At Matter, we believe in nurturing work environments where teams feel connected, valued, and empowered to succeed. Matter's Slack app is a comprehensive tool for employee recognition, rewards, and engagement, making it easy for teams to share kudos, celebrate achievements, and build a supportive culture, all directly within Slack. Slack's robust App Directory offers thousands of integrations to enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and create an engaging digital workspace.
To help you harness Slack's full potential, we have assembled a compilation of the ten most frequently used Slack integrations and applications, each standing out as a leader in its category for 2024. From boosting team morale and employee engagement to optimizing project management, these apps, including Matter, are designed to elevate your Slack workspace and support your team's growth.
What are Slack integrations?
Slack integrations are applications or tools from third-party providers that connect with Slack to expand its functionalities. With Slack integrations, teams can create a centralized Slack workspace tailored to their needs, bringing essential tools like project management, file sharing, and employee recognition into one hub. This customization transforms Slack from a simple communication tool into an all-in-one platform where teams can manage projects, track progress, and enhance team engagement.
Slack integrations are especially valuable in modern workplaces, where remote or hybrid setups are increasingly common. For remote teams, integrations provide a seamless way to maintain productivity and connectivity, regardless of location. For example, integrating project management tools like Trello or Asana allows teams to monitor task progress directly from Slack channels, while tools like Google Calendar and Zoom help streamline scheduling and collaboration.
Moreover, Slack integrations allow businesses to implement employee rewards systems within their communication platform, adding an extra layer of engagement and recognition. Matter, for instance, is an employee recognition app that integrates with Slack to facilitate kudos and feedback, helping teams celebrate achievements and foster a positive company culture.
The versatility of Slack integrations means teams can select instruments that correspond to their goals and workflows, enhancing productivity, simplifying communication, and supporting a collaborative work environment.
Why are Slack integrations important?
Slack integrations are essential for increasing efficiency, reducing app-switching, and fostering a connected team culture in today's fast-paced work environment. By consolidating all necessary tools into a single Slack workspace, these integrations enable team members to stay focused and productive, accessing everything they need within one platform. Integrations also allow for streamlined communication, task automation, and employee engagement.
For example, apps like Zapier can automate routine tasks and trigger Slack notifications when certain actions occur, such as new tasks being created or project milestones being reached. Similarly, project management tools integrated with Slack can provide updates on project progress, ensuring everyone on the team remains aligned without switching between multiple applications.
But Slack integrations do more than boost productivity; they're also instrumental in fostering employee engagement and morale. Tools like Matter enable team members to share kudos, recognize contributions, and celebrate work anniversaries or birthdays, all within Slack. This real-time recognition helps teams feel valued and appreciated, which strengthens company culture and supports employee well-being.
Incorporating the right Slack integrations can also improve transparency and accountability within teams. For example, integrations with GitHub or Google Drive can help track task completion and share important updates, ensuring everyone is aligned and accountable. By bringing everything into one central Slack channel, these integrations allow teams to collaborate more effectively, stay informed, and achieve shared goals.
The 10 most popular Slack integrations and apps
Thousands of Slack apps are available, each offering unique features to enhance the Slack workspace. For this list, we've highlighted the 10 most popular Slack integrations based on their utility, features, and popularity across diverse categories. These integrations cover critical areas like project management, workflow automation, and employee recognition, providing valuable tools that cater to various organizational needs.
Each app listed here serves a different purpose but shares the common goal of boosting productivity and supporting team engagement. Here's a brief look at what each app category offers and how these integrations elevate Slack's functionality:
- Employee recognition: Apps like Matter are designed to foster employee engagement by facilitating real-time rewards and recognition. These tools help teams acknowledge each other's contributions, enhancing morale and cultivating a positive work environment.
- Project management: Trello and Asana allow teams to visually track tasks, manage timelines, and monitor project progress directly within Slack. These integrations reduce the need for external project management tools and enable teams to keep everything in one place.
