Microsoft Teams vs Rainbow (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Microsoft Teams: it is second in our ranking of team communication apps, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Microsoft Teams grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. Rainbow grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft Teams
Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365
Which one is for you
Pick Microsoft Teams if
- Fits if your company already pays for Microsoft 365, because Teams usually comes with it
- Works for teams who want chat and meetings at $4.00 a person and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files together
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your team runs Linux, because Microsoft says Teams is no longer supported there
- Tight if you're hoping for a free team chat, since the free version is for one person and group calls stop at 60 minutes
- Pricey if you need webinars, which start on Business Standard with Copilot at $23.50, or Phone and Premium at $10.00 each
- Not for you if a slow, busy app drives you mad, going by Hacker News and App Store reviews
- Watch out: the one-month trial needs a card and turns into a paid plan, and the lower-priced plans stop at 300 users
Pick Rainbow if
- Fits if your company already runs Alcatel-Lucent phones and wants chat on top
- Works for organisations that need to choose where their data sits
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price on the page, as none is published
- Not for you if you are one person or a very small team, since it targets organisations
- Too light on detail for licences, because it is unclear which features come with which one
- Watch out: no trial or free plan is listed
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAMicrosoft TeamsVery good | 2.2GPARainbowFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BTeams Essentials is $4.00 a user a month paid yearly, the low end of the category: 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. | CNo price on the pages read, so it sits in the middle. It is sold through the vendor. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | FNo free plan and no trial are listed anywhere on the pages read. |
| Features | BIn 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. | BChat, meetings, telephony, AI services, a Teams connector and developer APIs. The pages do not say which features come with which licence. |
| Ease of use | 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. Hacker News regulars still call it slow and bloated. | CNo store rating on record. A platform sold to organisations means a deployment to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android apps, APIs and SDKs, and a Microsoft Teams connector. |
| Best for | offices that already pay for Microsoft 365 | firms wanting chat, meetings and business phone in one |
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: Microsoft Teams and Rainbow. How we grade
Where they differ
- Microsoft Teams also covers transcription, noise cancellation, whiteboard and file sharing.
At a glance
| Microsoft Teams | Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $4.00 per user / month, paid yearly | Not published |
| Free plan | 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. | None |
| Free trial | One-month free trial of the paid plans; a credit card is required and it converts to a paid subscription. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Microsoft | Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Rainbow
- No prices are published on the pages read; pricing is unverified and likely sold through Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise.
- The vendor describes an a la carte service, so which features come with which licence is not stated on the pages read.
- Rainbow is aimed at organizations, not individuals or very small teams.
Key features
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.
Rainbow
- Chat and collaboration
- Enterprise messaging and collaboration sit in the same app as business telephony and meetings.
- AI services
- The vendor lists transcription, summaries, real-time translation and an AI reception agent as included in the licence.
- Flexible deployment
- Runs as public cloud, on top of an existing PBX or as a private cloud, for 5 to 100,000 users according to the vendor.
- Data location and certifications
- The vendor lists 15 data centres worldwide and certifications including ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA and C5.
- Microsoft Teams connector
- A telephony connector pairs Rainbow with Microsoft Teams, and APIs and SDKs support custom integrations.
- Apps for each platform
- The vendor's pages list a web application plus apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Plans
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.
Rainbow
Pricing could not be confirmed. See openrainbow.com.
Ways to pay less
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.
Rainbow
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Teams or Rainbow?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Microsoft Teams starts at $4.00 per user / month, paid yearly, and Rainbow has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Microsoft Teams or Rainbow?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Microsoft Teams has a free plan. Rainbow does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.