Video conferencing tools are increasingly essential in business. 56% of workers say they often use online video conferencing tools, and 36.98% spend four to 12 hours weekly in video conferences. However, finding a video conferencing platform that aligns with your team's needs and technical capabilities can be challenging, especially given the vast array of options available. Among these, Microsoft Teams and Zoom are popular choices.
In this article, we’ll discuss the differences and similarities between these two platforms and which of the products available today might be the best solution to suit your needs.
Teams vs. Zoom in a nutshell
Zoom and Microsoft Teams are solid video conferencing platforms offering high-resolution video support for multiple participants.
Zoom is renowned for its simplicity and is a good choice for small to medium-sized businesses. Its easy-to-use interface makes it simple and quick to set up and operate, and it’s ideal for those new to video conferencing.
Microsoft Teams is more feature-rich and complex, making it a better fit for larger businesses, especially those already using Microsoft 365. Its integration with other Microsoft products gives you access to features like file sharing and team collaboration.
While both platforms provide free versions, their tiered subscription plans differ. Teams offers more affordable paid options per user, while Zoom's lower-tier plans include more features, offering greater value at those levels.
For those who need even more capabilities, Lark could be a better choice. Lark Pro offers the same functionality as at least three other project management, collaboration, and business tools, so it could replace or enhance some of your existing tools, saving the cost of several subscriptions. Its integrated platform combines tools for communication, virtual meetings, file management, and many others, catering to various business needs.
Teams vs. Zoom: Which has the best features?
Video quality
Both Teams and Zoom offer HD video resolutions of up to 1080p at 30fps. The default setting for Teams is 1080p, while for Zoom, it's 720p (you can change this manually in the quality settings).
Teams recommends a connection of 2Mbps minimum, while Zoom recommends a connection of 3Mbps minimum.
Both have filters for appearance and lighting.
Participant limit
The free versions of both Teams and Zoom allow up to 100 participants.
The basic paid plan for Teams (Essentials) allows up to 300 participants, while the basic paid plan for Zoom (Zoom Pro) allows up to 100 participants.
Teams ‘View Only’ allows you to add 20,000 listen-only attendants.
Zoom Enterprise (the top-tier paid plan) allows meeting participants of up to 1,000.
Meeting time limit
Teams has a meeting time limit of up to 60 minutes on the free plan and up to 30 hours on paid plans.
Zoom has a meeting time limit of up to 40 minutes on the free plan and up to 30 hours on paid plans.
User interface
Teams has multiple collaboration features, which makes the user interface more complex, while Zoom’s interface is simple and easy to use.
Recording facilities and cloud storage limit
Teams allows meeting recordings on all its paid plans. Various levels of cloud storage space are available, depending on the plan.
Zoom allows recordings of meetings on its free and paid plans. The free plan offers only locally saved recordings (saved to your computer). Paid plans provide various levels of cloud storage according to the plan.
Teams has a storage limit of up to 1 TB per user on its Business Basic plan (and plans above that), while Zoom offers a limit of up to 10 GB per user on its Business Plus plan and unlimited storage on its Enterprise plan.
Paid plans for both Teams and Zoom offer transcripts of meetings.
Both Teams and Zoom provide customization options such as virtual backgrounds, whiteboards, breakout rooms, and chat.
Desktop and mobile support
Teams and Zoom offer desktop and mobile apps compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, and macOS platforms.
Teams vs. Zoom: Which has the best integrations?
Microsoft Teams and Zoom offer extensive integration capabilities, each with its own strengths, making them highly adaptable to various business environments.
Both platforms are relatively user-friendly in terms of ease of integration. The choice between the two depends on the specific needs of the business and the existing software. For instance, companies already integrated with Microsoft 365 might find Teams more convenient, whereas businesses looking for a tool that works well with various types of software might prefer Zoom.
Teams offers 250+ integrations. This includes Microsoft’s native and first-party apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, and SharePoint. This is particularly useful for businesses already using Microsoft tools.
It also integrates with numerous third-party apps such as Trello, Salesforce, Miro, Adobe Creative Cloud, and GitHub. This adds a wealth of functionalities, including project management, customer relationship management, and many others.
Zoom offers 1000+ integrations, including native integrations such as Zoom chat, Zoom phone, and Zoom rooms. It also provides numerous first-party integrations through Zoom Marketplace and third-party integrations such as HubSpot, Zendesk, Slack, Google Workspace, and Dropbox.
Teams and Zoom integrate with Zapier, facilitating integration with thousands of other apps.
Teams vs. Zoom: Which has the best pricing?
Zoom and Teams both offer a feature-rich free plan. Paid pricing plans offer varying features, such as participant and meeting length limits and cloud storage.
