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In today's remote-first world, hopping between tools is exhausting. Lark caught our attention as a platform that claims to do it all—chat, docs, meetings, calendar, cloud, and more—all under one roof. So, we decided to put it to the test and find out: is it a real productivity booster or just another app trying to be everything?
What is Lark?
Lark is a next-gen team collaboration suite combining documents, cloud storage, chat, and video meetings into a single interface. Developed by ByteDance, the creators of TikTok, Lark is designed for modern teams that demand flexibility, integration, and speed. It’s sleek, fast, and feels like a workspace that’s one step ahead of most standard platforms.
Our Testing Experience
We tested Lark across multiple workspaces—solo use, small teams, and shared folders with tight deadlines. The unified interface felt refreshing. One-click document opening, real-time sync in shared docs, and built-in video calls made it feel like Google Workspace and Slack had a smarter baby. The experience was smooth most of the time, but we did hit some friction with its learning curve and lack of integration with third-party apps outside its own ecosystem.
Features We Loved
Lark Docs
We instantly fell in love with Lark Docs. They open with just one click, no lag, and support all the essentials—tables, charts, mentions, and even task assignments within the doc. It’s clean and distraction-free, perfect for focused writing. Working together in real time was a breeze, and folder organization was so intuitive that we never had to search too hard. It’s basically Google Docs, but lighter and faster.
Calendar & Meetings
Scheduling and joining meetings was surprisingly effortless. The calendar is sleek, synced beautifully across devices, and lets you start meetings right from event invites. During calls, we could share screens and chat in parallel. It may not have fancy extras like breakout rooms, but for daily team syncs or client check-ins, it works like a charm.
Messaging & Chat
Lark’s chat is super clean, snappy, and smart. We could pin important docs, reply in threads, and send voice messages—all inside one channel. Being able to assign tasks or open a doc directly from a chat made things more connected. It feels like Slack but without the bloat. For day-to-day communication, this was easily one of the best features.
Smart Search
Lark’s global search bar was a time-saver. Whether we were looking for a doc, message, or meeting, it found results instantly—even inside shared folders and chats. It felt more precise than Google Workspace, thanks to its real-time indexing and filters. This made jumping back into old conversations or documents super easy.
Cross-Platform Sync
We tested Lark on Windows, Android, and iOS—and it synced like magic. Whether we updated a doc from mobile or scheduled a meeting on desktop, the changes appeared instantly everywhere. No version conflicts, no sync errors. It just worked. This made it easy to switch between devices during busy workdays.
Built-in Sheets
Lark Sheets impressed us with how fast and responsive it felt. It had all the basics—formulas, sorting, charts—and worked well for simple data tasks. We could co-edit in real time without lag, and insert tables directly into docs and chats. It’s not Excel-level advanced, but for daily reporting and collaboration, it’s more than enough.
Seamless App Integration (Inside Lark Suite)
We liked how Lark’s built-in apps—Docs, Sheets, Calendar, and Chat—all talk to each other without needing third-party plugins. For example, we could attach a doc to a chat, assign tasks from messages, or start a meeting from a calendar event. Everything felt tightly connected, reducing the need for external tools.
AI-Powered Suggestions
While subtle, Lark’s smart suggestions really helped speed things up. It recommended recent docs, reminded us about scheduled meetings, and even suggested adding follow-ups in chats. These small nudges added a layer of intelligence that made everyday tasks feel a bit smoother and more thoughtful.
Where We Struggled
File Storage & Sync
While file sharing was smooth, we hit limitations with large files. Uploading anything over a few hundred MB felt slow, and offline access was unreliable. Some files didn’t sync right away, especially during unstable internet conditions. Still, for basic document sharing and previews—it’s workable.
Task Management
Lark includes a task/to-do system, but it feels basic. Assigning tasks in chat was cool, but we missed features like subtasks, dependencies, and time tracking. It's more like a digital checklist than a full project manager. Great for light team coordination, but not enough for more complex workflows.
No Real “PowerPoint” Alternative
At first, we were confused—there were Docs and Sheets, but where was the Slides app? We eventually found something called “Presentation Mode” inside Lark Docs. It’s helpful for quick internal briefings, but it’s not a full-featured slide editor like Google Slides or PowerPoint. If you're used to building rich, animated decks, this might feel underwhelming.
What the Community Says
We also took a dive into what other users are saying, and honestly—it was pretty interesting.
On Trustpilot, most reviews are very positive. One user from Vietnam mentioned how Lark helped them organize everything—from calendars to team tasks—saying it's perfect for managing daily routines. Another user appreciated how Lark makes it easy to coordinate meetings and tasks in one place. They called it an “all-in-one app” and even recommended it to everyone in their company.
But not everyone was impressed. A reviewer under the name “Reddit Memes” called Lark “unintuitive and horribly priced,” saying Microsoft Teams was far better. It’s worth noting though—most complaints were from users expecting enterprise-level integrations or more advanced controls.
From a Reddit Rabbit thread, we found a really curious discussion. One person asked if Lark had a PowerPoint-like app, saying they found Sheets and Docs but no Slides. Turns out, Lark has a “Presentation Mode” inside its Docs—but some users were disappointed, saying it’s not really the same as having a real slideshow editor. Others replied with helpful links and updates, but overall, the consensus was: “Nice try, but not quite Slides.”
So, the community likes the speed and all-in-one nature of Lark, but some users still find it lacking in areas like advanced presentations or integrations with outside tools.
Lark vs. The Competition
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Lark vs. Microsoft Teams: Teams is still better in terms of corporate-level security, deep integrations with Office, and enterprise control. But Lark beats Teams in UX simplicity, speed, and having built-in docs that are actually usable.
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Lark vs. Slack: Slack rules the app-integration world, while Lark shines for its all-in-one approach. Slack needs Google Docs or Dropbox to function fully—Lark does it all inside.
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Lark vs. ClickUp: ClickUp is far better at task/project management, but it lacks Lark’s chat and docs magic. Lark is more of a daily driver, while ClickUp suits teams with deep workflows.
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Lark vs. Notion: Notion is more flexible for structured documents and knowledge base creation, but Lark is faster for real-time collaboration and meetings.
Bottom Line
Lark is a beautifully designed, super responsive suite that gets many things right—clean interface, real-time collaboration, strong doc tools, and built-in meetings. The majority of its users seem to appreciate its speed, unified layout, and modern experience. While it still lacks a few pro features and integrations, it’s hard to beat what it offers—especially for free.
Our Final Thoughts on Lark
If you’re looking for a clean, intuitive platform where your docs, chats, tasks, and meetings live together—Lark is worth a try. It might not replace enterprise giants like Teams, but for freelancers, startups, or agile teams, it delivers powerful performance without the clutter. Just give yourself a day to explore—once you adjust, it might become your favorite workspace too.