# Microsoft Teams

> Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365

Microsoft Teams combines chat, channels, video meetings, calling and file sharing in one app. It is sold on its own as Teams Essentials or Teams Enterprise and is also included in Microsoft 365 business and enterprise suites, alongside Outlook, OneDrive and the Office apps. A free version covers personal use, and phone service, Teams Premium and Microsoft 365 Copilot are paid add-ons.

- **Category:** Team Communication
- **Made by:** Microsoft
- **Website:** https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software
- **Runs on:** Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Microsoft Teams has a free plan. Paid plans start at $4.00 per user / month, paid yearly.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **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.
- **Free trial:** One-month free trial of the paid plans; a credit card is required and it converts to a paid subscription.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-business-options on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Microsoft Teams before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **75% off Microsoft 365 Business Premium for nonprofits** (Nonprofit): Eligible nonprofits can get Microsoft 365 Business Premium, a suite that includes Microsoft Teams, at a 75% discount after registering and confirming eligibility. Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/nonprofits/microsoft-365

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

- 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.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.8 out of 5 from 3,377,810 ratings in the United States, read Oct 7, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1113153706

## Works with

Microsoft Loop, OneNote, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Microsoft Whiteboard, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Exchange

**Tags:** Team chat, Video calls, File sharing, Transcription, Noise cancellation, Whiteboard, AI features

## Alternatives

- [Slack](https://toolgpa.com/tools/slack): Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/microsoft-teams-vs-slack)
- [Zoom](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zoom): Video meetings bundled with team chat, phone and AI notes. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/microsoft-teams-vs-zoom)
- [Google Meet](https://toolgpa.com/tools/google-meet): Browser-based video meetings included with Google Workspace. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/google-meet-vs-microsoft-teams)
- [Google Chat](https://toolgpa.com/tools/google-chat): Team messaging and spaces built into Google Workspace. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/google-chat-vs-microsoft-teams)
- [Webex](https://toolgpa.com/tools/webex): Cisco's app for video meetings, messaging and calling. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/microsoft-teams-vs-webex)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-business-options
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-home-options
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-enterprise-options
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/download-app
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/teams-client-desktop-admin
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/education
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/nonprofits/microsoft-365

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-teams
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).