The best Microsoft Teams alternatives in 2026

Why Teams Buyers Are Looking at Alternatives in 2026

Microsoft Teams is the default chat and meetings app for a huge share of businesses, mostly because it comes inside Microsoft 365. That bundle is also the main reason people start shopping around. If you already pay for Microsoft 365, Teams feels free. If you don't, or if your team mainly needs chat and calls, you may be paying for a lot of software you never open.

Three things shape the math in 2026. First, Microsoft 365 Business Basic now costs $7.00 and Business Standard $14.00 per user per month (paid yearly), so the bundle is not as cheap as it once was. Second, Microsoft now sells "no Teams" versions of its business suites in the US, so Teams is no longer automatically part of every Microsoft 365 purchase. That makes it a real, separate buying decision. Third, every vendor in this space now bundles AI features (summaries, recaps, search), and those features are often the line between one plan and the next.

This guide compares Microsoft Teams with six alternatives that are actively sold today: Slack, Google Chat (through Google Workspace), Zoom Team Chat (through Zoom Workplace), Webex Suite, Zoho Cliq and Chanty. We checked every price, plan and limit on each vendor's own pricing pages in October 2026. All prices are in US dollars, per user per month unless we say otherwise.

The short version: there is no single "best Teams alternative." The right choice depends on which other software you already pay for, how much you meet versus chat, and how many people you need to license.

Microsoft Teams review

Microsoft Teams combines chat, channels, video meetings, calling (as an add-on) and file collaboration in one app. Its biggest strength is that it is built into Microsoft 365: files live in OneDrive and SharePoint, meetings sit in your Outlook calendar, and identity and security run through Microsoft Entra ID.

Key features

• Chat and channels for one-on-one, group and team conversations, with unlimited chat messages, file attachments and search on business plans
• Meetings of up to 300 participants and 30 hours on Teams Essentials and Microsoft 365 Business plans, with recordings, transcripts, live captions, breakout rooms and Whiteboard
• Microsoft 365 integration with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint (on Microsoft 365 plans)
• Over 250 integrated business apps for Teams, according to Microsoft's plan comparison
• Webinar hosting with attendee registration and reporting on Microsoft 365 Business Standard and above
• Add-ons such as Teams Premium ($10/user/month, paid yearly) and Teams Phone Standard ($10/user/month, paid yearly)

Pricing

• Microsoft Teams (free): for personal use. Group calls up to 60 minutes and 100 participants, 5 GB of cloud storage.
• Microsoft Teams Essentials: $4.00/user/month, paid yearly. Up to 300 users, meetings up to 30 hours and 300 participants, 10 GB of cloud storage per user, recordings with transcripts, live captions in English only. No Office desktop apps, business email or SharePoint.
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $7.00/user/month paid yearly ($8.40 with monthly billing). Adds web and mobile Office apps, business email, 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user and SharePoint.
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $14.00/user/month paid yearly ($16.80 monthly). Adds desktop Office apps and webinar hosting.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $22.00/user/month paid yearly ($26.40 monthly). Adds advanced security and device management.
• Versions without Teams: Business Basic $5.40, Business Standard $10.79 and Business Premium $18.79 per user per month, paid yearly.
• Copilot: Microsoft also sells Business Standard with Copilot ($23.50) and Business Premium with Copilot ($32.00) per user per month, paid yearly, plus a Microsoft 365 Copilot Business add-on.
• Trial: one-month free trial on business plans. A credit card is required, and the trial converts to a paid subscription unless you cancel.

All business plans are capped at 300 users. Larger organizations buy Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans through a separate catalog.

Pros

• Hard to beat on value if you already pay for Microsoft 365
• Meetings, chat and files in one place, tied to Outlook and SharePoint
• Teams Essentials at $4/user/month is the cheapest major-brand option for meetings plus chat
• Strong identity, security and compliance tooling across the Microsoft stack
• Familiar to most corporate partners and clients, which helps with external meetings

Cons

• Plan structure is confusing: Essentials, three Business suites, "no Teams" versions and Copilot variants
• The app can feel heavy and busy for teams that only want chat
• Monthly billing costs about 20% more than paying yearly on Microsoft 365 Business plans
• Teams Essentials is listed with yearly payment only, and its live captions are English only
• Business plans stop at 300 users

Who should use it

Companies that already work in Word, Excel, Outlook and SharePoint, and IT teams that want one vendor for identity, email, files and communication.

