Top 8 Microsoft Teams Alternatives & Competitors in 2023

Looking for the best Microsoft Teams alternatives?

Microsoft Teams is a powerful team messaging platform that helps teams stay connected through instant messaging, document sharing and video conferencing. 

But is that all a team needs to be successful?

Not exactly.

Microsoft Teams simply doesn’t have every feature a team needs for effective communication and collaboration. 

It’s also probably why you’re searching for an alternative to Microsoft Teams, right? 

Well, put your search team to rest! 🔦

In this article, we’ll take a look at eight excellent Microsoft Teams alternatives that can do so much more than just messaging and video conferencing.

Let’s get started!

Note: This article first covers what Microsoft Teams is and its drawbacks to give you a better idea of the tool. However, if you would like to skip right directly to the alternatives, click here.

What Is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is a team chat and video conferencing tool that lets you share files, send direct messages, and start group video meetings and audio calls.

You can also tag team members using the “@” sign and create multiple Teams channels in the app.

Since it’s challenging to communicate effectively in large groups, Microsoft Teams also has breakout rooms, which are sub-groups designed to facilitate productive communication and brainstorming.

Additionally, the Microsoft Teams Rooms System transforms meeting rooms into rich, video-enabled collaboration spaces. 

This feature lets you easily join meetings, share content and make calls, all from an intuitive touch screen console device.

Read all about using Microsoft Teams for project management.

3 Reasons You Need a Microsoft Teams Alternative

Although the above features sound great, the Microsoft Teams app does have a few drawbacks. Here are three reasons you’re probably looking for Microsoft Teams alternatives:

1. A limited number of channels

This messaging app limits teams to 200 public channels and 30 private channels. These limitations can be problematic for enterprises with many teams and departments. 

Bonus: Microsoft Forms Alternatives

2. Permissions settings are not flexible

It’s not possible to invite guest users to channels, and once you add someone to a Microsoft Team, they automatically have full access to everything. 

Uncomfortable, right?

3. Limited organization

Organizing files shared in conversations In Microsoft Teams can leave you ‘team’ing with anger.

All files that are uploaded to conversations are dumped into the file section of the channel. 

If you try to organize the files by moving them into named folders, the file links in the conversations break… 

Which makes you want to take a break from Microsoft Teams! 🙅

Bonus: Microsoft Whiteboard alternatives!

Top 8 Microsoft Teams Alternatives

Here are the eight best Microsoft Teams alternatives:

1. ClickUp

ClickUp is the world’s leading project management and team communication tool.

From providing you with advanced team collaboration features to boosting the productivity of every user, ClickUp is the ultimate Microsoft Teams free alternative.

ClickUp key features

Here’s how ClickUp can help:

A. Chat view

Need to talk about anything and everything?

Use the Chat view to have work-related or casual conversations alongside your work without losing track of comments and messages.

Here are a few other powerful things you can include in the Chat view:

• Task links
• Task mentions
• Links to external sites

Additionally, you get these cool features too:

• You can add or view watchers to keep track of who’s online 👀
• You can customize your notifications for any chat
• Access rich text formatting to create detailed messages

B. Comments

Each task in ClickUp has a dedicated space for comments. 

You can even edit, assign, and even reply to comments.

Made a typo?

Don’t worry. 

Simply edit it. And no one will ever know. 🤫

Use Assigned Comments if you need a team member to take action on a Comment right away. 

Your team member will be notified, and they’ll even find the comment in their task tray. They can mark it as resolved once the task has been completed.

You can even use threaded comments to organize your conversations by nesting your replies.

Quote Comments keep your work neat and organized by letting you highlight a section of a text or ask a question related to a specific section of a text.

But that isn’t all!

Comment Reminders can help you turn any Comment into a Reminder. 

This way, you can just keep swimming through all your tasks without forgetting about anything!

Once that’s done, the Reminder will live in your Inbox and appear on the date you select.

Can’t contain your excitement about a new project idea with your teammates?💡

Use Emojis to show team members how you’re feeling! 😬

C. Screen Recording

Sometimes, words aren’t enough to describe things.

But don’t worry.

ClickUp lets you record your screen without watermarks or having to use third-party video apps like Loom.

You can now Record and view videos right in your Chrome or Firefox browser with Clip! This way, you can easily show team members exactly what you’re referring to.

D. Zoom and Slack Integrations

ClickUp also integrates with other Microsoft Teams alternatives like Slack and Zoom.

Here are some of the fantastic things you can do with the Slack integration:

• Customize Slack Notifications
• Create ClickUp tasks from your Slack feed
• Move Slack comments into your Tasks
• Manage Due Dates, Priorities, and Statuses right from your Slack channels
• Instantly send Notifications about tasks from ClickUp to any Slack channel of your choice

Compare Microsoft Teams to Slack & Asana to Slack!

And here are some of the awesome things you can do with the Zoom integration:

• Start a Zoom audio or video meeting right from a Task
• Receive details of the meeting and a recording link in your Task once the meeting is done

This way, you can zoom in and out of video conferences right within ClickUp!

