Source-backed analysis7
Review basis
Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.
7 reference sourcesInformation updated Nov 10, 2026
How we review
Lark Review
Chat, meetings, docs, email and Base in one app, with a free plan
By AppDuo Editorial Team · Updated
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- macOS
- API
On this page
Decide at a glance
Our verdict
Lark suits teams that want messaging, meetings, docs and approval workflows in one place at a low per-user price (from $6/user/month billed annually). The trade-off is that it is owned by ByteDance, which some organisations will weigh on data governance, and the Starter plan is capped at 20 users with 1-on-1 video only.
Best for: Small and mid-size companies that want one suite instead of several separate apps
Skip it if: Organisations whose policies forbid or restrict ByteDance software
Pros
- One platform covering chat, email, calendar, docs, wiki, meetings, approvals and Base
- Low pricing: $6/user/month for Basic and $12 for Pro (billed annually)
- Unlimited real-time translation on every plan
Cons
- Starter is limited to 20 users, 1-on-1 video and 18 months of message history
- Multi-person meetings start at Pro; AI meeting notes are a paid add-on
All pros and cons · Who is it for?
Pros
- Strong App Store score: 4.8/5 from about 2,400 ratings in the US
Cons
- Owned by ByteDance; Wikipedia lists Lark as covered by the US foreign-adversary app law from 18 January 2025
Best for
- Multilingual teams that need real-time message translation
Skip it if
- Groups that need multi-person video meetings on a free plan
Problems it solves
Experience & key features
What Lark is
Lark is ByteDance's collaboration suite, run by its Singapore subsidiary Lark Technologies. It bundles messaging, email, calendar, docs, wiki, video meetings, approvals, OKR and the Base data tables. According to Wikipedia, Lark and its China-only counterpart Feishu operate independently and store data separately.
Key features
Every plan includes Messenger, email, calendar, approval, Base, Docs, Wiki, meetings, OKR and AnyCross, plus unlimited real-time message translation. Multi-person video meetings (up to 500 participants) start at Pro. Base includes automations, from 1,000 runs/month on Starter and Basic to 500,000/month on Enterprise.
Pricing and value
Starter is free for up to 20 users. Basic is $6 and Pro is $12 per user per month billed annually; Enterprise is quoted. Add-ons are priced separately: AI Meeting Notes at $1,699 per 1,800 notes and Base automation expansion at $599 per 50,000 runs. For small teams needing few tools the total cost is low; it rises with heavy automation or AI use.
More analysis
Lark versus alternatives
Compared with Slack or Microsoft Teams, Lark is cheaper per seat and bundles more modules in one app. Slack's third-party ecosystem and Teams' tie to Microsoft 365 remain reasons to pick those. Organisations should also check their own policies on ByteDance-owned software.
Screenshots
Plans & pricing
Prices last verified Nov 10, 2026
Starter
BusinessFree
Free, up to 20 users, 100 GB storage, 1-on-1 video meetings only, 18 months of message history, 1,000 automations/month, Base tables up to 2,000 rows.
Basic
Business$6/mo/user
$6/user/month, billed annually. Up to 500 users, 5 TB storage, 1-on-1 video meetings only, unlimited message history. The pricing page has a monthly toggle but shows no monthly price for this plan.
Pro
Business$12/mo/user
$12/user/month, billed annually. Up to 500 users, 15 TB storage, 500-participant video meetings, 50,000 automations/month, 20,000-row Base tables.
Enterprise
BusinessContact sales
Contact sales for a quote. Unlimited users, 15 TB plus 30 GB per user, single sign-on (SSO), advanced security and compliance controls.
- Free plan limits
- The free Starter plan covers up to 20 users, 100 GB, 1-on-1 video meetings and 18 months of message history. Base AI is a limited trial only.
- Free trial
- No free trial
Cancellation & refunds
The pages read give no refund policy. The pricing page says the Starter plan needs no credit card.