Who should avoid it

Small teams that use Google Workspace or another office suite, and chat-first teams that find the Teams interface cluttered.

Slack review

Slack is the chat-first alternative. It does not try to be an office suite. It focuses on fast, organized messaging in channels, quick audio and video huddles, automation, and connecting to almost every other business app.

Key features

• Channels (public and private) with threads, search and AI search
• Huddles for quick audio and video calls; group huddles start on Pro
• Slack Connect for shared channels with outside organizations (group external messaging with up to 250 organizations on paid plans)
• Workflow Builder and AI workflow generation for no-code automation
• App integrations: unlimited on paid plans, up to 10 on Free
• AI features: conversation summaries, daily recaps, file summaries and Slackbot on Free and Pro; meeting summaries with transcripts and action items on Business+; enterprise search on Enterprise+

Pricing

• Free: $0. Messages are saved and searchable for 90 days, up to 10 app integrations, 1:1 huddles only.
• Pro: $7.25/user/month billed annually, or $8.75 billed monthly. Unlimited message history and integrations, group huddles.
• Business+: $15/user/month billed annually, or $18 billed monthly. Adds advanced AI and stronger admin controls.
• Enterprise+: listed at $45/user/month billed annually. Contact sales.

Slack runs a 50% discount for the first three months on monthly Pro or Business+ plans bought online within seven days of creating a workspace. The discount does not apply to annual plans.

Pros

• The cleanest, fastest pure chat experience in this list
• Largest integration ecosystem and a strong developer platform
• Slack Connect is the easiest way to work in shared channels with clients and partners
• Easy to learn, so adoption tends to be quick

Cons

• At $7.25 to $15 per user per month, it costs more than Teams Essentials and you still need an office suite and a full meeting tool
• The free plan hides messages older than 90 days
• Huddles are fine for quick calls but are not a replacement for scheduled meetings or webinars
• Channel sprawl and notification noise without clear rules

Who should use it

Product, engineering and agency teams that live in chat, use many SaaS tools, and work in shared channels with outside companies.

Who should avoid it

Cost-sensitive teams that already pay for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and only need basic chat. You would be paying twice.

Google Chat review

Google Chat is the messaging app inside Google Workspace. You don't buy it separately. If your company runs on Gmail, Drive, Docs and Calendar, Chat and Google Meet are already part of the bill.

Key features

• Direct messages and spaces (persistent group rooms) with threads, file sharing and search
• Tight Workspace integration: share Drive files with the right permissions, start Meet calls, see Calendar context
• Google Meet for video meetings: 100 participants on Business Starter, 150 on Standard, 500 on Plus
• Gemini AI included in Workspace plans, with broader access from Business Standard up
• Admin and compliance: Vault for retention, archiving and eDiscovery on Business Plus; data loss prevention on Enterprise

Pricing (Google Workspace)

• Business Starter: $7/user/month on the annual plan, or $8.40 on the Flexible (monthly) plan. 30 GB of pooled storage per user, Meet with 100 participants.
• Business Standard: $14/user/month annual, $16.80 Flexible. 2 TB pooled storage per user, Meet recording and 150 participants.
• Business Plus: $22/user/month annual, $26.40 Flexible. 5 TB per user, Vault and eDiscovery, Meet with 500 participants.
• Enterprise: contact sales.
• Trial: 14 days at no cost on Starter, Standard and Plus.

Business plans are capped at 300 users; Enterprise has no user limit.

Pros

• Effectively free if you already pay for Google Workspace
• Simple, clean interface that most people learn in minutes
• Drive file sharing and permissions work without extra setup
• Workspace pricing includes email, storage, documents and video meetings

Cons

• No standalone paid plan, so it only makes sense with Workspace
• Smaller third-party app ecosystem than Slack or Teams
• Fewer advanced chat features (workflows, granular channel management) than Slack
• Meeting recording needs Business Standard or higher

Who should use it

Startups and small to mid-size companies that already use Gmail and Google Docs and want one bill for email, documents, chat and meetings.

Who should avoid it

Organizations whose files live in Microsoft 365, and teams that need a large library of chat integrations and bots.

