Teams vs Zoom: A Feature-by-Feature Look

All right! Let's explore the debate about Microsoft Teams vs Zoom. Now, I know these two might seem confusing at first, but don’t worry—I’ll break it down in a super simple and casual way; no boring technical stuff, no confusing business talk—I promise! Ready?

Feel free to jump to the section of your choice:

• An overview of Microsoft Teams vs Zoom
• What are they good at?
• When to use which...
• What's their pricing like?
• What are the downsides of both?
• Which one shoudl you choose?
• How to use SurveySparrow to collect feedback 

 Let's get into it!

Microsoft Teams vs Zoom: The Basics

Let’s get started!

Think of Microsoft Teams as that one friend who’s got everything in their backpack. They’ve got notebooks, pens, snacks, headphones—you name it, they’ve got it all. Zoom, on the other hand, is like the friend who brings the killer playlist.

They’re really good at one thing—connecting people with video calls—and they do it so well that everyone wants to hang out with them for that reason. So, when you compare Zoom and Teams, you’ll see that while both are excellent, their strengths lie in slightly different areas.

Teams is part of the whole Microsoft 365 package, so if you’ve used Word, Excel, or Outlook before, you’re already kinda familiar with the vibe. Zoom, on the other hand, popped onto the scene as the video-calling champion, especially when we all started working and learning from home.

If you had to compare Zoom to Teams side by side, you’d quickly notice that Teams has a broader set of tools, while Zoom focuses primarily on being the best at video meetings.

What Are They Good At?

Here we go! 

Microsoft Teams: The All-In-One Package

So, let's talk about Microsoft Teams first. If you are the kind of person who keeps everything in one place, such as that super-organized friend who color-codes his folders, then Teams is for you.

• You could have chat threads, video calls, file sharing, or even integrations with other Microsoft apps all in one space. It is like having the command center for work or school life.
• The difference, therefore, when people tend to compare Teams with Zoom, is that Teams is more about offering other aspects rather than just video calling; it's built for collaboration.
• Think of working on a group project: Instead of having to bounce among email threads, Google Docs, and various chat apps, Teams is where everything is housed.
• You're able to speak with your teammates, video call them, and work on the project files without ever having to leave the app.
• This is where the battle of MS Teams vs Zoom gets interesting, as Teams is a bit like an all-in-one workspace, while Zoom is more about making your video calls smooth and simple.

But wait, there's more. You know how you're on a call and someone says, "I'll send you that file later," then forgets, leaving you high and dry?

Under Teams, you can just drop the file in during the chat of the meeting. Bam! Nobody's bothering people afterward, and everybody has what they need. The difference hits home when you pitch Teams against Zoom regarding inbuilt features on file sharing and collaboration.

Zoom: The Video Call Pro

To begin with, Zoom. Zoom is the life of the video-calling party. It's like that one app that nails video calls: it's clear as science, easy to set up, and teeming with features that make it perfect for meetings, webinars, and virtual hangouts. 

• If you've ever been on a call where someone has a beach or outer space behind them, then you've seen Zoom's Virtual background feature in action.
• When you pit Zoom against Teams, you often come out with Zoom shining in relation to video quality or ease of use.
• You have a family reunion that you are trying to plan out, but everyone is spread around the country—or the world. You would use Zoom to get them all together. That's the beauty of Zoom: super simple to set up a meeting—somebody sends you a link, you click it and, boom, you're in.
• Even Grandma, who struggles with tech, can hop on a Zoom call without an issue. This often tips the scales when people compare Zoom and Microsoft Teams for everyday users, especially Zoom users, wanting something quick and simple.
• Plus, Zoom works for large groups, which is great. Have you ever tried to keep up with a video call of, like 50 people? In Zoom, it can actually be sorta manageable.
• There’s a grid view, so you can see everybody's face at once; well, unless there are too many people, then you scroll through pages like a giant digital yearbook.

And the breakout rooms? It's like breaking a big party into small groups, in that you can talk more easily without all the racket. Why, if you have a Zoom vs. Microsoft Teams comparison, for greater virtual events or webinars, Zoom will always be the winner.

Read More: Zoom Incebreakers

When to Use Which?

Comparing Zoom with Teams, you'll find Teams does provide those types of organized spaces for projects, while Zoom really just sticks to meetings.

Teams: Great for Collaboration

If you are a person who generally would love to work along with others—or at least must work with several others—then Team is it.

• Think of this as your virtual office where you can discuss with your colleagues, share documents, and set meetings right from your computer from anywhere in the world. Ideal for offices or schools where just calling over a video isn't enough.
• You jump into a quick chat, schedule a meeting, and even create to-do lists or shared calendars. That flexibility is what makes Teams, as opposed to Zoom, distinct in regard to collaboration.
• A practical example: Imagine yourself involved in a marketing campaign with a team that includes designers, writers, and managers, all of whom need updates.

On Teams, you could have different channels for each part of the campaign—designs, contents, approvals—and everyone would know precisely where they find what they are looking for. It's like turning chaos into order.

Zoom: The Video King

But if you are just looking to host a video call or a webinar, Zoom is your go-to. It's that app that got us all through the pandemic when everyone was working from home or taking classes online.

