Comparison
Zoom Workplace vs Microsoft Teams
How Zoom Workplace and Microsoft Teams compare on price, pricing model, features and reviews, with every fact checked on October 24, 2026.
Quick verdict
Choose Zoom Workplace if
- Teams whose main need is reliable video meetings with chat attached.
- Companies that want recording and AI summaries on every paid seat.
Choose Microsoft Teams if
- Organizations already on Microsoft 365 and Entra ID.
- Small businesses wanting meetings for up to 300 people at about $4/user/month.
Zoom Workplace vs Microsoft Teams side by side
| What it is | Video meetings platform that bundles team chat, whiteboard and AI note-taking into per-user Pro and Business plans. | Microsoft's chat, meetings and calling app, sold standalone as Teams Essentials or bundled in Microsoft 365 plans. |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Active | Active |
| Starting price | $14.16 per user/month billed annually (Pro); $16.99 billed monthly | $4.00/user/month paid yearly (Teams Essentials) |
| Pricing model | per user | per user, bundled in Microsoft 365 or standalone |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan | Free plan |
| Per seat per month | $18.33 (Business, billed annually); $14.16 on Pro. | $4.00 (Teams Essentials, paid yearly); $7.00 Business Basic paid yearly. |
| Billing | Monthly and annual. | Annual commitment for list prices; monthly billing priced higher on Business Basic. |
| Annual discount | About 16% (Pro $14.16 vs $16.99; Business $18.33 vs $21.99), computed from published prices. | Business Basic: $7.00 yearly vs $8.40 monthly (about 17%) |
| Minimum seats | Not published | Not published |
| 20 users per year | Business: 20 x $18.33 x 12 = $4,399.20 per year; Pro: 20 x $14.16 x 12 = $3,398.40. | Essentials: 20 x $4 x 12 = $960/year; Business Basic: 20 x $7 x 12 = $1,680/year. |
| G2 rating | 4.5 (56,500 reviews) | 4.4 (19,192 reviews) |
| Founded | 2011 | Not verified |
| Headquarters | Not verified | Redmond, US |
| Employees | Not verified | Not verified |
| Channels and threading | Team Chat with channels and threads (not verified in detail) | Standard, private and shared channels; up to 1,000 channels per team; teams up to 25,000 members. |
| Built-in video and huddles | Native Zoom Meetings: 100 to 1,000 participants depending on plan. | Calls from chat up to 20 people; meetings up to 300 people on Essentials and Business plans, up to 1,000 on enterprise plans. |
| Search and message history limits | Not verified | Chat stored in Exchange Online mailboxes; admin search and hold needs Exchange Online mailbox. |
| App integrations and bots | Not verified | Teams apps available on Business and Enterprise plans; Loop integrations. |
| Guest and external access | Not verified | Shared channels support external participants with Entra work or school accounts only. |
| Security and admin controls | Trust center lists SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate, PCI DSS. | Built on Entra ID and Microsoft 365 compliance; certification list not verified. |
| Pricing model and transparency | Per user, monthly or annual; free Basic tier. | Per user, bundled with Microsoft 365 or standalone Essentials. |
| Target company size | Small business to enterprise. | Small businesses (Essentials, Business) to enterprises (E3/E5) |
| Participant and meeting length limits | Basic 100 and 40 min; Pro 100; Business 300; Enterprise up to 1,000; 30 hour max on paid plans. | 300 on Essentials and Business plans; 1,000 on F1/F3/E3/E5 and similar; breakout rooms only up to 1,000 attendees; meetings and events capped at 30 hours. |
| Recording and AI transcription | Local recording on Basic; 10 GB cloud per license on Pro and Business; unlimited cloud on Enterprise; AI summaries unlimited on paid plans. | Recording max 4 hours or 1.5 GB, then restarts; recordings not uploaded stay downloadable 20 days. |
| Calendar and chat integrations | Not verified | Tight Outlook and SharePoint integration; files stored in SharePoint (up to 250 GB per file) |
| Webinars and large events | Webinars and Large Meetings are paid add-ons (prices not published on the plans page) | Webinars and town halls (Teams events) available on Business plans; webinars/events on Business Standard and Premium per footnote. |
| Meeting room and hardware support | Not verified | Teams Rooms licensed separately. |
Differences most comparisons miss
Worth knowing about Zoom Workplace
- Free Basic caps meetings at 40 minutes; paid plans allow 30 hours.
- Cloud recording is only 10 GB per license on Pro and Business.
- Webinars and Large Meetings (1,000 participants) are separate paid add-ons.
- Nonprofits get 50% off Pro, Business and add-ons when verified.
Worth knowing about Microsoft Teams
- Teams Essentials ($4/user/month) is cheaper than Business Basic ($7) but does not include the rest of Microsoft 365 apps.
- Meeting cap is 300 people on Essentials and Business plans, 1,000 on enterprise plans.
- Teams live events retired June 30, 2026; events scheduled earlier run until Feb 28, 2027.
- Admin chat search and legal hold need users to have Exchange Online mailboxes.
What reviewers complain about
Zoom Workplace
- Feature set seen as limited versus suites.
- Connectivity issues and meeting fatigue.
Microsoft Teams
- Performance issues and heavy resource use.
- Complicated interface, slow loading.
Sources
Both columns use the same sources: vendor pricing and product pages, documentation, G2 and company records, checked on October 24, 2026. Full source lists are on the Zoom Workplace and Microsoft Teams reviews.