Microsoft Teams vs Zoho Cliq
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
Zoho Cliq
Team chat, calls and meetings from the Zoho suite
Where they differ
- Microsoft Teams starts at $4.00 per user / month, paid yearly. Zoho Cliq starts at $16.20 per month for up to 25 users, billed annually (Standard).
- Only Zoho Cliq lists a Linux app.
- Microsoft Teams also covers transcription and noise cancellation.
- Zoho Cliq also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| Microsoft Teams | Zoho Cliq | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.00 per user / month, paid yearly | $16.20 per month for up to 25 users, billed annually (Standard) |
| 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. | 10,000 searchable messages, 100 GB of file storage per organization, 100 participants per group or channel, and meetings of up to 100 people limited to 60 minutes. |
| Free trial | One-month free trial of the paid plans; a credit card is required and it converts to a paid subscription. | Free trial of the paid plans: 15 days according to the homepage, 14 days according to the pricing FAQ |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Microsoft | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Zoho Cliq
- Organizations already using Zoho apps such as Zoho Projects, Desk or Mail
- Small teams: Standard is a flat monthly price for up to 25 users
- Teams that want to build bots, commands and widgets inside chat
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.
Zoho Cliq
- The Free plan searches only 10,000 messages, caps meetings at 60 minutes and has no call recording or external channels.
- Standard is a flat price covering up to 25 users, while Professional and Enterprise are per user with a 10-user minimum.
- Guest chat, task management, roles and permissions, and live events need Professional or Enterprise.
- Audit history, eDiscovery and data loss prevention are limited to Enterprise.
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.
Zoho Cliq
- Chats, channels and threads
- Unlimited 1-1 and group chats on every plan, with organization and personal channels, threads, read receipts and @mentions. Paid plans raise groups to 500 participants.
- Calls and meetings
- 1-1 audio and video calls, screen sharing and meetings for up to 100 participants. Professional and Enterprise allow 1,000 active participants and 10,000 viewers.
- Voice and video messages
- Audio and video messages and screen recordings can be sent in chat, limited to 5 minutes on Free, 15 on Standard and 60 on Professional and Enterprise.
- External channels and Networks
- From Standard, external channels bring in people from other organizations, 5 per user license. Networks, a separate space for partners, is a paid add-on; Professional and Enterprise include 3.
- Developer platform
- Bots, slash commands, message actions, functions, schedulers, databases and widgets are available on every plan with per-plan quotas, alongside a REST API.
- On-demand chat summary
- Professional and Enterprise can generate a summary of a chat on request, part of what Zoho describes as AI-powered conversations.
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.
Zoho Cliq
Free$0
Chats and channels, 10,000 searchable messages, 100 GB of storage per organization, and meetings for up to 100 participants capped at 60 minutes.
Standard$16.20
per month for up to 25 users, billed annually ($18 billed monthly)
Flat price covering up to 25 users. Unlimited searchable messages, external channels, call recording, 24-hour meetings, custom domain and basic usage reports.
Professional$1.80
per user / month, billed annually ($2 billed monthly)
10 users minimum. 100 GB of storage per user, guest chat, task and team management, roles and permissions, live events and on-demand chat summaries.
Enterprise$3.60
per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)
10 users minimum. Adds audit history, advanced usage reports, eDiscovery, data loss prevention and branded meetings.
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.
Zoho Cliq
- Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
Zoho's pricing page lists a 10% saving for yearly billing: Professional is $1.80 per user / month billed annually against $2 billed monthly.
- Nonprofit
Special pricing for nonprofits and schools
The pricing page says discounts and special pricing apply to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions, arranged by contacting Zoho. No amounts are published.
