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Security & compliance databaseSOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA BAAs, and the plan you need for SSO, SCIM and audit logs. How to read security claimsSOC 2 vs ISO 27001, the single sign-on tax, and what “Not published” means.
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Video Conferencing

Zoom vs Microsoft Teams: Which Video Conferencing Tool Fits Your Business in 2026?

A dedicated standalone meeting tool vs. the chat-first hub built into Microsoft 365. Here is how they really compare.

Bill BelcaminoBy Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 1, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
Zoom logoFrom $14.16/mo

Zoom

VS
Microsoft Teams logoFrom $4/user/mo

Microsoft Teams

See the full spec table Read the FAQ
Zoom vs Microsoft TeamsVerified Sep 1, 2026
Bill Belcamino
Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: Should a company on Microsoft 365 still pay for Zoom, or is Teams enough?

Teams is enough when most of your meetings are internal, and Zoom earns its bill when you host a lot of client calls, outside guests or webinars.

Teams Essentials is $4 a user a month against $14.16 for Zoom Pro, both billed annually, but Zoom bundles AI Companion into paid plans while Teams AI transcription needs a paid Copilot add-on. Keep one thing in mind: you'll join clients on whatever platform they send, so your staff will use both regardless, and the choice is only about the meetings you host. The part that locks you in isn't the subscription, it's the conference rooms, because room hardware outlives several license renewals. If you're fitting out rooms, favour kit that can join the other platform's meetings, which Zoom Rooms can do through Direct Guest Join.

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 1, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

Verified data

Zoom vs Microsoft Teams: quick facts

At a glanceZoomMicrosoft Teams
CategoryVideo Conferencing
Entry priceFrom $14.16/moFrom $4/user/mo (Teams Essentials)
Free plan40 minutes for group meetings (unlimited 1:1)Yes, 60-minute group meeting cap

Is Zoom cheaper than Microsoft Teams?

Zoom is priced at From $14.16/mo and Microsoft Teams at From $4/user/mo. See the full breakdown below for what is included at each tier.

Verified data

Zoom vs Microsoft Teams at a glance

CategoryZoomMicrosoft Teams
Free plan meeting length cap40 minutes for group meetings (unlimited 1:1)60 minutes
Max participants (paid plans)Up to 300 (Business/Business Plus); Large Meeting add-on scales furtherUp to 300 standard; Teams Premium extends further
Chat & persistent channelsPersistent team chat included, built primarily around meetings/webinars with easy external guest joinChannel-based persistent chat is core to the product, tied to org structure
File & Office integration1,000+ third-party integrations; Microsoft 365 integration available but not nativeNative, deep integration with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint/OneDrive
Recording & transcriptionLocal recording free on Basic; cloud recording + AI Companion transcription bundled free on paid plansRecording requires a paid plan, stored in OneDrive/SharePoint; AI transcription via Copilot is a separate paid add-on
Webinar / large-meeting supportDedicated Zoom Events/Webinars add-on for large-scale webinarsTeams Premium add-on adds webinar features, no equivalent large-scale product without extra licensing

Verified September 1, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources

Total cost of ownership: Zoom vs Microsoft Teams for your team

Estimate built from the published starting rate shown above (as of Sep 2026). Excludes add-ons, usage overages, and negotiated discounts.

Editorial assessment

Pros & cons

Zoom

Pros

  • Widely rated easier to use with a simpler, less cluttered interface
  • Strong audio/video quality and reliable performance even on weaker connections
  • AI Companion included free on paid plans; extensive third-party integrations

Cons

  • Free plan group meetings limited to 40 minutes
  • Advanced features (large meetings, webinars, phone) require separate paid add-ons
  • Less native depth with Microsoft Office/SharePoint workflows

Microsoft Teams

Pros

  • Deep, native integration with Microsoft 365 apps
  • Lower entry-level paid price than Zoom, and generous storage bundled in
  • Free plan allows longer (60-minute) meetings than Zoom’s free tier

Cons

  • Can feel resource-intensive and cluttered as more features/add-ins accumulate
  • AI/Copilot transcription is a separate paid add-on rather than bundled
  • Full value requires buy-in to the broader Microsoft 365 ecosystem

Choose Zoom if…

Choose Zoom if you want the simplest, most reliable pure video-meeting/webinar experience and frequently host external guests.

