Zoom and Microsoft Teams are both popular online platforms supporting remote work and collaboration, but they’re vastly different from each other. Each one offers unique features and benefits. A brief side-by-side comparison can be helpful in evaluating the two. Pricing, features, and ease of use are all important considerations when choosing one that best meets your needs. You’ll also learn more about virtual meeting branding & customization in each app.
Platform Features
Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform with chat, channels, virtual meetings, and outbound calling. It also offers file sharing and integrates with other Microsoft productivity apps. Teams has several security features such as end-to-end encryption and single sign-on.
Meanwhile, Zoom is a bit more narrow in scope and function. As a communication platform, it offers video conferencing, chat, and file-sharing features. It’s not as robust as Teams, but it’s not meant to be. With its key focus on helping users connect, it’s ideal for users who already have their preferred office productivity apps.
Services and Pricing
Microsoft Teams is included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Businesses that do not have 365 subscriptions can get Microsoft Teams Essentials for $4 per user per month. The Essentials plan includes unlimited group meetings for up to 30 hours and a maximum of 300 participants per meeting. Business Basic and Standard plans incorporate these features plus services such as Microsoft Whiteboard, collaborative annotations, and recordings with transcripts.
Zoom’s basic plan is free and includes meetings up to 40 minutes long and 100 attendees per meeting. Basic users also get whiteboard access and team chat plus a mail and calendar client. Advanced plans include Pro, Business, and Business Plus ranging between $15.99 and $25.99. Business and Business Plus members also get cloud storage and can have up to 300 attendees per meeting.
Using Virtual Backgrounds
Microsoft Teams and Zoom support virtual backgrounds of all kinds. You can take advantage of this feature by using a logo-branded backdrop. Both platforms support similar file types, so the best Teams virtual backgrounds will also work on Zoom. VirtualOffice offers many modern backgrounds including conference rooms, workspaces, and private offices. In just a few minutes, you can quickly and easily integrate your company’s logo with any backdrop you like — no design experience needed.
Saving Custom Backgrounds
Thankfully, you don’t have to change your background image every time you join a Zoom or Teams call. Once you upload an image and select it for a call, it remains your default virtual backdrop. This is especially helpful if you use logo-branded professional Teams backgrounds. Unless you want to use a different image, your default backdrop is always ready. That’s one less thing you need to remember before an important meeting.
Software Vs. In-Browser
Zoom and Teams have desktop clients. However, they also let you access their services from a web browser. You can use most if not all features through your browser, including virtual backgrounds. This capability allows added convenience and flexibility.
As two of the largest video conference tools available, Teams and Zooms help people connect, collaborate, and get work done. Useful features such as whiteboards, chat, and virtual backgrounds improve communication, sharing, and productivity.
