Today’s employees expect flexibility in their working arrangements; in fact, 81% of employed Americans expect their employers to continue supporting remote work in some form, and as such, CIOs need the right remote and hybrid working digital tools to support these needs.
Enter Microsoft Teams, a powerful collaboration platform that enables teams to stay connected, share files, and collaborate in a secure environment, no matter their physical location.
For organizations looking to enhance their collaboration capabilities, Microsoft Teams has two main versions: paid and free. Both versions offer a range of features and benefits, but it’s important to understand the differences between the two to ensure that you’re selecting the best option for your organization.
What is Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams is a communication and collaboration platform that helps groups stay organized and connected. It is part of the Microsoft Office 365 suite, or as a standalone service, and is available in both free and paid versions.
Teams is a powerful tool for communication, collaboration, and file sharing, and it allows users to create channels for discussion and shared documents. Teams also offers a number of other features, including video conferencing, task management, and integration with third-party applications.
Overview of Teams Free
The free version of Teams offers a number of basic features for communication and collaboration. It allows users to create up to 500 channels, send messages, and share files. It also includes basic audio and video conferencing capabilities, task management, and the ability to integrate with third-party applications.
The free sign-up includes:
- Unlimited one-on-one meetings for up to 30 hours long
- Unlimited group meetings for up to 60 minutes
- Up to 100 participants per meeting
- 5GB of cloud storage per user
- Unlimited chat with co-workers and clients
- File sharing, tasks, and polling
- Data encryption for meetings, chats, calls, and files
- Live captions (English) in meetings
Pros and cons of Teams Free
- Free to use
- Easily accessible
- Includes basic features for communication and collaboration
Cons
- Limited file storage
- Lack of advanced features
Overview of Teams Paid
Microsoft Teams Essentials offers a number of more advanced features for communication and collaboration than the free version. This plan allows users to create an unlimited number of channels, send messages, and share files. It also includes advanced audio and video conferencing capabilities, task management, and the ability to integrate with third-party applications.
The paid subscription to Microsoft Teams includes:
- Everything offered in the free version
- Unlimited group meetings for up to 30 hours
- Up to 300 participants per meeting
- 10GB of cloud storage per user
- Anytime phone and web support
Microsoft 365 offers several subscription plans that include Teams and its more advanced features than the single service paid subscription. The two most popular subscriptions which include Teams are Microsoft 365 Business Basics and Microsoft 365 Business Standard.
The Teams features and tools included in these two plans are:
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
- Everything offered in Teams Essentials
- Collaborative annotations in Teams meetings
- Live captions in meetings (over 30 languages)
- Team meetings recordings with transcripts
- 1TB of cloud storage per user
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
- Everything offered in Business Basic
- Webinar hosting
- Manage client appointments
Pros and cons of Teams Paid
Microsoft Teams Paid has a number of advantages, including the fact that it offers advanced features, an unlimited number of channels, and the ability to integrate with third-party applications. However, there are also some drawbacks, such as the cost and the complexity of the features.
Pros
- Advanced features
- Much greater file storage capabilities
- Ability to integrate with third-party applications
Cons
- Higher cost
- Complexity of features
Comparison of Teams Free VS Paid
When it comes to comparing Microsoft Teams Free and Paid plans, the main difference is the features they offer. Microsoft Teams Free offers a limited number of features, while Microsoft Teams Paid offers a number of more advanced features, such as more cloud storage and anytime support.
Crucially, the free version only allows group meetings up to 60 minutes, which could present some issues if you regularly conduct virtual meetings.
Which version is right for you?
The answer to this question depends on your needs and budget. If you are looking for a free, easy-to-use collaboration platform with basic features such as chat and file sharing, then Microsoft Teams Free may be the right choice for you.
However, if you need advanced features, more file storage, unlimited group meeting time, and the ability to integrate with third-party applications, then Microsoft Teams Paid may be the better choice. Microsoft offers several different paid subscriptions, so you can pick and choose what is best for your business needs.
Find the right Microsoft Teams plan for your needs
Microsoft Teams is a powerful collaboration platform that can help teams stay organized and connected. It is available in both free and paid versions, and each has its own set of features, pros, and cons.
The Microsoft specialists at Jelia Technology Solutions can help you decide which version is right for your team, deploy the solution, train your users, and manage the service for optimal performance.
