software
Discord vs Microsoft Teams 2026: Features & Comparison
Discord prioritizes gaming and community with superior voice quality and lower latency, while Microsoft Teams excels in enterprise integration with calendar, email, and Office 365 features built-in. Discord's free tier is more generous, but Teams offers deeper workplace productivity tools.
Discord
Free messaging platform optimized for gaming communities and social groups with low-latency voice.
Gamers, content creators, hobbyist communities, crypto/NFT communities, open-source projects, and any group prioritizing low-latency voice communication.
Score63%
VS
Microsoft Teams
Enterprise communication platform integrated with Office 365, Outlook, and Microsoft productivity suite.
Large enterprises, corporate teams, organizations already invested in Microsoft 365, companies needing compliance certifications (HIPAA, FedRAMP), and regulated industries.
Score63%
Quick Answer
AI SummaryDiscord prioritizes gaming and community with superior voice quality and lower latency, while Microsoft Teams excels in enterprise integration with calendar, email, and Office 365 features built-in. Discord's free tier is more generous, but Teams offers deeper workplace productivity tools.
Our Verdict
AI-assistedChoose Discord if you're building gaming communities, creative projects, or social groups where voice quality and cost-free unlimited communication matter most. Choose Microsoft Teams if you're in a corporate environment needing seamless integration with Office 365, Outlook calendars, SharePoint, and professional compliance features. Discord excels at community engagement; Teams excels at enterprise productivity.
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Discord
7.9/10
Microsoft Teams
7.1/10
Choose Discord if
Best pickGamers, content creators, hobbyist communities, crypto/NFT communities, open-source projects, and any group prioritizing low-latency voice communication.
Choose Microsoft Teams if
Large enterprises, corporate teams, organizations already invested in Microsoft 365, companies needing compliance certifications (HIPAA, FedRAMP), and regulated industries.
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Key Differences at a Glance
- Primary Use Case:Gaming, communities, social groups vs Enterprise, corporate teams, business
- Voice Latency:✓ Discord wins(~20-30ms average vs ~50-80ms average)
- Free Tier Message History:✓ Discord wins(Unlimited messages stored vs Limited to 3,000 searchable messages)
Key Facts & Figures
123 numeric metrics compared
| Metric | Discord | Microsoft Teams | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Tier Participant Limit(participants) | Unlimited | 100 participants | — |
| Audio Latency(milliseconds) | 50-100ms with spatial audio | — | — |
| Free Audio Quality(kbps) | 128 kbps | — | — |
| Base Pricing (Monthly)(USD) | Free (with Nitro at $9.99) | $7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price) | |
| Maximum Video Meeting Participants(participants) | 25 participants | 300+ participants | |
| Language Translation Support(languages) | 0 (no native support) | 40+ languages (Teams Premium) | |
| Registered Users Globally(millions) | 500+ million registered users | 350+ million monthly active users | |
| Free Tier Cost(USD) | Completely free | — | — |
| Group Video Call Duration Limit (Free)(minutes) | 1440 (24 hours) | — | — |
| Maximum Meeting Participants(participants) | Up to 50 (voice channel) | — | — |
| Max File Upload Size(MB) | 100 MB | — | — |
| Mobile App Size (iOS)(MB) | ~150 MB | — | — |
| Bot/Integration Ecosystem Size(available bots) | 10,000+ bots | — | — |
| Cost for Personal Use(USD/month) | Free (with Nitro at $9.99/mo optional) | — | — |
| Public Bot Library Size(bots) | 500,000+ | — | — |
| Monthly Cost (Basic Premium)(USD) | $9.99 | — | — |
| Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD) | $9.99 per server/month | $15 (Essentials) / $20 (Standard) | |
| Voice Audio Codec Quality(kHz) | 48 kHz | — | — |
| Maximum Video Call Participants(people) | 50+ participants | — | — |
| Voice Chat Bitrate(kbps) | 128 kbps optimized | — | — |
| Third-Party Integrations(count) | 400+ | 500+ | |
| Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/month) | Free (Nitro $9.99/year) | $6 | |
| Max Video Conference Participants(people) | 50 | 10000 | |
| Voice Codec Quality Rating(score (1-10)) | 9.5 | 8 | |
| Enterprise Security Certifications(count) | Encryption, limited certifications | SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR, DLP, eDiscovery | |
| Time to Deploy(hours) | 1 | 1-3 | |
| Uptime Guarantee(percent) | 99.99% | 99.9% | |
| Free Tier Call Duration Limit(minutes) | Unlimited | 60 minutes (100 participants max) | — |
| Monthly Cost (1 Pro User)(USD) | $0 (free tier) | $6.00 | |
| Screen Sharing Maximum FPS(fps) | 60fps | 30fps | |
| Supported Language Captions(languages) | 15 languages | 60+ languages | |
| Maximum Free Server Categories(categories) | Unlimited | Limited (fixed structure) | — |
| Enterprise Fortune 500 Adoption Rate(percent) | Less than 5% | 80% | |
| Maximum Simultaneous Video Participants (Free)(participants) | 50 with Nitro ($99.99/year) | — | — |
| Audio Sampling Rate(kHz) | 48kHz premium | — | — |
| Real-Time Auto-Transcription Languages(languages) | Speech-to-text via integrations only | — | — |
| Average Daily Time Spent(minutes) | 195 minutes | — | — |
