Microsoft Teams vs Zoom
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings.
Detailed Comparison
Overview
Microsoft Teams is a unified collaboration platform combining chat, video meetings, file sharing, and Office 365 integration. It's the default choice for Microsoft 365 subscribers.
Zoom is the world's leading video conferencing platform, known for reliability and ease of use. It has expanded into a full collaboration suite with Zoom Team Chat, Zoom Phone, and Zoom Whiteboard.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Microsoft Teams | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 100 participants, 60-min meetings | 100 participants, 40-min meetings |
| Video quality | Good (adaptive) | Excellent (optimized for video) |
| Max participants | 1,000 (paid) | 1,000 (paid), 10,000 with Zoom Webinar |
| Screen sharing | Yes, with remote control | Yes, with remote control and multi-share |
| Virtual backgrounds | Yes | Yes (industry-leading) |
| Breakout rooms | Yes | Yes (more flexible) |
| Recording | Cloud and local (paid) | Cloud and local (all plans) |
| Chat | Persistent team chat | Zoom Team Chat (newer) |
| Whiteboard | Yes | Yes (Zoom Whiteboard) |
| Phone system | Teams Phone | Zoom Phone |
| Webinars | Yes (up to 1,000) | Yes (up to 10,000+) |
| AI features | Copilot (paid add-on) | AI Companion (included in paid plans) |
| Integrations | 700+ | 1,000+ |
Pricing
Microsoft Teams:
- Free: 100 participants, 60-minute group meetings
- Essentials: $4/user/mo — 300 participants, 30-hour meetings
- Business Basic: $6/user/mo — web Office apps, 1TB OneDrive
- Business Standard: $12.50/user/mo — desktop Office apps, webinars
Zoom:
- Basic: Free — 100 participants, 40-minute group meetings
- Pro: $10/user/mo — 30-hour meetings, 5GB cloud storage, AI Companion
- Business: $15/user/mo — 300 participants, unlimited whiteboards, managed domains
- Enterprise: Custom pricing — 1,000+ participants, unlimited storage, phone
When to Choose Microsoft Teams
- You need chat + video in one platform: Teams' persistent chat with channels, threads, and file sharing is more mature than Zoom Team Chat.
- Your organization uses Microsoft 365: Deep integration with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint makes Teams a natural hub.
- You want a lower entry price: Teams Essentials at $4/user/mo is cheaper than Zoom Pro at $10/user/mo.
- Compliance requirements: Teams offers FedRAMP, HIPAA, and government cloud options.
When to Choose Zoom
- Video quality is your top priority: Zoom consistently delivers better video and audio quality, especially in low-bandwidth environments.
- You host large events: Zoom Webinar supports up to 10,000 attendees, far exceeding Teams' limits.
- You want AI features included: Zoom's AI Companion (meeting summaries, smart chapters, real-time transcription) is included in all paid plans at no extra cost. Teams' Copilot is a paid add-on.
- Ease of use matters: Zoom's one-click join experience is simpler than Teams, especially for external participants.
- You use breakout rooms heavily: Zoom's breakout room functionality is more flexible and easier to manage.
Verdict
Microsoft Teams is the better all-in-one platform for organizations that need persistent chat, file collaboration, and video in a single tool. It's especially compelling for Microsoft 365 subscribers.
Zoom is the better video-first platform. If meetings are your primary use case, Zoom delivers superior video quality, reliability, and features like AI Companion and large-scale webinars.
Bottom line: Choose Teams for daily collaboration. Choose Zoom when video meetings are the core of your workflow.