With pretty much all of us now veterans of the online meeting culture, which platform is best? Arguably the two most popular are Microsoft teams & Zoom, but which one should you use? As with anything, this will depend on who you are using it to meet with, what key features you need and how easy it is to adopt.
We found a great review of both platforms written by Dominic Kent for Mio Dispatch and have picked out the best bits for you to help decide which one is right for your business.
Whilst Zoom is best-known as one of the leading tools for video conferencing in both the office and home, Microsoft Teams is seemingly the perfect option for those already invested in Microsoft 365.
So, how do you decide which is best for your company?
This in-depth guide into each platform should help you make up your mind.
Microsoft Teams brief overview
Created in 2017 and intended to replace Skype for Business, Teams offers functionality for one-on-one conversations, instant and asynchronous messaging, video meetings, and even Together Mode – a new way to host meetings.
Teams users love that it comes as part of the Microsoft 365 environment, which means it integrates with Word, Outlook, SharePoint, and all your day-to-day Microsoft apps. If you’re already familiar with the Microsoft’s suite of tools, then Teams seems a natural fit. But, keep in mind that some of your users will already be using Zoom already. So, the decision isn’t quite as simple as first thought.
Is Zoom better than Teams?
Zoom started life as a solution to expensive and complicated tools for traditional video conferencing. Removing traditional set-up considerations, Zoom makes visual collaboration a breeze. All you need is a web browser to get started.
Zoom is best-known for its easy-to-adopt high definition video conferencing. It’s perfect for in-house or external teams. You can even launch webinars and broadcasts through Zoom. But, now there’s more to Zoom than video. Zoom has expanded its portfolio to include Zoom Chat and voice calling too. Like Microsoft Teams, it’s become a powerful all-in-one option for communication.
Microsoft Teams vs Zoom features
Microsoft Teams features
Basic Microsoft Teams features include:
Internal and external audio calling
One-to-one video conferencing
Multi-party video conferencing
File sharing
Screen sharing
Virtual backgrounds
Instant and asynchronous one-to-one messaging
Group messaging
Message threading
Document collaboration
Channel-based collaboration areas
Integrations with Microsoft 365 apps
Integrations with third-party apps
Emojis and GIFs
More advanced Microsoft Teams features include:
Searchable conversation channels
Bots to connect with external apps
Audio, video, and screen recording
Secure encryption protocols
Interop with Zoom Chat, Cisco Webex Teams, and Slack
Microsoft Immersive Reader
In-line translation
Bookmarking and slash commands
Company Wikis
Smart meeting join
PSTN integration
Live Events for webinars and broadcasting
Zoom features
Basic Zoom features include:
Zoom Phone for internal and external audio calling
One-to-one video conferencing
Multi-party video conferencing
File sharing
Screen sharing
Virtual backgrounds
Zoom Chat for instant and asynchronous one-to-one messaging
Group messaging
Message threading
Document collaboration
Channel-based collaboration areas
Emojis and GIFs
More advanced Zoom features include:
Webinars and town hall conferences
Integrations with leading tools including Microsoft 365 apps
Interop with Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex Teams, and Slack
Audio, video, and screen recording
Breakout rooms (on the Teams roadmap)
Microsoft Teams vs Zoom pricing
Microsoft Teams pricing
Teams comes as part of the Microsoft 365 subscription. There are four tiers that you can use to pay for Microsoft Teams, including:
Free: Microsoft introduced a free level to help it compete against Slack. The free version supports up to 300 people with unlimited search and chat messages.
Business Essentials: This costs $5 per month per user. It provides full access to all the Microsoft Teams features and 1TB of cloud storage.
Business Premium: This costs $12.50 per user per month. It provides access to all Essential features, plus the Microsoft 365 suite (Word, etc).
Microsoft 365 Business plan: This costs $20 per month per user. It comes with access to all the features in Premium, plus advanced security.
You need a minimum one-year annual plan with all Microsoft Teams packages. This means that you are a little more tied in with this technology than you are with Zoom.
Zoom Pricing
One of the things that make Zoom so appealing is that it looks affordable. You can use Zoom without paying, thanks to the free tier.
Pricing options include:
Free (Basic) Tier: Limited to 40 minutes on a group call and you can only have up to 100 participants. However, one-on-one meetings aren’t restricted.
Pro: For up to 100 participants, you can pay $14.99 per month per user for a 24-hour limit on your group sessions.
Business: For a minimum of 10 hosts. You pay $19.99 per month per user for all the features of the Pro package for up to 300 people.
Enterprise: For a minimum of 50 hosts. You’ll pay $19.99 per month per user for all the features of Business plus hosting for up to 500 participants. You can host 1,000 participants with an Enterprise+ plan.
Unlimited cloud storage comes with the Enterprise plan. If you want to access extra features, like Zoom phone, you may need to pay extra too.
At the end of the day, the best choice will be the one that your people feel comfortable with, as log as it can offer the business-critical functionality you need.