Idle Pilot vs slack.green

Idle Pilot works with Slack or Microsoft Teams from the cloud for $9 per month or $60 per year, with a 3-day free trial · No credit card. slack.green works with Slack only, costs $3.99 per month or $23.99 per year after a 14-day trial without a credit card, and also sells a $78.99 self-hosted CLI.

Disclosure: Idle Pilot wrote this page and makes one of the two products. slack.green facts come from its own site, checked October 28, 2026. Idle Pilot is not affiliated with slack.green.

Quick Verdict

Idle Pilot fits Microsoft Teams users and Slack users who want Vacation Mode. slack.green fits Slack-only users who want the lower-priced hosted plan or a self-hosted tool.

Both products keep your presence active from a server, so your laptop can be closed. The main difference is the platform. Idle Pilot supports Slack or Microsoft Teams, one account at a time, for $9 per month or $60 per year after a 3-day trial without a credit card. slack.green supports Slack only, for $3.99 per month or $23.99 per year after a 14-day trial without a credit card, and sells a $78.99 self-hosted CLI.

Feature Comparison

Competitor sources checked: October 28, 2026. Prices and features can change.
Feature	Idle Pilot	slack.green
Platforms	Slack or Microsoft Teams (one at a time)	Slack
Where it runs	Cloud	Hosted plan: cloud. CLI: your laptop or server
Works with your laptop closed	Yes	Hosted plan: yes. CLI on a laptop: stops when you shut it down
Accounts active at the same time	One Slack workspace or one Teams account	Hosted: up to 3 Slack workspaces. CLI: no limit listed
Monthly price	$9	$3.99
Yearly price	$60	$23.99
Free trial	3-day free trial · No credit card; 7 days when linked within 3 hours of sign-up	14 days, according to its pricing page
Self-hosted option	No	CLI, $78.99 once
Setup	Desktop Chrome and the Idle Pilot extension, once	Copy two browser tokens; some docs also describe a Chrome extension
Schedule	Per-day Work Hours, Lunch Break, Vacation Mode	Blocks per weekday, lunch gap, time zone

Detailed Comparison

The platform is the main difference. Idle Pilot connects one Slack workspace or one Microsoft Teams account at a time, and you can switch between them. slack.green connects Slack only. If you work in Microsoft Teams, only Idle Pilot fits.

For Slack alone, slack.green costs less. Its pricing page lists $3.99 per month or $23.99 per year after a 14-day trial without a credit card, and a $78.99 one-time license for the self-hosted CLI. Idle Pilot costs $9 per month or $60 per year. Its offer is a 3-day free trial · No credit card, and the trial starts when you connect Slack or Teams.

Both hosted services keep running with your laptop closed, asleep, or off. slack.green's CLI runs where you install it: on a laptop it stops when you shut the laptop down, and on a server it keeps running after you disconnect. The CLI keeps your tokens on your own machine, which Idle Pilot does not offer.

slack.green's hosted plan covers up to 3 Slack workspaces, and its CLI lists no workspace limit. Idle Pilot keeps one Slack workspace or one Teams account active at a time.

Setup differs. Idle Pilot uses its extension in desktop Chrome once, and you can remove the extension after setup. slack.green's newer posts describe copying two browser tokens without an extension, while some of its documentation also describes a Chrome extension. Both schedule by weekday in your time zone with a lunch break. Idle Pilot adds Vacation Mode, which pauses the schedule when you set a status that you choose, such as Out of Office.

No presence tool can guarantee that a workspace admin will not notice it, and both companies say so. slack.green's homepage says that on paid Slack plans admins can see its server session in access logs. Idle Pilot says that workspace admins and security tools can inspect sessions, devices, and network origins. Check your workplace rules before you connect either tool.

Idle Pilot Advantages

Supports Slack or Microsoft Teams, one account at a time
Vacation Mode pauses the schedule when you set a status you choose, such as Out of Office
Local prices in 7 currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, SGD, JPY)

slack.green Advantages

Lower price for Slack: $3.99 per month or $23.99 per year
Longer free trial: 14 days, according to its pricing page
Self-hosted CLI keeps your tokens on your own machine ($78.99 once)
Up to 3 Slack workspaces on the hosted plan; no limit listed on the CLI

Which Should You Choose?

If you use Microsoft Teams

Use: Idle Pilot

If you want the schedule to pause when you set an away status, such as Out of Office

Use: Idle Pilot

If you use Slack only and want the lowest price

Use: slack.green

If you want a longer free trial

Use: slack.green

If you want your Slack tokens to stay on your own machine

Use: slack.green (CLI)

If you need several Slack workspaces active at once

Use: slack.green

What is slack.green?

slack.green is a Slack presence service from Picklelight LLC. Its hosted plan runs on slack.green's servers, and sg-cli is a self-hosted command-line version that keeps your tokens on your own Mac or Linux machine. Its pages differ on some details, such as setup by copying tokens or with an extension. This page uses its pricing page, homepage, and documentation, checked on October 28, 2026.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between Idle Pilot and slack.green?

The platform. Idle Pilot keeps Slack or Microsoft Teams presence on your schedule from the cloud. slack.green keeps Slack presence only. For Slack alone, slack.green costs less and also offers a self-hosted CLI.

How much do Idle Pilot and slack.green cost?

Idle Pilot costs $9 per month or $60 per year. Its offer is a 3-day free trial · No credit card, and the trial starts when you connect Slack or Teams. slack.green's pricing page lists $3.99 per month or $23.99 per year after a 14-day trial without a credit card, and a $78.99 one-time license for its self-hosted CLI. We checked slack.green on October 28, 2026.

Can I connect more than one workspace?

Idle Pilot keeps one Slack workspace or one Microsoft Teams account active at a time, and you can switch at any time. slack.green's hosted plan covers up to 3 Slack workspaces, and its CLI lists no workspace limit.

Do I need to keep my computer on?

Not with Idle Pilot or slack.green's hosted plan, because both run on servers. slack.green's CLI runs where you install it: on a laptop it stops when you shut the laptop down, and on a server it keeps running.

Can my employer see that I use one of these tools?

Possibly. No presence tool can guarantee that it is invisible. Workspace admins and security tools can inspect sessions, devices, and network origins. Idle Pilot manages presence only and does not read your messages. Check your employer's rules before you connect any tool.

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Last updated: October 28, 2026

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Idle Pilot facts

Idle Pilot maintains Slack or Microsoft Teams availability from the cloud during saved Work Hours.

Who it is for: For people who want availability to follow work hours when the laptop is closed, asleep, or off.
Connected account: One Slack workspace or one Microsoft Teams account at a time. You can switch platforms.
Price: Freedom Pass costs $9 per month or $60 per year.
Trial: 3-day free trial · No credit card. The trial starts at the first Slack or Teams connection. 7 days if you connect within 3 hours of sign-up.
First setup: Connect once in desktop Google Chrome with the Idle Pilot extension. You can remove the extension after linking. Mobile-only linking is not supported. View the extension.
Limits: Presence only: it does not write custom status messages or read chats and files. It is not a mouse jiggler. Your employer’s rules still apply; availability is not proof of work.