| Maximum Voice Call Participants(users) | 50 participants | — | — |
| Content Retention Period (Free)(days) | 30 days | — | — |
| Premium Subscription Cost(USD/month) | $9.99 (Discord Nitro) | — | — |
| Number of Public Communities(thousands) | ~8,000 public servers (estimated) | — | — |
| Mobile App Store Rating(stars) | 4.3 stars (3.8M reviews) | — | — |
| Maximum Free Storage Per Upload(MB) | 100 MB | — | — |
| Voice Latency(milliseconds) | 50-80ms | 80-120ms | |
| Third-Party Bot Integrations Available(count) | 10,000+ bots | 1,500+ apps | |
| Base Pricing (Team/Workspace)(USD per month) | Free | $6 per user (Teams Essentials) | |
| Voice Latency (Lower is Better)(milliseconds) | 20-30ms | 50-80ms | |
| Free Tier Monthly Active Users(millions) | 150 million | 320 million | |
| Free Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes) | Unlimited | 60 minutes | — |
| Video Participants (Free Tier)(maximum simultaneous) | 8 video participants | 100 video participants | |
| Workspace/Server Creation Cost(USD per month) | Free (unlimited) | Free Teams ($5-12/month for Pro) | |
| Daily Active Users(millions) | 320 million | 320 million | |
| App Integrations(count) | ~700 | ~700 | |
| Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo) | Included with M365 | Included with M365 | |
| Maximum Webinar Participants(participants) | 10,000 | 10,000 | |
| Maximum Free Breakout Rooms(rooms) | 50 rooms | 50 rooms | |
| Starting Paid Plan Cost(USD/month) | $6/month (Microsoft 365 bundle) | $6/month (Microsoft 365 bundle) | |
| Standalone Monthly Pricing (Pro Tier)(USD per user per month) | $6.00 (with Microsoft 365 Business Basic) | $6.00 (with Microsoft 365 Business Basic) | |
| Annual Cost per User (Pro Tier)(USD) | $72 (bundled pricing) | $72 (bundled pricing) | |
| Third-Party App Integrations(count) | 1,000+ | 1,000+ | |
| Video Meeting Capacity(participants) | Up to 10,000 | Up to 10,000 | |
| Mobile App Feature Parity | 85% | 85% | |
| Free Plan Monthly Cost(USD) | $6 (Teams Essentials) | $6 (Teams Essentials) | |
| Maximum Free Tier Group Meeting Duration(hours) | 24 hours | 24 hours | |
| Gartner Meeting Solutions Rating(stars) | 4.5 stars | 4.5 stars | |
| Gartner Review Sample Size(reviews) | 3,669 reviews | 3,669 reviews | |
| Gartner Customer Rating(stars) | 4.5 stars | 4.5 stars | |
| Customer Reviews Analyzed(count) | 3,668 reviews | 3,668 reviews | |
| Video Quality Rating(%) | 7.9% positive | 7.9% positive | |
| Starting Monthly Price per User(USD) | $4.50 | $4.50 | |
| Free Meeting Duration (3+ participants)(minutes) | 60 minutes | 60 minutes | |
| Real-Time Translation Languages(count) | 31 languages | 31 languages | |
| Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)(percentage) | 67% of deployments | 67% of deployments | |
| 3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365(percentage savings) | 47% lower cost | 47% lower cost | |
| Monthly Active Users (MAU)(millions) | 320M | 320M | |
| Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit(minutes) | 60 minutes (group calls) | 60 minutes (group calls) | |
| Minimum Bandwidth for HD Video(Mbps) | 4.5 Mbps | 4.5 Mbps | |
| Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions) | 320 million | 320 million | |
| Starting Price (Monthly)(USD) | $0 (Free) or $6 (Standard) | $0 (Free) or $6 (Standard) | |
| Native Third-Party Integrations(integrations) | 500+ apps | 500+ apps | |
| Maximum Video Conference Participants(participants) | 10,000 participants | 10,000 participants | |
| Video Conference Max Participants(participants) | 300 | 300 | |
| Free Tier File Storage(GB per user) | 100 GB per user | 100 GB per user | |
| Message Search History (Free Tier)(days) | 90 days | 90 days | |
| Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)(USD) | $7,800 or free with Microsoft 365 | $7,800 or free with Microsoft 365 | |
| Desktop App Memory Usage(MB) | 450 MB | 450 MB | |
| Free Tier Meeting Duration for Group Calls(minutes) | 60 minutes (unlimited participants) | 60 minutes (unlimited participants) | |
| Pro Plan Annual Cost(USD) | $70/year (via Microsoft 365 Business Basic) | $70/year (via Microsoft 365 Business Basic) | |
| Maximum Participants (Standard Meeting)(people) | 300 participants | 300 participants | |
| Free Plan Cloud Storage(GB) | 5 GB (OneDrive) | 5 GB (OneDrive) | |
| Breakout Rooms Maximum Count(rooms) | 50 breakout rooms | 50 breakout rooms | |
| Global Enterprise Video Conferencing Market Share (2024)(percent) | 28.2% | 28.2% | |
| Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro/Standard)(USD) | $0 (bundled) or $12.50 (standalone) | $0 (bundled) or $12.50 (standalone) | |
| Message Delivery Latency(milliseconds) | 200-300ms | 200-300ms | |
| File Upload Limit(GB) | 250GB | 250GB | |
| G2 Ease of Use Rating (2024)(stars) | 4.0/5 | 4.0/5 | |
| Video Meeting Participant Limit(participants) | 300 | 300 | |
| Active Monthly Users(millions) | 300+ million users | 300+ million users | |
| Base Monthly Cost (Single User)(USD) | $4.00 (Teams Essentials) - $12.50 (Teams Premium) | $4.00 (Teams Essentials) - $12.50 (Teams Premium) | |
| Maximum File Upload Size(GB) | 2 GB per file | 2 GB per file | |
| Available Integrations(count) | 1,000+ native integrations | 1,000+ native integrations | |
| Annual TCO (1,000 users, 3-year average)(USD) | $48,000-150,000 | $48,000-150,000 | |
| Pro Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD) | $6.00 | $6.00 | |