Zoom Team Chat review

Zoom Team Chat is the persistent chat built into Zoom Workplace. It is included in every Zoom Workplace plan, including the free Basic plan. For teams that already pay for Zoom meetings, it is the cheapest way to replace Teams chat.

Key features

• Direct messages and channels with threads, file sharing and search
• One-click escalation from a chat to a Zoom meeting or phone call
• Zoom Meetings: up to 30 hours on paid plans, 100 participants on Pro and 300 on Business
• AI Companion features: unlimited meeting summaries and in-meeting questions on paid plans; Basic gets 3 meeting summaries and 20 AI queries per month
• Cloud recording: 10 GB per user on Pro

Pricing (Zoom Workplace)

• Basic: free. Team Chat included, meetings up to 40 minutes and 100 participants, local recording only.
• Pro: $14.16/user/month billed annually, or $16.99 billed monthly. Meetings up to 30 hours, 100 participants, 10 GB cloud storage per user.
• Business: $18.33/user/month billed annually, or $21.99 billed monthly. 300 participants.
• Enterprise: contact sales.

Pros

• Chat comes free with Zoom meetings, on every plan including Basic
• Moving from a chat to a video call takes one click
• Familiar Zoom app, so there is little to train
• Unlimited AI meeting summaries on paid plans

Cons

• If you don't need Zoom meetings, $14.16 per user per month is a lot for chat
• Smaller chat integration ecosystem than Slack or Teams
• No bundled office suite, email or document storage
• The free Basic plan limits meetings to 40 minutes

Who should use it

Sales, support and remote teams whose day revolves around video calls, and companies that already standardized on Zoom for meetings and phones.

Who should avoid it

Teams that meet rarely and mainly need written chat, and companies that want chat, documents and email from one vendor.

Webex Suite review

Webex, from Cisco, is a full communications platform: messaging, meetings, webinars and cloud calling. Its strength against Teams is calling. The Webex Suite plan includes a business phone number and unlimited local and domestic long-distance calling in the same license as meetings and messaging.

Key features

• Messaging in spaces with file sharing; unlimited messaging even on Webex Free
• Meetings of up to 24 hours and 200 attendees on Webex Meet, 1,000 attendees on Enterprise
• AI Assistant included in paid plans
• Business calling on Webex Suite: phone number, call any telephone number, visual voicemail, move calls between devices, 6-way conference calls
• Slido live polling and Q&A, closed captions, and 10 GB of cloud recording on Meet
• FedRAMP authorized security on Webex Enterprise

Pricing

• Webex Free: $0. Unlimited meetings up to 40 minutes, 100 attendees, unlimited messaging, local recording.
• Webex Meet: $144/user/year ($12/user/month equivalent). Meetings up to 24 hours, 200 attendees, AI Assistant, 10 GB cloud recording.
• Webex Suite (Meet + Call): $270/user/year ($22.50/user/month equivalent). Adds a business phone number and unlimited local and domestic long-distance calling. International calls are billed per minute.
• Webex Enterprise: contact sales. Up to 1,000 attendees, unlimited cloud recording, FedRAMP authorized security.
• Add-ons: Call Me (US and Canada) $48/license/year; Real-Time Translation $300/license/year.

At the time of writing, Webex also advertised a promotion on Webex Meet: buy five or more licenses and get six months free.

Pros

• Meetings, messaging and a real business phone line in one license
• Generous free plan for messaging
• Strong security credentials, including FedRAMP on Enterprise
• Good fit for companies with Cisco room systems and phones

Cons

• The US pricing page lists annual prices only
• Messaging is less polished and less integrated than Slack or Teams
• No bundled office suite
• At $270 per user per year, Webex Suite is one of the pricier options if you don't need calling

Who should use it

Companies replacing both Teams and a desk phone system, regulated or public-sector organizations, and businesses that already use Cisco hardware.

Who should avoid it

Small teams that mainly need written chat, and companies that don't need phone numbers.

Zoho Cliq review

Zoho Cliq is a Slack-style chat app from Zoho, the company behind Zoho CRM and Zoho Workplace. It has channels, threads, bots and meetings at a far lower price than any other tool in this list.

