Microsoft Teams takes on Slack

Teams. © Microsoft.

It looks like Microsoft is out to overtake Slack on the enterprise chatting and messaging market, offering Microsoft Teams for free. Of course, the free version has some limitations, but they are far less restrictive than Slack’s. For example, Microsoft doesn’t limit the number of archived messages you can view, whereas Slack has a 10,000 message limit, which can be quickly reached in a company of several dozen employees, making it unsuited for a true enterprise environment. Teams also supports group voice and video calling, while free Slack restricts you to 1:1 video calling. Microsoft is also promoting features to come later this year, like a background blur for video chatting. This will come as a godsend for people who work at home: no need to worry about messy rooms or the mischievous, unprofessional cat that always finds its way in the background.

⇨ Ars Technica, “Microsoft finally gives Teams what it needs to take on Slack: A free version.”