Microsoft Teams vs Talkroute

Microsoft Teams brings chat, channels, calls, meetings, and screen sharing together, with guest access and unlimited message history. People can join meetings as guests without a Teams account, and free users can sign in with an email address or phone number without a subscription. Free group meetings and calls last up to 60 minutes; one-to-one calls have no time limit. The free plan lists 100 participants and 5 GB of cloud storage. Teams runs on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web. Its listed integrations include Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Exchange, Planner, Forms, Power BI, OneNote, Power Apps, Power Automate, and LinkedIn; Teams also has over 250 integrated business apps. Business plans support up to 300 users or people, include encryption for meetings, chats, calls, and files, and can include recordings and transcripts. Business plans list 1 TB per user for Business Basic and 10 GB per user for Teams Essentials. Essentials is $4 a year, billed at $4.00 per user/month, paid yearly; Business Basic is $7 a year, billed at $7.00 per user/month, paid yearly.

Talkroute is a virtual phone system for managing business calls, messages, and meetings. It supports multiple business numbers, custom call routing, an auto attendant, voicemail transcription, call forwarding, simultaneous ringing, menus, extensions, live transfers, and scheduled forwarding. Calling plans include unlimited U.S. and Canada minutes, subject to reasonable use policies. SMS and MMS are available, with monthly message allowances varying by plan; outbound messages may require number verification and follow carrier rules. Video meetings support up to 100 participants, with screen sharing, whiteboard, and file sharing depending on plan. The service offers an API for connecting data with other tools, though API access is reviewed per account and the public API does not provide direct voice calling. Talkroute lists Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows platforms, plus desktop and mobile apps. There is no free plan; the pricing note lists a starting price of $19/mo and a seven-day trial. Business Phone Basic is $19 a month and includes one user, one number, one mailbox, and 500 monthly texts.