Choose Microsoft Teams if…

Choose Microsoft Teams if your organization already runs on Microsoft 365 and you want chat, file collaboration, and meetings unified in one native hub.

Verified data

Zoom vs Microsoft Teams: security, offline & remote work

How Zoom and Microsoft Teams compare on compliance reports, sign-in controls, offline access and the setup details that matter for remote, hybrid and in-office teams. Every value links to the vendor page it came from.

What we checkedZoomMicrosoft Teams
Security & compliance
SOC 2 reportSOC 2 Type IIsourceSOC 2 Type IIsource
ISO/IEC 27001CertifiedsourceCertifiedsource
Other certificationsISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO/IEC 27701, SOC 2 + HITRUST, CSA STAR Level 2, UK Cyber Essentials Plus, IRAP, ENS, BSI C5, ISMAP, TX-RAMP, HDS, PCI DSS (Zoom Phone and Contact Center via PCIpal), FedRAMP Moderate (Zoom for Government)sourceISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO/IEC 27701, SOC 1source
HIPAA (BAA)BAA availablesourceBAA availablesource
GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceDPA offeredsource
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)YesBusinesssourceYessource
SCIM user provisioningYesBusinesssourceNot published
Two-factor authenticationYesEnforcement: ProsourceYesEnforcement: Microsoft Entra ID Free (security defaults)source
Admin audit logYesProsourceYessource
Data residency choicesUS, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Singapore, MX, SwitzerlandProsourceAustralia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, IT, Japan, NO, PL, QA, South Korea, South Africa, SE, Switzerland, UAE, UK, Americas, APAC, EMEAsource
Encryption256-bit AES-GCM for meeting audio, video and shared content in transit by default; optional end-to-end encryptionsourceTLS 1.2+ with AES-256 in transit; BitLocker plus per-file encryption at rest; optional end-to-end encryption and Customer Keysource
Self-hosting optionNot publishedNot published
Offline access
Offline modeNot documentedNot documented
Desktop appsWindows, macOS, LinuxsourceWindows, macOSsource
Mobile appsiOS, AndroidsourceiOS, Androidsource
Remote, hybrid & in-office
IP allowlistingNot publishedYesMicrosoft Entra ID P1 (included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium)source
Device & session controlsYesProAccount security settings include automatic sign-out after a set time and re-authentication after inactivity.sourceYesMicrosoft Entra Conditional Access policies apply to Teams sign-ins (device compliance, location); Intune mobile application management; Conditional Access requires Entra ID P1.source
Office & room hardwareZoom Rooms runs conference rooms and shared desks on Zoom Certified Hardware from major vendors, and Direct Guest Join lets rooms join other platforms' meetings.sourceMicrosoft Teams Rooms turn meeting spaces from huddle areas to large conference rooms into one-touch-join Teams rooms, sold as Windows and Android devices from partners.source
Editorial assessment