- Workflow automation: Tools like Zapier automates repetitive tasks, such as data entry or reminder scheduling, minimizing manual labor and allocating additional time for more strategic tasks.
- File sharing: Integrations with Google Drive or Dropbox ensure that files are easily accessible in Slack, simplifying collaboration and improving document organization.
Whether you're looking to streamline project management or foster a culture of employee rewards and recognition, these integrations can transform your Slack workspace into a productive, engaging, and connected environment.
1. Matter
About Matter: Matter is a top-rated app designed to foster employee recognition and rewards within Slack. With Matter, teams can send kudos, celebrate work anniversaries, and recognize achievements effortlessly. This employee recognition platform empowers employees to acknowledge each other's contributions, helping create a culture of continuous feedback and positive reinforcement.
Matter main features:
- Real-time kudos and recognition based on company values
- Constructive feedback options for continuous growth
- Analytics to measure and boost engagement
- Rewards and incentives for milestones and accomplishments
Slack App: View Matter's Slack app integration.
Matter pricing: To learn more, view Matter's pricing page.
Matter G2 score: Matter has a G2 score of 4.7/5 based on user reviews.
What Matter customers are saying: "The interface of Matter is extremely user-friendly and intuitive, which significantly reduces the learning curve for new users. The customer support team is responsive and genuinely helpful, providing quick solutions to any issues that arise. Additionally, the robust analytics features have made it much easier to track performance and make data-driven decisions." - Vincent M., Subject Matter Expert (G2 Review for Matter).
2. Zapier
About Zapier: Zapier automates workflows by connecting apps and services, making it a powerful addition to Slack for task automation. With Zapier, teams can automate repetitive tasks and trigger Slack notifications when certain conditions are met, simplifying workflows and improving efficiency.
Zapier main features:
- Automate tasks across over 2,000 applications
- Trigger actions in Slack based on other apps
- Streamline project management and data entry
Slack App: View Zapier Slack app integration.
Zapier pricing: To learn more, view Zapier's pricing page.
Zapier G2 score: Zapier has a G2 score of 4.5/5 based on user reviews.
What Zapier customers are saying: "It has options for us to connect different platforms we use together so that we can automate our tasks easily. We use it to collect information from customers, keep track of things in spreadsheets, automatically tag customers in our email database, and send automated email notifications internally. Great support also, if we ever have an issue, they usually help us resolve it promptly." - Alison R., Marketing Manager (G2 Review for Zapier).
3. Trello
About Trello: Trello offers a visual approach to project management, which is ideal for organizing tasks and tracking project progress. With its Slack integration, teams can receive Trello updates and manage tasks directly from Slack, making it easier to stay on top of projects.
Trello main features:
- Visual task boards with drag-and-drop functionality
- Task automation with Butler
- Integrations with Slack for real-time updates
Slack App: View Trello Slack app integration.
Trello pricing: To learn more, view Trello's pricing page.
Trello G2 score: Trello has a G2 score of 4.4/5 based on user reviews.
What Trello customers are saying: "Trello's visual simplicity and flexibility are what I like best. It's easy to organize tasks, move them across stages, and collaborate with my team. Whether I'm working on blog content, YouTube videos, or other marketing projects, Trello's intuitive drag-and-drop interface allows for smooth management. I also appreciate the wide range of power-ups and integrations, especially with Google Drive and Slack, which help streamline our workflows. The ability to automate tasks using Butler is another huge time-saver for our team." - Çağrı M., Content Marketing Manager (G2 Review for Trello).
4. GitHub
About GitHub: GitHub's Slack integration brings code updates, pull requests, and discussions into Slack, making it a must-have for development teams. With GitHub notifications in Slack, developers can stay on top of code changes without leaving the workspace.
GitHub main features:
- Pull request and code review notifications
- Commit tracking within Slack
- Collaboration tools for development teams
Slack App: View Github Slack app integration.
GitHub pricing: To learn more, view GitHub's pricing page.
