Skip to main content
software

Teams vs Webex 2026: Video Quality & Cost Comparison

Microsoft Teams dominates enterprise adoption with 320 million monthly users and superior Office 365 integration, while Webex excels in video quality (up to 1080p60fps native) and offers superior cross-platform compatibility without requiring Microsoft licenses.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams

Enterprise cloud-based collaboration platform with 320M users, integrated with Microsoft 365 and Office applications.

Organizations already using Microsoft 365, enterprises with 500+ employees, teams requiring Office document collaboration during calls

Score63%
VS
Cisco Webex

Cisco Webex

Cisco's cloud-based collaboration platform emphasizing superior video quality and cross-platform interoperability.

Organizations with mixed-device environments, companies valuing video quality, hybrid/remote-first teams, enterprises avoiding Microsoft ecosystem lock-in

Score63%

Quick Answer

AI Summary

Microsoft Teams dominates enterprise adoption with 320 million monthly users and superior Office 365 integration, while Webex excels in video quality (up to 1080p60fps native) and offers superior cross-platform compatibility without requiring Microsoft licenses.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Choose Microsoft Teams if you're heavily invested in Office 365, need tight calendar integration, or manage large enterprise deployments—it's the default for Microsoft-centric organizations and offers better value for existing M365 subscribers. Choose Webex if video quality and reliability are paramount, you have a diverse tech stack requiring platform independence, or you need to accommodate 300+ participants on free plans without per-user licensing costs.

Community feedback

Was this verdict helpful?

Microsoft Teams
8.4/10
Cisco Webex
6.6/10
Microsoft Teams

Choose Microsoft Teams if

Best pick

Organizations already using Microsoft 365, enterprises with 500+ employees, teams requiring Office document collaboration during calls

Cisco Webex

Choose Cisco Webex if

Organizations with mixed-device environments, companies valuing video quality, hybrid/remote-first teams, enterprises avoiding Microsoft ecosystem lock-in

Track this comparison

Get notified when prices change, new specs ship, or our verdict updates.

Triggers: price change new spec verdict update

No spam. Stop anytime.

Key Differences at a Glance

  • Monthly Active Users:Microsoft Teams wins(320 million vs 205 million)
  • Maximum Meeting Participants (Free Plan):Cisco Webex wins(300 participants, 40 minutes vs 100 participants, 60 minutes)
  • Native Video Resolution (HD):Cisco Webex wins(1080p60fps vs 720p30fps)
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

