Microsoft Teams dominates with 365 million monthly active users and deeper Office 365 integration, while Webex excels in video quality with 1080p HD standard and superior meeting security features. Teams is better for organizations already invested in Microsoft's ecosystem, while Webex appeals to security-conscious enterprises and companies needing standalone conferencing.
Webex vs Microsoft Teams — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise cloud-based collaboration platform with 320M users, integrated with Microsoft 365 and Office applications.
Cisco's cloud-based collaboration platform emphasizing superior video quality and cross-platform interoperability.
Monthly Active Users. Video Quality Standard. Integration with Office Suite. Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit. Base Monthly Cost (Pro Plan). Encryption Standard. Max Meeting Participants
Choose Microsoft Teams if you're already using Office 365, need tight collaboration with Word/Excel/PowerPoint, or require the largest user base for external meetings. Choose Webex if security and encryption are paramount, you need superior native video quality without relying on Microsoft infrastructure, or you prefer a platform-agnostic solution that works equally well on any OS.
Microsoft Teams: 320 million | Cisco Webex: 70 million
Microsoft Teams: ~700 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Included with M365 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: No, paid only | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Full native integration | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Often requires app/account | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 10,000 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 50 rooms | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $6/month (Microsoft 365 bundle) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Limited translation features | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $6.00 (with Microsoft 365 Business Basic) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $72 (bundled pricing) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 1,000+ | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Up to 10,000 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Native with SharePoint, OneDrive, Office Web Apps | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Copilot Pro (enterprise AI, meeting insights) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 2-4 seconds average | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $6 (Teams Essentials) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Maximum Free Tier Group Meeting Duration
Microsoft Teams: 24 hours | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 100 participants | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Premium only ($10/user/month) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 8+ apps (Outlook, Excel, Word, OneDrive, SharePoint, Project, Planner, Power BI) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Advanced Chat Features (Channels, Threading, Workflows)
Microsoft Teams: Advanced (channels, nested threads, queues, connectors) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 4.5 stars | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 3,669 reviews | Cisco Webex: N/A
3-Year Total Cost of Ownership (1,000 users)
Microsoft Teams: Lower (integrated M365) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 3,668 reviews | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 7.9% positive | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Limited to basic captions | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Basic transcription only | Cisco Webex: Yes, Business plan+
Microsoft Teams: Third-party device support only | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $4.50 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Limited (Copilot requires E5) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 4K at 30fps | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 31 languages | Cisco Webex: N/A
Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)
Microsoft Teams: 67% of deployments | Cisco Webex: N/A
3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365
Microsoft Teams: 47% lower cost | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 300+ participants | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Excellent (optimized for reliability) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 4K (3840x2160) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 40+ languages (Teams Premium) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Steep (enterprise-focused interface) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 350+ million monthly active users | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 320M | Cisco Webex: 220M
Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes (3+ participants) | Cisco Webex: 60 minutes (3+ participants)
Microsoft Teams: Unlimited (OneDrive) | Cisco Webex: 30 days
Microsoft Teams: Full (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) | Cisco Webex: Limited (manual upload required)
Microsoft Teams: Copilot Pro required ($20+ per tenant) | Cisco Webex: Included free
Microsoft Teams: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web | Cisco Webex: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Web
Microsoft Teams: 4.5 Mbps | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 320 million | Cisco Webex: 205 million
Microsoft Teams: $0 (Free) or $6 (Standard) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 500+ apps | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 10,000 participants | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Cloud-only (SaaS) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Closed proprietary | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Copilot with GPT-4, speech-to-text, real-time translation | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Microsoft-managed regional datacenters (limited control) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 500+ | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 10000 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: unlimited | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: SOC 2 Type II, FedRAMP, HIPAA, GDPR, HITRUST | Cisco Webex: SOC 2 Type II, FedRAMP, HIPAA, GDPR, HITRUST
Microsoft Teams: 99.9% | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 320 million | Cisco Webex: 250 million
Microsoft Teams: 100 GB per user | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 90 days | Cisco Webex: N/A
Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)
Microsoft Teams: $7,800 or free with Microsoft 365 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 450 MB | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 80-120ms | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes (100 participants max) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $6.00 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 30fps | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 60+ languages | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Limited (fixed structure) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Free Tier Meeting Duration for Group Calls
Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes (unlimited participants) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $70/year (via Microsoft 365 Business Basic) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 300 participants | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 5 GB (OneDrive) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 50 breakout rooms | Cisco Webex: N/A
Global Enterprise Video Conferencing Market Share (2024)
Microsoft Teams: 28.2% | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Native: Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Power BI | Cisco Webex: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro/Standard)
Microsoft Teams: $0 (bundled) or $12.50 (standalone) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 200-300ms | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Last 3 months only | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 250GB | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Unlimited | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Native (deep) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 4.0/5 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 300+ million users | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $4.00 (Teams Essentials) - $12.50 (Teams Premium) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 2 GB per file | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 1,000+ native integrations | Cisco Webex: 200+ integrations
Microsoft Teams: Proprietary closed-source | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Cloud-only SaaS | Cisco Webex: N/A
Annual TCO (1,000 users, 3-year average)
