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Telecommunications · head to head

Five9 vs Microsoft Teams Live Events

Five9 logo

Five9

Telecommunications

Intelligent cloud contact center

From
$149/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Teams Live Events logo

Microsoft Teams Live Events

Webinar & Virtual Events

Enterprise live event and webinar platform by Microsoft

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Teams Live Events has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Five9 a 50 seat minimum applies to the published rates, so the entry cost on the $119 Digital plan is $5,950 a month; Microsoft Teams Live Events teams live events retired on June 30, 2026, and only events scheduled before that date remain supported through February 28, 2027
  • They diverge on capability: Five9 covers Intelligent routing, Microsoft Teams Live Events covers Live Q&A.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Five9 and Microsoft Teams Live Events actually diverge.

Attributes where Five9 and Microsoft Teams Live Events differ
AttributeFive9Microsoft Teams Live Events
Starting price$149/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, DesktopWindows, Mac, IOS, Android, Web
CategoryTelecommunicationsWebinar & Virtual Events
Founded20011975

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Five9

  • Intelligent routing
  • IVR
  • ACD
  • Dialer
  • WFM
  • Quality management
  • Analytics
  • Salesforce

Only in Microsoft Teams Live Events

  • Live Q&A
  • Attendee engagement
  • RTMP support
  • Recording
  • Microsoft 365 integration
  • Microsoft 365
  • Azure
  • SharePoint

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Five9

  • Cloud contact centre across voice, chat, email and social messagingnot Microsoft Teams Live Events
  • Routing and managing high volume customer interactionsnot Microsoft Teams Live Events

Microsoft Teams Live Events

  • One to many broadcast of company town halls to large internal audiencesnot Five9
  • Streaming an externally produced RTMP feed from a hardware encoder to Teams viewersnot Five9

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Five9

  • A 50 seat minimum applies to the published rates, so the entry cost on the $119 Digital plan is $5,950 a month
  • Prices are per concurrent user rather than per named agent, which changes what a seat means when shifts overlap
  • Voice is excluded from the Digital plan and requires a quote
  • Usage based charges apply on top of the per seat rate
  • Three of the five tiers publish no price at all

Microsoft Teams Live Events

  • Teams live events retired on June 30, 2026, and only events scheduled before that date remain supported through February 28, 2027
  • Microsoft directs users to the separate unified Teams events experience instead
  • Organizers must use the Teams web client to schedule a live event; scheduling is not available in the desktop client
  • Users cannot schedule meetings or live events when offline or running with limited bandwidth
  • Keeping internal broadcast traffic off the corporate network requires an eCDN, either Microsoft's own or a certified partner such as Hive, Kollective or Ramp

Pricing, plan by plan

Five9

$149/month
  • Core$149/month
    • Inbound/outbound
    • IVR
    • Basic CTI
  • Premium$169/month
    • Core + Chat/email
    • Quality management
  • Optimum$199/month
    • Premium + WFM
    • Proactive chat
  • Ultimate$229/month
    • Full suite
    • Advanced analytics

Microsoft Teams Live Events

Free
  • Microsoft Teams FreeFree
    • Up to 300 participants
    • Live events
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic$6/month
    • Enhanced live events
    • 10000 attendees
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard$12.5/month
    • Advanced features
    • Unlimited events

Which should you pick?

Choose Five9 if

  • You need intelligent routing.
  • You work on Web, Desktop.
  • You also want ivr.
Five9 review

Choose Microsoft Teams Live Events if

  • You need live q&a.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, IOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want attendee engagement.
Microsoft Teams Live Events review

Questions people ask

Is Five9 or Microsoft Teams Live Events better?
Neither clearly leads. Five9 starts at $149/month and Microsoft Teams Live Events at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Five9 or Microsoft Teams Live Events?
Microsoft Teams Live Events has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $149/month for Five9 and Free for Microsoft Teams Live Events.
Does Five9 or Microsoft Teams Live Events run on more platforms?
Five9 runs on Web, Desktop. Microsoft Teams Live Events runs on Windows, Mac, IOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Microsoft Teams Live Events for free?
Yes. Microsoft Teams Live Events has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Five9 starts at $149/month.
What is Five9 best used for?
Five9 is most often used for cloud contact centre across voice, chat, email and social messaging, routing and managing high volume customer interactions. Of those, cloud contact centre across voice, chat, email and social messaging and routing and managing high volume customer interactions are not what Microsoft Teams Live Events is typically brought in for.
What can Five9 do that Microsoft Teams Live Events cannot?
Five9 covers Intelligent routing, IVR, ACD, Dialer. Microsoft Teams Live Events covers Live Q&A, Attendee engagement, RTMP support, Recording. Both handle Web support.
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Related pages

More on Five9

More on Microsoft Teams Live Events

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