Microsoft Teams is a powerful communication platform loaded with features and integrations. The good news is that up to 24 users can use MS Teams for free for their team communication efforts. Paid plans come with more robust benefits. Many want to know about Microsoft Teams Free Vs. Paid. In this post, you will learn about some of the differences between Microsoft Teams free vs. paid and when it is worth it to upgrade.
What is MS Teams Free?
Microsoft Teams Free is a free version of Microsoft’s collaboration tool, which lets teams collaborate in real-time on their projects, chat and share files. The program has all the features needed to organize a project but needs some enterprise features, such as advanced search and unlimited storage space.
- Real-time chat
- Video calls and screen sharing
- Share files and links with anyone in your organization
- Share notes with your team
- Stay on top of conversations with notifications for important events and updates.
- The user cannot create or join channels on mobile devices. They can only access them from a web browser or desktop.
- Limited to 10 users per team, and no guest accounts are allowed.
- Free users are limited to using only up to 300 participants in a single chat room. This includes direct messages and mentions—they count toward your limit.
- Free users can’t create polls on their channel pages or share files larger than 100MB
- Free users don’t get access to most of the apps that come with MS teams paid, including Salesforce and ServiceNow.
- The free version of MS Teams has a 1GB limit on file storage per user.
- The free version does not come with the right to use Office 365 software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
What is MS Teams Paid?
MS Teams paid has all the same features as its free counterpart but includes unlimited storage space and advanced search capabilities. This app version gives you access to advanced features like deep integration with Outlook and Office 365, added security, and more control over your team’s data.
- Unlimited chat messages, files, and channels (2GB per user)
- Unlimited number of people in a group chat
- Unlimited number of files stored in the team drive (up to 5 TB)
- You can add up to 100 admins and assistants to your team.
- Ability to add users to your team. You can invite someone or add them using their email address.
- Ability to schedule meetings and events, which is something that you cannot do in the accessible version of MS teams
- MS Teams also has a built-in calendar that allows you to plan for future meetings and determine who will be attending so that you can notify them if necessary.
- Ability to add documents and files directly into chat messages so that they become part of those conversations
- Has the right to use Office 365 software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other apps
- If you want to add more people or upgrade your subscription, you can purchase an MS Teams paid plan. This allows you to use the service with up to 5,000 people and add features like HD video conferencing, PSTN calling, and 24/7 support.
The bottom line is Microsoft Teams comes with a free and a paid offering, each offering unique features to users. The question is whether the free or the paid version will achieve optimal functionality. The easy answer is that they both have features that can be useful to small businesses in different categories. Microsoft Teams allows your company to host a team chat across other platforms. Whether you use it to chat with coworkers on specific projects or collaborate during meetings, Teams will enable businesses to work more efficiently and stay in touch with one another.
Still, have questions about how your company may benefit from acquiring paid features of MS teams? Beyontel is an experienced vendor-agnostic IT consulting company specializing in VoIP technology and cloud-based unified communications. Contact us today to understand how this tool may work for you!
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