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Webinars · head to head

Crowdcast vs Microsoft Teams Live Events

Crowdcast logo

Crowdcast

Webinars

Live video Q&As, interviews, and webinars

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Teams Live Events logo

Microsoft Teams Live Events

Webinars

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: Crowdcast monthly attendee and hour limits enforced per tier; 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: Crowdcast covers Live streaming, Microsoft Teams Live Events covers Live Q&A.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Crowdcast and Microsoft Teams Live Events differ
AttributeCrowdcastMicrosoft Teams Live Events
Starting price$49/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWindows, Mac, IOS, Android, Web
Founded20151975

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

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 Crowdcast

  • Live streaming
  • Q&A sessions
  • Polls
  • Multi-speaker
  • Replay library
  • Zapier
  • ConvertKit
  • Mailchimp

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.

Crowdcast

  • Live webinars and virtual eventsnot Microsoft Teams Live Events
  • Multichannel streaming with team collaborationnot Microsoft Teams Live Events
  • Audience engagement and monetizationnot Microsoft Teams Live Events

Microsoft Teams Live Events

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

Where each one falls short

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

Crowdcast

  • Monthly attendee and hour limits enforced per tier
  • Transaction fees apply (5% on Lite/Pro, 2% on Business plus Stripe fees)
  • Limited storage capacity: 1 GB (Lite), 5 GB (Pro), 10 GB (Business)
  • Extra attendees cost $0.15 each after plan limit
  • Extra hours cost $20 per 5 hours

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

Crowdcast

$49/month
  • Lite$49/month
    • 100+ live attendees
    • 10 hours per month
    • 1 team seat
  • Pro$89/month
    • 250+ live attendees
    • 20 hours per month
    • 2 team seats
  • Business$195/month
    • 1000+ live attendees
    • 40 hours per month
    • 4 team seats

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 Crowdcast if

  • You need live streaming.
  • You also want q&a sessions.
Crowdcast 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 Crowdcast or Microsoft Teams Live Events better?
Neither clearly leads. Crowdcast starts at $49/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, Crowdcast or Microsoft Teams Live Events?
Microsoft Teams Live Events has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $49/month for Crowdcast and Free for Microsoft Teams Live Events.
Does Crowdcast or Microsoft Teams Live Events run on more platforms?
Crowdcast runs on Web. 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. Crowdcast starts at $49/month.
What is Crowdcast best used for?
Crowdcast is most often used for live webinars and virtual events, multichannel streaming with team collaboration, audience engagement and monetization. Of those, live webinars and virtual events and multichannel streaming with team collaboration are not what Microsoft Teams Live Events is typically brought in for.
What can Crowdcast do that Microsoft Teams Live Events cannot?
Crowdcast covers Live streaming, Q&A sessions, Polls, Multi-speaker. Microsoft Teams Live Events covers Live Q&A, Attendee engagement, RTMP support, Recording. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Crowdcast: How much is Crowdcast Lite plan?

Lite is $49 per month supporting 100+ live attendees, 10 hours per month, and 1 team seat.

Source
Crowdcast: What attendee limits apply to each plan?

Lite supports 100+ attendees, Pro supports 250+, and Business supports 1000+ attendees with $0.15 cost per extra attendee after plan limit.

Source
Crowdcast: How much do additional team seats cost?

Additional team seats cost $29 per seat per month across all plans.

Source
Crowdcast: Is there a free trial?

Yes, 14-day free trial with 60-minute sessions and 10 live attendees maximum.

Source
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Related pages

More on Crowdcast

More on Microsoft Teams Live Events

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