Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams: A broad team chat workspace with a free plan and deep Microsoft 365 integration. Ranked #1 of 63 in Team Chat Apps by our editors (9.4/10); pricing: Free plan; best for organizations using Microsoft 365.
At a glance
- Editor score9.4 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forOrganizations using Microsoft 365
- Free planYes
- Guest accessYes
- Founded1975 · Redmond, Washington, United States
- Facts checked21 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Free plan includes unlimited chat and group calling for 100 participants
- Channels, meetings, recordings, workflows, guest access, and AI in one workspace
- Works across web, desktop, mobile, Linux, and API environments
Where it doesn't
- Paid plans and features vary by country, subscription, and license
- Teams Premium requires an eligible Teams license
- The 25,000-member limit applies per team, not an unlimited workspace
Our verdict on Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams combines one-to-one and group chat, channels, audio and video calling, online meetings, webinars, file sharing, collaborative apps, and external collaboration. It is suited to organizations that want communication and productivity work in one environment, particularly teams already using Microsoft 365. It also serves small businesses, enterprises, education, and personal users through different subscriptions, with capabilities varying by plan and license.
The free plan includes unlimited chat, 5 GB of cloud storage, group calling for up to 100 participants, and collaborative planning with tasks and polling. Teams Essentials costs $4 per user per month when billed annually and adds meetings for up to 300 participants, 10 GB of storage per user, meetings up to 30 hours, recordings, transcripts, and live captions. Microsoft 365 Business Basic costs $7 and adds web and mobile Microsoft 365 apps, 1 TB of storage per user, custom business email, Bookings, Planner, and Forms. Business Standard costs $14 and adds desktop Office apps, webinars, and further collaboration tools. Teams Premium costs $10 and adds AI-powered meeting and calling features, personalized experiences, and additional meeting security, but requires an eligible Teams license.
Its strongest fit is the Microsoft ecosystem: Teams connects with SharePoint, OneDrive, OneNote, Planner, Power BI, Project, Forms, Loop, Workflows, and Microsoft Graph. File sharing and collaboration are backed by SharePoint, while apps, tabs, bots, connectors, workflows, and Teams app extensibility broaden the workspace beyond messaging. The trade-off is breadth and licensing complexity: buyers need to match capabilities to the relevant subscription, and the 25,000-member figure is a per-team maximum rather than an unlimited workspace limit. Choose Teams for Microsoft-centered collaboration; consider a narrower chat tool if that ecosystem is not central.
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Microsoft Teams pricing
All 10 Microsoft Teams plans and prices →
Microsoft Teams fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Channels | Yes |
| Guest access | Yes |
| Message history | Unlimited |
| Integrations | Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Exchange, Planner, Forms, Power BI, OneNote, Power Apps, Power Automate, LinkedIn |
| Supported platforms | web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Maximum members | 25000 users |
| Money-back guarantee | 7 days |
| Deployment | Cloud, Desktop, Mobile |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Compliance & security | SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, 2FA |
| Support | Phone, Docs, Community |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 250+ integrations: Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Exchange, Planner … |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | microsoft.com |
| Facts checked | 21 Sep 2026 |
Microsoft Teams integrations
Microsoft Teams lists 250+ integrations on its own site — the 12 named here are the ones its pages call out.
- Microsoft 365
- SharePoint
- OneDrive
- Outlook
- Exchange
- Planner
- Forms
- Power BI
- OneNote
- Power Apps
- Power Automate
Alternatives to Microsoft Teams
- SlackA capable team-chat hub for integration-heavy teams, with limited free history.9.3
- Zoho CliqA broad team chat suite with strong Zoho ecosystem fit and a capable free plan.9.1
- MattermostA flexible team chat platform for technical teams that need self-hosting and automation.8.9
See all Microsoft Teams alternatives →
Microsoft Teams vs the competition
- Microsoft Teams vs Slack
- Microsoft Teams vs Zoho Cliq
- Microsoft Teams vs Mattermost
- Microsoft Teams vs Rocket.Chat
- Microsoft Teams vs Zulip
- Microsoft Teams vs Lark
Compare Microsoft Teams with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
Microsoft Teams is ranked in 26 of our directories; the 6 strongest besides Team Chat Apps.
- #1Unified Communications Software28 tools ranked
- #1Team Communication Software25 tools ranked
- #1Remote Work Software27 tools ranked
- #1Team Collaboration Software25 tools ranked
- #1Business Instant Messaging - Midmarket Software24 tools ranked
- #1Web and Video Conferencing - Enterprise Software24 tools ranked
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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