| File Storage Per User(GB) | 1000 (1TB OneDrive) | 1000 (1TB OneDrive) | |
| Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)(people) | 100 | 100 | |
| Native Integrations Available(count) | 1000+ | 1000+ | |
| G2 User Interface Rating(out of 5) | 4.1/5 (8,300 reviews) | 4.1/5 (8,300 reviews) | |
| Maximum Participants Per Meeting(participants) | 300 standard | 300 standard | |
| Free Tier Monthly Cost(USD) | $0 (limited) | $0 (limited) | |
| Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD) | $10-12 | $10-12 | |
| Standard Video Resolution(pixels) | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 | |
| Screen Sharing Participants(simultaneous users) | 1 primary | 1 primary | |
| Meeting Recording Storage (Free)(hours) | Unlimited in OneDrive | Unlimited in OneDrive | |
| Mobile App Quality Rating(out of 5) | 4.5 | 4.5 | |
| AI Features Integration(count) | 8 (Copilot, live transcription, noise suppression, translation) | 8 (Copilot, live transcription, noise suppression, translation) | |
| Enterprise Support Response Time(hours) | 1 | 1 | |
| Maximum Simultaneous Screen Shares(participants) | 4 participants | 4 participants | |
| Maximum Free Plan Participants(people) | 100 participants | 100 participants | |
| Real-Time Caption Languages Supported(languages) | 60+ languages | 60+ languages | |
| 4K Video Quality Support(fps) | 4K @ 30fps (Premium only) | 4K @ 30fps (Premium only) | |
| Maximum Meeting Participants(participants) | 10,000 | 10,000 | |
| Chat Message Retention (Free Tier)(months) | 36+ months | 36+ months | |
| Setup Time for New Users(minutes) | 8-10 (account creation + installation) | 8-10 (account creation + installation) |
Sourced from publicly available data ·
Key Differences
7 attributes compared head-to-head
Discord leads1 tie
Discord
Attribute
Microsoft Teams
- Gaming, communities, social groupsPrimary Use CaseEnterprise, corporate teams, business
- ~20-30ms average(winner)Voice Latency~50-80ms average
- Unlimited messages stored(winner)Free Tier Message HistoryLimited to 3,000 searchable messages
- Limited integrationOffice IntegrationDeep integration with Office 365, Outlook, OneDrive(winner)
- Unlimited 1-on-1, group calls capped at duration limits(winner)Video Conference Limit (Free)60-minute limit on 3+ participant calls
- 150 million MAUMonthly Active Users (2024)320 million MAU(winner)
- Free, unlimited servers(winner)Server/Workspace Creation CostFree Teams, licensing required for enterprise features
- Primary Use Case
Discord
Gaming, communities, social groups
Microsoft Teams
Enterprise, corporate teams, business
- Voice Latency
Discord
~20-30ms average(winner)
Microsoft Teams
~50-80ms average
- Free Tier Message History
Discord
Unlimited messages stored(winner)
Microsoft Teams
Limited to 3,000 searchable messages
- Office Integration
Discord
Limited integration
Microsoft Teams
Deep integration with Office 365, Outlook, OneDrive(winner)
- Video Conference Limit (Free)
Discord
Unlimited 1-on-1, group calls capped at duration limits(winner)
Microsoft Teams
60-minute limit on 3+ participant calls
- Monthly Active Users (2024)
Discord
150 million MAU
Microsoft Teams
320 million MAU(winner)
- Server/Workspace Creation Cost
Discord
Free, unlimited servers(winner)
Microsoft Teams
Free Teams, licensing required for enterprise features
Full Comparison
| Attribute | Discord | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier Participant Limit(participants) | Unlimited | 100 participants |
| Free Tier Video Call Duration(minutes) | Unlimited | — |
| Maximum Participants (Standard Meeting)(people) | 300 participants | — |
| Maximum Participants Per Meeting(participants) | 300 standard | — |
| Audio Latency(milliseconds) | 50-100ms with spatial audio | — |
| Mobile App Size (iOS)(MB) | ~150 MB | — |
| Voice Audio Codec Quality(kHz) | 48 kHz | — |
| Maximum Video Call Participants(people) | 50+ participants | — |
| Voice Chat Bitrate(kbps) | 128 kbps optimized | — |
Show 9 more attributesMessage Search Speed(seconds) 0.1-0.3 seconds 2-4 seconds average Screen Sharing Maximum FPS(fps) 60fps 30fps Voice Latency(milliseconds) 50-80ms 80-120ms Voice Latency (Lower is Better)(milliseconds) 20-30ms 50-80ms Minimum Bandwidth for HD Video(Mbps) 4.5 Mbps — Desktop App Memory Usage(MB) 450 MB — Message Delivery Latency(milliseconds) 200-300ms — Video Quality (Standard)(resolution & fps) 1080p @ 30fps — 4K Video Quality Support(fps) 4K @ 30fps (Premium only) — | ||
| Free Audio Quality(kbps) | 128 kbps | — |
| Standard Video Resolution(pixels) | 1920x1080 | — |
| Video Meeting Notes with AI | No | — |
| Maximum Video Meeting Participants(participants) | 25 participants | 300+ participants(winner) |
| Language Translation Support(languages) | 0 (no native support) | 40+ languages (Teams Premium)(winner) |
| Group Video Call Duration Limit (Free)(minutes) | 1440 (24 hours) | — |
| Real-Time Translation Support(Languages) | Limited, experimental | — |