130 numeric metrics compared

MetricMicrosoft TeamsCisco WebexRatio
Daily Active Users(millions)320 million70 million
App Integrations(count)~700
Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo)Included with M365
Maximum Webinar Participants(participants)10,000
Maximum Free Breakout Rooms(rooms)50 rooms
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)
Third-Party App Integrations(integrations)1,000+
Video Meeting Capacity(participants)Up to 10,000
Mobile App Feature Parity85%
Free Plan Monthly Cost(USD)$6 (Teams Essentials)
Maximum Free Tier Group Meeting Duration(hours)24 hours
Free Tier Participant Limit(participants)100 participants
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
Video Quality Rating(%)7.9% positive
Starting Monthly Price Per User(USD)$4.50
Free Meeting Duration (3+ participants)(minutes)60 minutes
Real-Time Translation Languages(count)31 languages
Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)(percentage)67% of deployments
3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365(percentage savings)47% lower cost
Base Pricing (Monthly)(USD)$7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price)
Maximum Video Meeting Participants(participants)300+ participants
Language Translation Support(languages)40+ languages (Teams Premium)
Registered Users Globally(millions)350+ million monthly active users
Monthly Active Users (MAU)(millions)320M220M
Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)60 minutes (3+ participants)60 minutes (3+ participants)
Meeting Recording Retention (Free)(days)Unlimited (OneDrive)30 days
Minimum Bandwidth for HD Video(Mbps)4.5 Mbps
Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions)320 million205 million
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)$0 (Free) or $6 (Standard)
Native Third-Party Integrations(integrations)500+ apps
Maximum Video Conference Participants(participants)10,000 participants
Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/month)$6
Third-party Integrations(count)500+
Max Video Conference Participants(people)10000
Voice Codec Quality Rating(score (1-10))8
Time to Deploy(hours)1-3
Uptime Guarantee(percent)99.9%
Video Conference Max Participants(participants)300
Free Tier File Storage(GB per user)100 GB per user
Message Search History (Free Tier)(days)90 days
Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)(USD)$7,800 or free with Microsoft 365
Desktop App Memory Usage(MB)450 MB
Voice Latency(milliseconds)80-120ms
Free Tier Call Duration Limit(minutes)60 minutes (100 participants max)
Monthly Cost (1 Pro User)(USD)$6.00
Screen Sharing Maximum FPS(fps)30fps
Supported Language Captions(languages)60+ languages
Maximum Free Server Categories(categories)Limited (fixed structure)
Enterprise Fortune 500 Adoption Rate(percent)80%
Free Tier Meeting Duration for Group Calls(minutes)60 minutes (unlimited participants)
Pro Plan Annual Cost(USD)$70/year (via Microsoft 365 Business Basic)
Maximum Participants (Standard Meeting)(people)300 participants
Free Plan Cloud Storage(GB)5 GB (OneDrive)
Breakout Rooms Maximum Count(rooms)50 breakout rooms
Global Enterprise Video Conferencing Market Share (2024)(percent)28.2%
Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro/Standard)(USD)$0 (bundled) or $12.50 (standalone)
Message Delivery Latency(milliseconds)200-300ms
File Upload Limit(GB)250GB
G2 Ease of Use Rating (2024)(stars)4.0/5
Video Meeting Participant Limit(participants)300
Active Monthly Users(millions)300+ million users
Base Monthly Cost (Single User)(USD)$4.00 (Teams Essentials) - $12.50 (Teams Premium)
Maximum File Upload Size(GB)2 GB per file
Available Integrations(count)1,000+ native integrations200+ integrations
Annual TCO (1,000 users, 3-year average)(USD)$48,000-150,000
Pro Plan Monthly Cost Per User(USD)$6.00$9.99
File Storage Per User(GB)1000 (1TB OneDrive)
Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)(people)100
Native Integrations Available(integrations)1000+200+
G2 User Interface Rating(out of 5)4.1/5 (8,300 reviews)
Maximum Participants Per Meeting(participants)300 standard
Free Tier Monthly Cost(USD)$0 (limited)
Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD/user/month)$6.99$7.25
Standard Video Resolution(pixels)1920x1080
Screen Sharing Participants(simultaneous users)1 primary
Meeting Recording Storage (Free)(hours)Unlimited in OneDrive
Mobile App Quality Rating(out of 5)4.5
AI Features Integration(count)8 (Copilot, live transcription, noise suppression, translation)
Enterprise Support Response Time(hours)1
Free Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)Unlimited40 minutes (3+ participants)
Maximum Simultaneous Screen Shares(participants)4 participants
Maximum Free Plan Participants(people)100 participants
Real-Time Caption Languages Supported(languages)60+ languages
4K Video Quality Support(fps)4K @ 30fps (Premium only)
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)10,0001000 participants
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD)$15 (Essentials) / $20 (Standard)
Chat Message Retention (Free Tier)(months)36+ months
Setup Time for New Users(minutes)8-10 (account creation + installation)
Free Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes)60 minutes
Third-Party Bot Integrations Available(count)1,500+ apps
Base Pricing (Team/Workspace)(USD per month)$6 per user (Teams Essentials)
Voice Latency (Lower is Better)(milliseconds)50-80ms
Free Tier Monthly Active Users(millions)320 million
Video Participants (Free Tier)(maximum simultaneous)100 video participants
Workspace/Server Creation Cost(USD per month)Free Teams ($5-12/month for Pro)
End-to-End Encryption Launch Year(year)20212020
Cross-Platform Native Support(platforms)Windows, Mac, iOS, AndroidWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android
Free Plan Maximum Participants(participants)100300
Free Plan Group Meeting Duration(minutes)6040
Mobile App Store Rating(stars)4.2 (2.4M reviews)4.1 (1.8M reviews)
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)$6-12
Video Conference Participant Limit(participants)300 participants
Uptime SLA Guarantee(percent)99.9%
Third-Party Integrations (Native)(count)1000+ via Microsoft AppSource
Free Trial Period(days)30 days (limited features)
Maximum Meeting Participants (Free)(participants)100 participants100 participants
Maximum Meeting Participants (Paid)(participants)40,000 participants40,000 participants
Pro Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)(USD per user)$15.99$15.99
Free Plan Duration40 minutes unlimited users40 minutes unlimited users
Standard Plan Price(USD/user/month)$14.99$14.99
Global Market Share(percent)16.5%16.5%
Starting Monthly Cost per User(USD)$15.99$15.99
Minimum Bandwidth (HD Video)(Mbps)1.5 Mbps1.5 Mbps
Annual Recording Storage (Per User)(GB)40GB40GB
Fortune 500 Adoption Rate(percent)43%43%
Enterprise Setup Time(days)14-28 days14-28 days
Starting Price (Professional Plan)(USD/user/month)$17.95$17.95
Mobile App Rating (iOS)(stars)4.4/5.04.4/5.0
Free Group Call Duration Limit(minutes)40 minutes40 minutes
Maximum Participants(participants)40,000 (webinar mode)40,000 (webinar mode)
Real-Time Captions Languages(languages)80+ languages80+ languages
Google Meet Mobile App Rating(stars)4.5/5.04.5/5.0
Starting Price (Per User/Month)(USD)$13.50$13.50
Record Transcription Languages Supported(languages)100+100+
Estimated Global Active Users(millions)650+ million650+ million