Privacy
Lark's privacy policy (updated 1 June 2026) is issued by Lark Technologies Pte. Ltd. in Singapore. For business accounts, Lark acts as processor and the organisation as controller, so that organisation's own policy and contract mainly govern its content. For personal accounts, Lark collects message content, files, calendar entries, voice and video data with transcripts, plus technical and usage data. It may use information to provide and improve AI and machine-learning features, and scans documents, messages and emails automatically for spam, malware and illegal content. Servers are in the US, Singapore and Japan, and data may be processed outside the user's country. A business customer decides which servers process its data. The sections read do not say whether Lark sells personal data.
Lark alternatives
8.1/10Google Workspace
Gmail, Docs, Meet and Drive for business, built around the browser
7.5/10Zoom
Dedicated video meetings with a 40-minute free tier and built-in AI notes
Frequently asked questions
Is Lark free?
Yes. The Starter plan is free for up to 20 users with 100 GB and no credit card. Video meetings are 1-on-1 only and message history is kept 18 months.
How is Lark different from Feishu?
Per Wikipedia, Feishu is the China-only version and Lark the international one; they operate independently and store data separately (Lark in Singapore, Feishu in Beijing).
Does Lark support Vietnamese?
The App Store language list includes Vietnamese, alongside English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and others.
Where does Lark store data?
The policy says servers are in the US, Singapore and Japan. For business accounts, the organisation decides which servers process its data.
Review evidence & sources7
Scores
- Ease of use
- 7.5
- Features
- 8.2
- Value for money
- 8.4
- Performance
- 7.2
- Support
- 6.8
- Privacy & security
- 5.8
Why this score
Many modules in one app mean a learning curve, but App Store ratings are very high (4.8/5 from 2,396 in the US) while Google Play is lower (4.0/5 from about 15.3K).
Why this score
The pricing page lists Messenger, email, calendar, approval, Base, Docs, Wiki, meetings, OKR, AnyCross and Lark Developer in every plan; few rivals at similar prices bundle this much.
Why this score
$6 and $12/user/month billed annually with 5–15 TB storage, plus a free Starter plan with no card. AI meeting notes and extra automation runs are paid add-ons.
Why this score
Apps cover web, desktop and mobile and are updated often (latest iOS release 5 Nov 2026). No independent stability data was found, so the score stays moderate.
Why this score
A help centre and sales contact exist; the sources read do not state response-time commitments or phone support.
Why this score
The policy is clear on data types, server locations (US, Singapore, Japan) and the use of information for AI features. The score is held down by ByteDance ownership and, per Wikipedia, Lark's coverage under the US foreign-adversary app law.
What users say
- App Store (United States)4.8/5 · 2,396
- App Store (Vietnam)4.6/5 · 2,804
- Google Play (United States)4.0/5 · 15,300
Sources
- Vendor-providedOfficial pricing pageNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedOfficial privacy policyNov 10, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (US)Nov 10, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (Vietnam)Nov 10, 2026
- storeGoogle Play listingNov 10, 2026
- Community-reportedWikipedia: Lark (software)Nov 10, 2026
- pressTechNode (2019-04-03)Nov 10, 2026
Specs & compatibility
- Developer
- Lark Technologies Pte. Ltd. (ByteDance)
- Headquarters
- Singapore
- Launched
- 2019
- Category
- Business
Capabilities
- Real-time collaboration
- Integrations
- AI features
- Public API
- Mobile app
- Templates
Platforms
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- macOS
- API
Interface languages
- English
- French
- German
- Indonesian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Chinese
- Spanish
- Thai
- Vietnamese
Integrations
- AnyCross
Support
- Help center
- Live chat
Change history
- Update.Lark's privacy policy shows a last-updated date of 1 June 2026.
- Company.Per Wikipedia, Lark and other ByteDance apps fall under the US ban in the foreign-adversary-controlled applications act; the article notes the app remains downloadable.
- Update.During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lark makes its service free across Southeast Asia.
Full change history (5)
- Launch.ByteDance launches Lark overseas through its Singapore subsidiary, initially invitation-only; plans then ran from free to $20/user/month.
- Update.Lark becomes ByteDance's internal communication and collaboration platform.
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