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Editor-in-ChiefHuman reviewed
4 min read

Zoom vs Microsoft Teams 2026 Comparison

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

Real-time video conferencing platform with enterprise meeting and webinar capabilities

Companies prioritizing meeting quality, external client calls, webinars, and flexible access; organizations without heavy Microsoft ecosystem investment

Score67%
VS
Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams

Unified communications platform integrated with Microsoft 365, combining chat, calls, and meetings.

Enterprises using Microsoft 365, organizations needing persistent collaboration spaces, hybrid teams requiring integrated chat and document workflows, companies valuing seamless Office integration

Score67%
265 attributes7 differences18 pros/cons

Quick Answer

AI Summary

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).

Read full verdict

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

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.

Community feedback

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Z

Choose Zoom if

Companies prioritizing meeting quality, external client calls, webinars, and flexible access; organizations without heavy Microsoft ecosystem investment

Microsoft Teams

Choose Microsoft Teams if

Best pick

Enterprises using Microsoft 365, organizations needing persistent collaboration spaces, hybrid teams requiring integrated chat and document workflows, companies valuing seamless Office integration

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Free Meeting Duration:Microsoft Teams wins(60 minutes vs 40 minutes)
  • Meeting-First vs Workspace-First Design:Meeting-centric with standalone cloud library vs Integrated into channels, SharePoint, and OneDrive
  • Free Video Recording:Zoom wins(Yes, included vs No, requires paid plan)
See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