GitHub G2 score: GitHub has a G2 score of 4.7/5 based on user reviews.
What GitHub customers are saying: "I have been using it for more than 3 years, it is practical, it has all the necessary features to make me feel comfortable, it is easy to use and safe with the projects I manage. As for customer support, I have used it and have had good results. Once I had problems with my git actions and they helped me solve it and also gave me guidelines to use it in the best way. I have implemented it in the desktop and web versions and added it to IDEs that I have worked with, such as visual code or android studio. My frequency of use is daily, I keep my projects there." - Alfredo P., QA Engineer (G2 Review for GitHub).
5. Zoom
About Zoom: Zoom integrates seamlessly with Slack, enabling teams to start or join Zoom meetings from within Slack. This integration is valuable for teams who rely on virtual meetings for collaboration, allowing for quick setup and easy access.
Zoom main features:
- Start and join meetings directly from Slack
- Calendar integration for easy scheduling
- Real-time screen sharing
Slack App: View Zoom Slack app integration.
Zoom pricing: To learn more, view Zoom's pricing page.
Zoom G2 score: Zoom has a G2 score of 4.5/5 based on user reviews.
What Zoom customers are saying: "I love how easy it is to use! The integration with my calendar makes it so easy to schedule any meeting, and I use it at least twice a day, if not more. Setting up the account took no time at all; it's been very easily implemented by our entire team. I can send a Zoom link to people who don't have an account and they can still join the meeting. The recording feature has made it very easy to review my meetings, ensuring I don't miss anything." - Sereena S., Director of Client Care (G2 Review for Zoom).
6. Loom
About Loom: Loom is a powerful video messaging application that allows teams to swiftly record and exchange screen and video communications. By integrating Loom with Slack, teams can create and share video tutorials, updates, and presentations directly within the Slack workspace, making it ideal for remote collaboration. This integration is particularly advantageous for teams requiring visual communication, such as customer support, training, and product teams.
Loom main features:
- Record and share video messages directly in Slack channels
- Provide video updates for projects, team progress, or instructions
- Easily embed videos for onboarding, product demos, and tutorials
Slack App: View Loom Slack app integration.
Loom pricing: To learn more, view Loom's pricing page.
Loom G2 score: Loom has a G2 score of 4.8/5 based on user reviews.
What Loom customers are saying: "I like how loom is valuable for creating video tutorials and onboarding materials. Best when it comes to recording screens and it's uploads are fast." - Jordan M., Database & Development Administrator (G2 Review for Loom).
7. Figma
About Figma: Figma is a collaborative design tool that allows teams to create, share, and iterate on designs in real-time. When integrated with Slack, Figma provides instant notifications and updates on design changes, allowing teams to review, discuss, and approve design files without leaving the Slack workspace. This integration is perfect for design and product teams that work on complex projects requiring continuous feedback and collaboration.
Figma main features:
- Receive notifications for design updates, comments, and feedback
- Collaborate on design files and share them in Slack channels
- Keep teams aligned on design progress and revisions
Slack App: View Figma Slack app integration.
Figma pricing: To learn more, view Figma's pricing page.
Figma G2 score: Figma has a G2 score of 4.7/5 based on user reviews.
What Figma customers are saying: "Drag n drop functionality to create whatever you want. Circle, rectangle, button, box, rectangle, images. You can create in a ziffy & share the same with & outside the organization." - Sourabh P., Senior Associate (G2 Review for Figma).
8. HubSpot
About HubSpot: HubSpot's Slack integration streamlines marketing, sales, and customer support by allowing team members to view, track, and update client interactions directly from Slack. This integration helps sales teams stay organized, follow up on leads, and collaborate more effectively with real-time updates in their Slack channels. For marketing and customer support teams, HubSpot's integration with Slack offers actionable insights into customer interactions, facilitating the development of focused marketing and delivering prompt assistance.
