Choosing the right communication and collaboration platform is critical for UK businesses in today’s fast-paced digital environment. Two prominent players, RingCentral and Microsoft Teams, offer comprehensive solutions, but their features and costs vary significantly. In this analysis, we will compare the key aspects of RingCentral vs Microsoft Teams to help you determine which one best suits your business needs.
Overview of RingCentral vs Microsoft Teams
RingCentral is a well-established cloud-based communications platform known for its all-in-one solution that covers voice, video, messaging, and collaboration. It caters to businesses of all sizes with features designed to enhance both internal and external communications.
Microsoft Teams is part of Microsoft 365 and integrates deeply with other Microsoft products. It is primarily known for its robust collaboration tools, such as chat, file sharing, and video meetings, alongside traditional communication features like calling.
| Category | RingCentral | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Strength | Cloud-based communications with robust VoIP and telephony features | Deep collaboration and integration with Microsoft 365 |
| Calling and Phone System | Full-featured VoIP with call routing, auto-attendant, call recording, global number coverage | Basic VoIP capabilities with add-ons for advanced PBX via Microsoft Calling Plan or third-party solutions |
| Video Conferencing | Supports HD video, up to 200 participants, screen sharing, virtual backgrounds, meeting recordings | Supports up to 1,000 participants, webinar support up to 20,000, integrates with Office apps for file sharing and collaboration |
| Messaging and Collaboration | Team messaging, file sharing, task management, integrates with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 | Persistent chat, file sharing, real-time document collaboration with full Microsoft 365 integration |
| Integrations | 200+ third-party integrations (Salesforce, Slack, Zendesk, etc.) | Optimised for Microsoft 365; integrates with third-party apps like Trello, Dropbox, Zoom |
| Security and Compliance | End-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, GDPR and HIPAA compliance | Enterprise-grade security, end-to-end encryption, GDPR, HIPAA compliance, aligned with Microsoft’s security ecosystem |
| Global Reach | Available in 40+ countries with local numbers and international calling | Available globally but limited local number options without additional third-party telephony services |
| Mobile App | Yes, fully featured with messaging, calling, and video conferencing | Yes, integrates with Microsoft 365 apps for mobile productivity |
| Pricing (per user, per month) | Essentials: £8.99 Standard: £14.99 Premium: £19.99 Ultimate: £25.99 | Microsoft 365 Business Basic: £4.50 Microsoft 365 Business Standard: £9.40 Microsoft 365 E3: £30.80 |
| Ideal for | Businesses needing comprehensive telephony, call centre features, or multi-location global communications | Businesses already embedded in Microsoft 365 and focusing on collaboration, productivity, and internal communication |
| Scalability | Supports small to enterprise-sized businesses, particularly those with complex telephony needs | Scales well for businesses already in the Microsoft 365 environment, suited for all business sizes |
Key insights:
- RingCentral: Best for businesses prioritising advanced telephony and global communication features.
- Microsoft Teams: Ideal for businesses focused on collaboration and productivity within the Microsoft 365 environment. It’s cost-effective if your organisation is already using Microsoft products.
Feature comparison
1. Calling and phone system
- RingCentral: RingCentral excels in VoIP telephony, offering extensive phone system features such as advanced call routing, auto-attendant, call recording, and analytics. Its PBX capabilities and global phone number coverage make it a strong choice for businesses with international or complex telephony needs.
- Microsoft Teams: Teams also provides VoIP and phone system features, but with a more limited scope compared to RingCentral. It includes essential features like call forwarding, voicemail, and call queues, and integrates well with Microsoft 365 apps. However, Teams lacks some advanced telephony functionalities unless paired with additional services like Microsoft Calling Plans or a third-party PBX solution.
Which to choose?
For businesses prioritising robust telephony, RingCentral offers a more complete solution with broader features. However, if you’re already in the Microsoft ecosystem and only need basic phone functions, Teams might suffice.
2. Video conferencing
- RingCentral: RingCentral’s video conferencing tool, RingCentral Video, supports HD video for up to 200 participants. It includes features like screen sharing, virtual backgrounds, and meeting recordings. Businesses can also integrate third-party tools, enhancing flexibility.
- Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams supports meetings with up to 1,000 participants in its standard plans, with additional webinar capabilities for up to 20,000 attendees. Teams also offers collaborative features like file sharing and live chat during meetings, as well as deep integration with Microsoft’s Office apps, which enhances productivity during meetings.
Which to choose?
For video conferencing, Microsoft Teams has a distinct edge due to its ability to scale meetings and its strong collaboration features, making it a solid choice for businesses that rely heavily on large-scale meetings and internal collaboration.
3. Messaging and collaboration
- RingCentral: RingCentral provides messaging, team chat, and collaboration tools within its platform, supporting file sharing, task management, and integrations with apps like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. However, its collaboration features are not as extensive as those of Microsoft Teams.
- Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams shines in collaboration, offering a persistent chat experience with threaded conversations, file sharing, and co-authoring capabilities directly within the platform. Its integration with Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, etc.) makes it ideal for real-time document collaboration.
Which to choose?
If collaboration is the key priority, particularly in an organisation already using Microsoft 365, Teams is the superior option with its seamless integration and powerful collaboration tools.
4. Integrations and third-party app support
- RingCentral: RingCentral supports over 200 third-party app integrations, including Salesforce, Slack, Zendesk, and Google Workspace. This wide integration landscape makes it suitable for businesses that rely on multiple external platforms.
