightforward no need for training.
Availability of unlimited tutorials and demos.
Slack can be easily tailored to perform specific tasks.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
I've never experienced downtime while using Basecamp, or been unable to access it when I needed it. That's not to say they've never had downtime, but I've been lucky enough not to encounter any, and I work odd hours, including late nights when maintenance is often undertaken.
Read full review
Yes, the app works 24/7. I don't even recall having any period that we could not use since the implementation. Even the maintenance periods are barely noticeable and our work is not impacted by it when it happens.
Read full review
Performance
No answers on this topic
Slack is a soft app, we don't have many issues with it. I recall one or two people complaining about something during our usage period, but I didn't have a bad experience. When the app is slow, usually the problem is with my computer or my internet. The app works just fine.
Read full review
Support Rating
For the many reasons I've given, Basecamp is a very strong program. There are a few features I can imagine that might make it even better, but I don't have a basis for comparison to be able to say that there is definitely a better one out there. I've noticed that Basecamp has evolved a bit from the time I started using it until now, so that makes me think that the producer of this program values it and believes in continuous improvement. If you could use the features offered by Basecamp, I would think you could use it with confidence.
Read full review
Whenever I've had to troubleshoot an issue with Slack (which, to be honest, has not happened very often), their online documentation has been easy to locate, easy to understand, and effective in resolving my issue. Slack's ever-growing popularity also means that there's a large community of practice out there that can be depended upon.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Decide the process before implementation - i.e. when it's due 8/9 does that mean 8am, noon, 5pm, 11:59pm? Check your to-do list frequently Set-up templates - just not with the dates (they can be funky)
Read full review
I was not part of the implementation team, but I recall being 100% happy and excited to learn and use a new tool. I'm still am to be honest.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Basecamp is the best application we've found for our team to interface with external clients. It makes project management simple, and allows our clients visibility into their projects, which in turn builds trust, fosters open communication, and improves customer satisfaction. It's easy to learn and use, and has just enough customizability to work for many different types of projects.
Read full review
I like Slack better than ClickUp, because I would spend 30-60 minutes a day updating my ClickUp tasks. The way ClickUp was used was very micromanaging. I billed by the hour, so I was willing to put in the time to alert the boss what tasks I was working on.
One of my jobs used Hive - I mostly just ran it in the background in case anyone messaged me. I did not use it often.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • It has helped keep every project organized, with all assets in one accessible place for everyone involved.
  • It has helped with scheduling and assigning tasks so that everyone knows what is expected of them.
  • It has helped keep all client correspondence in one place and within the project so that everything can be found immediately.
  • The search function is very helpful.
Read full review
  • Slack has been incredibly helpful in connecting various tech apps and ecosystems, creating a more streamlined and responsive process.
  • Slack has made it significantly easier to communicate with our team members across multiple time zones, creating a more engaging environment for our all-remote team.
Read full review
ScreenShots