As now it has become the age of remote and mobile work, team collaboration applications or tools are gaining popularity that can provide access to crucial features for employees to work together virtually from instant messaging to video conferencing.
Zoom and Microsoft Teams are two of the key competitors in the market that vows to offer an excellent solution to the demand for collaboration.
Zoom vs Microsoft Teams
The main difference between Zoom and Microsoft Teams is that Zoom is a web conferencing software that provides high-quality video and audio conferencing both internally and externally. On the other hand, Microsoft Team is a collaboration tool designed to improve internal communications.
Comparison Table Between Zoom and Microsoft Teams
| Parameter of Comparison | Zoom | Microsoft Teams |
| Primary Use | It is primarily used for video conferencing. | Its is primarily used of team collaboration. |
| Interface | It is easy to use. | It is slightly difficult to navigate. |
| Participants | It enables 100 participants at a time. | It enables 250 participants at a time |
| Time | It gives 40 minutes for a free account and 24 hours for a pro account. | It has no time limit. |
| Access | Allows the use of meeting password. | It doesn’t provide the feature of setting a password. |
| Screen Sharing | Multiple people can share their screen at the same time. | Meeting owner/host can configure it. |
| Background Blur | It does not provide the feature of background blur. | It gives the feature of background blur. |
| Integration | It is Integrated with Gmail. | It is fully integrated with Microsoft 365. |
| Meeting Control | It allows muting all participants by providing the option to prevent the participants to unmute them. | It allows muting all participants but does not give the option to prevent the participants from unmuting them. |
What is Zoom?
Zoom is currently the leading cloud-based videoconferencing application that enables people to set up live chats – both audio and video.
It is primarily used by businessmen to conduct meetings and webinars internally and externally. However, other fields have also started preferring Zoom calls. Classes of schools and colleges, press conferences, etc also take place via the platform.
Zoom has a few benefits that make it handy to its users.
Its application is available for desktop or PC (Windows and macOS) and mobile (Android and iOS). This flexibility is one of the plus points it has for its users that they can do their work from wherever they want with their comfort.
Talking about using it via smartphone, doesn’t make its users to sacrifice any of the key features like screen sharing, virtual background, etc.
The application also gives one-on-one videoconferencing feature like any other normal video call apps.
What Is Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams is chiefly formed as a platform dedicated for business communication which is fully integrated with Microsoft 365 products.
Released in 2016, Microsoft Teams is a chat-based collaboration tool that enables an organisation to work together and share information despite geographical boundaries.
Here, its users can utilise features like document collaboration, team chat, one-on-one chat and other things.
As aforementioned that it is integrated with Microsoft 365 services, so it is also linked with Skype, Exchange, Yammer and SharePoint.Like every other normal chatting applications, it has also a feature to interact with emojis or GIFs over chat section. Here messages can be sent privately to a specific user and not in the group.
Its Live Events feature has the ability to provide its users to broadcast to 10,000 participants on Teams.
Microsoft Teams is available on both Android and iOS with texting, voice conversation or video meeting facility.
Main Differences Between Zoom and Microsoft Teams
- Zoom can be integrated with Google Calendar. Whereas, Microsoft Teams is integrated with Outlook Calendar.
- Zoom can be used for both external and internal meetings. On the other hand, Microsoft Teams only conducts internal meetings.
- Zoom’s interface is easy. Whereas, Microsoft Teams is a bit complex.
- Zoom supports Google Chrome browser, whereas Microsoft Teams supports MS Edge and Google Chrome browser both.
- With a free package, Zoom provides 40 minutes of the time limit and with a paid package, 24 hours. On the other hand, Microsoft Teams has no time limit.
- Zoom allows 100 participants at a time, whereas Microsoft Teams allows 250 participants at a time.
- On Zoom, multiple people can share their screen online at the same time. Whereas on Microsoft Teams, this feature can be configured by the host.
- In Zoom, the meeting host gets a feature to mute all the participants and prevent them to unmute them. Whereas, in Microsoft Teams, it allows the host to mute all the participants l, but does not give the option to prevent the participants from unmuting them.
- Zoom provides the feature of password to get access in the meeting. Whereas Microsoft Teams does not provide this option.
Conclusion
It’s difficult to put one on top than the other, as it depends on the needs and requirements of an organisation.
Talking of Microsoft Teams, it is excellent of internal communication, file or document sharing. It also provides the benefit of easy chatting that helps the organisation to keep its team on the same page.
On the contrary, Zoom can be referred for people or organisation who often wants to work with external publics like clients or contractors.
Both Zoom and Microsoft Teams offer their services to all devices. Their applications are office-friendly with a free version so that their users can take a demo before they invest.
Choosing one of two can also be done by looking at the strength a firm has, as it will be easy to lock all at one screen, instead of keeping different meetings for large strength organisations.
So, both Zoom and Microsoft Teams give neck-to-neck fight to each other and it depends on the needs, requirements and situation of an organisation to go ahead with.
References
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01587919.2020.1821607
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01587919.2020.1821607