Microsoft Teams vs Zoom
A side-by-side look at 2 directory tools for 2026 — the verdict, pricing, ratings, features, and what readers think.
M
teams.microsoft.com
Best for Organizations using Microsoft 365 needing integrated collaboration
Chat, meetings, and collaboration built into Microsoft 365.
Visit Microsoft Teams
Z
zoom.us
Best for Teams and businesses needing reliable, easy-to-use video conferencing
Reliable video meetings and webinars.
Visit ZoomPricing compared
Microsoft Teams
$6/user/month
Zoom
$13.33/user/month
Head to head
| Microsoft Teams | Zoom | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ||
| Starting price | $6/user/month | $13.33/user/month |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 | 30 |
| Founded | 2017 | 2011 |
| HQ | Redmond, WA | San Jose, CA |
| Team size | 10000+ | 5000-10000 |
Pros & cons
Microsoft Teams
Pros
- Included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions
- Deep integration with Office apps and SharePoint
- Powerful video meetings up to 1,000 participants
- Strong compliance and governance features
- Phone support included on business plans
Cons
- Interface can feel overwhelming and cluttered
- Slower to load than Slack
- Less intuitive for non-Microsoft ecosystems
- Search less powerful than Slack
Zoom
Pros
- Extremely easy to set up and join meetings
- Most widely adopted video conferencing tool
- HD video and audio quality
- Robust free plan with 40-minute meetings
- Excellent integrations ecosystem
Cons
- Free plan limits meetings to 40 minutes
- Security concerns in early 2020 led to temporary trust issues
- Zoom fatigue is a real phenomenon
- Advanced features require expensive add-ons (Zoom Phone, Webinar)
Features compared
| Microsoft Teams | Zoom | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans & pricing | ||
| Free tier | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Free trial | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Pricing model | Free; Microsoft 365 Business Basic $6/user/mo; Standard $12.50/user/mo | Free; Pro $13.33/user/mo; Business $18.33/user/mo; Enterprise custom |
| Money-back guarantee | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Platforms & access | ||
| Web app | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Mobile apps | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Desktop app | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Self-hosted option | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Offline mode | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Integrations & extensibility | ||
| Public API | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Webhooks | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Native integrations | Microsoft 365 suite, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Salesforce, GitHub, Jira | Slack, Google Calendar, Outlook, Salesforce, HubSpot, Dropbox, Microsoft 365 |
| Automation (Zapier/Make) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Security & compliance | ||
| SSO / SAML | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Two-factor auth | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| SOC 2 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| GDPR compliant | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Encryption at rest | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Collaboration | ||
| Team workspaces | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Real-time collaboration | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Role-based permissions | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Guest access | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Support | ||
| Email support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Live chat support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Phone support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Knowledge base | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| SLA | 99.9% uptime SLA for Microsoft 365 plans | 99.9% uptime SLA for paid plans |