Microsoft Teams

Companies already paying for Microsoft 365 that need chat, video calls, and file collaboration without adding another vendor

Communication ★★★★☆ 4.2/5 Free plan available, Microsoft 365 Business Basic from $6/user/month Visit Website

Bundled at no extra cost with every Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise license, saving $8-12/user vs. adding Slack separately
Co-author Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in real time without leaving the Teams window via embedded SharePoint tabs
Meetings support up to 300 participants on free and 1,000 on Business Basic, with live captions in 30+ languages
Teams Phone System replaces traditional PBX with PSTN calling, call queues, and auto-attendants starting at $8/user/month add-on
Copilot in Teams generates meeting summaries, action items, and follow-up tasks from transcript data in real time

Desktop app regularly consumes 800MB-1.5GB of RAM even when idle, causing slowdowns on machines with 8GB or less
Notification settings are split across Activity, Chat, Channel, and per-meeting controls with no single unified preferences pane
Guest access for external collaborators requires Azure AD configuration and cannot share files from private channels
Mobile app lacks full Whiteboard, Loops, and breakout room creation available on desktop

Key Features

Persistent chat threads organized by Teams and Channels with @mentions, priority notifications, and message pinning
Video conferencing with Together Mode, virtual backgrounds, live reactions, and recording to OneDrive or SharePoint
Teams Loops for real-time co-editing of tables, checklists, and notes that sync across Outlook and Teams
Power Automate integration for building no-code workflows triggered by Teams messages, approvals, or channel posts
Breakout rooms with automatic or manual participant assignment and timer controls
Walkie Talkie push-to-talk feature for frontline workers on mobile devices
Shifts scheduling module for hourly workforce management with swap requests and time-clock integration