Microsoft Teams

microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software
Communication & Collaboration
Weekend Project

Chat, meet, call, and collaborate all in one place.

How to Replace Microsoft Teams

Overview

Microsoft Teams is a unified communication and collaboration platform that combines workplace chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration. It enables teams to communicate seamlessly across devices and integrates with Microsoft 365 and thousands of third-party applications.

Features

46 features across 19 categories

AI(3)

Copilot for Microsoft 365AIPremium

AI-powered assistant that helps with drafting, summarizing, and analysis.

Intelligent Speaker AttributionAIPremium

AI-powered identification of who said what in meeting transcripts.

Smart RecapAIPremium

Automatically generate meeting summaries with key action items.

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Access Control(3)

Channel Privacy Settings

Create public or private channels with granular permission controls.

Guest Access

Invite external users to collaborate without organizational accounts.

Team Owners and Members

Manage team permissions with role-based access controls.

Also in: Kubernetes Dashboard, Lacework, LastPass

Accessibility(1)

Meeting Subtitles and CaptionsAIPremium

Real-time captions and transcripts in multiple languages.

Also in: Justinmind, Justworks, Notion

Administration(1)

Device ManagementPremium

Monitor and manage Teams devices and peripherals from admin center.

Also in: Notion, Airtable, Smartsheet

Analytics(4)

Admin AnalyticsPremium

Get detailed insights into Teams usage, adoption, and health metrics.

Automatic AttendanceAIPremium

Automatically track meeting attendance based on camera and audio detection.

Call AnalyticsPremium

Analyze call quality and performance metrics for troubleshooting.

Meeting Quality AnalyticsPremium

View detailed metrics on meeting quality and participant experience.

Also in: Hugging Face, Notion, Smartsheet

Automation(1)

BotsAI

Automate tasks and workflows with custom and pre-built bot integrations.

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Collaboration(1)

Whiteboard

Collaborative digital whiteboarding tool for brainstorming and visualization.

Also in: Notion, Airtable, Obsidian

Communication(7)

Audio Calling

Make and receive calls with Teams calling and PSTN connectivity.

Call ForwardingPremium

Automatically route calls to specified numbers or voicemail.

Call ParkingPremium

Put calls on hold and retrieve them from another device.

Call RecordingPremium

Record Teams calls with compliance and retention options.

Call TransferPremium

Transfer calls to colleagues or external numbers with warm handoff.

Team Chat

Persistent group and direct messaging with threaded conversations.

Voicemail TranscriptionAIPremium

Receive transcribed voicemails with optional visual voicemail.

Also in: Jobber, Jira, Insightly

Compliance(2)

eDiscovery and Legal HoldPremium

Search and preserve Teams content for legal and compliance requirements.

Moderation Tools

Moderate content with message retention policies and deletion controls.

Desktop(1)

Desktop Apps

Native applications for Windows and macOS with offline capabilities.

Engagement(1)

Polls and Surveys

Create and conduct live polls during meetings for audience feedback.

File Management(2)

Co-authoring

Edit Office documents simultaneously with real-time collaboration.

File Sharing

Share and collaborate on documents with integrated OneDrive and SharePoint.

Integration(1)

Apps and Tabs

Integrate third-party applications and web content directly in Teams.

Meetings(8)

Breakout Rooms

Divide meeting participants into separate smaller group sessions.

Hand Raising

Manage large meetings with participant hand raising for speaking requests.

Live EventsPremium

Broadcast to large audiences with interactive Q&A and audience engagement.

Meeting RecordingsAI

Automatically record and transcribe meetings with searchable transcripts.

Screen Sharing

Share your entire screen, specific applications, or PowerPoint presentations.

Together Mode

Display meeting participants in a shared virtual space for enhanced engagement.

Video Meetings

Host video conferences with up to 10,000 participants with screen sharing.

Virtual Background

Replace or blur your meeting background with custom images or video.

Mobile(1)

Mobile Apps

Full Teams functionality on iOS and Android devices.

Organization(2)

Favorites and Pinning

Star favorite teams and pin important messages for quick access.

Org-wide Teams

Create teams that include all organization members with limited channels.

Security(5)

Advanced Threat ProtectionAIPremium

Detect and protect against malware, phishing, and suspicious links.

Conditional AccessPremium

Apply authentication and device compliance policies based on conditions.

Data Loss PreventionPremium

Prevent sensitive data sharing with customizable DLP policies.

Encryption

End-to-end encryption for Teams calls and one-to-one messages.

Two-Factor Authentication

Require multi-factor authentication for enhanced account security.

Web(1)

Web Client

Access Teams directly from any web browser without installation.

Pricing

Free

Free
  • Basic chat
  • meetings up to 60 minutes
  • 100 GB shared storage

Microsoft Teams Essentials

$4/mo
  • Unlimited chat
  • 60-minute group meetings
  • 100 GB storage

Microsoft 365 Business Basic

Popular
$6/mo
  • All Teams features
  • Office web apps
  • 1 TB OneDrive
  • email hosting

Microsoft 365 Business Standard

$12.50/mo
  • All Basic features
  • desktop Office apps
  • advanced meeting features

Microsoft 365 Business Premium

$20/mo
  • All Standard features
  • advanced security
  • Windows Enterprise features

Microsoft 365 Enterprise E3

$23/mo
  • Advanced compliance
  • eDiscovery
  • analytics
  • unlimited cloud storage

Microsoft 365 Enterprise E5

$38/mo
  • All E3 features
  • advanced security
  • Copilot
  • calling features

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Microsoft Teams

Monthly$4/mo
Yearly$48/yr
5-Year Total$240

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~3 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 Year
SaaS
$48
DIY
$240
3 Years
SaaS
$144
DIY
$720
5 Years
SaaS
$240
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 46 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Microsoft Teams alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 46 features.

Buy Microsoft Teams

Better Value
Monthly cost$40/mo
3-year total$1,440
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$24,000
Maintenance$360/mo
3-year total$36,960
Dev time~2 months

Buying Microsoft Teams saves ~$35,520 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 46 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

30 known integrations