In today’s modern workplace, video conferencing platforms have become essential for effective communication.
Zoom quickly emerged as a leader in video meetings during the pandemic.
At the same time, Microsoft Teams positioned itself as a comprehensive collaboration hub, especially for organizations that rely on the Microsoft ecosystem.
As Teams continues to expand its features and integrate more deeply with Microsoft 365, many businesses are reassessing their software needs. This prompts an important question: given the robust capabilities of Microsoft Teams – often included in existing subscriptions – do businesses still need a separate subscription for Zoom?
This article examines both platforms’ strengths, weaknesses, and specific use cases to determine whether Zoom remains essential or if Microsoft Teams is sufficient for today’s business communication needs.
Who’s leading?
The video conferencing market remains highly competitive, with both platforms commanding significant market share.
According to recent data, Zoom holds approximately 55.91% of the videoconferencing software market, while Microsoft Teams takes second place with 32.29% market share in 2025.
This substantial presence for both platforms reflects their continued relevance in the business communication landscape.
Microsoft Teams has continued its growth trajectory, reaching approximately 280 million daily active users, while Zoom maintains about 300 million daily active users.
Both platforms have maintained strong user bases, indicating that businesses find value in their respective offerings.
Key Microsoft Teams strengths
Microsoft Teams provides numerous benefits for companies of all sizes, both large and small.
Deep Microsoft 365 integration
One of Microsoft Teams’ most significant advantages is its seamless integration with the broader Microsoft 365 ecosystem. For organizations already using Microsoft’s productivity suite, Teams is a natural extension connecting various business processes.
The platform enables real-time collaboration on Microsoft documents, integrates with SharePoint for file management, and connects with Outlook for scheduling.
This integration creates a unified workspace where employees can access all their productivity tools without switching between applications.
Comprehensive collaboration features
Teams offer more than just video conferencing; it provides a complete collaboration environment.
With features such as persistent chat, channels for organizing discussions, wiki functionality, and integrated task management, Teams positions itself as a centralized hub for teamwork.
The platform’s structure, centered around “teams” and “channels,” allows organizations to create dedicated spaces for different departments, projects, or topics, helping to keep communications organized and easily searchable.
Security and Compliance
Microsoft has built Teams on the foundation of its enterprise-grade security framework, which is particularly appealing to organizations with strict compliance requirements.
The platform includes advanced security features such as two-factor authentication, data encryption, and compliance with FERPA, SOC, GDPR, HIPAA, and FedRAMP standards.
Key Zoom strengths
Zoom provides various tools that can benefit businesses of all sizes.
User-Friendly interface
Zoom is well-known for its simplicity and ease of use. The platform’s intuitive interface allows new users to join meetings with minimal effort, which is especially valuable when connecting with external stakeholders who may not be familiar with more complex collaboration tools.
Video quality and reliability
Zoom has built its reputation on delivering high-quality video and reliable connections. Although Microsoft Teams has significantly improved its video quality, many users still perceive Zoom as having superior performance for significant video calls, particularly in environments with variable bandwidth.
Extensive integration capabilities
Zoom offers over 1,000 integrations through its marketplace, compared to Teams’ approximately 250 integrations. This extensive integration ecosystem enables businesses to connect Zoom with various third-party applications, including popular tools like HubSpot, Zendesk, Slack, Google Workspace, and Dropbox.
A case for using both options
For many businesses, the solution isn’t to choose one platform over the other; instead, it’s beneficial to use both.
Different use cases
Many organizations have found value in maintaining both platforms for distinct purposes. Microsoft Teams often serves as the internal collaboration hub, while Zoom is utilized for external communication with clients, partners, or more extensive webinars.
This dual approach leverages Teams’ strengths in internal collaboration and document management while taking advantage of Zoom’s simplicity and reliability for external-facing communications, where ease of access is crucial.
Meeting different user preferences
Workforce diversity means different teams or departments may have varying preferences and needs. Some teams may integrate deeply with Microsoft’s ecosystem, while others prefer Zoom’s interface or specific features.
Technical redundancy
Maintaining two separate communication platforms provides redundancy in case of service outages. If one platform experiences technical difficulties, organizations can quickly switch to the alternative, ensuring business continuity.
Cost considerations
The financial implications of maintaining dual platforms must be carefully evaluated. Microsoft Teams is included in many Microsoft 365 subscriptions, with business plans starting at around $6 per user per month. For organizations already using Microsoft 365, Teams essentially comes at no additional cost.
Zoom’s pricing starts at approximately $14.99 per month per license for its Pro plan, with higher tiers offering additional features. This represents a significant extra expense, especially for larger organizations.
However, if Zoom fulfills specific business needs that Teams cannot effectively address, the additional investment may be justified by improved productivity and communication outcomes.
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bryan.wolfe@futurenet.com (Bryan M Wolfe)