Show 34 more attributesMessage History Retention(text) Permanent (searchable) — AI Assistant Capabilities(text) Basic moderation bots — Max File Upload Size(MB) 100 MB — Voice Channel Participant Limit(users) Unlimited — Screen Share Quality(fps @ resolution) 1080p @ 60fps — Free Message History(days) Unlimited — Max Video Conference Participants(people) 50 10000 Supported Language Captions(languages) 15 languages 60+ languages Maximum Voice Call Participants(users) 50 participants — Content Retention Period (Free)(days) 30 days — Maximum Free Storage Per Upload(MB) 100 MB — Free Tier Message History(messages) Unlimited 10,000 most recent Video Participants (Free Tier)(maximum simultaneous) 8 video participants 100 video participants App Integrations(count) ~700 — Third-Party App Integrations(count) 1,000+ — Video Meeting Capacity(participants) Up to 10,000 — Native Office Integration Native with SharePoint, OneDrive, Office Web Apps — AI Copilot Features Microsoft Copilot Pro (enterprise AI, meeting insights) — Maximum Free Tier Group Meeting Duration(hours) 24 hours — AI Meeting Notes Availability Premium only ($10/user/month) — AI Meeting Summaries Basic transcription only — Free Meeting Duration (3+ participants)(minutes) 60 minutes — Real-Time Translation Languages(count) 31 languages — Maximum Video Conference Participants(participants) 10,000 participants — Video Conference Max Participants(participants) 300 — Message Search History (Free Tier)(days) 90 days — Breakout Rooms Maximum Count(rooms) 50 breakout rooms — Message Search Speed (Free Tier)(indexing scope) Last 3 months only — Message History Retention (Free Tier)(days) Unlimited — Video Meeting Participant Limit(participants) 300 — Available Integrations(count) 1,000+ native integrations — Native Integrations Available(count) 1000+ — Screen Sharing Participants(simultaneous users) 1 primary — Chat Message Retention (Free Tier)(months) 36+ months — | ||
| Enterprise SSO Support | Limited/Third-party only | — |
| Developer API for Integrations | Comprehensive API with bot framework (GDC 2026) | — |
| Bot/Integration Ecosystem Size(available bots) | 10,000+ bots | — |
| Third-Party Bot Integrations Available(count) | 10,000+ bots(winner) | 1,500+ apps |
| Native Third-Party Integrations(integrations) | 500+ apps | — |
| Calendar Integration | Limited third-party apps | Native Outlook calendar sync |
| Microsoft 365 Integration | No native integration | Full integration with Office apps |
| Microsoft 365 Integration Depth(integration level) | 8+ apps (Outlook, Excel, Word, OneDrive, SharePoint, Project, Planner, Power BI) | — |
| Native Microsoft Office Integration | Full (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) | — |
| Microsoft 365 Ecosystem Integration(integration depth) | Native: Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Power BI | — |
Show 3 more attributesNative Microsoft 365 Integration(integration level) Native (deep) — Office Suite Integration Level Office 365/Microsoft 365 (native) — Office 365 Integration Level(integration score) Native (OneDrive, SharePoint, Outlook, Excel co-auth) — | ||
| Base Pricing (Monthly)(USD) | Free (with Nitro at $9.99)(winner) | $7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price) |
| Free Tier Cost(USD) | Completely free | — |
| Paid Plan Cost (Single User/Month)(USD) | Discord Nitro $9.99-99.99/year | — |
| Cost for Personal Use(USD/month) | Free (with Nitro at $9.99/mo optional) | — |
| Monthly Cost (Basic Premium)(USD) | $9.99 | — |
Show 18 more attributesMonthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD) $9.99 per server/month $15 (Essentials) / $20 (Standard) Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/month) Free (Nitro $9.99/year) $6 Free Tier Call Duration Limit(minutes) Unlimited 60 minutes (100 participants max) Monthly Cost (1 Pro User)(USD) $0 (free tier) $6.00 Premium Subscription Cost(USD/month) $9.99 (Discord Nitro) — Workspace/Server Creation Cost(USD per month) Free (unlimited) Free Teams ($5-12/month for Pro) Starting Paid Plan Cost(USD/month) $6/month (Microsoft 365 bundle) — Standalone Monthly Pricing (Pro Tier)(USD per user per month) $6.00 (with Microsoft 365 Business Basic) — Annual Cost per User (Pro Tier)(USD) $72 (bundled pricing) — Free Plan Monthly Cost(USD) $6 (Teams Essentials) — Starting Monthly Price per User(USD) $4.50 — Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit(minutes) 60 minutes (group calls) — Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)(USD) $7,800 or free with Microsoft 365 — Pro Plan Annual Cost(USD) $70/year (via Microsoft 365 Business Basic) — Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro/Standard)(USD) $0 (bundled) or $12.50 (standalone) — Base Monthly Cost (Single User)(USD) $4.00 (Teams Essentials) - $12.50 (Teams Premium) — Pro Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD) $6.00 — Free Tier Monthly Cost(USD) $0 (limited) — | ||
| Voice Chat Quality Rating(subjective score) | Outstanding (advanced codecs) | Excellent (optimized for reliability) |
| Voice Codec Quality Rating(score (1-10)) | 9.5(winner) | 8 |
| Video Resolution Support(maximum resolution) | 1080p (1920x1080) | 4K (3840x2160) |
| User Learning Curve(difficulty rating) | Minimal (intuitive design) | Steep (enterprise-focused interface) |
| Setup Time for New Users(minutes) | 8-10 (account creation + installation) | — |
| Registered Users Globally(millions) | 500+ million registered users(winner) | 350+ million monthly active users |
| Monthly Active Users(billions) | 200 million | 300+ million(winner) |
| Free Tier Monthly Active Users(millions) | 150 million | 320 million(winner) |
| Monthly Active Users (MAU)(millions) | 320M | — |
| Active Monthly Users(millions) | 300+ million users | — |