168 numeric metrics compared

MetricZoomMicrosoft TeamsRatio
Maximum Free Participants(participants)300 participants
Built-in AI Features5+ (Companion, Summaries, Previews, Smart Compose)
Engagement Tools Available(count)6+ (polls, Q&A, reactions, hand raising, breakout rooms, live transcription)
Update Frequency (2026)(releases per month)2-3 per month
Free Plan Monthly Cost(USD)$0$6 (Teams Essentials)
Pro/Standard Plan Monthly Cost(USD/month)$13.33
Pro Plan Participant Limit(participants)300+
Cloud Storage Included(GB)Limited (varies by plan)
Setup Time (Minutes)(minutes)5-10
Basic Plan Monthly Cost(USD)$15/month
Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD)$15.99$6.99
Free Plan Group Meeting Duration(minutes)40 minutes60
Free Plan Participant Limit(participants)100 participants
Gartner Review Rating(stars)4.5 stars (6,286 reviews)
Maximum Live Participants(participants)300 (Pro+)
Webinar Capacity(attendees)1000+ (webinar feature)
Starting Monthly Price Per User(USD)$14.16$4.50
Free Meeting Duration (3+ participants)(minutes)40 minutes60 minutes
Real-Time Translation Languages(count)40+ languages (2026)31 languages
Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)(percentage)33% of deployments67% of deployments
3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365(percentage savings)Baseline (higher cost)47% lower cost
Starting Price(USD)$0 (Free)
User Review Rating(stars)4.6
Pro/Standard Monthly Cost(USD per user/month)$14-$29
Third-party Integrations(integrations)1000+
Zoom Rooms Cost(USD per room/month)$41.58
Free Tier Cost(USD)Free Basic plan
Group Video Call Duration Limit (Free)(minutes)40 minutes
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)500+ (Professional tier)
Max Participants (Free Plan)(people)Up to 100 (time-limited to 40 minutes)
Free Plan Monthly Cloud Storage(GB)1 GB
Pro Plan Annual Cost(USD)$191.88/year$70/year (via Microsoft 365 Business Basic)
Average Setup Time for New Recording/Meeting(minutes)7 minutes
Third-Party Integrations Available(integrations)1,500+ integrations500+
Max Participants (Paid Plan)(people)300
Maximum Participants Per Meeting(participants)300 standard (1000 webinar)300 standard
Free Tier Monthly Cost(USD)$0 (limited)$0 (limited)
Standard Video Resolution(pixels)1920x10801920x1080
Screen Sharing Participants(simultaneous users)1 primary1 primary
Meeting Recording Storage (Free)(hours)Paid onlyUnlimited in OneDrive
Mobile App Quality Rating(stars)4.74.5
AI Features Integration(count)3 (auto-transcription, noise suppression, chat summary)8 (Copilot, live transcription, noise suppression, translation)
Enterprise Support Response Time(hours)11
Free Group Meeting Duration(minutes)40 minutesUnlimited
4K Video Quality Support(fps)4K @ 60fps (Pro+)4K @ 30fps (Premium only)
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)10,00010,000
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD)$20.99$15 (Essentials) / $20 (Standard)
Chat Message Retention (Free Tier)(months)30 days36+ months
Setup Time for New Users(hours)1 (one-click join link)8-10 (account creation + installation)
Maximum Participants(participants)10,000
Free Cloud Storage(GB)0
Lowest Paid Monthly Plan(USD)$15.99
Auto-Generated Captions Languages Supported(languages)Zoom English only (free plan); 128+ (paid)
Available Integrations(count)1000+1,000+ native integrations
Average User Rating(out of 5)4.5
Setup Time for First Meeting(minutes)5-10 (scheduling + setup)
Maximum Free Meeting Duration(hours)40 minutes
Free Plan Participant Capacity(participants)300 participants
Enterprise Plan Starting Price (Monthly)(USD per user)$15.99
Enterprise Uptime SLA(%)99.99%
Maximum Webinar Attendees(participants)10,000 participants
Enterprise Market Share(%)52%
Daily Active Users(millions)306 million320 million
Starting Price (Professional Plan)(USD/user/month)$15.99
Free Plan Cloud Recording Storage(GB)1 GB
Mobile App Rating (iOS)(stars out of 5)4.6 stars
Free Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)40 minutes (3+ participants)Unlimited
Free Tier Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes)40 minutes
Monthly Cost (Pro/Premium Plan)(USD)$15.99
Maximum Group Call Participants (Free Tier)(users)3 (40-min limit)
Screen Share FPS (Free Tier)(fps)30
Maximum Webinar Participants (Paid Plan)(users)1,000
Free Tier Video Duration Per Recording(minutes)40 minutes (group calls)
Maximum Live Participants (Free Tier)(participants)Up to 100 (40 min limit)
Maximum Webinar Capacity (Paid)(participants)10,000+ (Zoom Webinar)
AI Transcription Accuracy(percent)95% accuracy (Pro+)
Languages Supported for Transcription(languages)40+ languages
Third-Party App Integrations(count)1,000+ integrations1,000+
App Integrations(count)~700~700
Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo)Included with M365Included with M365
Maximum Webinar Participants(participants)10,00010,000
Maximum Free Breakout Rooms(rooms)50 rooms50 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)
Video Meeting Capacity(participants)Up to 10,000Up to 10,000
Mobile App Feature Parity85%85%