- Microsoft Teams: Teams also supports a wide range of integrations, particularly with Microsoft products and services, as well as third-party apps like Trello, Zoom, and Dropbox. However, the ecosystem is generally more optimised for those deeply embedded within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Which to choose?
If your business requires diverse third-party integrations, RingCentral offers broader support. On the other hand, if you use Microsoft products extensively, Teams offers smoother integration within the existing infrastructure.
5. Security and compliance
- RingCentral: RingCentral provides enterprise-grade security features, including end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, and compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and other global standards. It’s designed to handle the security needs of businesses in various sectors, including healthcare and finance.
- Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams benefits from Microsoft’s extensive security infrastructure, offering end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, and compliance with industry standards like GDPR and HIPAA. For businesses already using Microsoft’s security solutions, Teams provides a seamless security layer across all applications.
Which to choose?
Both platforms offer robust security and compliance features. The choice here should depend on whether your business is already aligned with Microsoft’s security protocols or if you require specific compliance features that one platform might support better.
RingCentral vs Microsoft Teams cost comparison
RingCentral pricing
RingCentral offers tiered pricing based on the number of features included:
- Essentials: £8.99/user/month – Basic messaging and phone calls for up to 20 users.
- Standard: £14.99/user/month – Adds video conferencing (up to 100 participants), integrations, and unlimited users.
- Premium: £19.99/user/month – Includes automatic call recording, analytics, and advanced integrations like Salesforce.
- Ultimate: £25.99/user/month – Adds device status reports and unlimited storage.
Microsoft Teams pricing
Microsoft Teams comes bundled with Microsoft 365, which means its cost depends on the level of subscription chosen:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: £4.50/user/month – Includes Teams, OneDrive, and Exchange but lacks desktop versions of Office apps.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: £9.40/user/month – Adds desktop apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), plus email hosting.
- Microsoft 365 E3: £30.80/user/month – Advanced security, compliance tools, and additional services.
Which to choose based on cost?
For businesses primarily needing communication and collaboration tools without advanced Microsoft 365 integration, RingCentral’s pricing might be more cost-effective, especially at the higher tiers, where its telephony and communication features are stronger.
However, if your business already uses Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams could represent better value, as you would gain access to its collaboration tools along with the Office suite, making it more affordable in the long term for users already familiar with the Microsoft ecosystem.
Conclusion – RingCentral vs Microsoft Teams
Choosing between RingCentral vs Microsoft Teams ultimately depends on your business’s priorities:
- Telephony and global communication needs: RingCentral’s more advanced phone system features make it a better choice.
- Collaboration and productivity within Microsoft 365: Microsoft Teams is the superior option, especially if your business already uses Office apps.
- Budget-conscious businesses: Teams offers better value for businesses already within the Microsoft ecosystem, while RingCentral offers more robust telephony at reasonable price points.
In summary, businesses focused on telephony and external communication should lean towards RingCentral, while those embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem and focused on collaboration and internal productivity should opt for Microsoft Teams. The decision comes down to your specific business needs and existing infrastructure.
FAQ
RingCentral provides more advanced phone system features, including auto-attendant, call routing, and global number coverage. Teams has basic VoIP capabilities, but for advanced PBX functionality, businesses need Microsoft Calling Plans or third-party solutions, making RingCentral the better choice for telephony-focused needs.
Microsoft Teams excels in large-scale video conferencing, supporting up to 1,000 participants and offering webinar features for up to 20,000 attendees. RingCentral is strong but limited to 200 participants. Teams also integrates better with Office apps, making it ideal for collaboration during meetings.
RingCentral supports over 200 third-party integrations, making it versatile across different platforms like Salesforce and Slack. Microsoft Teams, while it has third-party integrations, is optimised for seamless integration within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, making it the superior choice for businesses already using Microsoft products.
Microsoft Teams is generally more affordable, especially if bundled with Microsoft 365 subscriptions, starting from £4.50/user/month. RingCentral pricing starts at £8.99/user/month. However, if you need advanced telephony features, RingCentral offers more comprehensive options, which may justify the higher price for those needs.
Yes, both RingCentral and Microsoft Teams offer mobile apps. RingCentral’s mobile app includes messaging, calling, and video conferencing. Microsoft Teams’ mobile app focuses on collaboration, integrating with Office apps like Word and Excel for productivity on the go, along with chat and video conferencing features.
Both RingCentral and Microsoft Teams offer strong security features, including end-to-end encryption and multi-factor authentication. Microsoft Teams benefits from Microsoft’s broader security infrastructure, making it a robust option, especially for businesses already using Microsoft’s suite of security services and compliance tools.
RingCentral is better suited for businesses with global communication needs, offering local numbers in over 40 countries and international calling features. Microsoft Teams provides basic global functionality but lacks the same level of local number options unless paired with third-party telephony services.
Microsoft Teams is the superior choice for collaboration, offering persistent chat, file sharing, and co-authoring within Office apps. It’s designed to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft 365, enabling real-time document collaboration. RingCentral offers basic team chat and collaboration tools but lacks the depth of Teams’ features.
Both platforms scale well for small to large businesses. However, Microsoft Teams is particularly suitable for organisations already using Microsoft 365, making it easy to scale as your team grows. RingCentral also scales effectively but is better suited for businesses with complex telephony needs or multiple locations.
Ease of use depends on your business setup. RingCentral is user-friendly and intuitive for communication-focused needs, especially for telephony. Microsoft Teams may have a learning curve for users new to Microsoft 365, but it becomes highly efficient for businesses already familiar with Microsoft apps and workflows.