The 5 best Microsoft Teams alternatives

In this article, we will explore the 5 best Microsoft Teams competitors: comprehensive tools that offer innovative features and intelligent solutions for omnichannel communication, project collaboration, and task management.

If you are looking for alternatives to Microsoft Teams, keep reading to find an alternative that perfectly fits your company's needs and is capable of elevating your outbound call centre's productivity to the next level.

Table: Top 5 Microsoft Teams Alternatives

What is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is a communication and team collaboration platform developed by Microsoft. It is designed to facilitate business communication among teams, both sales and support. Microsoft Teams enables real-time communication through live chat, voice calls, and video calls, as well as collaboration on documents and projects all in one place.

It offers features such as the ability to create teams, channels, video conferences, file sharing, integrations with other applications, and more. Microsoft Teams has become especially relevant recently due to the increase in remote work and the need for virtual connectivity and collaboration.

Did you know that it is possible to integrate Microsoft Teams with Ringover? If you are already a Teams user and need to expand its functionalities to provide high-quality communications, don't hesitate to integrate the CRM with Ringover's VoIP software.

Microsoft Teams Pricing

Microsoft Teams offers various business pricing plans. Some of the plans include:

• Microsoft Teams Essentials: Includes all Microsoft Teams features and offers identity, access, and user management for up to 300 employees, personalised business email, web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and 1 TB of cloud storage per employee.
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: In addition to Microsoft Teams features, this plan includes web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, 1 TB of cloud storage per employee, and over 10 additional applications for business needs.
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: This package includes everything offered in the other plans, plus web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and webinars with reporting and attendee registration.

A Complete Guide to Microsoft Teams Alternatives

You Need an Easy-to-Implement and Use Solution

Microsoft Teams can be complex for new users due to its wide range of functions and features. This might require additional time to adapt and learn to use all the available tools.

Unlike Microsoft Teams, Ringover is designed to be intuitive and easy to use from the start, reducing the learning curve for new users. In addition to its user-friendly design, Ringover offers other advantages. For instance, it provides high-quality and stable calls, ensuring smooth communication. It also offers features such as call recording, CRM tool integration with options like Salesforce, Hubspot, Zendesk, Pipedrive, and Zoho, and data analytics, which can enhance your team's efficiency and productivity.

You Need a Solution with Stable Connection

The fact that Microsoft Teams is demanding in terms of resources can be a drawback for users with limited internet connection or older devices. If you're looking for an alternative that is lighter and more resource-efficient, Ringover can be an excellent choice.

Ringover requires very few resources and has minimal internet connection requirements. This means you can use the platform even with a low-speed connection or older devices without experiencing performance issues. Additionally, it's designed efficiently to provide a stable and smooth communication experience.

You Need a Solution Compatible with Other Tools and Systems

In addition to compatibility issues that Microsoft Teams may present with some operating systems or devices, this can limit some team members' access to this communication tool. For those seeking a more inclusive and accessible alternative, Ringover is an excellent choice.

Ringover has been developed to ensure compatibility with a wide variety of operating systems and devices. Whether you're using Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android, you'll be able to access and use all Ringover features seamlessly. This allows all team members, regardless of their operating system or device, to fully participate in communications and work collaboratively.

The 5 Best Alternatives to Microsoft Teams for Successful Business Communication

1. Top Alternative #1: Ringover

Ringover stands out as an excellent choice for providing IP telephony to small and medium-sized businesses, thanks to its solid offering and transparent pricing. It provides wide flexibility in plan selection, with two options including all services or the ability to customise your plan according to your company's specific requirements. Setting up the business communication system is extremely straightforward and can be scaled as your business grows, with user licences available starting from £19 per month.

Regardless of the selected plan, Ringover offers companies the ability to make and receive unlimited calls to 110 destinations, call forwarding, auto attendant, and a variety of additional features.