Maximum Free Tier Group Meeting Duration(hours)24 hours24 hours
Free Tier Participant Limit(participants)100 participants100 participants
Gartner Meeting Solutions Rating(stars)4.5 stars4.5 stars
Gartner Review Sample Size(reviews)3,669 reviews3,669 reviews
Gartner Customer Rating(stars)4.5 stars4.5 stars
Customer Reviews Analyzed(count)3,668 reviews3,668 reviews
Video Quality Rating(%)7.9% positive7.9% positive
Base Pricing (Monthly)(USD)$7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price)$7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price)
Maximum Video Meeting Participants(participants)300+ participants300+ participants
Language Translation Support(languages)40+ languages (Teams Premium)40+ languages (Teams Premium)
Registered Users Globally(millions)350+ million monthly active users350+ million monthly active users
Monthly Active Users (MAU)(millions)320M320M
Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)60 minutes (3+ participants)60 minutes (3+ participants)
Minimum Bandwidth for HD Video(Mbps)4.5 Mbps4.5 Mbps
Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions)320 million320 million
Starting Price (Monthly)(USD)$0 (Free) or $6 (Standard)$0 (Free) or $6 (Standard)
Native Third-Party Integrations(count)500+ apps500+ apps
Maximum Video Conference Participants(participants)10,000 participants10,000 participants
Paid Plan Starting Price(USD/month)$6$6
Third-Party Integrations(apps)500+500+
Max Video Conference Participants(people)1000010000
Voice Codec Quality Rating(score (1-10))88
Enterprise Security Certifications(count)SOC 2, FedRAMP, ISO 27001, HIPAASOC 2, FedRAMP, ISO 27001, HIPAA
Time to Deploy(seconds (average))1-31-3
Uptime Guarantee(percent)99.9%99.9%
Video Conference Max Participants(participants)300300
Free Tier File Storage(GB per user)100 GB per user100 GB per user
Message Search History (Free Tier)(days)90 days90 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 MB450 MB
Voice Latency(milliseconds)80-120ms80-120ms
Free Tier Call Duration Limit(minutes)60 minutes (100 participants max)60 minutes (100 participants max)
Monthly Cost (1 Pro User)(USD)$6.00$6.00
Screen Sharing Maximum FPS(fps)30fps30fps
Supported Language Captions(languages)60+ languages60+ languages
Maximum Free Server Categories(categories)Limited (fixed structure)Limited (fixed structure)
Enterprise Fortune 500 Adoption Rate(percent)80%80%
Free Tier Meeting Duration for Group Calls(minutes)60 minutes (unlimited participants)60 minutes (unlimited participants)
Maximum Participants (Standard Meeting)(people)300 participants300 participants
Free Plan Cloud Storage(GB)5 GB (OneDrive)5 GB (OneDrive)
Breakout Rooms Maximum Count(rooms)50 breakout rooms50 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)200-300ms200-300ms
File Upload Limit(GB)250GB250GB
G2 Ease of Use Rating (2024)(stars)4.0/54.0/5
Video Meeting Participant Limit(participants)300300
Active Monthly Users(millions)300+ million users300+ 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(TB)2 GB per file2 GB per file
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)100100
Native Integrations Available(integrations)1000+1000+
G2 User Interface Rating(out of 5)4.1/5 (8,300 reviews)4.1/5 (8,300 reviews)
Maximum Simultaneous Screen Shares(participants)4 participants4 participants
Maximum Free Plan Participants(people)100 participants100 participants
Real-Time Caption Languages Supported(languages)60+ languages60+ languages
Free Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes)60 minutes60 minutes
Third-Party Bot Integrations Available(count)1,500+ apps1,500+ apps
Base Pricing (Team/Workspace)(USD per month)$6 per user (Teams Essentials)$6 per user (Teams Essentials)
Voice Latency (Lower is Better)(milliseconds)50-80ms50-80ms
Free Tier Monthly Active Users(millions)320 million320 million
Video Participants (Free Tier)(maximum simultaneous)100 video participants100 video participants
Workspace/Server Creation Cost(USD per month)Free Teams ($5-12/month for Pro)Free Teams ($5-12/month for Pro)
End-to-End Encryption Launch Year(year)20212021
Cross-Platform Native Support(platforms)Windows, Mac, iOS, AndroidWindows, Mac, iOS, Android
Free Plan Maximum Participants(participants)100100
Mobile App Store Rating(stars out of 5)4.2 (2.4M reviews)4.2 (2.4M reviews)
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)$6-12$6-12
Video Conference Participant Limit(participants)300 participants300 participants
Uptime SLA Guarantee(percent)99.9%99.9%
Third-Party Integrations (Native)(count)1000+ via Microsoft AppSource1000+ via Microsoft AppSource
Free Trial Period(days)30 days (limited features)30 days (limited features)
Monthly Cost Per User (Pro Plan)(USD)$6.00 (or free with M365)$6.00 (or free with M365)
Message Search Quality Score(1-10 scale)6.06.0
Max Group Video Call Participants(users)10,00010,000
Setup Time for New Teams(minutes)30-4530-45
User Base Size(millions of developers)280 million monthly active280 million monthly active
Voice Call Audio Quality Score(1-10 scale)8.08.0