E. Microsoft Teams Integration

Feel like you just can’t let go of Microsoft Teams? 😫

Well…

We also have a solution for that! 

The Microsoft Teams Integration will help you access ClickUp from all your teams, chats, and channels. 

Use the Microsoft Teams Integration for:

• Notifications: Any new ClickUp comment notifications, status changes, and assignee updates get sent directly to your Microsoft Teams channel
• Task searching: Find and attach a ClickUp task into any Microsoft Teams conversation
• Rich unfurling: Let teammates know which task is being discussed by adding details to a ClickUp link shared in your channel

Now you can have the best of both worlds! 

ClickUp pros

• Powerful free version with unlimited users
• Simple and easy-to-use user interface with online and offline mode
• Multiple Views to give you unique perspectives on your work
• Customized Task Statuses so you can complete projects the way you want to
• Goals to help team members align their Goals with the company’s overall objectives
• Powerful Project Templates to help you stay consistent and ahead
• Quickly link tasks across Workspaces with task relationships 
• 50+ task automations to streamline workflows
• Integrates with several third-party software like Google Hangouts Chat, Time Doctor, Salesforce, and more
• Add and manage tasks using Mobile Apps  for iOS and Android
• Send and receive emails directly inside tasks with the Email ClickApp

ClickUp cons

• Can’t export Dashboards

Check out ClickUp’s roadmap here to see how we’re fixing these minor drawbacks. 

Also, check out all the exciting features that this free Microsoft Teams alternative has in store for you!

ClickUp pricing

ClickUp has a powerful free plan for unlimited users with paid versions starting at just $7 per user/month. 

ClickUp customer ratings

• G2: 4.7/5 (5,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (3000+ reviews)

Bonus: Microsoft Teams Vs Confluence!

2. Zoom

Zoom is a video conferencing tool that lets you send instant messages alongside your calls. 

But can it help you “zoom” past your collaboration issues?

Zoom key features

• Record your Zoom meeting so you can take a look at them later
• Instant messaging feature alongside your video chat
• Has a native cloud phone solution
• Available on iOS, Android, and Desktop

Zoom pros

• Can host a large audience (up to 10,000 virtual attendees can sign up)
• You can stream any Zoom meeting or webinar on Facebook.
• Let’s you hold unlimited 40-minute-long audio or video calls for free
• Compatible with Google Calendar 

Zoom cons

• Too many subscriptions and add-ons. For example, hosting a webinar that can allow up to 10,000 attendees can cost you several thousand dollars a month
• No option to delete comments that are posted in the live team chat #awkward
• You have to download the video conferencing app first before joining a meeting

Zoom pricing

This video chat tool has a limited free plan with paid plans starting at $149.90/year (or $12.50 / month)

Zoom customer ratings

• G2: 4.5/5 (52,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (13,000+ reviews

Read about our Zoom alternatives here

3. Google Meet

Google Meet (previously called Google Hangouts Meet) is a video conferencing tool that lets you jump into meetings directly from a Calendar event, an email invite, or Gmail. Meet is one of the most popular Microsoft teams alternatives.

Google Meet key features

• Free video conference calls for up to 100 meeting participants 
• Screen sharing functionality
• Meeting hosts can mute and remove attendees
• Take notes in real-time with automated live captions powered by Google’s speech recognition technology

Google Meet pros

• You can review your screen to make sure your camera and mic are working before entering the meeting
• Supported across Android and iOS devices as well as browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari
• Integrates with other Google apps like Google Chat, Google Calendar and Google Docs for effective team collaboration

Google Meet cons

• Doesn’t allow two-way screen sharing (only one person can share their screen at a time)
• Can display up to only 16 participants at once
• Can’t send messages to one person. Messages only get sent to groups

Google Meet pricing

This team collaboration tool has a free plan available and paid plans start at $8/ user per month.

Google Meet customer ratings

• G2: 4.4/5 (5000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (9000+ reviews)

Bonus: Microsoft Access Alternatives!

4. Rocket.Chat

Rocket.Chat is an open source team communication platform that has over 28k developers working on its roadmap.

Can the work that these developers put in “rocket” your team to success:

Rocket.Chat key features

• @mentions for individuals and announcements
• Supports video and voice calls with screen sharing
• Can handle direct messages between multiple users
• You can access an engagement dashboard to see how users are using the app

Rocket.Chat pros

• The app is secure, and it adds an extra verification step when completing specific actions
• Translate your message through MS translate to bridge both external and internal communication gaps
• Sort conversations by last activity or alphabetical order
• Available on mobile, web, and desktop

Rocket.Chat cons

• The interface design is not as user friendly compared to other MS Teams alternatives
• Mobile apps aren’t as functional as other MS Teams alternatives’ mobile apps
• Read notifications on the desktop app don’t reflect in the mobile apps

Rocket.Chat pricing

This chat app has a free plan, and paid plans start from $3/user per month annually.

