Zoom vs Microsoft Teams: Pros and Cons for Businesses

Choosing the right video conferencing app is a crucial decision for any business.

Zoom and Microsoft Teams are two leading options, each offering unique features and pricing plans. This guide breaks down their differences to help you evaluate which platform aligns best with your team’s needs and budget.

‍

Comparison of Pricing Structures and Plans

This section breaks down the costs and features of both Microsoft Teams and Zoom, helping you choose the right plan that aligns with your budget and meeting requirements.

Microsoft Teams

• Microsoft Teams (Free): Provides basic features such as team chat functionality and collaboration tools.
• Microsoft Teams Essentials: Priced at $4.00 per user/month (annual subscription). Includes unlimited group meetings for up to 30 hours with 300 participants, 10 GB of cloud storage per user, real-time collaboration with file sharing, tasks, and polling, meeting recordings with transcripts and live captions (in English), and standard security with data encryption for meetings, chats, calls, and files.
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: Available at $6.00 per user/month (annual subscription). Offers all features of Teams Essentials, plus identity, access, and user management for up to 300 employees, custom business email ([email protected]), web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, 1 TB of cloud storage per employee, over 10 additional apps for business needs (including Bookings, Planner, and Microsoft Forms), automatic spam and malware filtering, and anytime phone and web support.
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: Priced at $12.50 per user/month (annual subscription). Includes all features of Business Basic, plus desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, webinars with attendee registration and reporting, collaborative workspaces using Microsoft Loop, and video editing and design tools with Clipchamp.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium: Offered at $22.00 per user/month (annual subscription). Provides all features of Business Standard, along with advanced security and cyber threat protection.

Zoom

• Zoom Free Plan: The free Zoom plan offers a 40-minute limit on group meetings, up to 100 participants, team chat, 5 basic clips, 3 editable whiteboards, and basic document sharing (up to 10 docs). Includes Mail and Calendar Client, Notes, and the Zoom AI Companion.
• Zoom Pro Plan: $13.32 per user/month (billed annually) or $15.99 (billed monthly); includes all Free Plan features, meetings up to 30 hours, 100 participants (upgradeable with Large Meeting), AI Companion, 5 GB cloud storage, unlimited docs and clips, Mail and Calendar Client & Service, and free premium apps for one year.
• Zoom Business Plan: $18.32 per user/month (billed annually) or $21.99 (billed monthly); includes all Pro Plan features, 300 participants per meeting (upgradeable with Large Meeting), unlimited whiteboards, Scheduler, and extras like single sign-on (SSO) and managed domains.
• Zoom Business Plus Plan: $22.49 per user/month (billed annually) or $26.99 (billed monthly); includes all Business Plan features, 10 GB cloud storage, Zoom Phone with unlimited regional calling, translated captions, workspace reservations, and visitor management.
• Zoom Enterprise Plan: Contact sales for pricing; supports large-scale needs, including enhanced participant limits and additional enterprise-level features.
  

‍

Integration Capabilities with Third-Party Apps

A video conferencing tool should seamlessly integrate with third-party apps. This section explores the integration capabilities of Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Microsoft Teams

• Native Integrations - Microsoft Teams integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and OneDrive, allowing users to collaborate on files directly within Teams. Outlook integration enables users to schedule and join Teams meetings effortlessly.
• Third-Party Apps - Teams offers access to over 250 third-party app integrations through its App Store. Popular integrations include Salesforce, Trello, Asana, and Google Workspace. Additionally, Microsoft Teams supports bots and connectors to automate tasks and provide updates from external services.
• Custom App Development - With the Microsoft Graph API and Power Platform integration, organizations can develop custom apps, automate workflows, and gain business insights directly within Teams.

Zoom

• Zoom App Marketplace - With over 1,000 integrations, the Zoom App Marketplace offers extensive connectivity to tools such as Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Google Workspace. These integrations help streamline workflows and enhance collaboration.
• Productivity Tools - Zoom integrates with Google Workspace for seamless meeting scheduling and management. It also connects with project management tools like Asana and Trello for efficient coordination.
• Specialized Integrations - Educational platforms like Moodle and Canvas support Zoom for virtual classrooms. Additionally, Zoom integrates with CRM systems such as Salesforce and HubSpot to simplify lead management and customer engagement.

With their extensive integration capabilities, Microsoft Teams and Zoom are both suitable for a wide range of organizational needs.

‍

Why Choose Zoom for Your Business?

Advantages of Zoom's Video Quality and Audio Clarity

Zoom is renowned for its video, audio, and screen-sharing quality, which makes it a popular choice for businesses around the world. Here are some key points:

• High-Definition Video - Zoom delivers HD video with customizable settings, such as "Touch Up My Appearance" and "Adjust for Low Light," to enhance on-camera presence during meetings.
• Superior Audio Quality - Advanced audio features like background noise suppression and echo cancellation ensure crystal-clear communication. For specialized needs, such as webinars or performances, the "High-Fidelity Music Mode" provides enhanced sound quality without compression or post-processing.
  

