Google Chat vs Microsoft Teams

Google Chat

• Organizations already paying for Google Workspace
• Teams that work in Gmail and want chat in the same window
• Companies moving chat history over from Slack or Teams

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

Google Chat

• Chat is not sold on its own: a business gets it by paying for a Google Workspace plan that also covers Gmail, Drive and Meet.
• Gemini in Chat is left out of Business Starter, and Google marks some listed features as coming soon or limited to Business and Enterprise plans.
• There is no desktop app: computers use the web interface or Chat inside Gmail, and the apps are for phones and tablets.
• Business Starter, Standard and Plus can be bought for a maximum of 300 users.

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.

Google Chat

Direct messages and spaces

Chat covers direct messages, group messaging and persistent spaces with threaded conversations. Google says a space can hold up to 500,000 members on eligible plans.

Huddles and voice or video messages

Huddles let teammates connect in real time for drop-in collaboration, and updates can be shared as recorded audio or video messages.

Gemini in Chat

Gemini summarizes conversations, lists action items and translates messages. The pricing table includes it from Business Standard up, not in Business Starter.

Built into Gmail and Workspace

Chat appears in Gmail's left navigation and works with Drive, Calendar, Meet and Tasks, so files, meetings and assigned tasks are handled from a conversation.

Chat apps and API

Chat apps cover tools such as Asana, Jira, GitHub and Salesforce. Custom apps can be built with the Chat API, webhooks and Apps Script, or without code in AppSheet.

Migration and interoperability

Existing data can be migrated from Slack or Teams, and interoperability products from Mio and NextPlane connect Chat with other messaging platforms.

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.

Google Chat

• Consumer (Google Account)$0

  Chat for consumer Google Workspace users. Google notes that some premium features require a paid subscription.

• Business Starter$7

  per user / month, 1-year commitment, billed monthly

  Google Workspace suite plan that includes Chat, with 30 GB of pooled storage per user. Gemini in Chat is not included.

• Business Standard$14

  per user / month, 1-year commitment, billed monthly

  Suite plan with Chat plus Gemini in Chat to find, summarize and translate conversations, and 2 TB of pooled storage per user.

• Business Plus$22

  per user / month, 1-year commitment, billed monthly

  Suite plan with 5 TB of pooled storage per user, Vault to retain and search data, and advanced endpoint management.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Suite plan with data loss prevention, context-aware access and data regions, with no minimum or maximum number of users.

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.

Google Chat

• Annual discount

  Save 16% with a 1-year commitment

  Google's pricing page says the Annual plan saves 16% compared with paying without a commitment. The listed prices are the Annual ones, billed monthly.

• Other savings

  Up to 50% off the first 3 months

  New Google Workspace customers get 50% off Starter, 30% off Standard and 20% off Plus for the first 3 months. Google calls it a limited-time offer and gives no end date.

• Nonprofit

  Free Google Workspace for Nonprofits

  Eligible nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits, which includes Chat, at $0 per user, and Business Standard for $3.50 per user / month on a 1-year commitment.

• Education

  Education Fundamentals at no charge

  Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, which includes Chat, is available at no charge to qualifying institutions. Education Plus is a paid edition.

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.