How to choose an AI assistant for Slack: a checklist
Choose by who the assistant serves, where it runs, which tools it reaches, whether it asks first and how you pay. Then test two for a week.
To choose a Slack AI assistant, decide who it is for and where it runs. Then check which of your tools it reaches, whether it asks before it acts, and how you pay. Match those answers to one of three kinds: built into Slack, a personal assistant for each person, or a shared coworker for the team.
What kinds of AI assistant work with Slack?
There are three kinds, and they solve different problems.
Built into Slack. Slack’s own help centre guide says the AI features you get depend on your plan, your role and whether admins have restricted access. As of 14 October 2026, the guide lists conversation summaries and huddle notes from the Pro plan. It lists Slackbot, which it calls a personal AI agent, from Business+. Check your plan on that page before you pay for anything else.
A personal assistant for each person. Lindy is the example on our Toby vs Lindy page. As of 29 September 2026, that page says Lindy’s site describes a private assistant for each person in Slack, plus a shared one in channels. It also answers over iMessage and SMS. It is strong on personal work: inbox triage, drafts in your voice, scheduling and a notetaker that joins Meet, Zoom and Teams calls.
A shared AI coworker for the team’s channels. You ask in a channel, and it works across the tools your team connects. Viktor is one example. As of 29 September 2026, our Toby vs Viktor page says Viktor describes itself as an AI employee that lives in Slack and Teams. It also appears in Discord, in its own email inbox and in desktop and mobile apps. We make another product of this kind, and we cover it near the end.
How do the three kinds compare?
They differ most on who the assistant serves and how you pay. Prices below are as of 29 September 2026 and come from the two compare pages linked above. We have not tested these products for this post. The compare pages cite each vendor’s public pages.
| Kind | Who it is for | Where you talk to it | How you pay | What it reaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built into Slack | Members of a workspace, unless admins restrict it | Inside Slack | Tied to your Slack subscription | Slack, plus whatever Slack’s guide lists for your plan |
| Personal assistant (Lindy) | Each person, plus a shared one in channels | Slack, iMessage and SMS | From US$29.99 per user a month | Inbox, calendar and meeting notes, plus tools you connect |
| Shared coworker (Viktor) | The team, in channels | Slack, Teams, Discord, email and its own apps | Per workspace, from US$50 a month | Tools your team connects |
Credits are not the same unit across products. Lindy’s Plus plan gives 3,000 credits per user. Viktor’s Team plan gives 20,000 credits per workspace for US$50. Do not compare those numbers. Compare the monthly bill for the same work.
What should you ask any vendor before you buy?
Ask the eight questions below, and get the answers in writing.
- Where does it run? Ask whether it works in Slack, Microsoft Teams or both, and whether jobs and approvals are the same in each.
- How do you pay? Ask if the price is per seat or per workspace, what a credit buys and what happens when credits run out.
- Which of your tools does it reach? Ask about the tools you use, not a total count of integrations.
- Who approves each connection? Ask whether each tool is connected by name, and who in your organisation can approve it.
- Does it ask before it sends or writes? Ask what needs a click on Approve and what happens without one.
- Can it run on a schedule? A weekly report should not need a fresh message every Monday.
- Who helps you set up? Ask whether a real person helps, on which plans, and whether it costs extra.
- Is there a free trial, and does it need a card? Get the trial length and the billing rule for direct sign-ups.
When is another product the better choice?
Another product is the better choice in a few cases, and our compare pages say so too.
Our Toby vs Lindy page says to pick Lindy if you want a meeting notetaker that records your calls and keeps them in a searchable library. Pick it too if each person mainly wants a private assistant for their own inbox, calendar and texts.
Pick Viktor if you also want the assistant in Discord, email or a mobile app with voice calls. Pick it if you want one that builds and hosts small web apps for your team. The Toby vs Viktor page lists both.
If you mainly want summaries of conversations or notes from a huddle, check your Slack plan first. Those features may already be included.
How do you run a one-week trial?
Give two products the same real job for a week, then compare the result and the bill. The compare pages give the same advice. Keep the current tool running, try the new one in the same channel, and keep whichever did more of the work.
- Pick one shared job that someone already does by hand, such as a weekly sales summary or a Monday report.
- Check the trial terms first. As of 29 September 2026, the compare page records a 7-day Lindy trial through Slack. Lindy bills direct sign-ups right away, the page says.
- Connect only the tools that job needs, and approve each one by name.
- Give both products the same request in the same channel, and read the first result before you trust it.
- If the result is right, put the job on a schedule and let it run for the rest of the week.
- At the end, compare how much of the job each product finished and what the bill says.
Write the bill down at the end of the week.
Where does Toby fit?
We make Toby, so read this section with that in mind. Toby is an AI coworker that lives in Slack or Microsoft Teams. You ask in plain English, it breaks the job into steps, uses the tools you connect and posts the finished result in the thread. You can give it a schedule, and it asks before anything goes out under your name. Starter is US$25 a month for 20,000 credits, shared by the whole workspace, after 2,000 free credits with no card. Every plan includes dedicated onboarding and support. See pricing, book a demo, or read the Toby vs Lindy and Toby vs Viktor pages.
Slack is a trademark of Slack Technologies, LLC. Microsoft Teams, Lindy and Viktor are trademarks of their respective owners. Naming them does not imply a partnership.
Questions
Is there a free AI assistant for Slack?
Not fully. Slack’s guide says Slackbot may be available to preview in a limited capacity on some plans, so check what yours includes. As of 29 September 2026, the compare page says Viktor and Toby both start with free credits and no card.
Does an AI assistant work in Microsoft Teams too?
Some do. As of 29 September 2026, Viktor describes itself as living in Slack and Teams. Lindy’s site describes an assistant installed from Slack and lists Teams as a meeting platform and an integration, per the compare page. Toby works the same way in Slack and in Microsoft Teams, with one credit pool and one set of connected tools for both.
Per-seat or per-workspace pricing, which is cheaper?
It depends on how many people use it. As of 29 September 2026, the compare page shows Lindy’s Plus plan at US$29.99 per user a month. Ten people pay about US$300 a month before top-ups. A workspace plan does not change when you add people, but a busy team may need a larger credit pool.
How long does setup take?
For Toby, about two minutes. You sign in with Slack or Teams and choose which channels it can see. Then you connect a tool if you want to and give it something to do. Other products vary, so time each one yourself during the trial.