Rocket.Chat customer ratings

• G2: 3.8/5 (100+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (100+ reviews)

5. Cisco Webex Teams

Cisco Webex Teams is another popular video calling app. 

One of the drawbacks of this team chat app is that although it’s a lot costlier than most other communication platforms.

Cisco Webex Teams key features

• Supports video calls that allow up 1000 participants
• Can handle screen and file sharing
• There’s a whiteboard for team members to brainstorm together
• You can record meetings and get transcripts immediately

Cisco Webex Teams pros

• You can host and join meetings on the web browser, the desktop app, or mobile device
• Integrates with Google and Microsoft Calendars
• You can send messages in public and personal chats

Cisco Webex Teams cons

• Limited integrations when compared to other MS Teams alternatives
• You need to upgrade to a paid plan to access customer support via chat and call-ins
• No video recording options in the free plan

Cisco Webex Teams pricing

This collaboration tool has a free plan available and paid plans start at $14.95/host per month.

Cisco Webex Teams customer ratings

• G2: 4.3/5 (500+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5 (4000+ reviews)

6. Brosix

Brosix is an instant messaging software for businesses, providing encrypted, real-time communications, across multiple applications, to streamline how day-to-day business gets done.

One of the best things about Brosix is its security. Everything happens on a fully encrypted team network that gives full control over the app. This makes it great as a team communication solution for those looking to have protected communication within their organization.

Brosix key features:

• Safe internal communication network with audio/video calls, encrypted file sharing, screen-sharing and more
• Monthly user activity log archives ready to download from the Control Panel
• Multiple administrators on your network
• 3000+ integrations & desktop, mobile and web apps

Brosix pros

• Fast and secure peer-to-peer unlimited size File Transfer Technology
• Control who chats with whom, and who has access to which features
• Uniquely branded private team network
• Determine how long to save your user activity history

Brosix cons

• Classic “retro” style makes it look like a somewhat old tool
• Having many features and settings can sometimes make it a bit complex to orient
• Not a big choice of emojis

Brosix pricing

Brosix has a forever free network for small teams getting started (up to 3 users) and paid plans starting at $4 user per month.

Brosix customer ratings

• G2: 4.5/5 (30+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (60+ reviews)

7. Pumble

Pumble is a free collaboration tool that allows teams to communicate in real-time and reduce the use of email in everyday communication. 

Pumble is your go-to app if you need an affordable and reliable way to stay in touch with your team.  

Pumble key features

• Unlimited users and unlimited chat history under Pumble’s free forever plan
• Pumble Server that provides maximum data security and privacy for businesses of all sizes 
• Guest access feature that allows you to communicate with your clients, vendors, and other third parties by giving them limited access to your workspaces 
• Available for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and Web

Pumble pros

• Create and use public and private channels for everyday communication and collaboration
• The thread feature prevents channel cluttering and helps you avoid information overload
• Generous storage plan: 10 GB of storage space per workspace with the free plan and 10 GB/unlimited storage per user with the paid plans
• The channel permissions option allows you to control who posts in channels that exist within your workspace

Pumble cons

• The app doesn’t support third-party integrations
• If you want to use Pumble’s guest access feature, you have to upgrade your free plan 
• You can’t customize your notification sound 

Pumble pricing 

Pumble has a free forever plan that satisfies the needs of small and mid-size businesses and a paid plan starting at $1.99 per user per month that gives you access to most Pumble features. 

Pumble customer ratings 

• G2: 4.4/5 (5 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (75+ reviews)

8. Chanty

Chanty is a team collaboration tool and MS Teams alternative that aims at increasing the productivity of both big and small teams. With its seamless and easy-to-use interface, it can be used for professionals from any industry. 

Chanty key features

• Audio messages with sharing and privacy features
• Searchable chat and unlimited message history
• Task management with Kanban board
• Customized notifications

Chanty pros

• Strong emphasis on the management of tasks
• Inexpensive price point for the subscription version
• Chat features focus on assigning and completing tasks
• Efficient search functions to find the relevant information

Chanty cons

• Some features are limited in the free plan

Chanty pricing 

Chanty has a free plan for up to 10 members and a paid plan with $3/user/month with unlimited features.

Chanty customer ratings 

• G2: 4.5/5 (35 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.9/5 (30 reviews)

Microsoft Teams Has Left The Chat 👋

Sure, Microsoft Teams lets you conduct video calls on the go, but does that mean it’s a good team communication and collaboration tools solution?

Unfortunately, Microsoft Teams doesn’t provide teams with all the key features that they need.

Luckily, there are a few team collaboration tools that can easily take Microsoft Team’s place.

And while we did mention some decent free alternatives to Microsoft Teams, none of them is as advanced as ClickUp. 

Not only does ClickUp have every key feature that the other apps have, but it also has tons of other team collaboration and task management features like Task Priorities, Recurring Tasks, and powerful Gantt Charts. 

Get ClickUp for free today to experience a real team communication tool. 😎