Avaya vs Microsoft Teams – Comparing features and costs to help you choose

Both Avaya and Microsoft Teams are established players in the world of Unified Communications (UC) and collaboration tools, but they differ significantly in features, pricing, and how they cater to various business needs. In this analysis, we’ll take a detailed look at Avaya vs Microsoft Teams, comparing their features, costs, and the benefits each one brings to help you decide which is the best fit for your business.

Avaya vs Microsoft Teams

Category	Avaya	Microsoft Teams
VoIP and telephony	Robust VoIP and PBX features, advanced call handling, call routing, and voicemail. Excellent for businesses prioritising telephony.	Provides VoIP capabilities and PBX integration with additional licensing. Basic telephony included in the standard plan but needs a paid add-on for advanced features.
Video conferencing	Video meetings available through Avaya Spaces. Supports standard business requirements but lacks the sleek, modern interface of some competitors.	High-quality video conferencing with up to 300 participants in standard plans. Advanced plans can support up to 10,000 attendees in live events.
Team messaging	Available via Avaya Spaces, offering team chats and messaging. Integration between team messaging and other collaboration tools feels less cohesive compared to competitors.	Comprehensive chat functionality, threaded conversations, and easy access to shared files through integration with OneDrive and SharePoint.
Document collaboration	Basic file sharing and task management within Avaya Spaces. No real-time document co-authoring.	Full integration with Microsoft 365 for real-time document collaboration, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneDrive/SharePoint for file storage and sharing.
Contact centre capabilities	Best-in-class contact centre solutions, with seamless integration for customer service operations. Custom pricing for contact centre software.	Limited native contact centre support. Requires third-party integration for full customer service functionality.
Scalability	Designed for businesses of all sizes, highly scalable from small businesses to large enterprises with thousands of employees.	Scalable across small, medium, and large businesses. Teams works well within the Microsoft 365 infrastructure and can expand as businesses grow.
Security and compliance	Enterprise-grade security features, including data encryption and compliance with regulations like GDPR. Trusted by industries requiring strict data protection.	Industry-leading security with built-in compliance and DLP (Data Loss Prevention). Suitable for businesses with stringent regulatory requirements such as GDPR and ISO 27001.
Integration and customisation	Offers integration with many third-party tools, but requires more custom setups, especially for niche business needs.	Thousands of third-party apps available for easy integration via Teams App Store. Highly customisable for specific industry workflows through integrations with CRM, ERP, and more.
Mobile app functionality	Offers mobile access to Avaya Spaces and UCaaS tools, but features are not as fully developed as competitors.	Fully functional mobile app for iOS and Android, allowing seamless access to meetings, chats, and files. Strong integration with Microsoft 365 mobile apps.
User experience	Interface can feel outdated, especially for younger, digital-native employees. Focuses more on telephony and less on modern collaboration tools.	Modern, intuitive interface with seamless integration into everyday workflows for businesses already using Microsoft 365. Easy adoption for most users.
Collaboration focus	More focused on traditional communication (voice and video) than modern, integrated collaboration tools.	A complete hub for collaboration, offering video, chat, document sharing, and task management in a single platform.
Pricing structure	Per-user pricing varies depending on services, with Avaya Spaces starting at £7.50 per user, per month. UCaaS starts at around £25 per user, per month. Contact centre pricing is custom.	Part of Microsoft 365 plans, starting at £4.20 per user, per month for Business Basic, and £10.50 for Business Standard. Teams Phone costs an additional £6 per user, per month.
Telephony pricing	Comprehensive telephony solutions are included in Avaya UCaaS plans, starting at around £25 per user, per month.	Telephony features require Teams Phone licence (£6 per user, per month) in addition to a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Best for	Businesses that prioritise telephony, especially with contact centres and customer service. Suitable for large enterprises needing advanced communication systems.	Businesses already using Microsoft 365 that need an integrated collaboration and communication platform. Ideal for small to medium businesses looking for a unified solution.
Overall strength	Telephony and contact centre integration are unmatched. Great for companies with traditional communication needs.	Outstanding for collaboration and document sharing. Great for companies focusing on digital-first, cloud-based communications and internal collaboration.