HubSpot main features:
- Track and update client interactions and tasks within Slack
- Access client information for faster follow-up and support
- Set up notifications for lead updates, customer feedback, and more
Slack App: View HubSpot Slack app integration.
HubSpot pricing: To learn more, view HubSpot's pricing page.
HubSpot G2 score: HubSpot has a G2 score of 4.4/5 based on user reviews.
What HubSpot customers are saying: "HubSpot helps businesses quickly realize the benefits of a fully integrated approach to inbound marketing. It's a pure pleasure to see the improved performance that businesses achieve, and it happens because the product is intuitive, extremely user friendly, and provides a wide range of feedback loops that constantly encourage customers to continue their progress. And I also love the attitudes of the HubSpot people; they make me wish I was 25 years old and in the position to seek my fortune with them in Cambridge." - Greg L., President (G2 Review for HubSpot).
9. Google Calendar
About Google Calendar: Google Calendar's Slack integration helps teams stay organized by sending reminders and updates directly to Slack channels. This integration is especially helpful for scheduling meetings, managing deadlines, and coordinating across time zones. By connecting Google Calendar to Slack, team members receive automatic reminders for upcoming events and can even manage their availability without leaving the Slack workspace.
Google Calendar main features:
- Send automatic reminders for events directly to Slack
- Manage and view team availability in real-time
- Schedule meetings and set reminders within Slack
Slack App: View Google Calendar Slack app integration.
Google Calendar pricing: To learn more, view Google Calendar's pricing page.
Google Calendar G2 score: There is no G2 score available for Google Calendar. To learn more, view Google Calendar's G2 profile.
What Google Calendar users are saying: There is no review available for Google Calendar.
10. Google Drive
About Google Drive: Google Drive is a widely-used file storage and sharing platform that connects effortlessly with Slack, making it easy for teams to access, share, and engage in direct document collaboration within the Slack workspace. This integration is perfect for teams who rely on document sharing for projects, as it enables users to manage permissions, receive update notifications, and collaborate on files in real time, all without leaving Slack.
Google Drive main features:
- Share and access files directly within Slack channels
- Receive real-time notifications for document updates and comments
- Manage document permissions and collaborate on files instantly
Slack App: View Google Drive Slack app integration.
Google Drive pricing: To learn more, view Google Drive's pricing page.
Google Drive G2 score: There is no G2 score available for Google Drive. To learn more, view Google Drive's G2 profile.
What Google Drive users are saying: There is no review available for Google Drive.
Pros and cons of Slack integrations
Choosing the right Slack integrations can offer significant advantages, but balancing the benefits with potential drawbacks is essential. Comprehending these advantages and disadvantages can assist teams in making educated decisions and building an optimized Slack workspace.
Pros of Slack integrations:
- Enhanced productivity: By consolidating key tools into Slack, integrations reduce the need for app-switching, saving time and enhancing focus. For example, with project management integrations like Trello, teams can update tasks and track project timelines without leaving Slack.
- Improved team collaboration: Integrations support real-time communication and information sharing, which is essential for cross-functional collaboration. Apps like Matter facilitate real-time employee recognition, fostering team engagement and helping to build a supportive company culture.
- Automated workflows: Slack integrations like Zapier can automate tedious assignments, enabling teams to concentrate on more significant work. For instance, automated reminders or notifications can keep projects on track and streamline task management.
Cons of Slack integrations:
- Notification overload: Too many integrations can lead to excessive notifications, which may overwhelm teams and reduce productivity. Managing notification settings for each integration can help minimize distractions.
- Learning curve for new apps: Some integrations may require training or onboarding, which can temporarily slow down productivity. Teams should prioritize apps that offer user-friendly interfaces or consider short training sessions to speed up adoption.
- Cost of premium features: While Slack offers many free integrations, some apps have paid plans for advanced features. Teams should assess whether premium features provide enough added value to justify the cost.
When managed well, Slack integrations can significantly improve team productivity, communication, and morale. Evaluating these advantages and disadvantages will assist you in creating a Slack environment that boosts efficiency and aligns with your team's needs.