| Enterprise Security Compliance(certifications) | SOC 2, GDPR (limited enterprise focus) | ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR |
| SOC 2 Compliance(text) | Yes, SOC 2 Type II | — |
| Default End-to-End Encryption | No (opt-in only) | — |
| Enterprise Security Certifications(count) | Encryption, limited certifications | SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR, DLP, eDiscovery(winner) |
| Security Certifications(count) | 8 (SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA, ISO 27001) | — |
| Maximum Meeting Participants(participants) | Up to 50 (voice channel) | — |
| Public Bot Library Size(bots) | 500,000+ | — |
| Voice Codec Quality(codec type) | Opus (optimized, 128kbps default) | — |
| Maximum Video Resolution(pixels) | 720p @ 60fps | 1080p (1920x1080) |
| Maximum Video Sharing Quality(fps at resolution) | 4K at 30fps | — |
| End-to-End Encryption(null) | Not available for group chats | — |
| Message History Scanning for AI Training(status) | Yes (Discord trains AI on content) | — |
| SOC 2 Type II Certified | No | — |
| HIPAA Compliance Certification | Not certified | Certified |
| Custom Workflow Automation | Basic (bots only) | — |
| Users Per Workspace(count) | Unlimited | — |
| Maximum Webinar Participants(participants) | 10,000 | — |
| Third-Party Integrations(count) | 400+ | 500+(winner) |
| Self-Hosting Option(yes/no) | No | — |
| Self-Hosted Deployment Option | Cloud-only SaaS | — |
| Source Code Availability | Proprietary/Closed | Proprietary (closed-source) |
| Message History (Free Plan)(days) | unlimited | unlimited |
| Time to Deploy(hours) | 1(winner) | 1-3 |
| Learning Curve(difficulty (1-10)) | 1.5(winner) | 5 |
| Uptime Guarantee(percent) | 99.99%(winner) | 99.9% |
| HIPAA Compliance Certified | No | Yes(winner) |
| HIPAA Compliance(certification status) | Not HIPAA certified | — |
| SOC 2 Type II Compliance | Yes | Yes (SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP) |
| Data Residency Control(null) | Microsoft-managed regional datacenters (limited control) | — |
| Maximum Free Server Categories(categories) | Unlimited | Limited (fixed structure) |
| Enterprise Fortune 500 Adoption Rate(percent) | Less than 5% | 80%(winner) |
| Free Video Call Duration Limit(minutes) | Unlimited | — |
| Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD) | $10-12 | — |
| Free Group Meeting Duration(minutes) | Unlimited | — |
| Maximum Simultaneous Video Participants (Free)(participants) | 50 with Nitro ($99.99/year) | — |
| Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)(people) | 100 | — |
| Audio Sampling Rate(kHz) | 48kHz premium | — |
| Message History Retention (Free)(searchable messages) | Unlimited | 3,000 searchable |
| Meeting Recording Retention (Free)(days) | Unlimited (OneDrive) | — |
| Free Tier File Storage(GB per user) | 100 GB per user | — |
| Free Plan Cloud Storage(GB) | 5 GB (OneDrive) | — |
| File Upload Limit(GB) | 250GB | — |
Show 3 more attributesFile Storage Per User(GB) 1000 (1TB OneDrive) — Meeting Recording Storage (Free)(hours) Unlimited in OneDrive — Free Recording Storage(GB) Unlimited — | ||
| Google Calendar Integration | No direct integration | — |
| Real-Time Auto-Transcription Languages(languages) | Speech-to-text via integrations only | — |
| Browser Join Without App | Often requires app/account | — |
| Mobile App Feature Parity | 85% | — |
| Auto-Generated Meeting Transcripts | Available (free in 43 languages) | — |
| Real-Time Caption Languages Supported(languages) | 60+ languages | — |
| Average Daily Time Spent(minutes) | 195 minutes | — |
| Number of Public Communities(thousands) | ~8,000 public servers (estimated) | — |
| Mobile App Store Rating(stars) | 4.3 stars (3.8M reviews) | — |
| Gartner Meeting Solutions Rating(stars) | 4.5 stars | — |
| Gartner Review Sample Size(reviews) | 3,669 reviews | — |
| Gartner Customer Rating(stars) | 4.5 stars | — |
| Customer Reviews Analyzed(count) | 3,668 reviews | — |
| Base Pricing (Team/Workspace)(USD per month) | Free(winner) | $6 per user (Teams Essentials) |
| Starting Price (Monthly)(USD) | $0 (Free) or $6 (Standard) | — |
| Free Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes) | Unlimited | 60 minutes |
| Daily Active Users(millions) | 320 million | — |
| Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions) | 320 million | — |
| Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo) | Included with M365 | — |
| Free Cloud Recording Capability | No, paid only | — |
| Office 365 Native Integration | Full native integration | — |
| Maximum Free Breakout Rooms(rooms) | 50 rooms | — |
| AI Translation Languages (2026)(languages) | Limited translation features | — |
| AI Meeting Assistant Cost(USD/month) | Copilot Pro required ($20+ per tenant) | — |
| AI Assistant Integration | Copilot with GPT-4, speech-to-text, real-time translation | — |
| Advanced Chat Features (Channels, Threading, Workflows) | Advanced (channels, nested threads, queues, connectors) | — |
| 3-Year Total Cost of Ownership (1,000 users)(USD) | Lower (integrated M365) | — |
| Video Quality Rating(%) | 7.9% positive | — |
| Real-Time Translation Support(null) | Limited to basic captions | — |
| Native Cisco Hardware Integration(null) | Third-party device support only | — |
| AI Features in Base Tier | Limited (Copilot requires E5) | — |
| Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)(percentage) | 67% of deployments | — |
