Microsoft Teams vs Zoom – How do they compare?
Virtual meetings are part of the new-normal especially in the past year with Covid-19 disrupting the way people work and communicate with each other. Businesses, organizations and just about everyone, have started using Zoom and Microsoft’s Teams to do video conferencing.
Both Zoom and Teams provide additional features while on video call, which includes screen sharing, ability to record the meeting, cloud storage, a collaborative whiteboard, file sharing to name a few. But what does one have that the other doesn’t?
VALUE ADDED FEATURES
One of the biggest differences between Teams and Zoom is how they integrate with existing IT environments. While Zoom is a standalone communication & collaboration platform, Teams comes as part of the greater Microsoft 365 platform, which offers a number of built-in features such as email, Office suite apps, and even process automation.
This doesn’t mean that Zoom doesn’t share the same capacity for integration. In fact, Zoom boasts over 1,000 Apps that can be pulled into the service. Each of these apps, however, may have their own login account, which may require users log in to each app individually.
Because Teams is packaged into a larger Microsoft platform, users of the service only need a single company account to access their most important apps and services.
ACCESSIBILITY
When it comes to making content accessible to all users, Microsoft Teams has a slight edge over Zoom. Earlier this year, Microsoft launched live transcription for meetings to provide real-time captioning as well as full transcriptions of meetings after they end. Zoom currently has such features in development, but they are expected to launch in the fall of 2021.
IS YOUR CALL SECURED?
Another important piece of information that users find the need to use one over the other is security. Both Teams and Zoom feature encryption for 1:1 calling, which ensures that communications cannot be accessed by any parties outside of the call, including Microsoft/Zoom ad law enforcement.
When it comes to login and account protection, the two can differ. As part of Microsoft 365, Teams comes packaged with the services security features. Depending on the Microsoft 365 plan, this can include:
- Conditional Access based on IP address, location, device, and more
- Multi-Factor authentication using SMS, phone calls or a dedicated authentication app
- Rights management and sensitivity labeling to restrict access to content
Meanwhile, Zoom access can be managed at the meeting level, offering organizers a number of controls to manage attendees:
- Password protected meetings
- Waiting rooms
- Attendee expulsion
- Domain controlled attendance (Attendees must sign in with a companyabc.com domain)
IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT
Price is also a major factor in considering the use of these applications. Zoom does not require each participant to register for a license to fully utilize its features. One user can register for free to $30/mo. and be able to send out the link to the virtual meeting to just about anybody. Teams require each user to register with a Microsoft account, with a price ranging from free to $20/mo./user to access more features included in Microsoft 365.
BACK-TO-BACK
Here’s a look at a comparison of each platform’s features and capabilities.
| Category |
Microsoft Teams |
Zoom |
| Pricing |
|
|
| Capacity |
|
|
| Video Quality |
|
|
| Conferencing Features |
|
|
| Support |
|
|
| Security |
|
|
Still having a dilemma? Why not try using both Zoom and Teams and see for yourself which of these you feel is best for your purpose. At the end of the day, it’s really about what works, which is convenient, cost effective, and less process to setup, and how you plan to use these applications. If you’re looking for assistance integrating a communications platform with your existing IT, please send us a message! As dedicated IT consultants we would be happy to help you make the best decision for your business needs.