Microsoft Teams
Free planTeam chat, video meetings and webinars from Microsoft, sold with Microsoft 365 for work.
Best for companies already on Microsoft 365 that want chat and meetings next to Outlook and OneDrive
Facts checked November 4, 2026
The short answer
If your company already pays for a Microsoft 365 Business plan sold with Teams, start there, because Teams costs nothing extra. One app covers channels, group chat, meetings of up to 300 people on Business plans and, from Business Standard, webinars and town halls. The extras add up, though: phone numbers need a Teams Phone license, and AI meeting recaps and translated captions need the Teams Premium add-on or a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Teams also suits outside partners less well than Slack, since shared channels only accept people with Microsoft work or school accounts.
Choose it if
- Your company already has Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard or Premium in the version sold with Teams, so Teams comes with the plan
- You want meetings to appear in Outlook calendars and files to save to SharePoint and OneDrive without extra setup
- You host webinars or town halls for up to 3,000 attendees and would rather not buy a separate webinar tool
- You want one vendor for email, documents, chat, meetings and, later, business phone numbers through Teams Phone
- Staff book appointments with customers, who can join from a browser through Bookings, included with any Microsoft 365 license
Skip it if
- Your team runs on Gmail and Google Calendar, where Google Meet comes with the plan you already pay for
- You chat every day with partners at other companies who don't use Microsoft accounts; Slack Connect handles that better
- You need meetings with more than 300 people who can all talk, because that needs an enterprise plan such as Microsoft 365 E3
- You want AI meeting recaps in the base price: intelligent recap needs Teams Premium or a Microsoft 365 Copilot license
- You use Linux and want a desktop app, since Linux users get Teams in the browser or as a web app only
Main features
Channels and group chat
Each team can hold up to 25,000 members and 1,000 channels, mixing standard, private and shared channels. Group chats take up to 250 people, and you can start a call from a chat with up to 20 of them.
Meetings for up to 300 people
Microsoft 365 Business plans and Teams Essentials host meetings of up to 300 people, and enterprise plans such as Microsoft 365 E3 raise that to 1,000, with up to 10,000 more watching in view-only mode. Meetings can run for up to 30 hours.
Guests join from a link
People outside your company don't need a Teams account. They join from the link in the calendar invitation, in the app or a browser, or dial in by phone when your plan has audio conferencing.
Meeting recordings
Business plans can record meetings. Each recording runs for up to 4 hours or 1.5 GB, then Teams stops it and starts a new one automatically, so long workshops come out as several files.
Files in SharePoint and OneDrive
Every team gets a SharePoint site, and files shared in a channel land in that team's document library with its permissions. Business plans give each user 1 TB of OneDrive storage, and a single file can be up to 250 GB.
Webinars and town halls
Teams events let you run registration-based webinars and broadcast-style town halls for up to 3,000 attendees, with attendee packs sold separately for larger audiences. Microsoft's service description lists events on Business Standard and Business Premium.
Teams Premium add-on
Teams Premium adds intelligent meeting recaps with AI notes and tasks, captions translated into 40 languages, watermarks and branded meeting lobbies. Admins can try it free for 30 days with 25 licenses, and users can start a 60-day self-service trial.
Teams Phone
With a Teams Phone license and a calling plan, Operator Connect or Direct Routing, staff can make and take calls to ordinary phone numbers from Teams. It costs extra on top of your Teams plan.
Bookings and virtual appointments
Any Microsoft 365 license includes basic Bookings, so customers can book a slot on your calendar and join the appointment from a browser without downloading Teams. Teams Premium adds SMS reminders and an appointment queue.
Apps for every desktop and phone
Teams has desktop apps for Windows 10 and the three newest versions of macOS, plus apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. In a browser it runs in the latest Edge, Chrome and Firefox on Windows, Mac and Linux, and in Safari on a Mac.
Pricing
Business plan prices are Microsoft's US list prices per user a month for the plans that include Teams, taking effect July 1, 2026 (announced December 4, 2025), checked November 4, 2026. Business Basic rose from $6 and Business Standard from $12.50; Business Premium stayed at $22. Microsoft's announcement doesn't state the billing commitment, so check the terms on Microsoft's plan page before you buy. Microsoft also sells each Business plan without Teams, and Business plans are capped at 300 users. Teams Essentials and Teams Premium prices could not be confirmed.
Microsoft Teams Free
$0
Personal use: one-to-one and group calls, chat and file sharing; no paid calling plans
Microsoft Teams Essentials
/ user a month
Teams on its own for small businesses: meetings of up to 300 people, chat, and calendar sync with Outlook.com or Google Calendar
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
$7 / user a month
Teams with meetings of up to 300 people, web and mobile Office apps, a 50 GB mailbox and 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
$14 / user a month
Everything in Business Basic plus the desktop Office apps and Teams webinars and town halls
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
$22 / user a month
Everything in Business Standard plus Intune device management and Defender for Business security
Teams Premium (add-on)
/ user a month
Intelligent meeting recap, live translated captions, watermarks, branded meeting themes, and encryption from end to end for meetings of up to 200 people
Reviews
Write a reviewNo reviews yet. If you use Microsoft Teams, yours would be the first.
Alternatives to Microsoft Teams
| Product | Choose it instead if | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom | You mostly host scheduled calls with clients and guests and don't need Microsoft's email and Office apps in the same plan | Free |
| Slack | You work in shared channels with partners at other companies, many of whom don't have Microsoft work accounts | Free |
| Google Meet | Your company runs on Gmail, Google Calendar and Drive, so Meet comes with your Google Workspace plan | Free |
Questions people ask
Is Microsoft Teams free?