| Global Enterprise Video Conferencing Market Share (2024)(percent) | 28.2% | — |
| 3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365(percentage savings) | 47% lower cost | — |
| Supported Operating Systems | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web | — |
| Deployment Options(count) | Cloud-only (SaaS) | — |
| Free Tier Meeting Duration for Group Calls(minutes) | 60 minutes (unlimited participants) | — |
| G2 Ease of Use Rating (2024)(stars) | 4.0/5 | — |
| G2 User Interface Rating(out of 5) | 4.1/5 (8,300 reviews) | — |
| Mobile App Quality Rating(out of 5) | 4.5 | — |
| Maximum File Upload Size(GB) | 2 GB per file | — |
| Open Source Availability | Proprietary closed-source | — |
| Annual TCO (1,000 users, 3-year average)(USD) | $48,000-150,000 | — |
| Message Search Capability(text) | Basic keyword search (limited free tier) | — |
| AI Features Integration(count) | 8 (Copilot, live transcription, noise suppression, translation) | — |
| Enterprise Support Response Time(hours) | 1 | — |
| Free Meeting Duration Limit(minutes) | Unlimited | — |
| Maximum Meeting Participants(participants) | 10,000 | — |
| Maximum Simultaneous Screen Shares(participants) | 4 participants | — |
| Maximum Free Plan Participants(people) | 100 participants | — |
DiscordMicrosoft TeamsFree Tier Participant Limit(participants)
Unlimited
100 participants
Free Tier Video Call Duration(minutes)
Unlimited
—
Maximum Participants (Standard Meeting)(people)
300 participants
—
Maximum Participants Per Meeting(participants)
300 standard
—
Audio Latency(milliseconds)
50-100ms with spatial audio
—
Mobile App Size (iOS)(MB)
~150 MB
—
Voice Audio Codec Quality(kHz)
48 kHz
—
Maximum Video Call Participants(people)
50+ participants
—
Voice Chat Bitrate(kbps)
128 kbps optimized
—
Show 9 more attributes
Message Search Speed(seconds)
0.1-0.3 seconds
2-4 seconds average
Screen Sharing Maximum FPS(fps)
60fps
30fps
Voice Latency(milliseconds)
50-80ms
80-120ms
Voice Latency (Lower is Better)(milliseconds)
20-30ms
50-80ms
Minimum Bandwidth for HD Video(Mbps)
4.5 Mbps
—
Desktop App Memory Usage(MB)
450 MB
—
Message Delivery Latency(milliseconds)
200-300ms
—
Video Quality (Standard)(resolution & fps)
1080p @ 30fps
—
4K Video Quality Support(fps)
4K @ 30fps (Premium only)
—
Free Audio Quality(kbps)
128 kbps
—
Standard Video Resolution(pixels)
1920x1080
—
Video Meeting Notes with AI
No
—
Maximum Video Meeting Participants(participants)
25 participants
300+ participants
Language Translation Support(languages)
0 (no native support)
40+ languages (Teams Premium)
Group Video Call Duration Limit (Free)(minutes)
1440 (24 hours)
—
Real-Time Translation Support(Languages)
Limited, experimental
—
Show 34 more attributes
Message History Retention(text)
Permanent (searchable)
—
AI Assistant Capabilities(text)
Basic moderation bots
—
Max File Upload Size(MB)
100 MB
—
Voice Channel Participant Limit(users)
Unlimited
—
Screen Share Quality(fps @ resolution)
1080p @ 60fps
—
Free Message History(days)
Unlimited
—
Max Video Conference Participants(people)
50
10000
Supported Language Captions(languages)
15 languages
60+ languages
Maximum Voice Call Participants(users)
50 participants
—
Content Retention Period (Free)(days)
30 days
—
Maximum Free Storage Per Upload(MB)
100 MB
—
Free Tier Message History(messages)
Unlimited
10,000 most recent
Video Participants (Free Tier)(maximum simultaneous)
8 video participants
100 video participants
App Integrations(count)
~700
—
Third-Party App Integrations(count)
1,000+
—
Video Meeting Capacity(participants)
Up to 10,000
—
Native Office Integration
Native with SharePoint, OneDrive, Office Web Apps
—
AI Copilot Features
Microsoft Copilot Pro (enterprise AI, meeting insights)
—
Maximum Free Tier Group Meeting Duration(hours)
24 hours
—
AI Meeting Notes Availability
Premium only ($10/user/month)
—
AI Meeting Summaries
Basic transcription only
—
Free Meeting Duration (3+ participants)(minutes)
60 minutes
—
Real-Time Translation Languages(count)
31 languages
—
Maximum Video Conference Participants(participants)
10,000 participants
—
Video Conference Max Participants(participants)
300
—
Message Search History (Free Tier)(days)
90 days
—
Breakout Rooms Maximum Count(rooms)
50 breakout rooms
—
Message Search Speed (Free Tier)(indexing scope)
Last 3 months only
—
Message History Retention (Free Tier)(days)
Unlimited
—
Video Meeting Participant Limit(participants)
300
—
Available Integrations(count)
1,000+ native integrations
—
Native Integrations Available(count)
1000+
—
Screen Sharing Participants(simultaneous users)
1 primary
—
Chat Message Retention (Free Tier)(months)
36+ months
—
Enterprise SSO Support
Limited/Third-party only
—
Developer API for Integrations
Comprehensive API with bot framework (GDC 2026)
—
Bot/Integration Ecosystem Size(available bots)
10,000+ bots
—
Third-Party Bot Integrations Available(count)
10,000+ bots
1,500+ apps
Native Third-Party Integrations(integrations)
500+ apps
—
Calendar Integration
Limited third-party apps
Native Outlook calendar sync
Microsoft 365 Integration
No native integration
Full integration with Office apps
Microsoft 365 Integration Depth(integration level)
8+ apps (Outlook, Excel, Word, OneDrive, SharePoint, Project, Planner, Power BI)
—
Native Microsoft Office Integration
Full (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
—
Microsoft 365 Ecosystem Integration(integration depth)
Native: Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Power BI