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

Microsoft Teams
4Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams leads1 tie
Cisco Webex
2Cisco Webex
  • Monthly Active Users

    Microsoft Teams

    320 million(winner)

    Cisco Webex

    205 million

  • Maximum Meeting Participants (Free Plan)

    Microsoft Teams

    100 participants, 60 minutes

    Cisco Webex

    300 participants, 40 minutes(winner)

  • Native Video Resolution (HD)

    Microsoft Teams

    720p30fps

    Cisco Webex

    1080p60fps(winner)

  • Office 365 Integration

    Microsoft Teams

    Native, seamless calendar sync(winner)

    Cisco Webex

    Third-party plugins only

  • Starting Price (Paid Plans)

    Microsoft Teams

    $6/user/month(winner)

    Cisco Webex

    $9.99/user/month

  • Enterprise Security Certifications

    Microsoft Teams

    SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA, GDPR

    Cisco Webex

    SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA, GDPR

  • Mobile App Rating (Google Play)

    Microsoft Teams

    4.2 stars (2.4M reviews)(winner)

    Cisco Webex

    4.1 stars (1.8M reviews)

Full Comparison

Microsoft Teams
Cisco Webex
Daily Active Users(millions)
320 million
70 million
Monthly Active Users(millions)
320 million
250 million
App Integrations(count)
~700
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
Show 23 more attributes
AI Meeting Notes Availability
Premium only ($10/user/month)
AI Meeting Summaries
Basic transcription only
Yes, Business plan+
Free Meeting Duration (3+ participants)(minutes)
60 minutes
Real-Time Translation Languages(count)
31 languages
Maximum Video Meeting Participants(participants)
300+ participants
Language Translation Support(languages)
40+ languages (Teams Premium)
Maximum Video Conference Participants(participants)
10,000 participants
Max Video Conference Participants(people)
10000
Video Conference Max Participants(participants)
300
Message Search History (Free Tier)(days)
90 days
Supported Language Captions(languages)
60+ languages
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
Native Integrations Available(integrations)
1000+
200+
Screen Sharing Participants(simultaneous users)
1 primary
Chat Message Retention (Free Tier)(months)
36+ months
Free Tier Message History(messages)
10,000 most recent
Video Participants (Free Tier)(maximum simultaneous)
100 video participants
Video Conference Participant Limit(participants)
300 participants
Virtual Backgrounds on Free Tier
Included free
Breakout Rooms (Free Tier)(rooms)
Unlimited
Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo)
Included with M365
Free Cloud Recording Capability
No, paid only
Office 365 Native Integration
Full native integration
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
Real-Time Captions Languages(languages)
80+ languages
Maximum Webinar Participants(participants)
10,000
Maximum Participants(participants)
40,000 (webinar mode)
Maximum Free Breakout Rooms(rooms)
50 rooms
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)
10,000
1000 participants
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
Show 22 more attributes
Base Pricing (Monthly)(USD)
$7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price)
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)
$0 (Free) or $6 (Standard)
Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/month)
$6
Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)(USD)
$7,800 or free with Microsoft 365
Free Tier Call Duration Limit(minutes)
60 minutes (100 participants max)
Monthly Cost (1 Pro User)(USD)
$6.00
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
$9.99
Free Tier Monthly Cost(USD)
$0 (limited)
Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD/user/month)
$6.99
$7.25
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD)
$15 (Essentials) / $20 (Standard)
Workspace/Server Creation Cost(USD per month)
Free Teams ($5-12/month for Pro)
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$6-12
Free Trial Period(days)
30 days (limited features)
Pro Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)(USD per user)
$15.99
Standard Plan Price(USD/user/month)
$14.99
Starting Monthly Cost per User(USD)
$15.99
Starting Price (Professional Plan)(USD/user/month)
$17.95
Starting Price (Per User/Month)(USD)
$13.50
Free Plan Available
Yes (40-min group meetings)
AI Translation Languages (2026)(languages)
Limited translation features
AI Meeting Assistant Cost(USD/month)
Copilot Pro required ($20+ per tenant)
Included free
AI Assistant Integration
Copilot with GPT-4, speech-to-text, real-time translation
AI Meeting Assistant
Webex Assistant (transcription, summary)
Third-Party App Integrations(integrations)
1,000+
Third-party Integrations(count)
500+
Native Salesforce Integration
Yes, deep native integration
Message Search Speed(seconds)
2-4 seconds average
Minimum Bandwidth for HD Video(Mbps)
4.5 Mbps
Desktop App Memory Usage(MB)
450 MB
Voice Latency(milliseconds)
80-120ms
Screen Sharing Maximum FPS(fps)
30fps
Show 5 more attributes
Message Delivery Latency(milliseconds)
200-300ms
Video Quality (Standard)(resolution & fps)
1080p @ 30fps
4K Video Quality Support(fps)
4K @ 30fps (Premium only)
Voice Latency (Lower is Better)(milliseconds)
50-80ms
Minimum Bandwidth (HD Video)(Mbps)
1.5 Mbps
Free Tier Participant Limit(participants)
100 participants
Maximum Participants (Standard Meeting)(people)
300 participants
Maximum Participants Per Meeting(participants)
300 standard
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)
Limited (manual upload required)
Microsoft 365 Ecosystem Integration(integration depth)
Native: Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Power BI
Native Microsoft 365 Integration(integration level)
Native (deep)
Office Suite Integration Level
Office 365/Microsoft 365 (native)
Show 3 more attributes
Office 365 Integration Level(integration score)