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

7 attributes compared head-to-head

Z
4Zoom
Zoom leads1 tie
Microsoft Teams
2Microsoft Teams
  • Free Meeting Duration

    Zoom

    40 minutes

    Microsoft Teams

    60 minutes(winner)

  • Meeting-First vs Workspace-First Design

    Zoom

    Meeting-centric with standalone cloud library

    Microsoft Teams

    Integrated into channels, SharePoint, and OneDrive

  • Free Video Recording

    Zoom

    Yes, included(winner)

    Microsoft Teams

    No, requires paid plan

  • Free Breakout Rooms

    Zoom

    Up to 100 rooms(winner)

    Microsoft Teams

    Up to 50 rooms

  • Office 365 Integration

    Zoom

    Limited third-party integrations

    Microsoft Teams

    Native integration with Word, Excel, SharePoint(winner)

Full Comparison

ZZoom
Microsoft Teams
Maximum Free Participants(participants)
300 participants
Built-in AI Features
5+ (Companion, Summaries, Previews, Smart Compose)
Engagement Tools Available(count)
6+ (polls, Q&A, reactions, hand raising, breakout rooms, live transcription)
Meeting Recording Storage (Free Plan)(hours)
1GB cloud storage
Virtual Background Library(quality level)
Extensive HD with filters
Show 42 more attributes
Pro Plan Participant Limit(participants)
300+
Free Plan Participant Limit(participants)
100 participants
Integrated Calling Plans(included)
Separate add-on service
Advanced Meeting Analytics(included)
Basic analytics
Interactive Video Elements
Basic editing, transcription
Free Meeting Duration (3+ participants)(minutes)
40 minutes
60 minutes
Real-Time Translation Languages(count)
40+ languages (2026)
31 languages
Group Video Call Duration Limit (Free)(minutes)
40 minutes
Real-Time Translation Support(Languages)
95+ languages (2026)
Message History Retention(text)
Not applicable (meeting-focused)
AI Assistant Capabilities(text)
AI Companion 3.0 with agentic AI
AI Transcription Support (Standard Tier)(hours/month)
40 hours/month (Zoom One plan)
Screen Sharing Participants(simultaneous users)
1 primary
1 primary
Chat Message Retention (Free Tier)(months)
30 days
36+ months
Auto-Generated Captions Languages Supported(languages)
Zoom English only (free plan); 128+ (paid)
Native Meeting Recording
Yes (all plans)
Persistent Message History
No (transcripts only)
Third-Party App Integrations(count)
1,000+ integrations
1,000+
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
AI Meeting Notes Availability
Premium only ($10/user/month)
AI Meeting Summaries
Basic transcription only
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
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
Max Group Video Call Participants(users)
10,000
Voice Call Audio Quality Score(1-10 scale)
8.0
Offline Message Functionality(yes/no)
Full
Video Quality (Free Plan)(resolution)
HD (720p)
Video Quality (Standard)(resolution & fps)
1080p @ 30fps
1080p @ 30fps
4K Video Quality Support(fps)
4K @ 60fps (Pro+)
4K @ 30fps (Premium only)
Message Search Speed(seconds)
2-4 seconds average
Minimum Bandwidth for HD Video(Mbps)
4.5 Mbps
Show 7 more attributes
Time to Deploy(seconds (average))
1-3
Uptime Guarantee(percent)
99.9%
Desktop App Memory Usage(MB)
450 MB
Voice Latency(milliseconds)
80-120ms
Screen Sharing Maximum FPS(fps)
30fps
Message Delivery Latency(milliseconds)
200-300ms
Voice Latency (Lower is Better)(milliseconds)
50-80ms
Chat Message Formatting Options(capabilities)
Rich formatting, code blocks, file sharing, emoji reactions
Meeting Type
Synchronous (real-time)
Google Workspace Integration
Third-party plugin required
Native Google Workspace Integration
Basic
Cisco Hardware Integration(compatibility)