Key features

• Channels, group chats and direct messages with search and file sharing
• Audio and video meetings with screen sharing, even on the free plan
• External channels for clients and partners (Standard and up)
• Bots, commands and workflows through the Cliq developer platform
• Admin and compliance on higher tiers: roles and permissions, audit history, eDiscovery and DLP (Enterprise)
• Add-ons: a phone system ($25 for 5 users, $5 per extra user), extra storage and room devices

Pricing

• Free: $0. 10,000 searchable messages, up to 100 participants per group or channel, meetings up to 60 minutes and 100 participants, 100 GB of file storage per organization.
• Standard: $16.20/month flat for up to 25 users, billed annually ($18 billed monthly). Adds external channels, call recording and custom domain.
• Professional: $1.80/user/month billed annually ($2 monthly), minimum 10 users. Adds team and task management, roles and permissions, live events and on-demand chat summaries.
• Enterprise: $3.60/user/month billed annually ($4 monthly), minimum 10 users. Adds audit history, eDiscovery, DLP and branded meetings.
• Trial: 14-day free trial on paid plans. Local taxes are extra.

Pros

• By far the lowest per-user price here
• Free plan includes meetings with screen sharing
• Enterprise compliance features (eDiscovery, DLP) for $3.60 per user per month
• Fits naturally with Zoho CRM, Zoho Mail and Zoho Workplace

Cons

• Smaller integration ecosystem than Slack or Teams
• Less familiar to outside partners
• Professional and Enterprise need at least 10 users
• The free plan caps searchable messages at 10,000

Who should use it

Cost-conscious small and mid-size businesses, and any company already using Zoho apps.

Who should avoid it

Enterprises that need a very large third-party app ecosystem, or teams that collaborate mostly with outside companies that use Slack or Teams.

Chanty review

Chanty is a simple team chat app aimed at small businesses. Its pitch is a clean interface plus built-in task management, so a small team can handle conversations and to-dos in one place.

Key features

• Public and private chats, announcement channels, voice messages and scheduled messages
• Built-in task management: turn a message into a task, to-do lists and task boards
• Audio and video calls: one-on-one on Free, group calls and screen sharing on Business
• Admin and security on Business: customizable roles, data retention policies, SSO and 2FA, IP allowlists, HIPAA compliance with a BAA
• Guests: three free guest seats per paid member on Business

Pricing

• Free: $0, up to 5 team members. Unlimited searchable history, unlimited one-on-one calls, 20 GB file storage per team, up to 10 integrations.
• Business: $3/user/month billed annually, or $4 billed monthly. Unlimited group calls and screen sharing, 20 GB storage per user, roles, retention policies, SSO and HIPAA compliance.
• Enterprise: contact sales. Adds SCIM, SAML, data residency options, on-premise deployment, DLP and a dedicated support line.
• Chanty offers a 14-day money-back guarantee after the first payment and a 50% discount for registered nonprofits.

Pros

• Very simple to set up and learn
• Tasks and chat in one app, which suits small teams without a project tool
• Low price, with HIPAA compliance and SSO included on Business
• Free plan keeps unlimited message history

Cons

• Free plan is limited to 5 members
• Much smaller integration ecosystem than Slack or Teams
• Less known, so outside partners are unlikely to use it already
• Not built to replace a full meeting or webinar platform

Who should use it

Small businesses and teams of 5 to 50 that want an easy chat tool with basic task tracking at a low cost.

Who should avoid it

Large organizations, and teams that rely on deep integrations or large external meetings.

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Microsoft Teams vs Slack

Teams wins on bundled value and meetings. Teams Essentials costs $4/user/month (paid yearly) and includes 30-hour meetings for up to 300 participants. Slack Pro costs $7.25 (annual) and its huddles are not a full meeting product. Slack wins on chat quality, integrations and external collaboration through Slack Connect. Many companies end up running Slack for chat and Microsoft 365 for documents, so compare the total cost, not just the chat line.

Microsoft Teams vs Google Chat

This is really Microsoft 365 versus Google Workspace. Prices are close: Business Basic is $7.00 and Business Starter is $7 per user per month on annual terms. Business Standard is $14.00 on both. Pick the suite your team already uses for documents and email. Chat quality is rarely the deciding factor here.

