Communication · alternatives
Alternatives to Microsoft Teams
22 communication tools sit alongside Microsoft Teams in this directory. Below is what separates each from Microsoft Teams on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 22
- With a free tier
- 18
- Cheaper to start
- 3
- Microsoft Teams starts at
- Free, then $4/month
Why people look past Microsoft Teams
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Microsoft Teams entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
Cost climbs steeply across the tiers
Microsoft Teams publishes 4 tiers, from Free up to $12.5/month. Teams that outgrow the entry plan can find the next rung a large step, the Microsoft Teams pricing page breaks each one down.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Video conferencing that's easy, reliable, and secure
- Starts $10.99 a month dearer, at $14.99/month.
A simpler, smarter way to work
- Starts $9.5 a month dearer, at $13.5/month.
Get on a video call in seconds
- Starts $0.7599999999999998 a month dearer, at €4.76/month.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
- 5 tiers to Microsoft Teams's 4.
Messaging app that dominates Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, now run by LY Corporation under joint SoftBank and Naver ownership
- Sold on a Free to download, paid stickers and business messaging tiers model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to Microsoft Teams's 4.
Chinese super-app combining messaging, payments, mini programs and identity, effectively required infrastructure in mainland China
- Sold on a Free to download, transaction fees on payments model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to Microsoft Teams's 4.
Meta's standalone messaging app for Facebook, with end to end encryption on by default since 2023
- Sold on a Free, funded by Meta's advertising business model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to Microsoft Teams's 4.
Every Microsoft Teams alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams (this page) | Free, then $4/month | Subscription | 4 | |
| ZoomLeading video conferencing platform with superior meeting quality and video reliability, widely adopted for large-scale meetings and external communication. | Free, then $14.99/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Webex by CiscoUnified communications platform with strong video, phone, and recording capabilities, offering more flexible meeting and channel management than Teams. | Free, then $13.5/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Google MeetIntegrated collaboration tool within Google Workspace with simpler UX, automatic calendar integration, and less resource-heavy than Teams. | Free, then €4.76/month | Freemium | 5 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Line | Free | Free to download, paid stickers and business messaging tiers | 1 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Free | Free to download, transaction fees on payments | 1 | vs Microsoft Teams | |
| Messenger | Free | Free, funded by Meta's advertising business | 1 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Viber | Free | Free to download, paid business messaging and out calls to landlines and mobiles | 1 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| KakaoTalk | Free | Free to download, paid emoticons, gifting and business messaging | 1 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Sessions | Free | Per user per month | 4 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Naver Works | Free, then 3000/month | Per user per month | 4 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Kakao Work | Free, then 2400/month | Per user per month | 4 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Novu | Free, then $30/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Courier | Free | Usage-based | 3 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Textline | Free | Freemium | 3 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Telegram | Free, then $4.99/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Twist | Free, then $6/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Vowel | Free, then $16.49/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Disciple | £599/month | Per month, flat fee with no transaction charge | 3 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Gupshup | $0.001/message | Per message sent | 1 | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Mattermost | On request | Quote | - | vs Microsoft Teams |
| Google Chat | On request | Subscription | - | vs Microsoft Teams |
| LINE WORKS | Free, then 450/month | Per user per month | 3 | vs Microsoft Teams |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Microsoft Teams badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (18)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Zoom , Free, then $14.99/month
- Webex by Cisco , Free, then $13.5/month
- Google Meet , Free, then €4.76/month
- Line , Free
- WeChat , Free
- Messenger , Free
- Viber , Free
- KakaoTalk , Free
What you would be giving up
Microsoft Teams is most often brought in for remote meetings, team collaboration, document sharing, project management, webinars. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Microsoft Teams is broadly right and the question is cost, the Microsoft Teams pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Communication category lists everything the directory holds, and best communication tools ranks them.
Microsoft Teams runs on web, windows, macos, ios, android. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Microsoft Teams alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Microsoft Teams?
- 22 other communication tools are listed in this directory, led by Zoom, Webex by Cisco, Google Meet, Line. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Microsoft Teams?
- 18 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Zoom, Webex by Cisco, Google Meet, Line, WeChat.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Microsoft Teams?
- Yes. 3 of the alternatives below start under Microsoft Teams's $4/month: Courier at Free, Textline at Free, Gupshup at $0.001/message.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Microsoft Teams?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: cost climbs steeply across the tiers. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Microsoft Teams?
- Microsoft Teams is most often brought in for remote meetings, team collaboration, document sharing, project management, webinars. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Microsoft Teams?
- None of the communication tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Microsoft Teams alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Communication, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Microsoft Teams against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Microsoft Teams covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every communication tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Communication category, 22 tools beside Microsoft Teams. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.