Top 20 Slack Apps for 2022
Slack is a powerful business communications tool that only gets better when you add the best Slack apps to your setup. Slack makes teamwork much more efficient by letting groups and teams interact more easily in channels, with editable messages and file sharing at your fingertips.
But just like your smartphone, tablet, or Google Chrome browser, you can expand Slack’s functionality with helpful apps. We’re talking about apps that create short explanatory videos, add a human touch, link to your favorite project management tool, or even launch video chats.
Improve your productivity with the 20 apps for Slack below.
What are Slack apps?
Slack apps are handy integrations that let you do more directly from Slack’s chat interface without using another window, like a browser or external app. With Slack apps, you can connect almost any external app you use and issue commands to get more done with less between windows.
Slack apps work by using slash commands like /giphy or /loom. Depending on the slash command, you can record a short video, find a Google Doc to share, create a meeting, or begin a poll for your team.
Let’s dig into the best apps for Slack on the web.
1. Loom
If you ever tried to explain something without a long email, Slack message, or video chat, chances are you used Loom. The Loom Slack app lets you make quick, explanatory videos similar to a one-way Zoom call, but you’ll do it directly in Slack – without a premium Slack subscription. It’s so much easier than taking screenshots and writing emails.
2. Google Drive
Slack has probably already nudged you about connecting Google Drive to Slack. But you may be wondering why you’d want to. It’s because you can create documents, reply to comments, and share files from your Google Drive in Slack without opening a browser window.
3. Google Meet
It’s so much faster to meet with teammates with the Google Meet Slack app. When a conversation gets complex and someone suggests a quick meeting, you don’t need to switch windows and open your calendar to create a meeting. Just create a Google video call in Slack, and everyone can join from there.
4. Simple Poll
Asking for your team’s opinions on a new idea can lead you down a rabbit hole and devolve into a side chat about pets or sports. While those cats are fun, you’ll get your answers faster with the Simple Poll Slack app. Used by more than half a million remote teams, this tool lets you set up surveys and take your team’s pulse in a snap. Plus, the anonymous mode removes any bias.
5. Asana
Asana is one the most powerful project management tools on the planet, and the Asana Slack app makes it even easier to use. Turn Slack chats into action items, link projects to specific Slack channels, and create tasks in real-time. This tool reduces the need to switch windows and take notes during Slack chats and huddles.
6. Tettra
How much time does your team spend asking and answering the same questions? With the Tettra Wiki Slack app, your team can build a knowledge base that any member (old or new) can search to get answers fast.
Your team can stitch up scattered knowledge, capture and create questions, and search your growing knowledge base from Slack.
7. Google Calendar
You can create and share fast calendar events with the Google Calendar Slack app. That’s a handy feature, especially when you’re Slack chatting on your phone. See your daily schedule, make new events, and show your current calendar status so your team knows your availability without changing any settings.
8. Zoom
Join team meetings right from Slack with the Slack app for Zoom. Simply type /Zoom Start a Meeting, and you’re off. Share your screen instantly from any private group, direct message, or text channel. It only takes one individual to add Zoom to a Slack channel for everyone to use it, too.
9. Standup.ly Bot
Built for remote work teams (and used by more than 100,000 of them), the Standup.ly Bot Slack app lets you plan sprints and automate 360 feedback reviews and daily huddle check-ins. Plus, you can save repeated questions as text, voice, or video, and then find the answers with the /ask Slack command. It can also run reports and integrate with Jira, Asana, GitHub, and more.
10. Brightidea
Taiichi Ohno, founder of the Toyota Production System, said employees are our most valuable resource. But traditionally, a rich vein of employee ideas goes untapped because we don’t have a good way to harvest it.
The Brightidea Slack app lets you and your team capture and curate ideas natively with simple Slack commands.
11. Giphy
GIFs are a double-edged sword of useful and silly, but they let you add a human touch to text that goes beyond emojis. The Giphy Slack app can help you step away from misunderstandings and get to the heart of the matter. Quickly access the world’s biggest library of animated GIFs to turn emotionless text into understanding.
12. HubSpot
Use short slash commands to set up tasks and receive notifications in Slack. Add tasks, tickets, and search and post HubSpot actions and objects without leaving the app. You can also search your playbook or HubSpot knowledge base, set your availability status, and view and respond to chats coming in from your website.
13. Salesforce
Use the world’s #1 CRM right from your Slack channels to collaborate with sales and service teams. Get notifications on updated or new records, and search and preview Salesforce objects with short, simple Slack commands. You can also use the Salesforce Slack app to send records to channels or link chats with related records.
14. Monday
If Monday is your task management tool of choice, you’ll be glad to know there’s a Slack integration you can use to create new items and update existing items. Create projects and tasks without leaving Slack conversations by typing slash commands.
15. Voice Message
The VoiceMessage free Slack app is a quick way to get your points across without a lot of typing, and without switching to a video chat or a recorded video. If you just need to explain something that’s easier said than typed, VoiceMessage works without an external app integration. All you need to do is run the /vm command and speak your piece.
16. Twitter
Sometimes you're deep in a Slack conversation and someone suggests creating a tweet. Rather than create an action item in Asana or take a note to do it later, you can use the Twitter Slack app to tweet from your Twitter account. You can also monitor discussions, and do almost everything else you’d do on Twitter.
17. HRvey
This free Slack app lets you track and view your team’s time away at a glance. Track PTO, vacation, and other absences, and reject or approve leave requests in Slack. The HRvey free app for Slack integrates with the Google Suite, too, so you can auto-create employee accounts and connect to your Google Calendar.
18. Clockit Time Clock
You can turn Slack into a time-tracking tool with the Clockit Time Clock Slack app, so team members can clock in or out from chat. The app also tracks attendance, overtime, and vacation time on desktop or mobile versions. It connects to a reporting tool in the background, so you can easily view the data when it’s time for payroll.
19. Slack Search Apps
This isn’t one app but several. You can connect apps that let you search resources like Twitter, Amazon, programming libraries, and Forrester Research from Slack. To find them, visit Slack’s app directory and type “search” in the search box. You’ll find several of the best Slack integrations to turn Slack into an answer-finding powerhouse.
20. Bonusly
When it’s time to give recognition for a job well done, use the Bonusly app for Slack. It lets you call out groups or individuals, and empowers employees to give kudos to their teammates. You can use it to celebrate key milestones or dates and ultimately improve team culture, productivity, and retention across your organization.
Other powerful Slack applications
If you have a favorite business, productivity, or project management app, it often has a Slack add-on. You can find more top Slack apps by searching Slack’s app directory. You can also connect Slack bots for your small business.
You can connect Slack to Friday, Zapier, PagerDuty, DocuSign, Box, and almost any app you know and love. There are dozens of Slack project management apps and other Slack app integrations for nearly every software tool on the planet.
Summary
Slack is a powerful team communication tool that removes the frustrations of email, like searching through countless threads for files or comments, or using outdated forwarding and CCs to collaborate with teams. Slack apps take that power one step further, creating a productivity powerhouse that you and your coworkers can use to build deep efficiencies.
About the Author: Tom Gerencer is a contributing writer for HP Tech Takes. Tom is an ASJA journalist, career expert at Zety.com, and a regular contributor to Boys' Life and Scouting magazines. His work is featured in Costco Connection, FastCompany, and many more.