Ease of Setup and User-Friendly Interface

Zoom’s intuitive design makes it an accessible tool for users of all technical levels.

• Quick Setup - Users can set up and join meetings effortlessly across various devices and operating systems.
• Intuitive Interface - With easy-to-navigate controls for scheduling meetings, screen sharing, and managing participants, the platform minimizes the learning curve, allowing teams to adapt quickly.

Ideal for Larger Organizations Needing Advanced Host Controls

Zoom offers robust features tailored to meet the demands of large-scale events and enterprises.

• Comprehensive Host Controls - Hosts can assign co-hosts, manage permissions, control screen sharing, mute participants, and enable waiting rooms to enhance meeting security.
• Scalability for Large Meetings - Zoom supports meetings with up to 1,000 participants, and its webinar feature accommodates up to 50,000 attendees, with options for even larger audiences via live streaming.
• Meeting Recordings and Transcriptions: Hosts can record meetings and enable automatic transcriptions, ensuring that important information is preserved and easily accessible.

‍

Why Choose Microsoft Teams for Your Business?

Benefits of Integration with Office 365 Suite

Microsoft Teams seamlessly integrates with the Microsoft 365 suite, making it a powerful collaboration hub for businesses.

• Unified Collaboration - Teams allows users to create, edit, and share Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files directly within the platform. This ensures real-time updates and eliminates the need to switch between applications.
• Enhanced Communication - Integration with Outlook enables easy meeting scheduling and joining, while SharePoint and OneDrive integration provides efficient document storage and sharing.

More Affordable Paid Plans Compared to Zoom

Microsoft Teams offers competitive pricing, making it a budget-friendly choice for businesses of all sizes.

• Cost-Effective Options - Paid plans start as low as $4 per user per month, significantly less than Zoom's starting price for paid plans.
• Added Value - Teams' paid plans include access to the full suite of Microsoft 365 applications, offering tools like Outlook, Word, and Excel alongside Teams' collaboration features.
• Annual Subscriptions: While requiring an annual commitment, the low monthly cost makes it an attractive option for budget-conscious businesses.
• Free Trial: A 30-day free trial allows businesses to evaluate the premium features before making a financial commitment.
  

Ideal for Small Businesses and Existing Microsoft Users

Microsoft Teams is particularly advantageous for small businesses and those already familiar with Microsoft products.

• Familiar Interface - Users accustomed to Microsoft applications will find the Teams interface intuitive, reducing training time and boosting adoption.
• Scalability - Teams grows with your business, offering flexible plans and features to meet evolving collaboration needs.

Microsoft Teams provides a comprehensive and cost-effective solution for businesses, especially those already using the Microsoft ecosystem.

‍

Zoom - The Cost-Optimized Solution for 2025

Zoom offers flexible plans tailored to teams of all sizes, making it a top choice for budget-conscious businesses. Its Free Plan supports up to 100 participants with essential tools like whiteboards and AI-powered assistance. For growing teams, the Pro Plan ($13.32 per user/month, billed annually) adds 30-hour meetings and 5 GB cloud storage, while the Business Plan ($18.32 per user/month) supports 300 participants, unlimited whiteboards, and advanced admin controls like SSO.

Zoom’s AI Companion automates tasks like meeting summaries. With scalable features, such as Large Meeting add-ons and bundled services like Zoom Phone and translated captions, Zoom ensures maximum value without unnecessary costs.

By combining affordability, AI-powered tools, and integration with Salesforce and Google Workspace, Zoom remains the cost-optimized video conferencing solution for 2025.

{{rt_cta_ai-convenience}}

How Tactiq Enhances Your Zoom and Microsoft Teams Meetings

Tactiq is a tool designed to enhance your video conferencing experience in Zoom and Microsoft Teams by offering real-time transcription, AI-generated summaries, and new features like AI meeting kits and prompts.

• Real-Time Transcription and AI Summaries: Tactiq captures every word during your meetings, providing live transcriptions and concise AI-generated summaries to ensure key points are noted without manual effort.
• Seamless Integration: Tactiq integrates with both your Zoom and Microsoft Teams account, automatically activating at the start of each meeting, and allowing in-meeting highlights and comments for easy note-taking.
• AI Meeting Kits and Prompts: Extract specific insights from meeting transcripts with personalized AI prompts. Tailor these prompts to your needs, whether it’s identifying follow-up tasks, summarizing key decisions, or creating detailed action plans.
• Post-Meeting Efficiency: After your meetings, Tactiq enables easy sharing, searching, and exporting of transcripts, while its AI-driven insights help generate action items and follow-up emails.

By using Tactiq, your meetings become more organized, efficient, and productive. Download the free Tactiq Chrome Extension today!