Third-party compatible
Office 365 Integration Level(integration score)
Basic (Calendar sync only)
Native (OneDrive, SharePoint, Outlook, Excel co-auth)
Native Microsoft Office Integration
Full (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Show 4 more attributes
Microsoft 365 Ecosystem Integration(integration depth)
Native: Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Power BI
Office Suite Integration Level
Office 365/Microsoft 365 (native)
Microsoft 365 Integration
Full integration with Office apps
Calendar Integration
Native Outlook calendar sync
Mobile App Support(platforms)
iOS, Android, full feature parity
Browser Join Without App
Often requires app/account
Auto-Generated Meeting Transcripts
Available (free in 43 languages)
Real-Time Caption Languages Supported(languages)
60+ languages
Update Frequency (2026)(releases per month)
2-3 per month
Enterprise Support Response Time(hours)
1
1
Free Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$0
$6 (Teams Essentials)
Basic Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$15/month
Pro Plan Monthly Cost(USD)
$15.99
$6.99
Starting Monthly Price Per User(USD)
$14.16
$4.50
Mid-Tier Price(USD/month)
$14-$29
Show 25 more attributes
Pro/Standard Monthly Cost(USD per user/month)
$14-$29
Free Tier Cost(USD)
Free Basic plan
Paid Plan Cost (Single User/Month)(USD)
Pro plan $14-29
Pro Plan Annual Cost(USD)
$191.88/year
$70/year (via Microsoft 365 Business Basic)
Free Tier Monthly Cost(USD)
$0 (limited)
$0 (limited)
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD)
$20.99
$15 (Essentials) / $20 (Standard)
Free Plan Recording Duration Limit(minutes)
None (40 min meeting limit, no cloud recording)
Lowest Paid Monthly Plan(USD)
$15.99
Enterprise Plan Starting Price (Monthly)(USD per user)
$15.99
Starting Price (Professional Plan)(USD/user/month)
$15.99
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)
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
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
Workspace/Server Creation Cost(USD per month)
Free Teams ($5-12/month for Pro)
Base Monthly Cost Per User(USD)
$6-12
Monthly Cost Per User (Pro Plan)(USD)
$6.00 (or free with M365)
Pro/Standard Plan Monthly Cost(USD/month)
$13.33
AI Meeting Assistant
Yes (AI Companion)
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
Cloud Storage Included(GB)
Limited (varies by plan)
Free Plan Monthly Cloud Storage(GB)
1 GB
Meeting Recording Storage (Free)(hours)
Paid only
Unlimited in OneDrive
Free Cloud Storage(GB)
0
Meeting Recording Retention (Free)(days)
Unlimited (OneDrive)
Show 7 more attributes
Free Tier File Storage(GB per user)
100 GB per user
Free Plan Cloud Storage(GB)
5 GB (OneDrive)
File Upload Limit(GB)
250GB
Maximum File Upload Size(TB)
2 GB per file
File Storage Per User(GB)
1000 (1TB OneDrive)
Free Recording Storage(GB)
Unlimited
Message History Retention (Free)(searchable messages)
3,000 searchable
Setup Time (Minutes)(minutes)
5-10
Setup Time for New Users(hours)
1 (one-click join link)
8-10 (account creation + installation)
User Learning Curve(difficulty rating)
Steep (enterprise-focused interface)
Learning Curve(difficulty rating)
5
Message Search Quality Score(1-10 scale)
6.0
Free Plan Group Meeting Duration(minutes)
40 minutes
60
Free Plan Maximum Participants(participants)
100
Gartner Review Rating(stars)
4.5 stars (6,286 reviews)
Average User Rating(out of 5)
4.5
Gartner Meeting Solutions Rating(stars)
4.5 stars
Gartner Review Sample Size(reviews)
3,669 reviews
Gartner Customer Rating(stars)
4.5 stars
Show 2 more attributes
Customer Reviews Analyzed(count)
3,668 reviews
Mobile App Store Rating(stars out of 5)
