Have you ever wondered about the distinction between a Slack bot and a Slack app and how they can streamline your workflow and team communication? 

In this blog post, we're going to break down the specifics of these unique concepts, explore examples of both, and explain how they can supercharge your productivity in Slack.

Ready to reveal the deal? Let's get started!

What is a Slack bot?

According to Slack, A bot is a type of Slack App designed to interact with users via conversation. 

A Slack Bot is the same as a regular Slack app: in terms of API access and all of the other things a Slack app can do.

And here is what Slackbot can do:

• Sending reminders to workspace members through channels and DMs
• Sending notifications when a specific event occurs
• Sending customized responses when a specific question is asked in a workspace; might give the right answer or navigate you to the right answer

So they can be built to do things like automatically respond to certain keywords or phrases, manage and schedule meetings, handle reminders, or even integrate with other services.

Note that to create a Slack bot, you need to create/have a Slack app first.

Some bots are pre-built and provided by Slack or third-party developers, while others can be custom-built to suit the specific needs of a workspace.

What is a Slack app?

A Slack app is a broader concept that can include bots but also includes other types of functionality. They are third-party applications that you can integrate into your Slack workspace to extend the functionality of Slack. 

A Slack app can include a bot, but it might also include interactive messages, message buttons, and menus or might even provide a complete interactive user interface within Slack.

Examples of Slack apps:

HubSpot for Slack-first sales automation: This Slack app lets you enrich and access your CRM data at a glance, route leads, and manage deals right in Slack with seamless HubSpot integration. 

PagerDuty for Slack: This PagerDuty app integration allows you to start an instant war room when you have an incident. Collaborate with the responders directly in a Slack channel. Or hand off your on-call easily.

GitHub Actions workflows: This app lets you run GitHub Actions & workflows right in Slack and sends you updates with automated notifications when a workflow runs. You can track their status in your preferred Slack channel & locate failures and slowdowns.

Slack app vs. Slack bot: What is the difference?

The main difference between a Slack bot and a Slack app is that a bot is specifically a program that automates tasks and interactions within Slack, often responding to specific commands or events, while a Slack app is a broader category that includes bots but can also include other types of functionality and integrations.

In essence, all Slack bots can be considered part of Slack apps, but not all Slack apps are bots. For example, an app might simply post notifications into a Slack channel from another service, like alerts from a bug tracking system or updates from a calendar, without having any interactive or automated behavior that would characterize it as a bot.

Check out 40+ Slack App Ecosystem Statistics for 2023 guide we've recently published for interesting insights and stats about Slack apps

Actioner for unlimited Slack apps

Actioner for Slack is a comprehensive platform that integrates your workflows and tools to optimize your team's productivity. It acts as a single gateway to all your Slack integrations, enabling you to create custom apps for Slack with no coding skills needed. 

With Actioner, you can access an extensive app directory of Slack apps and bots like HubSpot, Zendesk, GitHub, and Celebrations, all designed to allow seamless workflows. 

Moreover, with its Visual Workflow Designer, you can create or tailor workflows to your specific needs. Get instant access to Visual Workflow Designer now ➡️

You can access both apps and bots via Actioner in Slack, so even if you're on the free Slack plan, you don't need to worry about the 10-app limitation. 

Want to extend your Slack experience far beyond simple communication? 

Let’s join our Slack community!

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