As an extension of Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams is a helpful tool for many remote businesses looking for collaboration software.
Although we will discuss the many great features of Microsoft Teams in this review, it is not fully designed for project management, so it’s not the best product on the market for that. However, it is an affordable alternative for remote teams—with app integrations, video conferencing, and collaboration tools.
Microsoft Teams has some very helpful product offerings that focus on improving your business meetings and real-time collaboration.
Microsoft Teams Pros and Cons
Pros
- Screen sharing
- Affordable, starting at $5 per month
- Group messaging
- File sharing
- Robust integrations
Cons
- Speed issues
- Complicated interface
- Uses a lot of CPU memory
How Microsoft Teams Compares to Top Project Management Software
As mentioned, Microsoft Teams doesn’t have the full capability to be a proper project management software, which is why it isn’t featured in our list of the top project management software, where we review and compare various tools.
With that said, Microsoft Teams stacks up well against top free and beginner-friendly project management software like Trello or TeamGantt.
Compared to leading project management software like our top two Zoho Projects and Wrike—it doesn’t come close in terms of extensiveness and functionality.
Zoho Projects is a cloud-based software that accommodates a wide range of business needs for project management and tasks, making it the best overall software. In comparison, Wrike is specifically great for creative and marketing teams, with an emphasis on content creation solutions.
Microsoft Teams’ Project Complexity
Microsoft Teams perfectly caters to small remote teams working on a one-off or simplistic project that require fewer complex tools.
Figuring out what you will be using the software for is the first step to finding the best project management software for you and your team.
Even though Microsoft Teams isn’t incredibly flexible, it’s still great for small teams that need a collaboration tool at an affordable price.
Microsoft Teams lets you collaborate with up to 500 participants on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Note documents for relevant project tasks. You also get access to team messaging during collaboration so that everyone can get involved.
However, if you need a more advanced project management software for larger teams and projects, we would suggest LiquidPlanner or Celoxis, as they both offer a wide array of tools and customizable portals for complex project management.
Microsoft Teams’ Team Size
Another important factor in finding the right project management software for your team is team size. Factoring in your team’s size is crucial because not all software caters to large enterprises with consistent schedules—Microsoft Teams, however, is one of them.
The great thing about Microsoft Teams is that it offers a free forever plan for up to 100 participants and a maximum number of users of 500,000. If you happen to have a small team that doesn’t need extensive tools, this is an excellent option.
Although 500,000 users seem like a lot, unfortunately, the free version only allows 2GB of file attachments for each user and 10GB of file storage across all teams, which will inevitably fill up quickly.
With that said, Microsoft Teams offers an unlimited number of members for each of its other paid plans, with up to 300 participants in group meetings and calls. It also offers 1TB of attachment space and unlimited storage space per user.
Overall, its team size is quite flexible for both small and large businesses. Although, smaller teams would reap most of the benefits that Microsoft Teams has to offer in this capacity.
Microsoft Teams’ Ease of Use
Having an easy-to-use project management software is the key to communication and collaboration success. Unfortunately, many users have said that the Microsoft Teams interface can be a little complicated for beginners. However, for a more experienced team, it’s easier to navigate.
Microsoft Teams has a fairly intuitive interface that experienced users will be familiar with. It allows you to simplify project tasks with customizable automated workflows.
The interface lets you create simplified tools and processes that will transform your workflow indefinitely. With a sleek side panel and search bar, we think that most users could navigate it seamlessly.
The great thing about Microsoft Teams is that it also has many resources and demos that explain the absolute basics of setup, with handy tips and tricks that will get you started.
The best way to know how to navigate a project management software is to try it out. Luckily, Microsoft Teams offers a free plan and a one-month free trial period for the Basic and Standard plans.
If you’re still unsure of Microsoft Teams, we would suggest software like Trello, as it’s great for beginners and has one of the most simple interfaces on the market today.
Microsoft Teams’ Features
Depending on your business circumstances, you may not need the most advanced features and tools out there. Fortunately, if you’re a small business on a budget, Microsoft Teams is an excellent choice for you—offering just enough tools for success.
Microsoft Teams has ample features for collaboration purposes. It has standard project management features like a mobile app, cloud storage, and unlimited guests, and Microsoft Teams also offers more than that.
With the free plan alone, users can expect to have access to unlimited schedules, 10GB cloud storage, unlimited chat, guest access, meet for 60 minutes, and extensive market availability.
But it doesn’t end there. You get access to so much more with its paid plans. Some of the features include:
- Screen sharing
- Custom backgrounds for video conferencing
- Together mode
- File sharing
- Privacy and security
All these features will help you simplify your workflow and work as efficiently as possible with your team.
For any team that needs more collaborative and all-around inclusive meetings, Microsoft Teams is a great option to help you get started, at the very least.
Microsoft Teams’ Pricing
Typically, prices for different project management software vary greatly and are billed on a per-user basis. Some of the more advanced software will be more expensive. However, Microsoft Teams is more on the affordable side.
Let’s take an in-depth look into each pricing tier and what you receive when purchasing each one.
Microsoft Team Free Plan
This first option is free forever with no hidden fees or commitments.
This plan is perfect for beginners or small teams with a handful of employees looking for software with the absolute basics.
The free plan offers a small bundle of features, from meetings to security. If you choose this plan, you will benefit from the web versions of Word and Excel, as well as the Microsoft data encryption security.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic Plan
The Business Basic plan costs $5 per user per month, billed at $60 per year.