4.2 (2.4M reviews)
Maximum Live Participants(participants)
300 (Pro+)
Webinar Capacity(attendees)
1000+ (webinar feature)
Max Participants (Free Plan)(people)
Up to 100 (time-limited to 40 minutes)
Max Participants (Paid Plan)(people)
300
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)
10,000
10,000
Show 3 more attributes
Maximum Live Participants (Free Tier)(participants)
Up to 100 (40 min limit)
Maximum Webinar Capacity (Paid)(participants)
10,000+ (Zoom Webinar)
Maximum Free Breakout Rooms(rooms)
50 rooms
Maximum Screen Recording Resolution(pixels)
1080p at 60fps
Maximum Video Sharing Quality(fps at resolution)
60fps at 1080p
4K at 30fps
Maximum Video Resolution (Free Plan)(pixels)
720p
Screen Share FPS (Free Tier)(fps)
30
Default Video Resolution(pixels)
720p standard (1080p available)
Show 1 more attribute
Native Maximum Video Resolution(p/fps)
720p30fps
Free Plan Recording Limit(recordings per month)
40 minutes (3+ participants)
AI Features Available (2026)
AI Companion 3.0, real-time translation, auto bug reporting
Maximum Webinar Attendees(participants)
10,000 participants
Setup Time Required(hours)
Schedule meeting in advance
Setup Complexity
Moderately complex
Average Setup Time for New Recording/Meeting(minutes)
7 minutes
Setup Time for First Meeting(minutes)
5-10 (scheduling + setup)
Setup Time for New Teams(minutes)
30-45
AI Features in Base Tier
Yes (AI Companion 3.0)
Limited (Copilot requires E5)
Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)(percentage)
33% of deployments
67% of deployments
Enterprise Market Share(%)
52%
Global Enterprise Video Conferencing Market Share (2024)(percent)
28.2%
3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365(percentage savings)
Baseline (higher cost)
47% lower cost
Starting Price(USD)
$0 (Free)
Base Pricing (Team/Workspace)(USD per month)
$6 per user (Teams Essentials)
User Review Rating(stars)
4.6
AI Features(count)
AI Companion 3.0, agentic AI
Third-party Integrations(integrations)
1000+
Native Microsoft 365 Integration
Native (deep)
Native Integrations Available(integrations)
1000+
AI Features (2026)
AI Companion 3.0, real-time translation, agentic AI
Real-Time Translation
Available (AI Companion 3.0)
Asynchronous Communication
Secondary with Zoom Chat
Zoom Rooms Cost(USD per room/month)
$41.58
Meeting Participant Limit(Users)
Unlimited
Maximum Participants Per Meeting(participants)
300 standard (1000 webinar)
300 standard
Maximum Group Call Participants (Free Tier)(users)
3 (40-min limit)
Maximum Webinar Participants (Paid Plan)(users)
1,000
Free Tier Participant Limit(participants)
100 participants
Show 1 more attribute
Maximum Participants (Standard Meeting)(people)
300 participants
Enterprise Security Certifications
SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, ISO 27001
SOC 2 Compliance(text)
Yes, SOC 2 Type II
Security Certifications(count)
6 (SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA)
8 (SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA, ISO 27001)
End-to-End Encryption Availability
Pro+ tier only
HIPAA Compliance Certification(yes/no)
Yes (BAA available)
Certified
Show 5 more attributes
Enterprise Security Compliance(certifications)
ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR
Source Code Availability
Closed proprietary
Enterprise Security Certifications(count)
SOC 2, FedRAMP, ISO 27001, HIPAA
SOC 2 Type II Compliance
Yes (SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP)
End-to-End Encryption Launch Year(year)
2021
Maximum Meeting Participants(participants)
500+ (Professional tier)
Third-Party Integrations(apps)
500+
Third-Party Integrations Available(integrations)