Trends for Slack integrations
Slack integrations are evolving to meet the changing demands of modern workplaces. Remaining aware of these developments can assist companies in choosing the most effective tools and keeping their Slack workspaces up to date.
Increased automation and AI capabilities: Automation tools like Zapier and AI-powered Slack bots are on the rise, helping teams streamline workflows and save time on repetitive tasks. From automated reporting to predictive insights, AI-driven Slack integrations can enhance decision-making and allow teams to focus on strategic work. Expect these tools to become even more integral to productivity-focused Slack channels in the coming years.
Focus on employee well-being and engagement: With the shift to remote and hybrid work, companies prioritize employee engagement and well-being more than ever. Apps like Matter and Donut encourage employee recognition, well-being check-ins, and social interactions, supporting a positive company culture. Expect more employee recognition platforms to be integrated within Slack, providing ways to keep remote teams connected, engaged, and appreciated.
Data-driven integrations for informed decisions: Data-driven Slack integrations are gaining traction as companies look to make data-informed choices. Analytics integrations that track team performance, engagement, and project milestones provide actionable insights that help managers and team leaders make more informed decisions. For instance, HubSpot and Google Analytics integrations enable teams to access critical data directly in Slack, facilitating quick responses and better-informed actions.
By leveraging these trends, companies can create Slack workspaces that not only amplify productivity but also cultivate a constructive and data-driven team culture.
Choosing the right Slack integration for your company
Selecting the best Slack integrations for your team involves careful consideration to ensure each app aligns with your workflow, budget, and team goals. Here are some essential factors to consider:
- Identify team needs and objectives. Start by assessing the primary goals of your team. Are you focused on project management, enhancing employee recognition, or streamlining communication? Defining these objectives helps narrow down integration choices to the tools that will best serve your team's needs.
- Evaluate compatibility and ease of use. Not every integration is compatible with existing tools or processes. Look for integrations that align seamlessly with your current workflow and require minimal setup. User-friendly apps like Matter and Google Drive ensure a smooth adoption process, allowing team members to focus on work rather than training.
- Consider long-term value and ROI. Evaluate the potential return on investment for each integration, especially if premium features are involved. Apps that simplify processes, reduce admin time, or significantly improve team engagement are often worth the investment, as they offer long-term benefits.
- Monitor and optimize regularly. Slack integrations should support, not hinder, team productivity. Regularly monitor each integration's effectiveness, gather feedback from team members, and be open to trying alternative tools if current ones aren't adding value.
Following these steps, you can select Slack integrations that truly support your team's goals, creating a streamlined and effective Slack workspace that fosters productivity and engagement.
Final tips for Slack integration
To get the most out of your Slack integrations, consider implementing these best practices:
- Prioritize essential apps: Rather than overwhelming your Slack workspace, limit integrations to tools that add clear value. This will prevent notification overload and help your team stay focused.
- Customize notifications for productivity: Tweak notification settings to ensure only high-priority alerts appear in main channels. This can help reduce distractions and keep the team aligned on important updates.
- Engage team feedback and monitor performance: Regular feedback from team members can provide insights into which integrations are most effective and which may need adjustments. Monitoring usage and productivity impact will help you fine-tune your setup.
These final tips allow you to optimize your Slack workspace for a more connected, productive, and engaging team environment. Embrace the right integrations and turn Slack into a powerful tool that supports your company culture and growth.
In today's dynamic workplaces, the right Slack integrations can transform team productivity, streamline workflows, and foster a positive company culture. From managing projects and scheduling to celebrating team achievements, each integration elevates Slack's potential to support your unique team goals. Matter takes this further, enhancing employee engagement through seamless recognition and rewards within Slack. If you're ready to empower your team with real-time kudos and build a stronger culture of appreciation, try Matter. Get started with Matter for free today and discover how it can help your team connect, grow, and thrive together.