• If you're hosting a large event—like virtual workshops, birthday parties, or even company town halls—Zoom handles it with ease. With Zoom and Microsoft Teams, in general ease-of-use within video calls, Zoom is generally top of the pile.
• Imagine leading a virtual book club. With Zoom, you can easily invite everyone, you can eliminate participants if you have a discussion going on in the room because you know that someone always forgets to mute themselves, and you can even record the meeting for people who missed it.

Simple, clean—it just works. Comparing Teams and Zoom, Zoom often comes out more favourable when all you need is a simple, high-quality video call.

Pricing: Free vs Paid

Now, to the money part, because, let's be honest here, pricing can make or break a deal. Be it Teams versus Zoom, or even other apps like Google Meet, the pricing is often a huge role player in the decision-making process.

Teams: Free With a Bonus

Teams do have a free version, and since this tool is in the Microsoft ecosystem, perhaps you already can have most, if not all of the premium features if you use Microsoft 365 for work or school.

You get unlimited chat and file sharing, but larger teams or advanced features-like scheduling meetings-are going to take an upgrade.

For many people, though, the free version is sufficient. If you want to compare Microsoft Teams and Zoom based on pricing, Teams may dawn as the value winner, particularly if you are using Microsoft products.

Zoom: Free, But With Limits

Zoom has a pretty decent free version too, but there is a catch: group meetings are limited to 40 minutes.

Of course, if you are on the free plan, when the meeting hits 39 minutes, you get that awkward countdown and have to scramble around to wrap things up before the call gets cut off. The paid plans remove that limit and feature some add-ons, including cloud recording, webinars, and even more participants.

Zoom and Microsoft Teams have kept the free plan simple for Zoom, although with time restrictions put on the number available.

Real Talk: The Downsides

Okay, let's keep it real. No app is perfect, and both Teams vs Zoom have their quirks.

Microsoft Teams: Can Be Overwhelming for Simple Tasks

With Microsoft Teams, because it does so much, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Imagine walking into a room full of people talking, with emails flying and files scattered around. That's what Teams feels like if you're not organized.

If you're just looking to hop on a quick video call, MS Teams vs Zoom can feel like overkill because Teams has all of these extra features that it does: chat, file sharing, project management, etc.

Zoom: Great for Meetings, But That's About It

On the flip side, Zoom can feel a bit limited if you're trying to do more than just a video call. Sure, it's great for meetings, but if you are looking at a tool for everything else, like chatting with teammates or organizing files, Zoom simply isn't your best bet.

It's that friend who is amazing at one thing but doesn't really have much else going on. That is something you should know when comparing the two, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, against your needs.

Which One's for You?

How to choose in the Zoom vs Teams battle? Well, it depends on what you need.

Microsoft Teams

If you are working in a team environment, this tool should be your winner where communication and collaboration are both. It is like having an HQ digitally where everything is connected. When you compare Teams and Zoom, Teams really shines with its all-in-one approach.

Zoom

If you only want to connect with people via video—work meetings, online classes, or family hangouts—Zoom is the way to go. It is simple, clean, and it really just focuses on making awesome video calls.

Compare Zoom and Microsoft Teams, you might notice that Zoom is where it's at for pure video calling, while Teams is for more complex collaboration.

But hey, what about all that feedback you have collect after a call? Yes, both platforms have their own comment sections, but is that enough? It is easy for important stuff to get lost there! And we don't want that do we? Perhaps you can use SurveySparrow for your feedback collection process!

So, Why Should You Use SurveySparrow?

Because you get the best of both worlds and easy feedback collection! You cam integrate SurveySparrow with both Microsoft Teams and Zoom! 

While both the platforms excel in what they do, they lack built-in features for feedback collection. With SurveySparrow, you can create conversational forms and surveys, trigger short surveys right after a session, or share them later via the platfrom of your choice, collect the feedback, and analyze it with advanced tools! 

Say you just wrapped up a brainstorming session on either of the platforms. 

• With SurveySparrow you can trigger a short survey to capture everyone's thoughts and opinions immediately.
• Plus, there are 1000+ pre-designed templates that you can customize with multiple question types where you can include images, gifs, and videos to keep the audiences hooked.
• Personalization is key to engagement! Show questions based on previous answers using advanced skip and display logic along with question piping.
• The advanced analytics tools let you conduct text and Sentiment analysis, create report summaries and allows individual response editing.
• Oh and, there's one more thing! You can create and trigger Spotcheck for targeted insights. These are micro surveys that can be triggered based on user actions on your website and mobile apps.

While Teams and Zoom are great for meetings, SurveySparrow helps you understand how those meetings went!

Why don't you try it out for free today and see for yourself? 

Final Thoughts

At the end of it all, Microsoft Teams vs Zoom is all about what you need. If you want that one-stop-shop of collaboration, Teams is your man. But if you just need to connect face to face, or rather, screen to screen, Zoom has got your back.

Much like having to choose between two awesome friends, one super organised, the other throwing the best parties. So, the next time you go debating between Zoom vs Teams, remember if you need more than video calls, and you'll get your answer.