Zoom vs Teams is a meeting app against a workspace. Zoom Workplace is built around video meetings, with a free Basic plan for unlimited meetings of up to 40 minutes and 100 participants, and paid plans for meetings up to 30 hours. Microsoft Teams comes with Microsoft 365 business plans and combines chat, teams, channels and meetings for up to 300 people on business plans. If you live in Outlook and Office, Teams fits; if you mainly meet clients, Zoom's simpler.
Zoom and Teams compared
| Zoom | Microsoft Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | Video meetings, plus Zoom Chat, Docs, Whiteboard and Clips | Chat, teams and channels, with meetings built in |
| Free option | Basic: unlimited 40-minute meetings for up to 100 participants | Microsoft offers a free version; check its current limits on Microsoft's site |
| Meeting length | Up to 30 hours on paid plans | 30 hour limit on meetings and events |
| Meeting size | 100 participants on Basic and Pro, more with Large Meeting add-ons | Up to 300 people on Microsoft 365 Business plans and Teams Essentials; up to 1,000 on some enterprise plans |
| Guests | Participants can join without a Zoom account | Shared channels with people from other organisations' work or school accounts |
| Recording | Local recording; cloud storage of 10 GB per user on Pro | Recordings up to 4 hours or 1.5 GB each, then they restart |
Plan details are as Zoom's pages and Microsoft Learn stated them, as of October 2026. Zoom's pricing page lists Pro for 1 to 99 users, billed per user; check it in your currency.
The catch with Zoom's free plan
Zoom's Basic plan lets you host as many meetings as you like, but each one is capped at 40 minutes. Zoom says paid Pro, Business and Enterprise accounts remove the 40-minute limit. For quick check-ins that's fine; for a client discovery call or a training session it'll cut you off mid-sentence. Basic also limits the extras: up to 10 shared docs, 3 editable whiteboards and 5 two-minute Clips, and AI meeting summaries for 3 hosted meetings a month.
The catch with Teams: meeting links expire
This one surprises people who reuse old invites. Microsoft Learn says newly created Teams meeting links expire: a one-time scheduled meeting 60 days after its scheduled time, and a recurring meeting with no end date 1 year after it was last accessed, joined or updated. Joining or updating a meeting before then adds another 60 days. Once a meeting expires, people can't join using the link.
Teams also retired its old live events on 30 June 2026. Microsoft recommends the unified Teams events experience, such as town halls, for large audiences instead.
Zoom's advantages
- Easy for outsiders. Participants can join a Zoom meeting without a Zoom account.
- A free plan that works for short calls: unlimited meetings for up to 100 people.
- Meeting features first. Paid plans include cloud recording, telephone dial-in (toll-based) and AI meeting notes.
What Teams adds
- Everything in one place. Teams and channels for ongoing work, with up to 25,000 members in a team and 1,000 channels per team.
- Bigger meetings on business plans. Up to 300 people on Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium, and Teams Essentials.
- Microsoft 365 integration. Chats are stored in Exchange Online mailboxes, which admins can search and place on hold.
What to check first
- Does your business already pay for Microsoft 365? If so, check whether your plan already includes Teams.
- Are most of your meetings with clients outside the business, or with your own team?
- How long are your typical calls? Anything over 40 minutes needs a paid Zoom plan.
- Do you need ongoing team chat, or just meetings?
Running webinars too? Here's how to host a webinar using common video tools, and if neither app fits, our guide to the best video conferencing software covers the rest.
Do you make video meeting or collaboration software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Zoom or Teams: my take
If you're a Microsoft 365 business, use Teams for your own team and only add Zoom if clients struggle to join. If you're a solo business or consultant who mostly meets clients, Zoom's the simpler tool, but budget for a paid plan the moment your calls run past 40 minutes. Either way, send fresh links for important meetings rather than reusing old ones.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zoom free?
Yes. Zoom's Basic plan is free and lets you host unlimited meetings for up to 100 participants, but each meeting is limited to 40 minutes.
How many people can join a Teams meeting?
On Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium, and Microsoft Teams Essentials, you can host meetings and video calls for up to 300 people. Some enterprise plans raise this to 1,000.
How long can a Zoom meeting last?
On the free Basic plan, 40 minutes. Paid plans extend meetings up to 30 hours.
Do Teams meeting links expire?
Yes. A one-time scheduled meeting link expires 60 days after the scheduled time, and joining or updating the meeting before then adds another 60 days.
Can people join Zoom without an account?
Yes. Zoom says participants can join a meeting without a Zoom account.