Native (OneDrive, SharePoint, Outlook, Excel co-auth)
Microsoft 365 Integration
Full integration with Office apps
Calendar Integration
Native Outlook calendar sync
Advanced Chat Features (Channels, Threading, Workflows)
Advanced (channels, nested threads, queues, connectors)
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
Google Meet Mobile App Rating(stars)
4.5/5.0
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)
Record Transcription Languages Supported(languages)
100+
Maximum Video Sharing Quality(fps at resolution)
4K at 30fps
Maximum Video Resolution(pixels)
1080p (1920x1080)
4K (3840×2160)
Default Video Resolution(pixels)
720p standard (1080p available)
1080p HD native
Native Maximum Video Resolution(p/fps)
720p30fps
1080p60fps
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
Voice Chat Quality Rating(subjective score)
Excellent (optimized for reliability)
Voice Codec Quality Rating(score (1-10))
8
Video Resolution Support(maximum resolution)
4K (3840x2160)
User Learning Curve(difficulty rating)
Steep (enterprise-focused interface)
Setup Time for New Users(minutes)
8-10 (account creation + installation)
Registered Users Globally(millions)
350+ million monthly active users
Monthly Active Users (MAU)(millions)
320M
220M
Active Monthly Users(millions)
300+ million users
Free Tier Monthly Active Users(millions)
320 million
Global Market Share(percent)
16.5%
Enterprise Security Compliance(certifications)
ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR
Security Certifications(count)
8 (SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA, ISO 27001)
End-to-End Encryption Launch Year(year)
2021
2020
End-to-End Encryption Available
Yes, all plans
End-to-End Encryption Availability
All paid tiers
Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)
60 minutes (3+ participants)
60 minutes (3+ participants)
Meeting Recording Retention (Free)(days)
Unlimited (OneDrive)
30 days
Free Tier File Storage(GB per user)
100 GB per user
Free Plan Cloud Storage(GB)
5 GB (OneDrive)
File Upload Limit(GB)
250GB
File Storage Per User(GB)
1000 (1TB OneDrive)
Show 5 more attributes
Meeting Recording Storage (Free)(hours)
Unlimited in OneDrive
Free Recording Storage(GB)
Unlimited
Message History Retention (Free)(searchable messages)
3,000 searchable
Annual Recording Storage (Per User)(GB)
40GB
Cloud Recording Storage (Free)(GB)
40 minutes worth per month
Supported Operating Systems(platforms)
Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web
Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Web
Cross-Platform Native Support(platforms)
Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android
Cross-Platform Interoperability
Good (Slack, Teams, Google)
Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions)
320 million
205 million
Native Third-Party Integrations(integrations)
500+ apps
Third-Party Bot Integrations Available(count)
1,500+ apps
Deployment Options
Cloud-only (SaaS)
Source Code Availability
Closed proprietary
Data Residency Control(null)
Microsoft-managed regional datacenters (limited control)
HIPAA Compliance Certified
Yes
SOC 2 Type II Compliance
Yes (SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP)
FedRAMP Authorization(boolean)
Yes
FedRAMP Certification
Yes
Message History (Free Plan)(days)
unlimited
Enterprise Security Certifications(count)
SOC 2 Type II, FedRAMP, HIPAA, GDPR, HITRUST
SOC 2 Type II, FedRAMP, HIPAA, GDPR, HITRUST
HIPAA Compliance Certification
Certified
Yes (BAA available)
Time to Deploy(hours)
1-3
Learning Curve(hours)
5
Uptime Guarantee(percent)
99.9%
Uptime SLA Guarantee(percent)
99.9%
Maximum Free Server Categories(categories)
Limited (fixed structure)
Enterprise Fortune 500 Adoption Rate(percent)
80%
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
Mobile App Store Rating(stars)
4.2 (2.4M reviews)
4.1 (1.8M reviews)
Mobile App Rating (iOS)(stars)
4.4/5.0
Maximum File Upload Size(GB)
2 GB per file
Available Integrations(count)
1,000+ native integrations
200+ integrations
Third-Party Integrations (Native)(count)
1000+ via Microsoft AppSource
Open Source Availability
Proprietary closed-source
Self-Hosted Deployment Option
Cloud-only SaaS
On-Premise Deployment Support
Not available
Annual TCO (1,000 users, 3-year average)(USD)
$48,000-150,000
Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)(people)
100
Message Search Capability(text)
Basic keyword search (limited free tier)
Standard Video Resolution(pixels)
1920x1080
AI Features Integration(count)
8 (Copilot, live transcription, noise suppression, translation)
Enterprise Support Response Time(hours)
1
Free Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)
Unlimited
40 minutes (3+ participants)
Maximum Simultaneous Screen Shares(participants)
4 participants
Maximum Free Plan Participants(people)
100 participants
Free Group Meeting Duration(minutes)
Unlimited
Free Plan Message History(months)
Unlimited
Free Plan Duration
40 minutes unlimited users
Free Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes)
60 minutes
Base Pricing (Team/Workspace)(USD per month)
$6 per user (Teams Essentials)
Office 365 App Integration Level(integration depth)
Native integration (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive)
Third-party integration required
Free Plan Maximum Participants(participants)
100
300
Free Plan Group Meeting Duration(minutes)
60
40
Maximum Meeting Participants (Free)(participants)
100 participants
Maximum Meeting Participants (Paid)(participants)
40,000 participants
Fortune 500 Adoption Rate(percent)
43%
Estimated Global Active Users(millions)
650+ million
Enterprise Setup Time(days)
14-28 days
Free Plan Cloud Recording Storage(GB)
Unlimited (1-month retention)
Free Group Call Duration Limit(minutes)
40 minutes
Enterprise SSO Support
Multiple integrations (Okta, Azure AD, etc.)
Native PSTN Phone System
No (add-on required)