Zoom’s free plan:
Meetings for up to 40 minutes
100 attendees
Whiteboard Basic: an interactive digital whiteboard
Team chat
Mail and Calendar: integrates email and calendar services within the Zoom platform
Clips Basic: allows users to create and share short video segments from their meetings
Notes: allows users to create and collaborate on written notes
No cloud storage is included
Optional end-to-end encryption
Microsoft Teams free plan:
Unlimited 1:1 meetings for up to 30 hours
Unlimited group meetings for up to 60 minutes.
100 attendees
5 GB of cloud storage per user
Unlimited chat with coworkers and customers
File sharing, tasks, and polling
Data encryption for meetings, chats, calls, and files
Zoom paid plans:
Zoom Pro is $15.99 per user per month
Zoom Business is $19.99 per user per month
Zoom Business is $25.00 per user per month
Zoom Enterprise offers custom packages and pricing
Zoom’s paid plan features include:
High-quality video conferencing
Longer meeting duration
Increased participant capacity
Cloud recording
Advanced user management
Additional features for webinars and large events
In addition, all Zoom’s paid plans include a new feature called AI Companion. This AI tool provides advanced features such as the ability to review recordings with searchable transcripts and assistance with drafting messages for chats and emails.
Microsoft Teams paid plans
Microsoft Teams Essentials is $4 per user per month
Microsoft 365 Business Basic is $6 per user per month
Microsoft 365 Business Standard is $12.50 per user per month
Microsoft Teams paid plan features include:
Comprehensive collaboration suite
Advanced security
Cloud storage
Extended administrative controls
Deep integration with Office 365 applications
More storage - up to 1TB with the Business Basic plan
Additional Microsoft apps such as Bookings, Planner, and Microsoft Forms
A custom business email address
Business Standard offers webinar hosting
Microsoft also has a new AI assistant called Microsoft Copilot, which integrates with all Microsoft 365 applications. However, this isn’t included in any of their plans and requires an additional subscription costing $30 a month.
Which plans are best for small, medium, or large teams?
Zoom's Pro or Business plans and Microsoft Teams' Business Basic or Microsoft 365 Business Basic are usually sufficient for small teams. They offer additional features to the free plans, like longer meeting times and increased participant capacity.
Medium-sized and large teams might benefit most from Zoom's Business Plus or Enterprise plans, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, or even Microsoft Office 365 E3. These include the highest support, security, compliance features, and more extensive collaboration tools.
Alternatively, Lark offers a free starter plan, which includes unlimited chats, a custom business email, automatic language translation, 100 GB storage, and up to 60 minutes of meeting duration.
Teams vs. Zoom: Which has the best customer service?
Teams
The free version of Microsoft Teams offers limited support besides documentation on their support website. However, if you subscribe to Microsoft 365, you can access their standard support.
Microsoft 365 Business Basics and Microsoft 365 Business Standard provide:
99.9% uptime guarantee
24-hour phone and web support
FastTrack deployment support
There's also extensive self-service documentation from the Microsoft support website. For those who want a thorough knowledge of Microsoft 365, Microsoft offers certification as a Microsoft 365 Teams Administrator Associate.
Microsoft 365 offers additional support plans for an extra charge with varying levels of support (according to the plan), including personalized support for all Microsoft products.
Zoom
The free version and all other Zoom versions provide 24x7 access to the Help Center, primarily self-service and chatbot support.
The Premier plan provides priority responses and additional access options for licensed members.
Zoom Premier+ provides the same support as Premier, plus an assigned technical account manager and automated escalation. It also includes a Service Level Agreement (SLA), which sets more specific response and resolution times expectations.
For those who want a deeper understanding and knowledge of Zoom, there’s a Learning Center with on-demand and live training options to become a qualified Zoom expert.
Teams vs. Zoom: Which is the easiest to use?
Teams
Teams has a well-organized and user-friendly interface but provides many features beyond video conferencing. This means its setup and use can be more complex than Zoom, especially when integrating with other Microsoft 365 applications.
It may take longer to learn how to use than simpler platforms like Zoom. Most users could get to grips with basic functions such as chat, video calls, and file sharing within a few hours.
Making full use of its integration with Office 365 could take a few days to a week, depending on the individual’s prior experience with Microsoft products.
Teams’ ease of integration depends on the specific integration required. It’s designed to integrate seamlessly with other Microsoft 365 tools like Outlook, SharePoint, and OneDrive. Most third-party integrations can be easily added from the Teams app or admin center. This involves selecting the app and following simple setup instructions.
Zoom
Zoom has a clean and straightforward interface and is simple for video conferencing. Minimal setup is required, and it’s easy for even a beginner to schedule and join meetings. Most users should be able to use basic functions within a few minutes to an hour, but mastering more advanced features might take longer.
