Zoom excels as a dedicated meeting platform with superior video quality and easier external access, while Microsoft Teams integrates deeply into workplace workflows with better chat, collaboration, and Office 365 ecosystem connectivity. The choice depends on whether meetings are your primary need (Zoom) or part of a broader collaboration suite (Teams).
Zoom vs Microsoft Teams — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Real-time video conferencing platform with enterprise meeting and webinar capabilities
Unified communications platform integrated with Microsoft 365, combining chat, calls, and meetings.
Free Meeting Duration. Meeting-First vs Workspace-First Design. Free Video Recording. Free Breakout Rooms. Office 365 Integration. AI Features in Free Plan. Browser Join Simplicity
Both platforms are robust and excel in different contexts. Zoom dominates for webinars, client meetings, and situations requiring quick external access with superior video quality. Microsoft Teams wins for organizations deeply embedded in Office 365 ecosystems seeking unified communication, persistent chat channels, and document collaboration. Choose Zoom if meetings are discrete events; choose Teams if meetings are one node in ongoing workspace collaboration.
Zoom: 300 participants | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 5+ (Companion, Summaries, Previews, Smart Compose) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Rich formatting, code blocks, file sharing, emoji reactions | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Third-party plugin required | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 6+ (polls, Q&A, reactions, hand raising, breakout rooms, live transcription) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 1GB cloud storage | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Extensive HD with filters | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: iOS, Android, full feature parity | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 2-3 per month | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: $0 | Microsoft Teams: $6 (Teams Essentials)
Zoom: Yes (AI Companion) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Limited (varies by plan) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 100 participants | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 4.5 stars (6,286 reviews) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Separate add-on service | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Basic analytics | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Third-party compatible | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 1080p at 60fps | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 40 minutes (3+ participants) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Synchronous (real-time) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Basic editing, transcription | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: AI Companion 3.0, real-time translation, auto bug reporting | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 1000+ (webinar feature) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Schedule meeting in advance | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 40 minutes | Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes
Zoom: Yes (AI Companion 3.0) | Microsoft Teams: Limited (Copilot requires E5)
Zoom: 60fps at 1080p | Microsoft Teams: 4K at 30fps
Zoom: 40+ languages (2026) | Microsoft Teams: 31 languages
Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)
Zoom: 33% of deployments | Microsoft Teams: 67% of deployments
3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365
Zoom: Baseline (higher cost) | Microsoft Teams: 47% lower cost
Zoom: AI Companion 3.0, agentic AI | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: AI Companion 3.0, real-time translation, agentic AI | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Available (AI Companion 3.0) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Secondary with Zoom Chat | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Moderately complex | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, ISO 27001 | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Free Basic plan | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Pro plan $14-29 | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 500+ (Professional tier) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 95+ languages (2026) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Not applicable (meeting-focused) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: AI Companion 3.0 with agentic AI | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Yes, SOC 2 Type II | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Up to 100 (time-limited to 40 minutes) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: $191.88/year | Microsoft Teams: $70/year (via Microsoft 365 Business Basic)
Average Setup Time for New Recording/Meeting
Zoom: 1,500+ integrations | Microsoft Teams: 500+
AI Transcription Support (Standard Tier)
Zoom: 40 hours/month (Zoom One plan) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 300 standard (1000 webinar) | Microsoft Teams: 300 standard
Zoom: $0 (limited) | Microsoft Teams: $0 (limited)
Zoom: 1920x1080 | Microsoft Teams: 1920x1080
Zoom: 1 primary | Microsoft Teams: 1 primary
Zoom: Paid only | Microsoft Teams: Unlimited in OneDrive
Zoom: 3 (auto-transcription, noise suppression, chat summary) | Microsoft Teams: 8 (Copilot, live transcription, noise suppression, translation)
Zoom: 6 (SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA) | Microsoft Teams: 8 (SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA, ISO 27001)
Zoom: 40 minutes | Microsoft Teams: Unlimited
Zoom: 1080p @ 30fps | Microsoft Teams: 1080p @ 30fps
Zoom: 4K @ 60fps (Pro+) | Microsoft Teams: 4K @ 30fps (Premium only)
Zoom: $20.99 | Microsoft Teams: $15 (Essentials) / $20 (Standard)
Zoom: 30 days | Microsoft Teams: 36+ months
Zoom: 1 (one-click join link) | Microsoft Teams: 8-10 (account creation + installation)
