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All industries · head to head

Microsoft Teams vs BambooHR

Microsoft Teams logo

Microsoft Teams

All industries

Meet, chat, call, and collaborate in just one place

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
BambooHR logo

BambooHR

All industries

HR software with heart

From
$10/month per employee
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Teams has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Microsoft Teams resource-heavy application; slow to load and consumes significant CPU/memory compared to alternatives; BambooHR organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price
  • They diverge on capability: Microsoft Teams covers Chat & channels, BambooHR covers Employee database.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Microsoft Teams and BambooHR actually diverge.

Attributes where Microsoft Teams and BambooHR differ
AttributeMicrosoft TeamsBambooHR
Starting priceFree$10/month per employee
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded19752008

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

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 Microsoft Teams

  • Chat & channels
  • Video conferencing
  • Screen sharing
  • File collaboration
  • Office integration
  • Live events
  • Phone system
  • Apps & workflows

Only in BambooHR

  • Employee database
  • Time-off management
  • Benefits tracking
  • Performance reviews
  • Onboarding
  • Reporting & analytics
  • Mobile access
  • Document management

Both cover

  • SOC2
  • ISO27001

What people use each for

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

Microsoft Teams

  • Remote meetingsnot BambooHR
  • Team collaborationnot BambooHR
  • Document sharingnot BambooHR
  • Project managementnot BambooHR
  • Webinarsnot BambooHR

BambooHR

  • HR system of record with employee data and documentsnot Microsoft Teams
  • Time off tracking and approvalsnot Microsoft Teams
  • Applicant tracking and onboardingnot Microsoft Teams
  • Performance reviews and 1:1s on the Pro tiernot Microsoft Teams
  • Compensation planning and benchmarking on Elitenot Microsoft Teams

Where each one falls short

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

Microsoft Teams

  • Resource-heavy application; slow to load and consumes significant CPU/memory compared to alternatives
  • Limited channel structure; maximum of 200 public and 30 private channels per team
  • Cannot invite guest users to specific channels; guest access grants full team visibility
  • Unable to chat during screen sharing; limits real-time collaborative communication
  • Limited customization options for branding and interface; cluttered UX compared to Slack
  • Channels cannot be moved between teams; requires manual replication for reorganization

BambooHR

  • Organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price
  • Per-employee pricing starts at 26 employees, from $10 on Core
  • Performance management, 360 reviews and recognition all require Pro at $17 per employee per month
  • Compensation management, salary benchmarking and advanced analytics are Elite only at $25 per employee per month
  • Compliance training is rationed by tier, at 1 course on Core against 300 on Elite

Pricing, plan by plan

Microsoft Teams

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited chat
    • 100 participants in meetings
    • 5GB file storage
  • Microsoft Teams Essentials$4/month
    • 300 participants in meetings
    • 10GB cloud storage
    • Phone & web support
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic$6/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • 1TB OneDrive storage
    • Web & mobile Office apps
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard$12.5/month
    • Everything in Basic
    • Desktop Office apps
    • Webinar hosting

BambooHR

$10/month per employee

No published plan breakdown. See the BambooHR review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Teams if

  • You need chat & channels.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want video conferencing.
Microsoft Teams review

Choose BambooHR if

  • You need employee database.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want time-off management.
BambooHR review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Teams or BambooHR better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Teams starts at Free and BambooHR at $10/month per employee, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Teams or BambooHR?
Microsoft Teams has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Microsoft Teams and $10/month per employee for BambooHR.
Does Microsoft Teams or BambooHR run on more platforms?
Microsoft Teams runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. BambooHR runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Microsoft Teams for free?
Yes. Microsoft Teams has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee.
What is Microsoft Teams best used for?
Microsoft Teams is most often used for remote meetings, team collaboration, document sharing, project management. Of those, remote meetings and team collaboration are not what BambooHR is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Teams do that BambooHR cannot?
Microsoft Teams covers Chat & channels, Video conferencing, Screen sharing, File collaboration. BambooHR covers Employee database, Time-off management, Benefits tracking, Performance reviews. Both handle SOC2, ISO27001.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Microsoft Teams: Does Microsoft Teams have a free tier?

Yes. Microsoft Teams offers a free Home tier with unlimited chat, 60-minute group meetings for up to 100 people, 5GB cloud storage, and basic file sharing, though limits are restrictive for growing teams.

Source
Microsoft Teams: What are Microsoft Teams' paid plans?

Microsoft Teams Essentials costs $4/user/month (chat, calling, meetings, 10GB storage). Microsoft 365 Business Basic costs $7/user/month (includes desktop Office apps, 1TB storage). Premium plans with Copilot start at $23.50/user/month.

Source
Microsoft Teams: What are Microsoft Teams' primary features?

Teams provides real-time chat, video and voice calling, meetings with up to 300 participants, file sharing and storage integration with OneDrive, recording and transcripts, and deep integration with Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

Microsoft Teams: What integrations does Teams support?

Microsoft Teams integrates with calendar apps (Outlook, Google Calendar), project management tools (Trello), and works with Zapier for custom workflow automation. Teams also has native connectors to many Microsoft 365 apps and third-party services.

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Related pages

More on Microsoft Teams

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