Source-backed analysis13
Review basis
Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.
13 reference sourcesInformation updated Nov 10, 2026
How we review
Microsoft Teams Review
Chat, meetings and collaboration inside the Microsoft 365 ecosystem
By AppDuo Editorial Team · Updated
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- macOS
On this page
Decide at a glance
Our verdict
Microsoft Teams suits organisations already on Microsoft 365: channel chat, meetings, files and Office apps in one place, with a free tier and Essentials at $4/user/month (paid yearly). The trade-offs are reviewer complaints about a heavy app, occasional glitches and forced sign-ins, and value that is clearest when the whole organisation uses Microsoft's ecosystem.
Best for: Businesses and schools already using Microsoft 365, SharePoint and Outlook
Skip it if: Small groups that only need simple video calls, since Teams is feature-dense and often described as heavy
Pros
- Deep Microsoft 365 integration (SharePoint, Outlook, Office), praised by G2 and Capterra reviewers
- Free tier (100 participants, 60-minute group meetings) and Teams Essentials at $4/user/month with 300 participants and 30 hours
- High store ratings: 4.8/5 on the US App Store (3.3M+ ratings) and 4.7/5 on Google Play (8.8M+ ratings)
Cons
- Capterra's top cons are frequent glitches and crashes plus a resource-heavy, slow app; G2 reviewers also note heavy resource use on older devices
- Some reviewers complain about being logged out and having to sign in again
All pros and cons · Who is it for?
Pros
- Available on web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android
Cons
- The European Commission charged Microsoft over bundling Teams with Office; Microsoft now offers Microsoft 365 plans without Teams
Best for
- Teams that want channel chat, meetings and file sharing in one app instead of stitching several tools together
Skip it if
- Anyone needing free group meetings longer than 60 minutes
Problems it solves
Experience & key features
What is Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams is Microsoft's chat, meeting and collaboration platform. According to Wikipedia, Microsoft announced Teams on 2 November 2016 as a Slack competitor and launched it worldwide on 14 March 2017. A free version arrived on 12 July 2018; in September 2019 Microsoft announced Skype for Business would be retired in favour of Teams. The new Teams client (rebuilt on Edge WebView2) replaced the classic one, whose Windows and macOS builds were discontinued on 6 August 2025.
Key features
Teams combines channel-based team chat, video meetings, calling, webinars and file sharing in one app, connected to SharePoint, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Premium include Teams for chat, calls, meetings and webinars; Copilot is sold as a separate add-on bundle. The app runs on web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
Pricing and value
The free tier allows group meetings of up to 100 participants for 60 minutes with 5 GB storage per user. Teams Essentials is $4/user/month paid yearly, raising limits to 300 participants, 30 hours and 10 GB. On an annual commitment, Microsoft 365 Business Basic is $7, Standard $14 and Premium $22 per user per month; per Office Watch, Basic and Standard rose on 1 July 2026 while Premium was unchanged. Microsoft also sells versions without Teams. Microsoft's business pricing pages could not be opened during research, so check current prices before buying.
More analysis
Who it's for and how it compares
Teams is strongest when the whole organisation already uses Microsoft 365, because meetings, chat and documents live in one place. Zoom is the usual pick for a standalone meeting tool, Google Meet fits Google Workspace organisations, and Slack focuses on team messaging. The most-cited drawbacks are a heavy app and occasional glitches, so trying the free tier first is sensible.
Screenshots
Plans & pricing
Prices last verified Nov 10, 2026
Teams Free
PersonalFree
Per Microsoft's free Teams page: group meetings of up to 100 participants and 60 minutes; 1:1 meetings up to 30 hours; 5 GB cloud storage per user; unlimited chat.
Teams Essentials
Business$4/mo/user
$4/user/month, paid yearly with auto-renewal. Meetings up to 300 participants and 30 hours, 10 GB storage per user.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
Business$7/mo/user
$7/user/month on an annual commitment, up from $6 on 1 July 2026 per Office Watch. Includes Teams, web and mobile Office apps, and email.
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
Business$14/mo/user
$14/user/month on an annual commitment, up from $12.50 on 1 July 2026 per Office Watch. Adds installed Office apps; Teams covers chat, calls, meetings and webinars.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Business$22/mo/user
$22/user/month on an annual commitment, unchanged in the July 2026 price adjustment per Office Watch. Includes Teams.
- Free plan limits
- Free Teams allows group meetings of up to 100 participants and 60 minutes, with 5 GB storage per user; 1:1 meetings up to 30 hours. Meetings of 300 people and 30 hours need Teams Essentials or higher.
- Free trial
- No free trial
Cancellation & refunds
No refund policy was found on the pages read.
