In short
- Slack is a widely used team chat with channels and thousands of apps – a Salesforce company from the US.
- Without data residency, Slack stores the data in the US, according to its own help pages. Storage in the EU is available from the "Business+" plan.
- On the free plan you only see the last 90 days; Slack deletes messages and files older than one year.
- CloudyBird puts chat where the work is: with projects and tasks, with calls, files and time tracking in the same app – developed in Germany, hosted in the EU.
- If you need many integrations or chats with other companies, Slack is the better choice.
Who Slack is made for
Slack organises communication into channels and direct messages. The interface is available in several languages. According to the pricing page, more than 2,600 apps from Slack's app directory can be connected, up to ten on the free plan. With "huddles" you hold audio and video conversations with screen sharing – on the free plan between two people, in groups from "Pro". Slack Connect lets you message other companies.
Slack is a communication tool. Tasks, files, time and invoices live in other programs that you connect via apps. In small businesses especially, this means someone has to transfer what was agreed in the chat into the project tool.
Where your data is stored
- Provider: Slack Technologies, LLC, a Salesforce company. The Salesforce main services agreement names the contracting entity per country – for customers in Germany, salesforce.com Germany GmbH. Outside the US and Canada, Slack Technologies Limited in Dublin is responsible for data protection.
- Storage location: without data residency, the data is stored in the US according to Slack's help pages. Data residency, for example in Frankfurt or Paris, is available for "Business+" and "Enterprise". It covers messages, files and the search index, but not, for example, member profiles and usage data.
- Transfers to the US: according to its own GDPR page, Slack participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework through Salesforce and uses Standard Contractual Clauses. The Data Privacy Framework is being challenged before the Court of Justice of the European Union (appeal C-703/25 P); the outcome is open.
CloudyBird runs entirely on Scaleway, a French provider: application, database, files and search in Amsterdam, encrypted backups in Paris – on every plan. Audio and video of calls go directly between the devices or through our own server in the EU. Optional features such as browser push or signing in with Google use US services only if you choose them.
What CloudyBird does differently
- Chat with the project: every project and every task can have its own chat. Anyone who may see the project can follow along – without creating channels by hand and inviting people.
- Everything a team chat needs: direct messages, groups, threads, mentions, reactions, files, search and an email digest.
- Calls and meetings: call from any chat and share your screen. For appointments with customers there are meeting rooms with a waiting area; guests only need the link, no account.
- No history that disappears: CloudyBird does not hide or delete older messages, not even on the free plan.
- Chats belong to their members: not even admins read other people's chats. Anyone who leaves the company loses access; the chats stay with the company.
- The rest of the business is already there: tasks, files, time tracking, leave and invoices in the same app, instead of plugging them together with app integrations.
Slack and CloudyBird compared
As of the date above. Information on Slack according to Slack's pricing page and help pages (sources below).
| Topic | Slack | CloudyBird |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Slack Technologies (Salesforce), USA | Developed in Germany |
| Data location | USA; EU data residency from "Business+" | EU (Amsterdam, backups in Paris), on every plan |
| History on the free plan | 90 days visible, deleted after one year | Complete |
| Channels or groups | Channels | Groups and chats for projects and tasks |
| Calls with screen sharing | Free between two people, groups from "Pro" | Yes, on every plan, up to 8 people |
| Chat with other companies | Slack Connect | No (guests only in meeting rooms) |
| Integrations | More than 2,600 apps, up to 10 for free | Few; AI assistants via a dedicated interface |
| Tasks, time, leave, invoices | Not in the plan comparison, via apps | Built in |
When CloudyBird is the better fit
Choose CloudyBird if …
- your messages are mostly about specific projects and tasks and the conversation should sit where the work is,
- the history should stay – on the free plan too, without older messages being hidden or deleted,
- your data should stay in the EU – on every plan rather than only from "Business+",
- you hold video meetings with customers and want to bring guests in via a link, without them needing an account,
- besides chat you want tasks, time, leave and invoices in one app instead of plugging tools together via integrations.
When Slack is the better fit
Stay with Slack if …
- you regularly message other companies in shared channels – CloudyBird cannot do that,
- your workflow depends on many connected apps, such as notifications from development or sales tools,
- you need large video meetings – calls in CloudyBird are designed for up to 8 people,
- you want a chat only and deliberately keep tasks, time and invoices elsewhere.
How to switch
- Back up your history: according to Slack's help pages, the Free and Pro plans export public channels as JSON; private channels and direct messages only on higher plans, on request. Keep the export if you need to look up agreements in it.
- Groups instead of channels: in CloudyBird, create the groups you really need (such as "Office" or "Everyone"). Project topics belong in the project's chat.
- A fixed switch-over day: from a set date, communication runs only in CloudyBird. Two chats in parallel rarely work in small teams.