Zoom: Basic (Calendar sync only) | Microsoft Teams: Native (OneDrive, SharePoint, Outlook, Excel co-auth)
Zoom: None (40 min meeting limit, no cloud recording) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Auto-Generated Captions Languages Supported
Zoom: Zoom English only (free plan); 128+ (paid) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 1000+ | Microsoft Teams: 1,000+ native integrations
Zoom: 5-10 (scheduling + setup) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Enterprise Plan Starting Price (Monthly)
Zoom: 10,000 participants | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Local device only (extra $2.49/mo for cloud) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 306 million | Microsoft Teams: 320 million
Zoom: Pro+ tier only | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Yes (BAA available) | Microsoft Teams: Certified
Zoom: 40 minutes (3+ participants) | Microsoft Teams: Unlimited
Free Tier Group Video Call Duration Limit
Zoom: 4K (Business plan) | Microsoft Teams: 1080p (1920x1080)
Maximum Group Call Participants (Free Tier)
Zoom: 3 (40-min limit) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Yes (all plans) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: No (transcripts only) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Maximum Webinar Participants (Paid Plan)
Zoom: 40 minutes (group calls) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: Up to 100 (40 min limit) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 10,000+ (Zoom Webinar) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 95% accuracy (Pro+) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 40+ languages | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 4K @ 15fps available | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: No, separate tool needed | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Zoom: 1,000+ integrations | Microsoft Teams: 1,000+
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Included with M365
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: No, paid only
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Full native integration
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Often requires app/account
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $6/month (Microsoft 365 bundle)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Limited translation features
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $6.00 (with Microsoft 365 Business Basic)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $72 (bundled pricing)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Up to 10,000
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Native with SharePoint, OneDrive, Office Web Apps
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Copilot Pro (enterprise AI, meeting insights)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 2-4 seconds average
Maximum Free Tier Group Meeting Duration
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 100 participants
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Premium only ($10/user/month)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 8+ apps (Outlook, Excel, Word, OneDrive, SharePoint, Project, Planner, Power BI)
Advanced Chat Features (Channels, Threading, Workflows)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Advanced (channels, nested threads, queues, connectors)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 3,669 reviews
3-Year Total Cost of Ownership (1,000 users)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Lower (integrated M365)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 3,668 reviews
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 7.9% positive
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Limited to basic captions
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Basic transcription only
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Third-party device support only
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 300+ participants
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Excellent (optimized for reliability)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 4K (3840x2160)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 40+ languages (Teams Premium)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Steep (enterprise-focused interface)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 350+ million monthly active users
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes (3+ participants)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Unlimited (OneDrive)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Full (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Copilot Pro required ($20+ per tenant)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 320 million
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $0 (Free) or $6 (Standard)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 10,000 participants
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Cloud-only (SaaS)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Closed proprietary
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Copilot with GPT-4, speech-to-text, real-time translation
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Microsoft-managed regional datacenters (limited control)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: SOC 2, FedRAMP, ISO 27001, HIPAA
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 100 GB per user
Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $7,800 or free with Microsoft 365
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes (100 participants max)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 60+ languages
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Limited (fixed structure)
Free Tier Meeting Duration for Group Calls
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes (unlimited participants)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 300 participants