Privacy
Microsoft's general privacy statement (updated November 2026) says it collects contact, payment, device and usage data, voice and location data, and content you create or share such as files, emails and messages. Data is used to provide, secure and improve products, for marketing, and to train and fine-tune AI models, often on de-identified data. Microsoft states it does not use what you say in email, human-to-human chat, video calls or voicemail, or your personal files, to target ads, though it uses other data for personalised ads. Users get a privacy dashboard and rights to access, export, correct and delete; retention varies by data type and is set out in product documentation. This is a company-wide statement; Teams handling inside organisations also depends on Microsoft 365 and tenant admins, which this research did not cross-check.
Microsoft Teams alternatives
7.5/10Zoom
Dedicated video meetings with a 40-minute free tier and built-in AI notes
7.5/10Google Meet
Browser-based video meetings built into Gmail, Calendar and Google Workspace
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft Teams free?
Yes. The free version allows group meetings of up to 100 people and 60 minutes, 5 GB storage per user and unlimited chat; 1:1 meetings up to 30 hours.
How much is Teams Essentials?
$4/user/month, paid yearly with auto-renewal, with meetings up to 300 participants and 30 hours and 10 GB storage per user.
Does Microsoft 365 Business include Teams?
Business Basic, Standard and Premium all come in versions with Teams. Microsoft also sells lower-priced versions without Teams.
How does Teams differ from Zoom and Google Meet?
Teams combines channel chat, meetings and Office files in one app; Zoom focuses on video meetings, and Google Meet is tied to Gmail and Google Calendar.
Review evidence & sources13
Scores
- Ease of use
- 7.4
- Features
- 8.6
- Value for money
- 8.2
- Performance
- 6.8
- Support
- 7.0
- Privacy & security
- 6.8
Why this score
Reviewers praise ease of use and the Microsoft 365 tie-in, but the layered interface (chat, channels, meetings, files) and complaints about glitches and sign-outs put it below dedicated meeting tools.
Why this score
Chat, channels, meetings, calling, webinars, file sharing and Office/SharePoint integration in one app, plus an optional Copilot add-on. Broader than most peers, especially for Microsoft 365 organisations.
Why this score
A free tier, Essentials at $4 and Business Basic at $7 (annual billing) are inexpensive for the scope; real value depends on the Microsoft 365 plan an organisation already has. Monthly-billing prices were not verified.
Why this score
Capterra lists frequent glitches/crashes and resource-heavy, slow performance as top cons; G2 mentions slowness on older devices. Microsoft claimed the new Teams client was twice as fast (per Wikipedia). No independent benchmark data.
Why this score
Documentation, the Microsoft Q&A community and paid-plan support exist; the sources read gave no per-plan support details or specific support-satisfaction data.
Why this score
Microsoft states it does not use chat, call or email content to target ads and offers a privacy dashboard with export and delete rights. Marked down because the general statement covers broad data collection, personalised ads and AI training on data that is often de-identified, and Teams-specific details were not cross-checked.
What users say
- App Store (United States)4.8/5 · 3,384,338
- App Store (Vietnam)4.6/5 · 119,345
- Google Play (United States)4.7/5 · 8,851,729
- G24.4/5 · 17,476
- Capterra4.5/5 · 11,019
Sources
- Vendor-providedMicrosoft Teams pricing for business (comparison page)Nov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedMicrosoft Teams Essentials pageNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedFree Microsoft TeamsNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedMicrosoft 365 Business StandardNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedMicrosoft 365 Business PremiumNov 10, 2026
- Vendor-providedMicrosoft Privacy StatementNov 10, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (United States)Nov 10, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (Vietnam)Nov 10, 2026
- storeGoogle Play listing (United States)Nov 10, 2026
- Community-reportedWikipedia: Microsoft TeamsNov 10, 2026
- review-siteG2 Microsoft Teams reviewsNov 10, 2026
- review-siteCapterra Microsoft Teams reviewsNov 10, 2026
- pressOffice Watch: Microsoft 365 business price increase 2026Nov 10, 2026
Specs & compatibility
- Developer
- Microsoft Corporation
- Headquarters
- United States
- Launched
- 2017
- Category
- Business
Capabilities
- AI features
- Real-time collaboration
- Integrations
- Mobile app
- Public API
- Templates
Platforms
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- macOS
Interface languages
- Vietnamese
- English
- Japanese
- Chinese
- Spanish
- French
- Korean
- German
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Thai
- Indonesian
Integrations
- Microsoft 365
- Outlook
- SharePoint
- OneDrive
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
Support
- Help center
- Community forum
- Live chat
- Phone
Change history
- Update.Classic Teams clients for Windows and macOS are discontinued.
- Update.Teams reaches 360 million monthly active users.
- Company.The European Commission charges Microsoft with antitrust violations over bundling Teams with Office.
Full change history (8)
- Company.Skype for Business is retired, as announced in September 2019, in favour of Teams.
- Update.Teams reaches 75 million daily active users, up from 32 million on 12 March 2020.
- Feature.A free version of Teams launches with most core features, limited by user and storage caps.
- Launch.Teams launches worldwide.
- Launch.Microsoft announces Teams as a direct competitor to Slack.
About the author
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