1,500+ integrations
500+
Available Integrations(count)
1000+
1,000+ native integrations
Native Third-Party Integrations(count)
500+ apps
Third-Party Integrations (Native)(count)
1000+ via Microsoft AppSource
Standard Video Resolution(pixels)
1920x1080
1920x1080
Maximum Video Resolution(pixels)
4K (Business plan)
1080p (1920x1080)
Mobile App Quality Rating(stars)
4.7
4.5
Mobile App Rating (iOS)(stars out of 5)
4.6 stars
G2 Ease of Use Rating (2024)(stars)
4.0/5
G2 User Interface Rating(out of 5)
4.1/5 (8,300 reviews)
AI Features Integration(count)
3 (auto-transcription, noise suppression, chat summary)
8 (Copilot, live transcription, noise suppression, translation)
AI-Powered Features(count)
Copilot Pro integration
Free Group Meeting Duration(minutes)
40 minutes
Unlimited
Maximum Participants(participants)
10,000
Maximum Webinar Participants(participants)
10,000
Maximum Free Meeting Duration(hours)
40 minutes
Free Plan Participant Capacity(participants)
300 participants
Enterprise Uptime SLA(%)
99.99%
Uptime SLA Guarantee(percent)
99.9%
Free Cloud Recording Storage(text)
Local device only (extra $2.49/mo for cloud)
Daily Active Users(millions)
306 million
320 million
Free Plan Cloud Recording Storage(GB)
1 GB
Free Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)
40 minutes (3+ participants)
Unlimited
Free Tier Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes)
40 minutes
Monthly Cost (Pro/Premium Plan)(USD)
$15.99
Free Tier Video Duration Per Recording(minutes)
40 minutes (group calls)
AI Transcription Accuracy(percent)
95% accuracy (Pro+)
Languages Supported for Transcription(languages)
40+ languages
Screen Share Max Resolution(pixels)
4K @ 15fps available
Built-in Video Editor in Free Tier
No, separate tool needed
Paid Starting Price(USD/user/mo)
Included with M365
Free Cloud Recording Capability
No, paid only
Office 365 Native Integration
Full native integration
Mobile App Feature Parity
85%
Microsoft 365 Integration Depth
8+ apps (Outlook, Excel, Word, OneDrive, SharePoint, Project, Planner, Power BI)
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
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)
Registered Users Globally(millions)
350+ million monthly active users
Monthly Active Users (MAU)(millions)
320M
Active Monthly Users(millions)
300+ million users
Free Tier Monthly Active Users(millions)
320 million
User Base Size(millions of developers)
280 million monthly active
Free Plan Meeting Duration Limit(minutes)
60 minutes (3+ participants)
Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)(people)
100
Supported Operating Systems
Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web
Cross-Platform Native Support(platforms)
Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Monthly Active Users (2024)(millions)
320 million
Deployment Options
Cloud-only (SaaS)
Data Residency Control(options)
Microsoft-managed regional datacenters (limited control)
HIPAA Compliance Certified
Yes
Message History (Free Plan)(days)
unlimited
Monthly Active Users(millions)
320 million
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)
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
Message Search Capability(text)
Basic keyword search (limited free tier)
Maximum Simultaneous Screen Shares(participants)
4 participants
Maximum Free Plan Participants(people)
100 participants
Free Group Video Call Duration Limit(minutes)
60 minutes
Third-Party Bot Integrations Available(count)
1,500+ apps
Office 365 App Integration Level(integration depth)
Native integration (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive)
Free Trial Period(days)
30 days (limited features)