What this means for your team

  • Audit reports: both publish a SOC 2 report, and Zoom and Microsoft Teams also hold ISO/IEC 27001. Ask each vendor for the report under NDA before you sign; security reviews usually want the latest one.
  • Single sign-on: Zoom includes it on Business; Microsoft Teams includes it. If your team signs in through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or Google, price the plan that includes SSO, not the entry plan.
  • Health data: Zoom and Microsoft Teams will sign a HIPAA business associate agreement.
  • Working offline: Zoom and Microsoft Teams don’t document an offline mode. Details are in the Offline mode row above.
  • Office-only access: Microsoft Teams can restrict sign-ins to approved IP ranges on Microsoft Entra ID P1 (included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium). That suits an office network or a company VPN; fully remote teams need a VPN for it to work.
  • Where your data lives: Zoom lets you choose US, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Singapore, MX, Switzerland on Pro; Microsoft Teams lets you choose Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, IT, Japan, NO, PL, QA, South Korea, South Africa, SE, Switzerland, UAE, UK, Americas, APAC, EMEA. This matters for teams hiring across the EU, UK or Australia.
  • In the office: Zoom: Zoom Rooms runs conference rooms and shared desks on Zoom Certified Hardware from major vendors, and Direct Guest Join lets rooms join other platforms' meetings. Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams Rooms turn meeting spaces from huddle areas to large conference rooms into one-touch-join Teams rooms, sold as Windows and Android devices from partners.

Zoom: worth knowing

  • RemoteZoom recommends 3.8 Mbps up / 3.0 Mbps down per user for 1080p group video. source
  • OfficeZoom Rooms can join meetings on other major video platforms via Direct Guest Join and Conference Room Connector. source
  • SecurityTurning on end-to-end encryption disables cloud recording, AI features and live transcription for that meeting. source
  • SecurityAdmins on Pro and higher can restrict meeting-summary access to specific IP ranges (a feature-level control, not a sign-in allowlist). source

Microsoft Teams: worth knowing

  • RemoteMicrosoft says Teams can deliver HD video in under 1.5 Mbps; actual use varies per call. source
  • RemotePhone dial-in (Audio Conferencing) needs an add-on license for each organizer; people who dial in need none. source
  • RemoteExternal guests with any business or consumer email address can be added to teams. source
  • OfficeThere is no native Linux desktop app; Linux users use Teams on the web or as a PWA. source

Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

Making the switch?

Read our step-by-step migration guides

We mapped out exactly what transfers automatically and what you will need to rebuild by hand, in both directions.

Switching from Zoom to Microsoft Teams → Switching from Microsoft Teams to Zoom →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Zoom?

Zoom is a video conferencing platform used for online meetings, webinars, and virtual collaboration.

What is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is a chat, meetings, and collaboration hub bundled with Microsoft 365 for business communication and file sharing.

How much does Zoom cost compared to Microsoft Teams?

Zoom starts at $14.16/user/mo (Pro, billed annually), while Microsoft Teams starts at $4/user/mo (Teams Essentials, billed annually).

Do Zoom and Microsoft Teams offer a free plan?

Zoom: Yes — group meetings capped at 40 minutes, unlimited 1:1. Microsoft Teams: Yes — meetings capped at 60 minutes, up to 100 participants.

Who should choose Zoom?

Choose Zoom if you want the simplest, most reliable pure video-meeting/webinar experience and frequently host external guests.

Who should choose Microsoft Teams?

Choose Microsoft Teams if your organization already runs on Microsoft 365 and you want chat, file collaboration, and meetings unified in one native hub.

Ready to pick one?

See live pricing directly from each vendor before you decide.

See Zoom pricing See Microsoft Teams pricing
Related

See more Team Communication comparisons

See the full Team Communication hub for more comparisons, including Slack vs Microsoft Teams and Zoom vs Webex.

View the Team Communication hub →

Canonical data for the tools on this page

Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.

Microsoft TeamsPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›ZoomPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
Google Meet vs Microsoft TeamsHead-to-head comparisonSlack vs Microsoft TeamsHead-to-head comparisonZoom vs GoToMeetingHead-to-head comparisonZoom vs WebexHead-to-head comparisonZoom vs Google MeetHead-to-head comparison

Sources

Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

Cite this page: HelpCompare, “Zoom vs Microsoft Teams”, helpcompare.com/zoom-vs-microsoft-teams/ (updated ).

Source links on this site are checked every month; last check . How sources are checked.

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01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.132 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.264 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent eight and a half years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 1, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

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