Overview of Avaya

Avaya is renowned for its communication and collaboration solutions, with a focus on contact centres, unified communications, and cloud services. Historically, Avaya has catered to businesses looking for more traditional telephony services, but its evolution into cloud-based communications means it now competes directly with modern UC solutions. Avaya provides flexible phone systems, video conferencing, and team messaging through its cloud services, including Avaya Spaces and Avaya OneCloud.

Key features of Avaya

• Avaya Spaces: A collaborative workspace combining messaging, video conferencing, file sharing, and task management into a single platform.
• Avaya OneCloud UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service): Provides VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), video conferencing, messaging, and mobility solutions, making it ideal for businesses transitioning from traditional PBX systems to the cloud.
• Contact centre integration: Avaya’s strong heritage in contact centres means its UC solution integrates seamlessly with customer support and service desk operations.
• Scalability: Avaya’s flexible architecture can scale from small businesses to large enterprises with thousands of employees.
• Advanced telephony features: Avaya is known for high-quality voice communication and includes advanced call handling, call routing, and voicemail features.

Overview of Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a dominant player in the UC and collaboration market, particularly among businesses already using Microsoft 365. Teams serves as a central hub for collaboration, integrating with other Microsoft products like Word, Excel, SharePoint, and OneDrive, as well as offering VoIP services, video conferencing, and instant messaging.

Key features of Microsoft Teams

• Collaboration hub: Teams seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft 365 tools, offering real-time document sharing, collaborative editing, and project management.
• Meetings and conferencing: Teams allows up to 300 participants in video calls for the standard package and up to 10,000 attendees for live events with an advanced plan.
• Telephony integration (Microsoft Teams Phone): Offers VoIP, call forwarding, and PBX integration, though it requires additional licensing.
• Security and compliance: Microsoft Teams adheres to enterprise-grade security standards, making it suitable for industries with strict compliance requirements.
• Customisation through integrations: With thousands of third-party apps available, Teams can be customised to fit the specific needs of various industries.
• Integration with Microsoft 365: If your business already uses Microsoft 365, Teams becomes a seamless part of your workflow, significantly increasing productivity and collaboration.

Cost comparison – Avaya vs Microsoft Teams

When comparing costs, both platforms offer a variety of plans, depending on the needs of your business. However, pricing structures are quite different, particularly as Avaya’s telephony services are more traditional while Microsoft Teams has a subscription model closely tied to Microsoft 365.

Avaya pricing

Avaya’s pricing is generally based on a per-user, per-month model, and the cost depends on the services you need. For example:

• Avaya Spaces: From £7.50 per user, per month for basic messaging and video conferencing.
• Avaya OneCloud UCaaS: Plans start at around £25 per user, per month for telephony, video conferencing, and team messaging.
• Avaya Contact Centre: Pricing is custom based on your company’s specific needs, with a focus on customer interaction management.

Given its contact centre heritage, Avaya may also incur higher costs if you require advanced telephony features or on-premise setups.

Microsoft Teams pricing

Microsoft Teams comes bundled with various Microsoft 365 plans, and additional costs are incurred for advanced telephony and enterprise features.

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: £4.20 per user, per month, including access to Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint.
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: £10.50 per user, per month, offering advanced Teams features and other Office applications.
• Microsoft Teams Phone: VoIP telephony is available with an additional cost of around £6 per user, per month for calling plans, or you can integrate your own PSTN provider.

For most small to medium-sized businesses, Microsoft Teams is a more cost-effective option due to its integration with the Microsoft 365 suite. However, larger enterprises or businesses with complex telephony needs may find Avaya’s pricing more competitive, especially for contact centre solutions.

Pros and cons

Which one should you choose?

• Choose Avaya if your business prioritises advanced telephony features, particularly for contact centres, and needs a highly scalable system. If voice communication is the heart of your operations, Avaya’s solutions may offer more flexibility and functionality.
• Choose Microsoft Teams if your business is already integrated with Microsoft 365, or if you need a comprehensive collaboration platform that combines video meetings, messaging, and document collaboration in one. Teams is the better option for businesses looking for an all-in-one UC tool at a competitive price.

Both platforms have their merits, but your decision should ultimately come down to your business’s specific communication needs. Avaya’s traditional strength lies in its telephony and contact centre capabilities, while Microsoft Teams excels in collaboration, making it the preferred choice for many UK businesses moving towards a digital-first approach.

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