Microsoft Teams review

Microsoft Teams is the most complete Slack replacement for a small business that also needs proper video meetings. Microsoft's comparison page lists Teams Essentials at $4.00 a user a month, paid yearly, for chat, calling and video conferencing, with real-time collaboration through file sharing, tasks and polling. The same table gives every business plan a 300 participant capacity and a 30 hour maximum meeting length, and Essentials adds meeting recordings with transcripts, live captions in English and 10 GB of cloud storage per user. Microsoft 365 Business Basic costs $7.00 a user a month, paid yearly, and raises storage to 1 TB per user with web and mobile Office apps. Microsoft also lists over 250 integrated business apps for Teams and a free version of Teams. The limits are clear on the page: prices assume an annual subscription that auto renews, plans are sold for 1 to 300 employees, and the cheapest plan's 10 GB of storage per user is small next to Business Basic.

Who it is for

small businesses that want chat and long meetings at a low per user price

Price

Free version available; Teams Essentials $4.00 a user a month, paid yearly.

Microsoft Teams Essentials $4.00 user/month, paid yearly
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 14, 2026.

Key features

• Teams Essentials covers chat, calling and video conferencing for 1 to 300 employees
• Meetings of up to 30 hours with up to 300 participants
• Meeting recordings with transcripts and live captions in English
• 10 GB of cloud storage per user on Teams Essentials
• Over 250 integrated business apps for Teams

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Teams Essentials costs $4.00 a user a month, paid yearly
• Strength: Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7.00 a user a month adds 1 TB of cloud storage per user
• Strength: Data encryption for meetings, chats, calls and files
• Weakness: The $4.00 price is an annual subscription that auto renews
• Weakness: Business plans are sold for 1 to 300 employees
• Weakness: Teams Essentials storage is 10 GB per user, against 1 TB on Business Basic

Key facts

• Teams Essentials: $4.00 a user a month, paid yearly
• Business Basic: $7.00 a user a month, paid yearly
• Meeting limits: 300 participants, 30 hours
• Free version: Yes

Where it ranks

Microsoft Teams is No. 1 in our Best Slack Alternatives verdict and No. 2 in Best Zoom Alternatives.