Key Advantages of Ringover➕

• 7-day free trial.
• All-inclusive plans.
• Unlimited calls to an international base.

Alternative #2: RingCentral

RingCentral's solution primarily focuses on UCaaS and provides various features such as text messaging, video calls, IVR, and online fax, among others. Additionally, it offers a conversation intelligence software that implements AI in business which improves sales performance in addition to providing other benefits. This tool is similar to Empower by Ringover, and allows for the enhancement of sales techniques.

It's important to mention that due to the complexity of its product, RingCentral's plans are more expensive compared to its competitors. In the basic plan, international calls are not included, and adding international numbers incurs an additional cost. Note that the basic plan doesn't even include the video call feature.

RingCentral Advantages➕

• Omnichannel communication tools to support both external and internal communication.

RingCentral Disadvantages ➖

• Poor value for money.
• Ineffective customer support.
• No unlimited calls to international destinations.

Alternative #3: Zadarma

Zadarma is a scalable telephone solution that caters to the needs of startups and medium-sized businesses. Each obtained number has a cost that varies depending on the country of origin. Although calls are not free, their service offers unlimited calls. In addition to voice calls, Zadarma also provides features such as video conferencing, online fax, text messaging for businesses, a click-to-call button, and voice analytics tools.

The platform easily integrates with various CRM tools and business management systems, optimising and simplifying workflows and business processes. Zadarma also offers plans that allow for unlimited worldwide calls, facilitating communication with international clients without worrying about long-distance costs. Additionally, its installation is quick and simple, which is very attractive for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Zadarma Advantages ➕

• Offers a calendar system.
• 24/7 support.

Zadarma Disadvantages ➖

• No in-person or virtual training sessions.
• Difficulty in understanding service pricing.

Alternative #4: Mitel

Mitel is a highly adaptable telephone solution that caters to the needs of both startups and medium-sized businesses and has 40 years of operations. This VoIP software offers a wide range of features, such as video conferencing and voice analytics, in addition to contact centre software.

Compared to other options in the market, Mitel stands out for offering prices more expensive than Ringover's.

Mitel Advantages➕

• Longstanding experience
• 24/7 support.

Mitel Disadvantages ➖

• Few CRM integrations.
• Limited training provided.
• Expensive compared to other options.

Alternative #5: Vonage

Vonage is a cloud VoIP service provider that focuses on offering B2B communication solutions, including APIs, unified communications, and contact centre technology. Its pricing structure is especially suitable for medium and large enterprises, as user costs decrease as the number of users in a plan increases.

Vonage Advantages ➕

• Ideal for large enterprises that can take advantage of economies of scale.
• There are over 20 third-party integrations available.

Vonage Disadvantages➖

• There are many add-ons that can increase your bill.
• It can be expensive depending on the size and needs of your company.

What is the best cloud communications solution alternative to Microsoft Teams?

Despite Microsoft Teams being known as a call centre provider, its offering is limited and the setup is complicated compared to more comprehensive CPaaS systems like Ringover.

Ringover, on the other hand, stands out for offering simple setup, all-inclusive plans, and unlimited calls to over 100 destinations, making it the ideal choice for growing businesses. Take advantage of the free trial and discover for yourself why Ringover is the most recommended alternative to Microsoft Teams' omnichannel communication solution.

Microsoft Teams FAQ

How much does Microsoft Teams cost?

Microsoft Teams has different pricing plans for businesses that include features such as identity management, access and user control, business email, web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and 1 TB of cloud storage per employee. Some plans like Microsoft 365 Business Basic and Microsoft 365 Business Standard also offer more than 10 additional applications and the ability to conduct webinars with attendee reports and registration.

Who are the main competitors of Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams competes in a competitive sector covering unified communications and video call solutions. Other VoIP service providers are notable for their clarity, support, and ease of implementation, gaining popularity among companies of various sizes. Some of the main competitors are:

• Ringover
• Mitel
• RingCentral
• Zadarma
• Vonage