Google Voice vs Microsoft Teams
We give Google Voice a 2.4 GPA and Microsoft Teams a 3.0, out of 4.0. Google Voice grades higher on the free plan. Microsoft Teams grades higher on value for money, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Google Voice
Google's phone number service for calls and texts on any device
Microsoft Teams
Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAGoogle VoiceFair | 3.0GPAMicrosoft TeamsVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$10 a head for five on the Starter add-on, cheap on its own. But every team plan sits on top of a paid Google Workspace plan billed separately, so unless you already pay for Workspace the real cost per head lands mid-pack. Alone, it's $10. | BTeams Essentials is $4.00 a user a month paid yearly, which is the cheap end of the category, and it isn't a toy plan: 300-person meetings of up to 30 hours, recordings with transcripts, 10 GB each. Business Basic at $7.00 adds Office and business email. Webinars, Phone and Copilot cost extra. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe personal version is free: a US number with unlimited US calls and texts and voicemail transcripts. One person could live on it, but there's no recording or 911, it needs an existing mobile number, and teams get nothing free. | CMicrosoft's own page says the free version is for one person, so it won't run a team. Chat is unlimited, but group calls stop at 60 minutes and 100 people with 5 GB of storage. The one-month trial of the paid plans wants a card and turns into a subscription on its own. |
| Features | CCalls, texts, transcribed voicemail, spam filtering and Gemini call notes, with auto attendants, ring groups and queues higher up. The gaps: no CRM links beyond Google's own apps, unlimited texting is US only, and team plans need Workspace. | BThe whole job in one window: chat and channels, 300-person meetings with breakout rooms and noise suppression, recordings with transcripts, shared Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, and Teams Phone if you want the office line in here too. Webinars, Phone, Premium and Copilot are all priced separately. |
| Ease of use | C4.26 from about 62,000 App Store ratings, a little behind the other big names here. Team plans are set up through the Workspace admin console. | A4.8 on the App Store from about 3.4 million ratings, and for most people it's already installed and signed in by work. Chat, meetings, calls and files are in one window, so there's no second app to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone, iPad and Android, plus Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Vault and BigQuery. There's no desktop app, and a service that's web and phones only tops out here. | BWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. No Linux desktop app: Microsoft says the Linux client is no longer supported and points you at a web app. The integrations on record are all Microsoft's own, Loop, OneNote, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Whiteboard, Exchange and Copilot. |
| Best for | a free US number, or calling for Workspace teams | offices that already pay for Microsoft 365 |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Google Voice and Microsoft Teams. How we grade
Where they differ
- Google Voice starts at $10 per month for one user; team plans $10 per user / month plus Workspace. Microsoft Teams starts at $4.00 per user / month, paid yearly.
- Only Microsoft Teams lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Google Voice also covers business phone line and business texting.
- Microsoft Teams also covers noise cancellation, whiteboard, team chat, video calls and file sharing.
At a glance
| Google Voice | Microsoft Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10 per month for one user; team plans $10 per user / month plus Workspace | $4.00 per user / month, paid yearly |
| Free plan | Google Voice for personal Gmail accounts, US only: one number, unlimited US calls and texts, and voicemail transcripts. Needs an existing mobile number. | Microsoft Teams (free) is for one person: unlimited chat, group calls of up to 60 minutes and 100 participants, and 5 GB of cloud storage. |
| Free trial | None listed | One-month free trial of the paid plans; a credit card is required and it converts to a paid subscription. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Microsoft | |
| Price read from | workspace.google.com | microsoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Google Voice
- Individuals in the US who want a free second number
- Teams already paying for Google Workspace
- Businesses that live in Gmail and Google Calendar
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
Worth knowing
Google Voice
- Team plans are add-ons to a paid Google Workspace plan billed separately; the Starter add-on stops at 10 users.
- The free and single-user plans are US only; team plans offer local numbers in 14 countries, and unlimited texting is US only on every plan.
- The free version needs an existing phone number to verify the account and has no call recording, desk phones or 911 support.
- Auto attendants need Standard, ring groups need the Workspace Standard add-on, and automatic call recording needs Premier.
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.
Key features
Google Voice
- One number on every device
- A single number rings on Android, iPhone and iPad apps, on the web and in Gmail, and on supported desk phones from the paid plans up.
- Voicemail transcription and spam blocking
- Voicemails are transcribed to text on every plan, and Google AI filters spam calls. Voicemails and texts can arrive in Gmail.
- Gemini call notes
- From Standard up, Gemini records and transcribes a call and writes notes from it. The notes are available in English.
- Auto attendants and ring groups
- Standard adds multi-level auto attendants; the Workspace Standard and Premier add-ons add ring groups, call queues and call delegation.
- Admin console and eDiscovery
- Workspace admins assign and port numbers, set up devices and handle billing; Vault brings calls, voicemails and texts into eDiscovery.
- SIP Link
- On Standard and Premier, numbers from another carrier can be connected to Google Voice through certified session border controllers.
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.
Plans
Google Voice
Google Voice$0
Personal use with a Gmail account, US only. Unlimited US calls and texts and voicemail transcripts; no call recording or 911 support.
Voice Starter (Standalone)$10
per month
One user, US only. Adds call recording, three-way calling and transfers, desk phones, 911 support and 24/7 Voice support.
Voice Standard (Standalone)$20
per month
One user, US only. Adds auto attendants and Gemini call notes. Advertised at $10 a month for the first 6 months.
Voice Starter (Workspace add-on)$10
per user / month, plus a paid Google Workspace plan
Up to 10 users, local numbers in 14 countries, corporate directory contacts and Calendar-based do not disturb.
Voice Standard (Workspace add-on)$20
per user / month, plus a paid Google Workspace plan
Unlimited users, auto attendants, ring groups with call queues, call delegation, Gemini call notes, eDiscovery and SIP Link.
Voice Premier (Workspace add-on)$30
per user / month, plus a paid Google Workspace plan
Adds international billing locations, numbers outside the home country, automatic call recording and BigQuery reporting.
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.
Ways to pay less
Google Voice
- Other savings
Voice Standard at half price for 6 months
The single-user Voice Standard plan is $10 a month for the first 6 months of a subscription, then $20 a month.
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.