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 5 GB (OneDrive)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 50 breakout rooms
Global Enterprise Video Conferencing Market Share (2024)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Native: Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Power BI
Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro/Standard)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $0 (bundled) or $12.50 (standalone)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Last 3 months only
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Native (deep)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 300+ million users
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $4.00 (Teams Essentials) - $12.50 (Teams Premium)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 2 GB per file
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Proprietary closed-source
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Cloud-only SaaS
Annual TCO (1,000 users, 3-year average)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $48,000-150,000
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 1000 (1TB OneDrive)
Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 4.1/5 (8,300 reviews)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Basic keyword search (limited free tier)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 4 participants
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Available (free in 43 languages)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Office 365/Microsoft 365 (native)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 10,000 most recent
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Full integration with Office apps
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 1,500+ apps
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $6 per user (Teams Essentials)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 3,000 searchable
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Native Outlook calendar sync
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Yes (SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 100 video participants
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Free Teams ($5-12/month for Pro)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 720p standard (1080p available)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Native integration (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 4.2 (2.4M reviews)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Not available
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 1000+ via Microsoft AppSource
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 30 days (limited features)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $6.00 (or free with M365)
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 280 million monthly active
Zoom: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Copilot Pro integration
How to choose between Zoom and Microsoft Teams
Zoom vs Microsoft Teams — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Zoom vs Microsoft Teams. Contains 265 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Zoom vs Microsoft Teams — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Zoom vs Microsoft Teams.
Is Zoom or Microsoft Teams better for external meetings?
Zoom is generally better for external meetings because guests can join with one click — no Microsoft account required. Teams external participants sometimes need to install an app or create an account, creating friction that Zoom eliminated early on.
For organizations fully on Microsoft 365, Teams can replace Zoom for internal meetings while offering Office file integration and persistent channels. However, many companies use both: Teams for internal collaboration and Zoom for external webinars and cross-company calls where simplicity and guest access matter.
Which supports more meeting participants — Zoom or Teams?
Zoom supports up to 1,000 interactive participants and 10,000 webinar viewers on enterprise plans. Teams supports up to 1,000 interactive participants with town halls up to 20,000. Both are sufficient for most enterprise use cases; Zoom edges ahead for very large webinars.
Microsoft Teams has a free tier with basic video meetings (60-minute limit for groups, 100 participants). Full Teams functionality with unlimited meetings, 1TB storage, and Microsoft 365 integration requires a Microsoft 365 Business Basic subscription ($6/user/month minimum).
Which has better AI features in 2025 — Zoom or Teams?
Both offer AI meeting summaries, transcription, and action item extraction. Microsoft's Copilot in Teams integrates more deeply with the Microsoft 365 document graph (surfacing related files, email context), but requires an additional $30/user/month license. Zoom AI Companion is included with paid Zoom plans at no extra cost.
How to Choose Between Zoom and Microsoft Teams
Free Meeting Duration: Zoom has 40 minutes, while Microsoft Teams has 60 minutes.
Consider: Meeting-First vs Workspace-First Design
Meeting-First vs Workspace-First Design: Zoom has Meeting-centric with standalone cloud library, while Microsoft Teams has Integrated into channels, SharePoint, and OneDrive.
Free Video Recording: Zoom has Yes, included, while Microsoft Teams has No, requires paid plan.
Free Breakout Rooms: Zoom has Up to 100 rooms, while Microsoft Teams has Up to 50 rooms.
Office 365 Integration: Zoom has Limited third-party integrations, while Microsoft Teams has Native integration with Word, Excel, SharePoint.
AI Features in Free Plan: Zoom has AI Companion included in paid plans, while Microsoft Teams has Limited AI features in free plan.
Browser Join Simplicity: Zoom has Fast, no app required for joiners, while Microsoft Teams has Often requires app or account.
Zoom excels as a dedicated meeting platform with superior video quality and easier external access, while Microsoft Teams integrates deeply into workplace workflows with better chat, collaboration, and Office 365 ecosystem connectivity. The choice depends on whether meetings are your primary need (Z