Both are cloud-native, video-forward platforms from vendors your team almost certainly already uses. The key question is whether you're more invested in the Zoom or the Microsoft ecosystem.
This comparison almost always resolves to one question: is your organization more deeply committed to Zoom or to Microsoft 365? If the answer is Zoom, Zoom Phone is the natural add-on. If the answer is Microsoft, Teams Phone is the cost-effective path that keeps everything in one pane. Neither is a wrong answer. Both platforms are mature, reliable, and competitively priced for knowledge workers.
Illustrative blended cost for a 100-person knowledge-worker org, annual pricing.
| Scenario | Zoom Phone | Teams Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Meetings platform | Zoom Meetings ($14–16/user/mo) | M365 E3 ($39/user/mo, includes Teams) |
| Phone add-on | $15/user/mo (Pro) | $10/user/mo (Teams Phone Standard) |
| PSTN calling | Included in US & Canada plan | ~$7/user/mo (domestic Calling Plan) or BYOC via Direct Routing |
| Blended per seat | ~$29–31/user/mo | ~$56/user/mo (lower with Direct Routing) |
| If already on M365 E3 | Still need Zoom Meetings license | Phone side only: $17/user/mo with a Calling Plan, on top of existing M365 |
Read that blended row carefully, because it is not quite like for like. The Teams column carries the entire E3 suite, meaning Office apps, Exchange, and SharePoint, while the Zoom column carries only meetings and phone. Most organizations are buying M365 regardless, and in that case the honest comparison is the phone line alone: $15/user/mo for Zoom Phone Pro against $17/user/mo for Teams Phone with a Calling Plan. If you are genuinely pricing both stacks from zero, Zoom comes in materially cheaper. Note that M365 E3 rose from $36 to $39 on July 1, 2026, which widened the gap.
| Area | Zoom Phone | Teams Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Video meetings | Industry-leading Zoom Meetings experience | Teams Meetings, strong, familiar for Microsoft orgs |
| Mobile app | Zoom mobile, consistently rated the best in class | Teams mobile, functional but heavier |
| Admin portal | Zoom Admin Center, clean and intuitive | Teams Admin Center, familiar to M365 admins |
| Microsoft 365 integration | Good (calendar, contacts sync) | Native (same platform, same pane of glass) |
| Outlook / calendar integration | Solid via plugin | Native, seamless |
| SSO / Azure AD | Supported via SAML | Native Azure AD integration |
| IVR / auto-attendant | Clean, capable auto-attendant | Functional but less flexible for complex routing |
| Call queues | Solid queue functionality | Basic; limited agent features vs. purpose-built UCaaS |
| Contact center | Zoom Contact Center (separate) | Via certified CCaaS partners (additional vendor) |
| AI features | AI Companion with summaries, transcription on Business+ | Copilot for Teams, powerful but requires M365 Copilot license |
| E911 configuration | Requires per-user location setup | Also requires per-site configuration. Neither is turnkey |
| HIPAA | Yes (Business+) | Yes (with M365 BAA) |
| Uptime SLA | 99.9% | 99.9% (Microsoft published) |
This one is unusually straightforward. If you're deep in Zoom, add Phone. If you're deep in Microsoft 365, add Teams Phone. The switching cost of going cross-ecosystem rarely justifies it for knowledge workers. The only reason to deviate is if you have a contact center need or complex routing requirements that favor a purpose-built UCaaS platform over either.
Your team lives in Zoom and wants one app for meetings, chat, and calls with the best mobile experience.
Your org is already paying for M365 and wants the cheapest path to a complete business phone system in one pane.
Tell us your current stack and we'll give you a straight recommendation.
Get a personalized recommendationWe'll quote Zoom Phone and Teams Phone based on your actual M365 licensing situation and tell you which path costs less and works better for your team.
Choose based on which ecosystem your team lives in. If you are a Microsoft 365 shop, Teams Phone keeps everything unified. If your team uses Zoom Meetings daily, Zoom Phone is the natural extension. Both are capable cloud phone systems.
Teams Phone Standard is $10 per user per month, which is cheaper than Zoom Phone Pro at $15, but that license is only the phone system. Add Microsoft's domestic Calling Plan and the bundled price is $17, which puts Teams above Zoom Phone. You also need an existing Microsoft 365 or Teams license underneath, so the answer depends on what Microsoft licensing you already own.