Yes, for personal use. Microsoft Teams Free covers one-to-one and group calls, chat and file sharing, and it is where Skype users moved when Skype retired. For work, Microsoft sells Teams Essentials on its own or includes Teams in Microsoft 365 Business plans, which add company sign-ins, admin controls and meetings of up to 300 people.
How much does Microsoft Teams cost for a business?
Microsoft's US list prices from July 1, 2026 are $7 a user a month for Microsoft 365 Business Basic, $14 for Business Standard and $22 for Business Premium, all with Teams included (checked November 4, 2026). Teams Essentials, the standalone plan, and the Teams Premium add-on are priced on Microsoft's site; we could not confirm those prices. If your company already has a Business plan, you probably have Teams already.
How many people can join a Teams meeting?
Up to 300 on Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium and on Teams Essentials. Enterprise and frontline plans such as Microsoft 365 E3, E5 and F3 allow 1,000, and Microsoft says up to 10,000 more can join in view-only mode. For bigger audiences, Teams webinars and town halls take up to 3,000 attendees.
How long can a Teams meeting last?
Microsoft sets a 30-hour limit on paid Teams meetings and events, including webinars and town halls. Recordings stop at 4 hours or 1.5 GB and restart automatically, so a long meeting is saved in parts.
What happened to Skype?
Microsoft retired Skype on May 5, 2025. You can sign in to Microsoft Teams Free with your Skype details, and your chats and contacts move across. Teams Free doesn't support paid calling plans, so for calls to phone numbers Microsoft points small businesses to Teams Essentials.
Can people without Teams join a Teams meeting?
Yes. Guests don't need a Teams account or to belong to your organization. They open the join link from the calendar invitation, in the Teams app or a supported browser, or call in by phone if the meeting has dial-in numbers.
Does Microsoft Teams work on Linux?
Yes, in a browser. Microsoft supports Teams on Linux in the latest three versions of Edge, Chrome and Firefox, and as a progressive web app you can pin like a desktop program. There is no separate Linux desktop app.
What is Teams Premium?
Teams Premium is a per-user add-on to a Teams license. It adds intelligent meeting recaps, translated captions and transcripts, watermarks, meeting templates and themes, and encryption from end to end for meetings of up to 200 people. Admins can test it free for 30 days with 25 licenses.
Sources we checked 13
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2025/12/04/advancing-microsoft-365-new-capabilities-and-pricing-update for US list prices for Business Basic, Standard and Premium from July 1, 2026 (pricing chart image), note that prices are for plans that include Teams and that plans without Teams are also sold checked November 4, 2026
- cdn-dynmedia-1.microsoft.com/is/content/microsoftcorp/microsoft/bade/documents/products-and-services/en-us/education/Modern-Work-Plan-Comparison-SMB.pdf for Business plan contents (dated October 28, 2026): 300-user cap, plans sold without Teams, recording, town halls and webinars for up to 3,000 attendees, 1 TB OneDrive, 50 GB mailbox, desktop apps on Standard and Premium, Intune and Defender for Business, Teams Essentials calendar note, no-cost dial-out audio conferencing checked November 4, 2026
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/limits-specifications-teams for team, channel and chat limits, 300 and 1,000 meeting participants by plan, 30-hour meeting limit, recording length, storage and file size, browser support, live events retirement checked November 4, 2026
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/teams-service-description for Teams sold within Microsoft 365 or as a standalone plan, Teams events on Business Standard and Premium, Teams Phone requirements, Teams Essentials description checked November 4, 2026
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/overview-meetings-events for view-only overflow up to 10,000 extra participants, guests joining without a Teams account, events up to 100,000 attendees on large-audience plans checked November 4, 2026
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/teams-add-on-licensing/licensing-enhance-teams for Teams Premium features, 40-language translated captions, encrypted meetings up to 200, 30-day admin trial with 25 licenses and 60-day self-service trial, separate Teams licenses for new enterprise customers checked November 4, 2026
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/enhanced-teams-experience for Teams Premium overview, intelligent call recap licensing, basic Bookings with any Microsoft 365 license, Queues app checked November 4, 2026
- techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftteamsblog/licensing-updates-extend-access-to-advanced-capabilities-in-microsoft-teams-and-/4488312 for April 1, 2026 licensing change moving town hall and webinar features to Teams Enterprise, attendee limits and capacity packs checked November 4, 2026
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/get-started-with-teams-essentials for Teams Essentials as a standalone small-business plan, existing email, Outlook.com and Google calendar sync, same-domain limitation checked November 4, 2026
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/teams-client-system-requirements for platforms: Windows, macOS, web browsers, Linux web and progressive web app, iOS and Android checked November 4, 2026
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/skype/skype-is-retiring-in-may-2025-what-you-need-to-know-2a7d2501-427f-485e-8be0-2068a9f90472 for Skype retirement on May 5, 2025, move to Teams Free, chats and contacts carried over, Teams Free core features and no paid calling plans checked November 4, 2026
- news.microsoft.com/facts-about-microsoft for Microsoft founded in 1975, corporate address in Redmond, Washington checked November 4, 2026
- office-watch.com/2026/microsoft-365-business-price-increase-2026 for editor check: confirms the per-user monthly list prices ($6 to $7 Basic, $12.50 to $14 Standard, Premium unchanged at $22), since Microsoft's announcement shows them only in a chart image and its plan pages timed out checked November 4, 2026