Flock vs Microsoft Teams

Flock

• Small and mid-sized teams that want chat, calls and to-dos in one app
• Teams that want polls, notes and reminders built into their chat
• Nonprofits, which can ask for special pricing

Microsoft Teams

• Organizations that already pay for Microsoft 365
• Small businesses that want meetings and chat without the full suite
• Companies that want phone calling inside their chat app
• Teams that co-edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files

Flock

• Starter is meant for teams of 1 to 20 members, searches only 10,000 messages and has 10 public channels.
• Group video calls are capped at 20 participants and, like screen sharing, need Pro or Enterprise.
• Guests are free for 90 days from the invitation, then billed at the same rate as team members.
• Single sign-on and Active Directory sync are listed under Enterprise, which is priced by quote.

Microsoft Teams

• The free version is built for one person: group calls stop at 60 minutes and 100 participants, with 5 GB of cloud storage.
• Teams Essentials and the Microsoft 365 Business plans stop at 300 users; larger organizations need Teams Enterprise or Microsoft 365 E3 or E5.
• There is no Linux desktop app: Microsoft points Linux users to a progressive web app and says the Linux client is no longer supported.
• Webinar hosting is left out of Teams Essentials and Business Basic, and phone service, Teams Premium and Copilot are separately priced add-ons.

Flock

Channels and direct messages

Public channels open to the whole company, private invite-only channels, and 1-1 and group messages, with an All Channel feed that gathers new messages in one place.

Video and voice calls

1-1 video calls are on the free plan. Pro and Enterprise add group video calls with up to 20 participants and screen sharing. Voice notes can be sent in any channel.

To-dos, notes, polls and reminders

Discussions can be turned into shared to-dos with due dates, alongside team notes organized by channel, anonymous polls and reminders.

File sharing

Files are shared in chats and channels. Storage is 5 GB for the whole team on Starter, 10 GB per member on Pro and 20 GB per member on Enterprise.

App store and API

The app store lists integrations such as Google Drive, Asana, Trello, Jira, GitHub and Zoom, with webhooks and developer documentation for building custom apps.

Admin and security controls

Paid plans allow multiple team admins and multiple approved sign-up domains. Single sign-on and Active Directory sync are listed under Enterprise.

Microsoft Teams

Chat and channels

Chats and channels hold conversations, shared files, Loop and OneNote pages and third-party apps. Paid plans include unlimited chat messages, file attachments and search.

Video meetings

Business plans allow meetings of up to 300 participants and 30 hours, with screen sharing, breakout rooms, custom backgrounds, Together mode and noise suppression.

Recordings, transcripts and captions

Paid plans record meetings with transcripts. Live captions cover more than 30 languages on the Microsoft 365 business plans and English only on Teams Essentials.

Webinars

Webinar hosting with attendee registration and reporting comes with Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot and the enterprise suites, not with Business Basic or Essentials.

Teams Phone

A cloud phone system added to a Teams license. Teams Phone Standard is $10.00 per user / month paid yearly, and US bundles that add a calling plan start at $13.00.

Copilot and Teams Premium

Microsoft 365 Copilot and Teams Premium are add-ons. Teams Premium costs $10.00 per user / month paid yearly and needs a plan with a Teams Enterprise license.

Flock

• Starter$0

  For teams of 1-20 members. Unlimited 1-1 and group messages, 10,000 searchable messages, 10 public channels, 5 GB in total and 1-1 video calls.

• PRO$4.50

  per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)

  Aimed at teams of 20-100. Unlimited searchable messages and channels, 10 GB per member, group video calls with up to 20 participants and screen sharing.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For organizations with 100+ members. 20 GB per member, single sign-on, Active Directory sync, custom onboarding and dedicated support.

Microsoft Teams

• Microsoft Teams (free)$0

  For one person: unlimited chat, group calls of up to 60 minutes and 100 participants, tasks and polling, and 5 GB of cloud storage.

• Microsoft Teams Essentials$4.00

  per user / month, paid yearly

  Teams on its own for up to 300 users: meetings of up to 300 people and 30 hours, recordings with transcripts, and 10 GB of storage per user.

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic$7.00

  per user / month, paid yearly

  Suite plan that includes Teams, plus web and mobile Office apps, custom business email and 1 TB of cloud storage per user. Up to 300 users.

• Microsoft Teams Enterprise$8.55

  per user / month, paid yearly

  Teams on its own for organizations of more than 300 people, with recordings, transcripts and 10 GB of cloud storage per user.

• M365 Business Standard with Copilot$23.50

  per user / month, paid yearly

  Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot: Teams with webinar hosting, desktop Office apps and Copilot in the apps. Up to 300 users.

• Microsoft 365 E3$39.00

  per user / month, paid yearly (annual commitment)

  Enterprise suite for any size that includes Teams with webinars, desktop Office apps and added security. Microsoft 365 E5 is $60.00.

Flock

• Annual discount

  25% less with annual billing

  Flock PRO costs $4.50 per user / month billed annually against $6 per user billed monthly.

• Nonprofit

  Special pricing for nonprofits

  Flock's pricing FAQ says nonprofit organizations get special pricing based on geography and area of work, quoted through a live chat with its team.

Microsoft Teams

• Nonprofit

  75% off Microsoft 365 Business Premium for nonprofits

  Eligible nonprofits can get Microsoft 365 Business Premium, a suite that includes Microsoft Teams, at a 75% discount after registering and confirming eligibility.