Microsoft Teams vs Zoom Team Chat

If Zoom is already your meeting tool, Team Chat costs nothing extra and can replace Teams chat. If you pay for Zoom only to replace Teams, Zoom Workplace Pro at $14.16 (annual) costs more than Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which also includes email and Office web apps.

Microsoft Teams vs Webex Suite

Both cover messaging, meetings and calling. With Teams, calling is an add-on (Teams Phone Standard is $10/user/month, paid yearly, on top of an eligible Microsoft 365 or Teams license). Webex Suite includes calling and a phone number for $22.50/user/month billed annually. Compare the two on full cost for the same phone features in your country, since calling plans and number fees vary.

Microsoft Teams vs Zoho Cliq and Chanty

On price alone, Zoho Cliq Professional ($1.80, annual, 10-user minimum) and Chanty Business ($3, annual) undercut Teams Essentials ($4). Both are chat-first and simpler. The trade-off is ecosystem: fewer integrations, less familiarity for outside contacts, and no office suite.

Price at 25 Users

Here is what each option costs per year for 25 users on the entry paid plan, using annual billing. These are list prices before tax and before any promotions.

Keep in mind that Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace also include email, storage and document apps, and Webex Suite includes phone service. A cheaper chat tool can end up costing more if you still need to buy those separately.

How to Choose a Microsoft Teams Alternative

Questions to answer first

1. Which office suite do you use? If it is Google Workspace, start with Google Chat. If it is Microsoft 365, the bar for leaving Teams is high, because you are already paying for it.
2. Do you mostly chat or mostly meet? Chat-heavy teams lean to Slack, Zoho Cliq or Chanty. Meeting-heavy teams lean to Zoom or Webex.
3. Do you need phone numbers? If yes, compare Webex Suite with Teams Phone and Zoom's phone products on full cost.
4. How many users, and is that growing? Microsoft 365 Business and Google Workspace Business plans stop at 300 users. Zoho Cliq Professional and Enterprise need at least 10.
5. Who outside the company do you talk to? If clients and partners already use Slack or Teams, shared channels and familiar meeting links matter.
6. What do compliance and retention require? Check eDiscovery, retention, DLP and audit logs plan by plan, not just at the product level.

Red flags

• Paying twice. Buying Slack or Zoom on top of a Microsoft 365 plan that already includes Teams. If you switch, consider a "no Teams" Microsoft 365 plan.
• Free plan limits that hit later. Slack Free hides messages after 90 days, Zoho Cliq Free caps searchable messages at 10,000, and Chanty Free stops at 5 members.
• Monthly billing premiums. Microsoft 365 Business plans cost 20% more on monthly billing; Slack, Zoom, Zoho Cliq and Chanty also charge more month to month.
• Promotional pricing. Several vendors advertise first-year or first-months discounts. Budget on the regular price.
• Minimum seat counts and per-device fees for meeting rooms.

What to test in a trial

• Search: find a file and a decision from two weeks ago
• A real external meeting with a client, including joining from a browser
• Guest and external access controls
• Mobile notifications and do-not-disturb settings
• The integrations you use most (calendar, CRM, ticketing, file storage)
• Admin tasks: adding and removing users, retention settings, exporting data
• Migration: how you will move or archive Teams chat history and files

The Verdict

For most companies already on Microsoft 365, the best move is to keep Teams and tune it, because it is already in the bill. If you are not on Microsoft 365, or chat quality matters more than bundling, here is how the alternatives sort out:

• Slack is the best replacement for Teams chat. It costs more, but it is the most capable and best-connected messaging tool.
• Google Chat is the best choice for Google Workspace companies, since it comes with the suite.
• Zoom Team Chat makes sense when Zoom already runs your meetings.
• Webex Suite is the best fit when you also need business phone lines and strong security credentials.
• Zoho Cliq offers the lowest price per user and is a strong match for Zoho customers.
• Chanty suits small teams that want simple chat and tasks for a few dollars a month.

Conclusion

Leaving Microsoft Teams is mostly a question of bundles. Teams is cheap or "free" when you already pay for Microsoft 365, and expensive to replace when your documents, email and identity all run through Microsoft. If that is not your situation, there are good options at every price point, from Zoho Cliq at under $2 per user to Webex Suite with built-in calling.

Shortlist two or three tools based on your office suite and how much you meet, run a two-week trial with a real project team, and compare total yearly cost, not just the headline per-user price.