In June 2024, Slack launched Lists — a built-in project tracking feature with table and board views, custom fields, and workflow automation. It's a significant addition to Slack's feature set. But is it enough to replace a dedicated task management app? And what if your team is on Slack's free plan?
What Slack Lists does well
Let's give credit where it's due. Slack Lists brings some genuinely useful capabilities directly into Slack:
- Table and board views — Switch between spreadsheet-style and kanban-style layouts for tracking work
- Custom fields — Add status, priority, dates, and other metadata to items
- Workflow Builder integration — Automate actions when list items change
- Threaded discussions — Each list item gets its own conversation thread
- Assignments and due dates — Assign work and set deadlines
For teams already paying for Slack Pro or Business+, Lists can handle basic project tracking without adding another tool.
Where Slack Lists falls short
Despite its strengths, Slack Lists has several notable limitations that may matter to your team:
1. Paid plans only
This is the biggest constraint. Slack Lists is only available on Pro ($7.25/user/month), Business+ ($15/user/month), and Enterprise plans. If your team uses Slack's free plan, you simply don't have access to Lists. For a 10-person team, upgrading to Pro just for task management costs $72.50/month — or $870/year.
2. No recurring tasks
Slack Lists doesn't support repeating or recurring tasks. If your team has regular responsibilities — weekly reports, monthly reviews, sprint ceremonies, routine check-ins — you'll need to manually recreate these items each time. This is a significant gap for teams with predictable workflows.
3. Item limits
Lists have item limits that vary by plan, with Enterprise Grid allowing up to 5,000 items per list. Once you hit the limit, Slack auto-archives the oldest items. For active teams, these limits can become a real constraint over time.
4. No cross-list overview
There's no way to see all your assigned tasks across multiple lists in one view. If your team uses separate lists for different projects, keeping track of everything assigned to you means checking each list individually.
5. No dependencies or timeline views
Lists doesn't support task dependencies, Gantt charts, or timeline views. For teams that need to plan work sequences or visualize project timelines, an additional tool is still necessary.
When Slack Lists is enough
Slack Lists can work well if your team:
- Is already on a paid Slack plan
- Needs basic task tracking without recurring items
- Works primarily within a single project or list
- Values the custom fields and Workflow Builder integration
- Doesn't need cross-list overviews or dependencies
When you need a dedicated task management app
A dedicated Slack task management app is the better choice when:
- You're on Slack's free plan — Third-party apps work regardless of your Slack plan
- You need recurring tasks — Automatically repeating tasks on daily, weekly, monthly, or custom schedules
- You want a unified overview — See all tasks across channels in one place
- Budget matters — Dedicated apps often cost a fraction of a Slack upgrade
- Simplicity is a priority — Purpose-built tools are often faster and easier to use for straightforward task management
The cost comparison
For many teams, the math is straightforward. Access to Slack Lists requires upgrading your entire workspace to a paid Slack plan. A dedicated task management app lets you stay on free Slack.
10-person team: annual cost
Slack Pro + Lists
$72.50/mo
$870 per year
- 💰 Must upgrade entire workspace
- 🚫 No recurring tasks
- 📊 Item limits per list
Free Slack + Let's Do
$14.00/mo
$168 per year
- ✅ Keep your free Slack plan
- 🔁 Recurring tasks with custom intervals
- 📋 Team overview across all channels
How Let's Do compares to Slack Lists
Let's Do is a task management app built specifically for Slack. Here's how it stacks up against Slack Lists:
- Works on any Slack plan — Including free Slack. No workspace upgrade required.
- Recurring tasks — Set tasks to repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or on a custom schedule. Slack Lists can't do this at all.
- Channel-based task lists — One task list per channel keeps things simple and organized. Everyone in the channel sees what needs to be done.
- Team overview — See all tasks across every channel in one dashboard view. Slack Lists has no equivalent.
- Personal to-do lists — Keep private tasks in your Slack App Home, separate from team work.
- Flat pricing — $14/month for up to 15 users, not per-seat pricing that scales with your team size.
Making the right choice for your team
There's no single answer that works for everyone. If your team is already on Slack Pro and needs the custom fields and Workflow Builder integration that Lists provides, it may be the right fit. But if you're on Slack's free plan, need recurring tasks, or want a simpler and more affordable solution, a dedicated task management app will likely serve you better.
The good news is that you can try before you decide. Add Let's Do to your Slack workspace with a free trial and see how it fits your team's workflow.