About
Microsoft Teams and Zoom both offer videoconferencing and other features to help facilitate remote teaching, learning, work, and communication. To help you choose a suitable tool for a given purpose, this article contains the following comparison tables:
Audience
- Students
- Faculty
- Staff
- Guests
Details
Licensed Users
| Feature |
Description |
Zoom |
Teams |
| Licensed |
K-State users may have different licenses based on their role at K-State |
All Faculty/Staff with a total appointment of 1.0 FTE or greater or a teaching appointment have a full Zoom license. Other part-time employees and current students have a zoom basic license. |
All current faculty, staff and students have access to Microsoft Teams licenses. |
Compatibility
| Feature |
Description |
Zoom |
Teams |
| Web Browser |
Use directly from a web browser without having to install any software |
|
|
| Windows |
Install the application directly to your windows device |
|
|
| MacOS |
Install the application directly to your Mac device |
|
|
| iOS |
Install the app on an iOS device. |
|
|
| Android |
Install the app on an Android device |
|
|
Audio/Video Functionality
| Feature |
Description |
Zoom |
Teams |
| Video |
Use your web cam or phone's camera to meet with others virtually. |
|
|
| Audio conference via computer audio |
Use your computer or phone's speaker/microphone/headset to participate in the virtual meeting using audio only. |
|
|
| Audio conference via phone call |
Join a virtual meeting using audio only on your mobile or desk phone by calling a specific number. |
|
|
Chat Functionality
| Feature |
Description |
Zoom |
Teams |
| Persistent chat |
Create topic-based discussion rooms that persist over time. Messages are saved so chat room participants can see the chat history. |
|
|
| Presence Indicator |
Indicates your current availability and status to other users. |
|
|
| Group chat |
Chat with multiple team members at once. |
Group chat using the Channel feature. |
Up to 100 people can be included in a group chat or up to 250 people in a private Teams channel. |
| Private chat in meeting |
Chat directly with one other meeting participant. |
|
|
Content and Collaboration
| Feature |
Description |
Zoom |
Teams |
| Whiteboard |
Allows you to share a virtual whiteboard that you and other participants (if allowed) can draw or write on. |
Available in any Teams meeting. Also available on Teams calls with three or more participants. |
|
| Screen sharing |
Share your screen with meeting participants — either your entire desktop or individual application windows. |
|
|
| Share multiple screens |
Allow multiple participants to share their screens simultaneously during a meeting. |
|
|
| Share files |
Share files with participants and collaborate on them together. |
Using In-Meeting File Transfer. |
Using Office 365. |
Meeting Functionality
| Feature |
Description |
Zoom |
Teams |
| Lobby or waiting room |
Allows a meeting host to control when a participant joins a meeting. Hosts can admit participants one at a time or hold all attendees in a virtual waiting room and admit them all at once. Participants will see a screen notifying them that they are in a waiting room. |
|
|
| Virtual hand raising |
Allows participants to raise their hand to indicate that they need something from the host or would like to speak. |
|
|
| Remote screen control |
Ability to take control of another participant's screen in a meeting. You can request remote control of another participant's screen or the other participant can give you control. |
|
|
| Breakout rooms |
Split your meeting into separate smaller sessions. |
|
Similar functionality as Zoom with main feature missing that you cannot pre-assign users to breakout rooms. |
| Recording of Meetings |
Record meetings to capture audio, video, and screen sharing to be viewed at a later time. |
Local recording available to all users. Cloud recording available to full license holders only. |
Local recording available
Cloud recording via OneDrive and Sharepoint. |
Accessibility
| Feature |
Description |
Zoom |
Teams |
| Audio transcription |
Has the option to automatically transcribe the audio of a meeting that was recorded. Typically must be edited for an ADA-required accommodation. |
|
|
| Live captioning |
Detect what's said during meeting and provide auto-generated captions for anyone who wants them. Not usually sufficient for an ADA-required accommodation. |
|
|
| Closed captioning by live captioner |
Option to assign a person to type live captions. |
|
|
Rates
- Licenses for Teams and Zoom are available to users at no charge.
Notes
- Find out which features are available in Zoom and the differences between a basic and full Zoom license.
- Contact the service desk for further help choosing the right tool for your virtual meetings.