Microsoft Teams Competitors & Alternatives
The top six Microsoft Teams alternatives are listed below, along with valuable insights about their features, pricing, and usability.
The information in this article is based on our research, interviews with customers of the platforms, and dozens of hours hand-testing each platform. The details of our review process can be found in this description of our research methodology.
Microsoft Teams is a popular video conferencing solution among businesses who already use Microsoft products. It’s incredibly user-friendly, offers fantastic value for the price, and is equally beneficial for freelancers and enterprise businesses alike.
Microsoft Teams was rated among the top video conferencing solutions in our category. This is due to its value as one of the apps in the Office 365 suite and the high-quality free plan.
There are six video conferencing tools we believe are worth consideration before you choose Microsoft Teams. They differentiate based on participant limits, webinar features, and additional capabilities. It’s important to understand who each solution was built for as that will dictate how well each tool will mesh with your business.
For example, businesses that already use Google products should opt for Google Meet, while larger businesses that want the most advanced webinars should consider Zoom.
Here’s a breakdown of our review criteria. We rate each software tool based on their features, usability, pricing, and customer support availability. This is how Microsoft Teams’s competitors rank in each category.
| Software Company | Analyst Rating | Features | Usability | Pricing | Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams | 91 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
| Google Meet | 89 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Webex | 88 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| GoToMeeting | 86 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Zoom | 92 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| BlueJeans | 87 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| Skype | 87 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 8 |
Throughout this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of Microsoft Teams and list the most popular competitors and alternatives for you to consider. For a more in-depth description of the platform and features, read the full Microsoft Teams review.
Table of Contents
- Microsoft Teams’s Top Features
- Microsoft Teams Competitor Overview: Features
- Microsoft Teams Competitor Overview: Pricing
- Top Microsoft Teams Competitors
- Bottom Line
Microsoft Teams’s Top Features
Microsoft Teams has a full suite of video conferencing features and advanced webinars. The free plan is better than Zoom’s or Webex’s, and Microsoft Teams is more user-friendly than Skype.
| Microsoft Teams Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Meeting Time Limit | The free version of Microsoft Teams allows hour-long meetings. This is more than both Zoom and Webex offer, which is 40 minutes and 50 minutes, respectively. Most other competitors also allow 60-minute or unlimited free meetings. |
| Unlimited Meetings | All of Microsoft Teams’s plans have unlimited group and one-on-one meetings, which is a massive benefit for businesses. |
| 100-1,000 Participant Limit | The free plan allows 100 participants to be on a call at once. The paid plans have higher participant limits with up to 1,000. This is significantly more than some competitors allow for. |
| Screen Sharing | With Microsoft Teams, hosts or participants can share one tab, an entire window, or their whole screen with the group. |
| Breakout Rooms | Hosts can split participants into up to 50 different breakout rooms. This is on par with Zoom’s breakout room capabilities, which are identical. |
| Real-Time Collaboration with Office Apps | Because Microsoft Teams is part of a bundle of other Microsoft Office tools, you can collaborate in real-time with the other Office 365 applications. |
| Webinars | Microsoft Teams webinars, though fairly restrictive with an attendee limit of 1,000, are still highly beneficial for companies who’d like to host virtual events. For comparison, competitors like Zoom and Webex allow for up to 10,000 attendees. |
Microsoft Teams Competitor Overview: Features
The chart below displays the main features found in video conferencing platforms and shows which solution offers what. You’ll want to pay close attention to meeting durations and participant limits, as those are specific to each organization’s personal requirements.
Microsoft Teams Competitor Overview: Pricing
Microsoft Teams is entirely free as a standalone product, much like Google Meet. Only if you upgrade to the Microsoft Business suite does the product cost money. It will either be $5 per user per month or $12.50 per user per month.
The table below displays the pricing for just the video conferencing and calling features. Add-on features and separate webinar pricing are not included here, and will come at an additional monthly or yearly price on top of these rates.
| Video Conferencing Software | Pricing |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams |
|
| Google Meet |
|
| Webex |
|
| GoToMeeting |
|
| Zoom |
|
| BlueJeans |
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| Skype |
|
Top Microsoft Teams Competitors
Microsoft Teams competes most directly with Google Meet, a very similar product that’s also part of a suite of other tools. Competitors like Zoom and Webex are often compared with Microsoft Teams as well.
