All industries · head to head
Microsoft Teams vs Workato
Microsoft Teams
All industries
Meet, chat, call, and collaborate in just one place
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -

Workato
Automation & Integration
The enterprise integration platform
- From
- $99/month
- Rated
- -
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; Workato the pricing page names four product lines, Enterprise iPaaS, Agentic solutions, API Management and Data Orchestration, and publishes no figure for any of them, gating all of it behind Schedule a demo
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft Teams covers Chat & channels, Workato covers Process orchestration.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft Teams and Workato actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft Teams | Workato |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $99/month |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Web, On-premise |
| Category | All industries | Automation & Integration |
| Founded | 1975 | 2014 |
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 Microsoft Teams
- Chat & channels
- Video conferencing
- Screen sharing
- File collaboration
- Office integration
- Live events
- Phone system
- Apps & workflows
Only in Workato
- Process orchestration
- Master data management
- Integration templates
- Real-time sync
- Error handling
- Monitoring
- API management
- Workflow analytics
Both cover
- SOC2
- ISO27001
- HIPAA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Microsoft Teams
- Remote meetingsnot Workato
- Team collaborationnot Workato
- Document sharingnot Workato
- Project managementnot Workato
- Webinarsnot Workato
Workato
- Workflow Automationnot Microsoft Teams
- Data Integrationnot Microsoft Teams
- Process Automationnot Microsoft Teams
- App Integrationnot Microsoft Teams
- API Connectivitynot 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
Workato
- The pricing page names four product lines, Enterprise iPaaS, Agentic solutions, API Management and Data Orchestration, and publishes no figure for any of them, gating all of it behind Schedule a demo
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
Workato
$99/month- Starter$99/month
- Up to 50 recipes
- Basic integrations
- Email support
- Professional$299/month
- Unlimited recipes
- Premium integrations
- Priority support
- Enterprise$999/month
- Custom SLA
- Dedicated support
- Advanced security
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.
Choose Workato if
- You need process orchestration.
- You work on Web, On-premise.
- You also want master data management.
Questions people ask
- Is Microsoft Teams or Workato better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Teams starts at Free and Workato at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft Teams or Workato?
- Microsoft Teams has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Microsoft Teams and $99/month for Workato.
- Does Microsoft Teams or Workato run on more platforms?
- Microsoft Teams runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Workato runs on Web, On-premise.
- Can I use Microsoft Teams for free?
- Yes. Microsoft Teams has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Workato starts at $99/month.
- 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 Workato is typically brought in for.
- What can Microsoft Teams do that Workato cannot?
- Microsoft Teams covers Chat & channels, Video conferencing, Screen sharing, File collaboration. Workato covers Process orchestration, Master data management, Integration templates, Real-time sync. Both handle SOC2, ISO27001, HIPAA.
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.
SourceMicrosoft 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.
SourceMicrosoft 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.
Related pages
More on Microsoft Teams
Other head to heads
- Microsoft Teams vs Zoom
- Microsoft Teams vs Loom
- Microsoft Teams vs RingCentral Video
- Microsoft Teams vs Slack
- Microsoft Teams vs Telegram
- Microsoft Teams vs Webex by Cisco
- Microsoft Teams vs Chanty
- Microsoft Teams vs Chatwork
- Microsoft Teams vs Flock
- Microsoft Teams vs Google Chat
- Microsoft Teams vs Grasshopper
- Microsoft Teams vs Lark
- Microsoft Teams vs Mattermost
- Microsoft Teams vs Quo
- Microsoft Teams vs Rocket.Chat
- Microsoft Teams vs Signal
- Microsoft Teams vs TeamViewer
- Microsoft Teams vs Textline
- Microsoft Teams vs Microsoft Power Automate
- Microsoft Teams vs n8n
- Microsoft Teams vs Zapier
- Microsoft Teams vs MuleSoft
- Microsoft Teams vs Parabola
- Microsoft Teams vs Zapier Plus
- Microsoft Teams vs Jitterbit
- Microsoft Teams vs mParticle
- Microsoft Teams vs Paragon
- Microsoft Teams vs RudderStack
- Microsoft Teams vs Airbyte
- Microsoft Teams vs Automate.io
- Microsoft Teams vs Boomi
- Microsoft Teams vs Browser Use
- Microsoft Teams vs Browserbase
- Microsoft Teams vs Celigo
- Microsoft Teams vs Census
- Microsoft Teams vs CrewAI
- Workato vs Zoom
- Workato vs Loom
- Workato vs RingCentral Video
- Workato vs Slack
- Workato vs Telegram
- Workato vs Webex by Cisco
- Workato vs Chanty
- Workato vs Chatwork
- Workato vs Flock
- Workato vs Google Chat
- Workato vs Grasshopper
- Workato vs Lark
- Workato vs Mattermost
- Workato vs Quo
- Workato vs Rocket.Chat
- Workato vs Signal
- Workato vs TeamViewer
- Workato vs Textline
- Workato vs Microsoft Power Automate
- Workato vs n8n
- Workato vs Zapier
- Workato vs MuleSoft
- Workato vs Parabola
- Workato vs Zapier Plus
- Workato vs Jitterbit
- Workato vs mParticle
- Workato vs Paragon
- Workato vs RudderStack
- Workato vs Airbyte
- Workato vs Automate.io
- Workato vs Boomi
- Workato vs Browser Use
- Workato vs Browserbase
- Workato vs Celigo
- Workato vs Census
- Workato vs CrewAI