Pros & Cons

10 pros·6 cons across both

Microsoft Teams
Cisco Webex
Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams

+5-3

Pros

  • Native Outlook/Calendar integration with automatic meeting scheduling
  • 320 million monthly active users—largest user base in enterprise
  • Included free with Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6/month) with 60-minute group meetings
  • Seamless file sharing with OneDrive, SharePoint, and Office applications
  • Native chat, voice, video, and conferencing in single application

Cons

  • Video resolution capped at 720p30fps on most plans versus Webex's 1080p60fps
  • Requires Microsoft licensing for full feature parity in enterprise
  • Chat-heavy interface can feel cluttered for voice/video-only users
Cisco Webex

Cisco Webex

+5-3

Pros

  • Superior native video quality: 1080p60fps HD versus Teams' 720p30fps
  • Free plan allows 300 participants (vs Teams' 100) with 40-minute group calls
  • Platform-agnostic—works equally well on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android without vendor lock-in
  • Advanced AI-powered noise cancellation and virtual backgrounds built into all tiers
  • Superior PSTN dialing quality with native integration to traditional phone systems

Cons

  • Smaller user base (205M vs Teams' 320M) creates adoption friction in Microsoft-dominant environments
  • Requires separate licensing—no bundling with productivity suites like Teams offers
  • Weak native integration with non-Cisco productivity tools (e.g., no direct Outlook sync)

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. Yes, both offer free tiers. Teams Free includes 100-participant meetings up to 60 minutes with unlimited 1-on-1 calls. Webex Free allows 300-participant meetings up to 40 minutes. Neither requires Microsoft 365, though Teams integrates seamlessly if you have it. Webex charges separately for premium features regardless of whether you use Microsoft products.

12 more to explore

5 articles

Explore More

Related comparisons and categories

AI generated