—
Show 3 more attributes
Native Microsoft 365 Integration(integration level)
Native (deep)
—
Office Suite Integration Level
Office 365/Microsoft 365 (native)
—
Office 365 Integration Level(integration score)
Native (OneDrive, SharePoint, Outlook, Excel co-auth)
—
Base Pricing (Monthly)(USD)
Free (with Nitro at $9.99)
$7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price)
Free Tier Cost(USD)
Completely free
—
Paid Plan Cost (Single User/Month)(USD)
Discord Nitro $9.99-99.99/year
—
Cost for Personal Use(USD/month)
Free (with Nitro at $9.99/mo optional)
—
Monthly Cost (Basic Premium)(USD)
$9.99
—
Show 18 more attributes
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD)
$9.99 per server/month
$15 (Essentials) / $20 (Standard)
Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/month)
Free (Nitro $9.99/year)
$6
Free Tier Call Duration Limit(minutes)
Unlimited
60 minutes (100 participants max)
Monthly Cost (1 Pro User)(USD)
$0 (free tier)
$6.00
Premium Subscription Cost(USD/month)
$9.99 (Discord Nitro)
—
Workspace/Server Creation Cost(USD per month)
Free (unlimited)
Free Teams ($5-12/month for Pro)
Starting Paid Plan Cost(USD/month)
$6/month (Microsoft 365 bundle)
—
Standalone Monthly Pricing (Pro Tier)(USD per user per month)
$6.00 (with Microsoft 365 Business Basic)
—
Annual Cost per User (Pro Tier)(USD)
$72 (bundled pricing)
—
Free Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$6 (Teams Essentials)
—
Starting Monthly Price per User(USD)
$4.50
—
Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)
60 minutes (group calls)
—
Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)(USD)
$7,800 or free with Microsoft 365
—
Pro Plan Annual Cost(USD)
$70/year (via Microsoft 365 Business Basic)
—
Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro/Standard)(USD)
$0 (bundled) or $12.50 (standalone)
—
Base Monthly Cost (Single User)(USD)
$4.00 (Teams Essentials) - $12.50 (Teams Premium)
—
Pro Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$6.00
—
Free Tier Monthly Cost(USD)
$0 (limited)
—
Voice Chat Quality Rating(subjective score)
Outstanding (advanced codecs)
Excellent (optimized for reliability)
Voice Codec Quality Rating(score (1-10))
9.5
8
Video Resolution Support(maximum resolution)
1080p (1920x1080)
4K (3840x2160)
User Learning Curve(difficulty rating)
Minimal (intuitive design)
Steep (enterprise-focused interface)
Setup Time for New Users(minutes)
8-10 (account creation + installation)
—
Registered Users Globally(millions)
500+ million registered users
350+ million monthly active users
Monthly Active Users(billions)
200 million
300+ million
Free Tier Monthly Active Users(millions)
150 million
320 million
Monthly Active Users (MAU)(millions)
320M
—
Active Monthly Users(millions)
300+ million users
—
Enterprise Security Compliance(certifications)
SOC 2, GDPR (limited enterprise focus)
ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR
SOC 2 Compliance(text)
Yes, SOC 2 Type II
—
Default End-to-End Encryption
No (opt-in only)
—
Enterprise Security Certifications(count)
Encryption, limited certifications
SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, GDPR, DLP, eDiscovery
Security Certifications(count)
8 (SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA, ISO 27001)
—
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)
Up to 50 (voice channel)
—
Public Bot Library Size(bots)
500,000+
—
Voice Codec Quality(codec type)
Opus (optimized, 128kbps default)
—
Maximum Video Resolution(pixels)
720p @ 60fps
1080p (1920x1080)
Maximum Video Sharing Quality(fps at resolution)
4K at 30fps
—
End-to-End Encryption(null)
Not available for group chats
—
Message History Scanning for AI Training(status)
Yes (Discord trains AI on content)
—
SOC 2 Type II Certified
No
—
HIPAA Compliance Certification
Not certified
Certified
Custom Workflow Automation
Basic (bots only)
—
Users Per Workspace(count)
Unlimited
—
Maximum Webinar Participants(participants)
10,000
—
Third-Party Integrations(count)
400+
500+
Self-Hosting Option(yes/no)
No
—
Self-Hosted Deployment Option
Cloud-only SaaS
—
Source Code Availability
Proprietary/Closed
Proprietary (closed-source)
Message History (Free Plan)(days)
unlimited
unlimited
Time to Deploy(hours)
1
1-3
Learning Curve(difficulty (1-10))
1.5
5
Uptime Guarantee(percent)
99.99%
99.9%
HIPAA Compliance Certified
No
Yes
HIPAA Compliance(certification status)
Not HIPAA certified
—
SOC 2 Type II Compliance
Yes
Yes (SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP)
Data Residency Control(null)
Microsoft-managed regional datacenters (limited control)
—
Maximum Free Server Categories(categories)
Unlimited
Limited (fixed structure)
Enterprise Fortune 500 Adoption Rate(percent)
Less than 5%
80%
Free Video Call Duration Limit(minutes)
Unlimited
—
Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$10-12
—
Free Group Meeting Duration(minutes)
Unlimited
—
Maximum Simultaneous Video Participants (Free)(participants)
50 with Nitro ($99.99/year)
—
Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)(people)
100
—
Audio Sampling Rate(kHz)
48kHz premium
—
Message History Retention (Free)(searchable messages)
Unlimited
3,000 searchable
Meeting Recording Retention (Free)(days)
Unlimited (OneDrive)
—
Free Tier File Storage(GB per user)
100 GB per user
—
Free Plan Cloud Storage(GB)
5 GB (OneDrive)
—
File Upload Limit(GB)
250GB
—
Show 3 more attributes
File Storage Per User(GB)
