The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made practical and straightforward video conferencing software paramount to the continued operation of organizations around the world. Nowadays, many free applications are capable of hosting a video chat and of these, Zoom and Microsoft Teams have proven to be some of the popular choices, As to be expected, each of these services come with their own advantages and disadvantages, so here’s a closer look at how they compare to each other.
Microsoft Teams is Microsoft’s online, cloud-based workspace and is likely to specifically appeal to users already invested in Microsoft’s other products and services. While Zoom had existed before the pandemic took effect, it’s prominence and the level of consumer awareness surrounding the service has increased massively in recent weeks. To the point where almost everyone knows what Zoom is, even if they don’t actually use it.
Both Microsoft Teams and Zoom have free versions of their services, although as to be expected, the paid versions offer increased functionality. The paid version of Zoom starts at $15 a month per host and increases the allotted conference time from 40 minutes to 24 hours. The higher tiers, business and enterprise, cost $20 per host, though the latter requires at least 100 individual hosts. Zoom’s service provides an effective video chat platform that enables users to create custom backgrounds and control audio.
The full version of Microsoft Teams comes as part of a Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan, priced at $5.00 per month with access to a small selection of Office services. The more premium options start at $12.50 per month per user but include greater access to Microsoft Office apps. The Office 365 E3 plan adds even more to the deal but comes in at $20 a month. While Zoom is specialized in video conferences, Microsoft Teams is built for collaboration, featuring a thorough chat service and the ability to collaborate with others through syncing with other Microsoft Office apps.
Is Microsoft Teams Or Zoom Best?
Many of the benefits Microsoft Teams has to offer are partially locked behind a paywall, which, for users who aren’t looking to spend money, might be a sour spot for an otherwise impressive option. All of the Microsoft Teams versions do place a limit on how many members can take part in a call, although that’s also the same with Zoom. Therefore, if you need a specific number of people to take part in a call then choosing between Microsoft Teams and Zoom is likely to simply come down to which plan is the closest to that number.
Earlier this year, Zoom suffered a streak of security breaches that were not limited to zoom-bombing although it has since rolled out a series of updates to improve security. However, it still lacks a lot of the basic functionality a business would need to organize its members to the best of its ability which likely makes Microsoft Team’s additional features and affordable pricing a better choice as a video conference service.