Microsoft Teams: $48,000-150,000 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $6.00 | Cisco Webex: $9.99
Microsoft Teams: 1000 (1TB OneDrive) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)
Microsoft Teams: 1000+ | Cisco Webex: 200+
Microsoft Teams: 4.1/5 (8,300 reviews) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Basic keyword search (limited free tier) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 300 standard | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $0 (limited) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $6.99 | Cisco Webex: $7.25
Microsoft Teams: 1920x1080 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 1 primary | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Unlimited in OneDrive | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 8 (Copilot, live transcription, noise suppression, translation) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 8 (SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA, ISO 27001) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Unlimited | Cisco Webex: 40 minutes (3+ participants)
Microsoft Teams: 4 participants | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Available (free in 43 languages) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Office 365/Microsoft 365 (native) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 1080p @ 30fps | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 4K @ 30fps (Premium only) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 10,000 | Cisco Webex: 1000 participants
Microsoft Teams: $15 (Essentials) / $20 (Standard) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 36+ months | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 8-10 (account creation + installation) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Native (OneDrive, SharePoint, Outlook, Excel co-auth) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 10,000 most recent | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Full integration with Office apps | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Certified | Cisco Webex: Yes (BAA available)
Microsoft Teams: 1,500+ apps | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: $6 per user (Teams Essentials) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 50-80ms | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 320 million | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 3,000 searchable | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Native Outlook calendar sync | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Yes (SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 100 video participants | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Free Teams ($5-12/month for Pro) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 720p standard (1080p available) | Cisco Webex: 1080p HD native
Microsoft Teams: 2021 | Cisco Webex: 2020
Microsoft Teams: Native integration (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive) | Cisco Webex: Third-party integration required
Microsoft Teams: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android | Cisco Webex: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android
Microsoft Teams: 720p30fps | Cisco Webex: 1080p60fps
Microsoft Teams: 4.2 (2.4M reviews) | Cisco Webex: 4.1 (1.8M reviews)
Microsoft Teams: $6-12 | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: Not available | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 1000+ via Microsoft AppSource | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: 30 days (limited features) | Cisco Webex: N/A
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 100 participants
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 40,000 participants
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: Unlimited
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: $15.99
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: Yes, all plans
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: Webex Assistant (transcription, summary)
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 40 minutes unlimited users
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: $14.99
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 16.5%
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: Yes, deep native integration
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: Good (Slack, Teams, Google)
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 1.5 Mbps
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 40GB
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 14-28 days
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: $17.95
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: All paid tiers
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: Unlimited (1-month retention)
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 4.4/5.0
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 40 minutes
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 40,000 (webinar mode)
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: Included free
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 80+ languages
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 4.5/5.0
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 40 minutes worth per month
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: Multiple integrations (Okta, Azure AD, etc.)
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: $13.50
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: No (add-on required)
Record Transcription Languages Supported
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 100+
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: 650+ million
Microsoft Teams: N/A | Cisco Webex: Yes (40-min group meetings)
How to choose between Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex
Webex vs Microsoft Teams — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Webex vs Microsoft Teams. Contains 202 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Webex vs Microsoft Teams — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Webex vs Microsoft Teams.
Can I use Teams or Webex without paying?
Both offer free plans allowing unlimited 1-on-1 meetings and group meetings up to 60 minutes with 3+ participants. Teams free tier includes 100GB OneDrive storage; Webex free tier includes up to 40 minutes per group meeting. Neither requires a credit card to start.
Which has better video and audio quality?
Webex delivers superior native video with 1080p HD as standard across all plans, while Teams defaults to 720p HD (1080p available with configuration). Both support HD audio with noise suppression. Webex's video quality advantage is most noticeable in professional presentations and large group calls.
How does security compare between Teams and Webex?
Both offer end-to-end encryption for meetings. Webex implemented E2E encryption in 2020, while Teams followed in 2021. Webex provides additional options like data residency controls and advanced admin controls for sensitive industries. Teams integrates Microsoft security compliance (SOC 2, ISO 27001). For highly sensitive data, both are enterprise-grade, but Webex specializes in security-first deployments.
Should I pick Teams or Webex if I use Microsoft 365?
Teams is the clear choice if you're already paying for Microsoft 365, as it integrates directly with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook without additional costs. If you need a standalone video solution without Microsoft ecosystem lock-in, or prefer superior video quality, Webex remains competitive despite lacking Office integration.
Which platform is better for international companies?
Webex offers more flexible data residency options and compliance certifications (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2) that appeal to globally distributed teams with regulatory requirements. Teams integrates better with organizations already using Microsoft cloud infrastructure across regions. Both support 40+ languages and work reliably internationally.
How to Choose Between Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex
Monthly Active Users: Microsoft Teams has 365 million, while Cisco Webex has 250 million.
Video Quality Standard: Microsoft Teams has 1080p HD native, while Cisco Webex has 1080p HD (720p standard).
Integration with Office Suite: Microsoft Teams has Native integration with 365 apps, while Cisco Webex has Limited, third-party required.
Consider: Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit
Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit: Microsoft Teams has 60 minutes (3+ participants), while Cisco Webex has 60 minutes (3+ participants).
Base Monthly Cost (Pro Plan): Microsoft Teams has $6.99/user, while Cisco Webex has $7.25/user.
Encryption Standard: Microsoft Teams has End-to-end encryption (2021+), while Cisco Webex has End-to-end encryption (2020+).
Max Meeting Participants: Microsoft Teams has 10,000 participants, while Cisco Webex has 10,000 participants.