{
  "slug": "microsoft-teams",
  "name": "Microsoft Teams",
  "aliases": [
    "Teams"
  ],
  "vendor": {
    "name": "Microsoft Corporation",
    "slug": "microsoft",
    "website": "https://www.microsoft.com"
  },
  "homepage_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software",
  "docs_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/",
  "pricing_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-business-options",
  "privacy_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement",
  "product_type": "platform",
  "product_status": "active",
  "summary": "Microsoft's chat, meetings and calling hub integrated with Microsoft 365, SharePoint and Entra ID, extensible through Microsoft Graph and Teams apps",
  "description": "Microsoft Teams is Microsoft's collaboration hub combining persistent chat in teams and channels, video meetings and webinars, calling, file sharing backed by SharePoint and OneDrive, and tabs that embed Office documents, Planner, Loop components and third-party apps. It is licensed as part of Microsoft 365 suites or as a standalone plan, with a free tier for small groups, and it inherits identity, compliance, retention and data-loss policies from Microsoft 365 and Entra ID, which is why large organisations and universities standardise on it. Developers build bots, message extensions and tabs with the Teams platform, Bot Framework and Microsoft Graph APIs. Clients cover Windows, macOS, Linux (web), iOS, Android and browsers. The application is often criticised for client performance and interface complexity, external collaboration is more constrained than in Slack Connect, and it is cloud-only with administrative settings that can block integrations.",
  "capabilities": [
    "Teams and channels with threaded posts and chat",
    "Meetings, webinars and town halls with recording and transcription",
    "Calling and PSTN through Teams Phone",
    "Files in SharePoint and OneDrive with co-authoring",
    "Tabs, bots and message extensions via the Teams platform and Graph",
    "Compliance, retention and identity from Microsoft 365"
  ],
  "workflows": [
    "Run a course team with channels, assignments and recorded lectures",
    "Post alerts to a channel through an incoming webhook or Graph"
  ],
  "advantages": [
    "Bundled with Microsoft 365 licences",
    "Enterprise identity and compliance built in"
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Client performance and interface complexity",
    "External collaboration more constrained than some rivals",
    "Cloud-only and admin-gated integrations"
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
    "Microsoft account or Microsoft 365 tenant"
  ],
  "audiences": [
    "Organisations on Microsoft 365",
    "Universities and public bodies",
    "IT administrators"
  ],
  "alternatives": [
    "slack",
    "zoom",
    "google-workspace",
    "discord"
  ],
  "comparison_notes": "Slack has a more open integration culture and cross-company channels; Zoom is stronger as a standalone meeting product; Google Workspace offers Chat and Meet with the same bundled logic for Google-centric organisations. Discord is community-focused and free.",
  "categories": [
    {
      "slug": "collaboration-communication",
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "slug": "productivity-suites"
    }
  ],
  "tags": [
    "chat",
    "video-conferencing",
    "collaboration",
    "saas",
    "microsoft-365"
  ],
  "use_cases": [
    "collaborate",
    "teach-online"
  ],
  "operating_systems": [
    "web",
    "macos",
    "windows",
    "ios",
    "android"
  ],
  "execution_modes": [
    "cloud"
  ],
  "interfaces": [
    "web",
    "desktop",
    "mobile",
    "api"
  ],
  "deployment_models": [
    "saas"
  ],
  "integrations": [
    "SharePoint",
    "OneDrive",
    "Outlook",
    "Planner",
    "Power Automate",
    "Microsoft Graph",
    "Moodle"
  ],
  "data_formats": [
    "JSON (Graph API)",
    "MP4 recordings"
  ],
  "languages": [],
  "source_model": "proprietary",
  "pricing_model": [
    "freemium",
    "paid",
    "enterprise"
  ],
  "pricing_checked_at": "2026-11-02",
  "self_hostable": false,
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software",
      "type": "official_site",
      "supports": [
        "name",
        "summary"
      ],
      "checked_at": "2026-11-02",
      "title": "Microsoft Teams"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/",
      "type": "official_docs",
      "supports": [
        "capabilities",
        "integrations"
      ],
      "checked_at": "2026-11-02",
      "title": "Microsoft Teams documentation"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/platform/",
      "type": "official_docs",
      "supports": [
        "interfaces"
      ],
      "checked_at": "2026-11-02",
      "title": "Teams developer platform"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-business-options",
      "type": "pricing_page",
      "supports": [
        "pricing_model"
      ],
      "checked_at": "2026-11-02",
      "title": "Compare Microsoft Teams options"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "depth": "standard",
  "featured": false,
  "discovery_method": "editorial-research",
  "editorial_status": "reviewed",
  "visibility": "public",
  "author": "batch-F"
}