1000 (1TB OneDrive)
—
Meeting Recording Storage (Free)(hours)
Unlimited in OneDrive
—
Free Recording Storage(GB)
Unlimited
—
Google Calendar Integration
No direct integration
—
Real-Time Auto-Transcription Languages(languages)
Speech-to-text via integrations only
—
Browser Join Without App
Often requires app/account
—
Mobile App Feature Parity
85%
—
Auto-Generated Meeting Transcripts
Available (free in 43 languages)
—
Real-Time Caption Languages Supported(languages)
60+ languages
—
Average Daily Time Spent(minutes)
195 minutes
—
Number of Public Communities(thousands)
~8,000 public servers (estimated)
—
Mobile App Store Rating(stars)
4.3 stars (3.8M reviews)
—
Gartner Meeting Solutions Rating(stars)
4.5 stars
—
Gartner Review Sample Size(reviews)
3,669 reviews
—
Gartner Customer Rating(stars)
4.5 stars
—
Customer Reviews Analyzed(count)
3,668 reviews
—
Base Pricing (Team/Workspace)(USD per month)
Free
$6 per user (Teams Essentials)
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)
$0 (Free) or $6 (Standard)
—
Free Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes)
Unlimited
60 minutes
Daily Active Users(millions)
320 million
—
Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions)
320 million
—
Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo)
Included with M365
—
Free Cloud Recording Capability
No, paid only
—
Office 365 Native Integration
Full native integration
—
Maximum Free Breakout Rooms(rooms)
50 rooms
—
AI Translation Languages (2026)(languages)
Limited translation features
—
AI Meeting Assistant Cost(USD/month)
Copilot Pro required ($20+ per tenant)
—
AI Assistant Integration
Copilot with GPT-4, speech-to-text, real-time translation
—
Advanced Chat Features (Channels, Threading, Workflows)
Advanced (channels, nested threads, queues, connectors)
—
3-Year Total Cost of Ownership (1,000 users)(USD)
Lower (integrated M365)
—
Video Quality Rating(%)
7.9% positive
—
Real-Time Translation Support(null)
Limited to basic captions
—
Native Cisco Hardware Integration(null)
Third-party device support only
—
AI Features in Base Tier
Limited (Copilot requires E5)
—
Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)(percentage)
67% of deployments
—
Global Enterprise Video Conferencing Market Share (2024)(percent)
28.2%
—
3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365(percentage savings)
47% lower cost
—
Supported Operating Systems
Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web
—
Deployment Options(count)
Cloud-only (SaaS)
—
Free Tier Meeting Duration for Group Calls(minutes)
60 minutes (unlimited participants)
—
G2 Ease of Use Rating (2024)(stars)
4.0/5
—
G2 User Interface Rating(out of 5)
4.1/5 (8,300 reviews)
—
Mobile App Quality Rating(out of 5)
4.5
—
Maximum File Upload Size(GB)
2 GB per file
—
Open Source Availability
Proprietary closed-source
—
Annual TCO (1,000 users, 3-year average)(USD)
$48,000-150,000
—
Message Search Capability(text)
Basic keyword search (limited free tier)
—
AI Features Integration(count)
8 (Copilot, live transcription, noise suppression, translation)
—
Enterprise Support Response Time(hours)
1
—
Free Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)
Unlimited
—
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)
10,000
—
Maximum Simultaneous Screen Shares(participants)
4 participants
—
Maximum Free Plan Participants(people)
100 participants
—
Pros & Cons
10 pros·6 cons across both
Discord
+5-3
Pros
- Ultra-low voice latency (20-30ms) ideal for gaming and real-time communication
- Unlimited free message history and server creation with no user limits
- Unlimited group video calls on free tier with up to 8 simultaneous video participants
- Customizable roles, permissions, and moderation tools for large communities
- Screen sharing, streaming, and rich embed support for media-heavy communities
Cons
- Minimal calendar, email, or productivity integrations outside of Discord ecosystem
- Limited enterprise compliance features (SOC 2 only, no advanced data loss prevention)
- No native phone system or PSTN calling without third-party integrations
Microsoft Teams
+5-3
Pros
- Deep native integration with Outlook calendar, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Office documents
- Robust enterprise security: Advanced Threat Protection, DLP, Conditional Access policies
- Meeting transcription, recording, and live captions included in free tier
- Power Automate and Power Apps integration for workflow automation and custom apps
- Phone System (PSTN) integration allows direct calling and voicemail features
Cons
- 60-minute limit on free group video calls (3+ participants), requiring upgrade for longer meetings
- Only 3,000 searchable messages retained on free tier, forcing paid plans for message history
- Higher learning curve for non-technical users with more complex interface and feature density
Frequently Asked Questions
5 questions
Discord has significantly lower voice latency (20-30ms vs 50-80ms), making it the superior choice for competitive gaming, esports, and real-time coordination. This 40-50ms latency difference is noticeable during fast-paced gameplay. Teams is designed for asynchronous workplace communication and shows perceptible delay in gaming scenarios.
Resources & Learn More
Curated sources to dive deeper
Where to Buy
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Wikipedia
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