Pros & Cons

12 pros·6 cons across both

Z
Microsoft Teams
Z

Zoom

+6-3

Pros

Superior video and audio quality with optimized compression
Fast browser-based joins with no app installation required for attendees
Generous free plan with 40-minute group meetings and free cloud recording
Up to 100 breakout rooms per meeting for flexible session management
AI Companion 3.0 (2026) with real-time translation and agentic AI capabilities
Excellent for webinars and large external events with 10,000+ participant capacity

Cons

40-minute free meeting cap limits extended discussions without paid upgrade
Less integrated with enterprise document ecosystems
Meeting materials stored separately from workspace documentation
Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams

+6-3

Pros

60-minute free meeting duration (50% more than Zoom)
Native Office 365 integration with Word, Excel, SharePoint, and OneDrive
Persistent chat channels reduce email clutter and create searchable knowledge base
Meeting recaps automatically tied to channel threads for continuity
Unified interface for chat, calls, video meetings, and document collaboration
Better for hybrid teams with integration to Teams Rooms hardware

Cons

Free video recording requires paid subscription unlike Zoom
Steeper learning curve for organizations unfamiliar with Microsoft ecosystem
Can feel cluttered for users focused solely on meeting functionality

Frequently Asked Questions

5 questions

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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).

  5. 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.

Expert Analysis: Zoom vs Microsoft Teams

Zoom and Microsoft Teams both solve the video conferencing problem, but they've evolved into fundamentally different products shaped by the different ecosystems they anchor. Choosing between them is less about video quality (which is now broadly equivalent) and more about which broader platform you're already inside.

Zoom built its dominance on a single decisive advantage: frictionless joining. In 2020, Zoom's one-click guest join — requiring no account or app installation for attendees — captured the entire market for external meetings during the pandemic. Its clean interface, reliable performance at scale, and superior handling of large meetings (up to 1,000 interactive participants on enterprise plans) made it the default for webinars, all-hands meetings, and cross-company calls where participants used different corporate setups. As of 2024, Zoom reports 300 million daily meeting participants.

Microsoft Teams entered the market differently: as a hub for internal collaboration within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Teams is not primarily a video conferencing app — it's a collaboration platform that includes persistent chat channels, file storage (SharePoint), real-time document co-authoring (Office), task management (Planner), and video meetings. If your organization runs on Office 365, Teams is already included in your subscription. For companies that live inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and SharePoint, the integration is genuinely seamless: a Teams meeting can be scheduled directly from Outlook, files shared in a meeting automatically land in a SharePoint folder, and the meeting chat is persistent rather than ephemeral.

Read 3 more paragraphs

The integration depth cuts both ways. Teams' tight coupling with Microsoft 365 makes it powerful for internal workflows but creates friction for external participants. Guests joining a Teams call often need to create a Microsoft account or install an app — a barrier Zoom eliminated. Teams' meeting interface is also more complex than Zoom's, reflecting its dual role as collaboration hub rather than meeting-first product.

Video quality and features have converged since 2020. Both platforms offer 1080p video, noise suppression, virtual backgrounds, and AI-powered meeting summaries. Zoom's AI Companion (introduced in 2023) generates meeting summaries, action items, and transcripts; Microsoft's Copilot in Teams does the same with deeper integration into the Microsoft 365 document graph. For organizations already paying for Microsoft 365 Copilot ($30/user/month additional), Teams becomes the natural home for AI-assisted meetings.

The market verdict is telling: Teams has captured the internal enterprise collaboration market (it surpassed Slack in daily active users in 2019 and has maintained that lead), while Zoom dominates for external meetings, webinars, and companies that don't live in the Microsoft ecosystem. Zoom has responded by building a collaboration platform (Zoom Team Chat, Zoom Docs) to compete with Teams' hub approach; Teams has improved its external meeting flow. The gap between them has narrowed, but the integration advantage of Teams for Microsoft 365 shops and the simplicity advantage of Zoom for external-first meeting scenarios remain the deciding factors.

Human-reviewed analysis based on primary sources including official product pages, third-party benchmarks, and consumer reviews. How we research
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