This plan is the best value for money for small or large teams. It offers almost all of the essential features like storage space, productivity apps, advanced security, administration, and support.
It has all the tools you need for collaboration purposes, with added security and extensive meetings and call features.
Compared to other project management software on our list, this plan is the second cheapest, with Zoho Projects coming out on top.
Microsoft 365 Business Standard Plan
The Business Standard plan comes in at $12.50 per user per month, billed at $150 per year.
If you’re a slightly larger and more advanced team, this plan is an excellent choice regardless of price. You only miss out on three tools from the security, administration, and support categories, but we think most teams can do without these.
With Microsoft bookings for faster scheduling and desktop access to all productivity apps and services, this plan is perfect for a highly productive team.
Office 365 E3 Plan
Finally, the E3 plan is $20 per user per month, billed at $240 per year.
There isn’t too much of a difference between the Standard plan and the E3 plan, apart from the price. You receive all of the features and tools that Microsoft Teams offers, along with 10,000 participant capacity and unlimited storage.
This plan is not for every team, and we would only recommend it for larger teams or enterprises that need the most advanced tools and collaboration access.
Microsoft Teams Product Offerings
Microsoft Teams offers a few unique products that relate to project management services, which give a variety of options for different user needs. Here is an in-depth look at the other products Microsoft Teams offers as a project management software.
Video Conferencing
Unlike many other project management software, Microsoft Teams has a comprehensive video conferencing feature perfect for teams working remotely.
Video conferencing can be the easiest way to communicate with your team about different projects’ progress and planning.
With Microsoft Teams, you can do this seamlessly by using real-time collaboration with up to 10,000 participants. The great thing about this feature is that as a host, you can invite anyone by using their email address and start the collaboration from there.
As a host, you have full control of all meetings under Microsoft Teams, with the ability to mute and unmute attendees, remove uninvited attendees, and choose different presenters.
To increase your productivity, you get access to screen sharing and whiteboarding, where you can work on your favorite Office 365 apps together.
You can also conduct virtual meetings and host virtual events for up to 1,000 attendees and broadcast for up to 10,000 participants.
Some other guaranteed features of Microsoft Teams virtual conferencing include:
- The ability to record meetings
- Chat with participants before, during, and after
- Turn on live captions during a meeting
- Customize your background or blur it to minimize distractions
- View and download a participant list to follow up after the meeting
All plans support the bulk of these features for video conferencing, including the free plan. The only thing you miss out on with the free plan is video recording.
App Integrations
Microsoft Teams app integrations are some of the most extensive on the market. In our opinion, it’s what makes it a better software that’s heavily improved for project management.
If you work with Microsoft Teams, you will have access to a wide range of more than 900 apps, which will seamlessly improve your workflow.
Before you choose a bunch of random apps, it’s crucial to figure out what apps you need for your software to run smoothly, and more importantly, what will help your business thrive the most.
This is because having excess apps will slow down your software, which has been an issue with Microsoft Teams in the past.
The best part about the Microsoft Teams app store is that it offers a wide array of specific project management-related apps that help you manage tasks and navigate complex projects.
One of the more unique features of Microsoft Teams app integrations is that you can craft low-code solutions by building custom apps and digital tools.
You have the chance to power your own apps, virtual agents, and BI, as well as automate repetitive tasks and workflows by improving productivity and connecting data.
You also have the option to work with professional developers to craft extensive developer apps and tools to meet your business needs. You get to work closely with a professional over a period of time for the best possible outcome.
To craft custom apps, your business needs to register for the Microsoft Power Platform.
Teams Rooms
The last helpful product that Microsoft Teams offers its users is what’s called Microsoft Teams Rooms. This feature allows you to turn any space into a collaborative workspace instead, making it perfect for predominantly remote or freelance teams.
This feature makes meetings as inclusive and interactive as possible for everyone involved. You get handy tools like live captions and the whiteboard feature you can use with the original video conferencing.
You also get access to additional features like the raise hand tool, where you can let everyone know you want to speak.
As the host of a virtual meeting, you also get to use the intelligent capture feature, where you can frame, focus, and enhance all whiteboard text and images in real-time.
Teams Rooms are easy to use and navigate, as you can start or join a meeting all with one click.
With Teams Rooms, you will benefit from other existing and upcoming features like:
- Meeting room capacity notifications (coming soon)
- One-touch join
- Proximity join
- Voice assistance
- Room remote (coming soon)
- Microsoft Teams cast, where you can cast content from your PC (coming soon)
Microsoft Teams Rooms offers two pricing plans to its users, including the Microsoft Teams Rooms Standard at $15 per device, per month, billed at $180 per year and Microsoft Teams Rooms Premium (USA/CAN only), which costs $50 per device, per month, billed at $600 per year.
With both of these plans, you will receive:
- Skype for business
- Microsoft Teams
- Phone system
- Audio conferencing
- Microsoft inTune
- Worldwide availability
The Premium plan also has additional access to Microsoft Teams Rooms managed services, whereas the Standard plan does not.
Summary
Overall, even though Microsoft Teams isn’t the most extensive project management software on the market, it’s still a good alternative for remote teams. It’s affordable, starting at $5 per month, with a free plan and a one-month free trial for the other plans. It offers unique products like app development and Teams Rooms. With 500,000 maximum users and inclusive collaboration tools, anyone using Microsoft Teams is sure to improve their remote team meetings and project management.
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