Setting up integrations with Zoom is generally straightforward. Most integrations can be added through the Zoom Marketplace, requiring a simple click to install and then configure with basic settings. Setup might be more complicated for more complex third-party applications.
Taking everything into consideration, in general, Teams has a steeper learning curve than Zoom.
Teams vs. Zoom: Which is the most secure and compliant?
Both Zoom and Microsoft Teams provide robust security features, although both have faced security concerns.
Early in 2020, there was a wave of security breaches in which unauthorized users disrupted meetings. It became known as “Zoom bombing” and led to Zoom introducing significant updates in security protocols.
Teams has also faced security challenges as part of the broader Microsoft ecosystem. This has been linked to broader cybersecurity threats rather than specific breaches within Teams.
Both companies have continuously worked to strengthen their security measures and provide the following features:
Microsoft Teams
End-to-end encryption
Secure Real-time Transfer Protocol
Multi-factor authentication
Rights Management Services support
Encryption at rest and in transit
Compliance with regulatory standards including:
HIPAA
GDPR
FedRAMP
SOC
FERPA
Zoom
256-bit TLS encryption
AES-256 encryption
Optional end-to-end encryption
Extra safeguards, such as:
Meeting passcodes
Unique audio identifiers
Watermarking for screenshots
Ultimately, the choice between Zoom and Microsoft Teams for cybersecurity depends on your organization’s specific requirements, such as needing to comply with certain standards or the preference for certain security features over others.
Teams vs. Zoom: What are other users saying?
Both platforms have a solid reputation for video conferencing. Teams are considered better for integrating collaboration tools and other Microsoft services. Zoom is renowned for its straightforward video conferencing, simple interface, and reliable performance. “Zoom bombing” caused Zoom’s reputation for security to dive for a while, but it subsequently fixed these issues and restored its reputation.
Neither is known for having persistent or significant bug issues.
Zoom scores highly on the G2 and Capterra software review sites. On Capterra, it has a rating of 4.6 (out of 5) for ease of use, 4.3 for customer service, and an overall rating of 4.7.
Users liked its ease of use and reliability, the breakout rooms feature, and the general quality of audio. Some users complained about the quality of video and audio, occasional glitchiness, not immediately being connected to audio, and unexpected updates leading to technical problems.
Teams also scores highly on the G2 and Capterra software review sites. On Capterra, it has a rating of 4.3 for ease of use, 4.3 for customer service, and an overall rating of 4.5.
Users liked the ability to share documents, its collaboration features, intuitive interface, ease of use, and integration capabilities. Some users complained about the steep learning curve, the user interface, and technical errors.
On both Capterra and G2, Zoom scored higher overall than Microsoft Teams.
Teams vs. Zoom: Which is right for you?
The types of business that would most benefit from Teams includes:
Those already using Microsoft 365: Teams seamlessly integrates with tools like Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint, and OneDrive.
Businesses that need more than video conferencing: Teams offers extensive collaboration features like team chats, file sharing, documents, project management, and workflow automation.
Those that need a unified platform for internal communication, project management, and collaboration.
Larger organizations with diverse needs: Teams supports various integrations and customizations, making it a good fit for large enterprises with complex communication and collaboration requirements.
Businesses that prioritize security and compliance may prefer Teams due to its comprehensive security features and compliance with standards.
The type of business that would most benefit from Zoom:
Companies where the main need is reliable, high-quality video conferencing.
Businesses looking for a platform that's user-friendly and easy for anyone to join, regardless of technical skill level.
Organizations hosting large webinars or virtual events: Zoom offers features tailored for these purposes.
Companies that require a straightforward solution for remote communication without the need for extensive collaboration tools.
Businesses that frequently communicate with external parties (clients, partners, contractors) may prefer Zoom's simple setup and widespread familiarity.
For more information about alternative video conferencing tools, check out our article: 10 Zoom alternatives for video conferencing.
Lark might be an even better alternative to Teams and Zoom for your business. It can replace your video conferencing app and provides tools for project management, documents, instant messaging, and more.
It combines the functionality of many apps used in the business world, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Meet, and puts them all into one super app. These wide-ranging capabilities do away with the need for app toggling and save you money on subscription fees for unnecessary tools.
Lark also provides robust data security and compliance and was named a Leader in G2’s Fall 2023 Reports.
Lark provides so much more
The choice between Teams and Zoom depends on exactly what you want from your video conferencing platform, your budget, and whether you want a simple video conferencing tool or more tools and features.
If you’re having trouble deciding, the answer might lie with Lark. Lark provides an easy-to-use video conferencing tool and includes a full range of tools to help with easy AI automation and developing business insights deeply integrated under one platform.
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