Microsoft Teams vs Symphony (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 13, 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. Symphony 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 Symphony if
- Fits if you work at a regulated financial firm that needs compliant chat
- Makes sense if you need to message other firms through federation
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to see a price, as none is published
- Skip it if you want to sign up yourself, as logins are set up by the firm or its IT team
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial
- Watch out: Federation Virtual Numbers come from Umony, a separate company
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAMicrosoft TeamsVery good | 2.2GPASymphonyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 is published, so it sits at the middle by default; the site directs buyers to a demo. |
| 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 or trial; the site offers a demo request. |
| 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. | BMessaging, federation between firms, Teams interoperability, voice, directory, analytics and APIs. The listing shows no gap in the core job. |
| 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. | CAccounts are provisioned by a firm or IT team and use a company-specific pod name, so there is set-up before use. No store rating on record. |
| 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, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, with developer APIs and links to Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, WeChat and LINE. |
| Best for | offices that already pay for Microsoft 365 | secure messaging for regulated firms |
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 Symphony. How we grade
Where they differ
- Symphony is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Microsoft Teams also covers transcription, noise cancellation, whiteboard, video calls and file sharing.
- Symphony also covers workflow automation and whatsApp messaging.
At a glance
| Microsoft Teams | Symphony | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Symphony |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
Symphony
- No prices are published on the site; buyers are directed to request a demo or contact the company.
- Pricing is unverified here, and Federation Virtual Numbers are provided by Umony, a separate company.
- Logins use a company-specific pod name, so accounts are set up by the customer's firm or its IT team.
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.
Symphony
- Messaging for regulated firms
- Secure chat and workflow software with information barriers, auditability and data archiving, aimed at financial services.
- Federation
- Lets staff message clients on WhatsApp, SMS, Microsoft Teams, LINE and WeChat in a compliance-enabled way, using a single virtual number.
- Embedded mode and Teams interoperability
- Messaging can be embedded in other applications, and Symphony Messaging can be connected to Microsoft Teams.
- Voice, directory and analytics
- Cloud9 trader voice, an Enhanced Directory of market counterparties and an analytics platform sit beside messaging.
- Developer APIs
- The site links API documentation and training from its developer relations team.
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.
Symphony
Pricing could not be confirmed. See symphony.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.
Symphony
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Teams or Symphony?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Microsoft Teams starts at $4.00 per user / month, paid yearly, and Symphony has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Microsoft Teams or Symphony?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Microsoft Teams has a free plan. Symphony 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.