The top Microsoft Teams competitors are:
- Google Meet
- Webex
- GoToMeeting
- Zoom
- BlueJeans
- Skype
1: Google Meet
Google Meet is the video conferencing platform that’s most similar to Microsoft Teams. The two solutions have very similar features that make it somewhat difficult to pick between the two. The biggest difference is that Microsoft Teams has webinars, and Google Meet does not.
- You’re interested in hosting virtual events with webinars
- You already use other Office 365 products for your business
- You’re interested in a slightly more advanced platform
- You already use Gmail or Google Workspace for your business
- You don’t need webinars
- You’re interested in the most user-friendly platform
2: Webex
Webex is a mid-tier platform that offers much the same functionality as Microsoft Teams. It’s just slightly clunkier to use, though this does not affect how well the platform works. We recommend testing both tools to see which one works best for you.
- You want hour-long meetings for free
- You only need up to 1,000 attendees in webinars
- You use Office 365 products for your business
- You want more expansive webinar attendee limits
- You want to bundle video and voice calling
- You’d like extensive attendee participation features
3: GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting does not offer a free plan. Businesses that are interested in high-quality video conferencing for free will have a better choice in Microsoft Teams. Though GoToMeeting has superior webinar capabilities, we found that Microsoft Teams is a better value overall given its bundle with the Office 365 suite of products.
- You want to bundle with other Office 365 products
- You want high-quality free video conferencing software
- Your webinar requirements are not advanced
- Your main objective is to host massive, high-quality webinars
- You don’t mind paying for a solution
- You don’t already use Google or Microsoft apps
4: Zoom
Zoom is the most advanced video conferencing platform in the space. It’s the most popular tool because of its unparalleled power and extensive features.
We found, however, that Zoom is not ideal for everyone. The free plan is more restrictive than the Microsoft Teams free plan and Microsoft Teams is easier to use. Smaller businesses and freelancers may find Microsoft Teams more valuable for these reasons.
- You want hour-long meetings for free
- You’re interested in something a bit more user-friendly
- You want more flexible month-to-month pricing options
- You want the most advanced platform available
- 40-minute free meetings won’t hinder your business
- You want more advanced webinars
5: BlueJeans
Like GoToMeeting, BlueJeans doesn’t have a free plan and therefore those who want a free tool should opt for Microsoft Teams. BlueJeans has a superior webinar tool, but in terms of overall value, we found that Microsoft Teams is more advantageous for small businesses given the overall value of Microsoft Office 365.
- You want a high-quality free plan
- You already use, or want to use, Office 365 products
- Your webinar requirements are not particularly advanced
- You want more available customer support
- You don’t need a free plan for your video conferencing software
- You don’t mind lower participant limits
6: Skype
Skype is a bit outdated compared with Microsoft Teams. In fact, both solutions are owned by Microsoft, and Microsoft Teams recently replaced the Skype for Business product. We recommend Microsoft Teams in almost all cases, unless your main objective is to have the best international calling plan.
- You use other Office 365 products
- You’re interested in a more modern platform
- You want something more user-friendly
- You don’t mind a more outdated platform
- You’re interested in high-quality international calling
- You want free group calls for up to 24 hours
Bottom Line
Microsoft Teams was rated among the top video conferencing solutions in our category. This is due to the high-quality free plan and its value as one of the apps in the Office 365 suite. We recommend it for most small businesses, albeit with a few caveats that are listed below.
- If you already use Gmail or Google Workspace, opt for Google Meet
- If you’re interested in bundling video and voice calls, consider using Webex
- If you’re looking for high-quality webinars, look into GoToMeeting
- If you want the most powerful video conferencing solution, check out Zoom
- If you want access to more available customer support, consider BlueJeans
- If your main objective is high-quality international calling, try Skype