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Microsoft Teams Plan Comparison: Free vs M365 Business vs Teams Essentials

In Microsoft by Jake S. June 20, 2022

The shift to remote work over the last two years has caused companies to realign their digital tools. Now, many meetings default to being via video conference rather than in person, and working from home has become commonplace.

Seventy-seven percent of remote workers say they’re more productive working from home (a big reason is fewer distractions). Plus 85% of surveyed managers expect that having teams with remote workers will be the new normal.

But for remote working to work without employees feeling disconnected and customers feeling you’re hard to reach, you need to use cloud communication tools. One of the most popular, which has skyrocketed in popularity, is Microsoft Teams.

Between April 2020 and April 2021, the Microsoft Teams daily active users count rose from 75 million to 145 million . 

Teams is an all-in-one communication platform, providing more than just video conferencing or chat. It combines several capabilities into an online work hub for collaboration and communication. 

Some of the key features of MS Teams include:

• Video and audio calls
• Webinar registration & attendance reporting
• Channeled team chat
• File storage and sharing
• In-app collaboration in Word, Excel, PPT, and more
• In-app collaboration in 3 rd party applications
• Tabs that allow teams to link apps and websites inside a channel
• Status notification and alerts
• Use on all devices

MS Teams Evolution

Originally, Microsoft Teams was available only through a Microsoft 365 Business subscription. Then, to improve the popularity of Teams and compete with video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Microsoft brought out a free version with fewer features in 2018.

This helped the service increase its user base, however, there was a wide gap between the capabilities of the paid version with a Microsoft 365 subscription and the free version. Such as much less support, fewer features, etc.

Microsoft noted that it was missing a vital audience, the small business. Small business owners had a more difficult time fitting into either the free model, with very limited group meeting timing, or the paid model, which required a full M365 subscription.

So, in December of 2021, it brought out the third plan for MS Teams that it is hoping is “just right” for smaller companies that need the same collaboration and communication tools as everyone else. This plan is called Teams Essentials , and you don’t need to sign up for Microsoft 365 to get it.

Comparison of Teams Essentials vs Teams Free vs Teams with an M365 Business Plan

Next, we’ll go through the differences between these three MS Teams plans so you can identify the one that may make the most sense for your company.

Microsoft Teams Free Version

The free version of MS Teams was really brought out to reach the residential and home user crowd. An audience that had been completely missing from the Teams userbase up to that point.

This plan has the following capabilities:

• Unlimited group meetings for up to 60 minutes
• Up to 100 participants per meeting
• 5GB of cloud storage per user
• Unlimited chat
• File sharing, tasks, and polling
• Data encryption for calls, files, meetings, chats
• Co-authoring capabilities
• Ability to add tabs inside group channels

The biggest drawback of using the free version for your business is the 60-minute limit on group video meetings. The 5GB cloud storage also can be limiting for business use of Teams.

Microsoft Teams Essentials

Teams Essentials is $4/user/month and was designed specifically for small businesses that may not want to subscribe to M365, but still need a good cloud collaboration tool to keep their team connected and productive.

• Everything in the free version, plus:
• Unlimited group meetings for up to 30 hours
• Up to 300 participants per meeting
• 10GB of cloud storage per user
• Anytime phone and web support

The additional group meeting time (up to 30 hours) is more than enough to fill any type of meeting need, even those that go on all day. Additionally, users get double the cloud storage space, and the phone and web support ensure your staff has help using the app when needed.

Teams with Microsoft 365

The version of Teams with Microsoft 365 is available with any business plan. The lowest cost plan is $6.00/user/month ($2 more than Essentials). However, the Basic package does not come with downloadable Office apps (Word, Excel, etc.), only the web versions.

The next step up would be M365 Business Standard at $12.50/user/month, which is quite a bit more than the price for Teams Essentials. This one does include the downloadable Office apps.

These plans have the following capabilities:

• Everything in the Essentials version, plus:
• Office applications (either web or web & downloadable)
• All the many M365 cloud apps (OneDrive, Forms, SharePoint, OneNote, and many others)
• 1TB of cloud storage per user
• Webinar hosting
• Customer appointment management
• Premium security features

If you are planning to use Microsoft Office software and other applications, then it makes sense to get Teams along with an M365 subscription. However, if your business already owns the offline version of the Office suite or does not need it, then Teams Essentials offers a lot of capabilities with a lower price tag.

Need Help Getting MS Teams or Other Cloud Tools Set Up?

Today’s hybrid offices and remote teams need robust collaboration tools to compete. Contact us if you need help getting started with MS Teams or another cloud tool. We’ll be happy to facilitate a custom setup to ensure your staff can hit the ground running.

— Featured Image Credit

This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.

• Team collaboration software

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Comparing Microsoft Teams free vs. paid plans

While teams is bundled with some microsoft 365 licenses, it does offer a free plan. learn the difference between teams free vs. paid plans and which is right for your organization..

• Reda Chouffani, Biz Technology Solutions

Like many collaboration services, Microsoft offers a freemium version of Teams. But organizations using the free version of the service must understand they lack access to certain capabilities. Some organizations may be satisfied with the features available in the free version, while others may consider upgrading.

Organizations are in constant communication in today's fast-paced environment. Many who are using mobile devices and desktop computers have turned to collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams for instant messaging, file sharing and audio/video conferencing. But these features have different levels of availability depending on which plan or license they purchase. Companies with little collaboration platform experience have several factors to consider when evaluating Teams.

Get to know Microsoft Teams free features

While it may appear that the free version of Teams offers limited features, the reality is it has ample features to support many communication and collaboration needs. The free version of Microsoft Teams includes the following features:

• support for unlimited group meetings up to 60 minutes;
• support for unlimited 1-to-1 meetings up to 30 hours;
• live captions in meetings (English language only);
• up to 100 participants per meeting;
• unlimited chat with team members and external users ; and
• 5 GB of cloud storage per team.

With the availability of chat, video calls and support for large meetings, the Teams free plan can be an ideal option for organizations starting their collaboration journey. Without any initial licensing investment, the only requirement for an organization would be a strong adoption strategy that includes training and proper configuration of the tools.

Understand Microsoft Teams paid plan features

The paid version of Teams is offered at different pricing tiers and includes more capabilities. Some of these plans are also included with Microsoft 365 licenses . The higher-tier plans, like Microsoft Teams Phone with Calling Plan, include more advanced capabilities found in unified communications suites. Some companies may find these more advanced features more valuable than those in the free version, including the following:

• unlimited group meetings for up to 30 hours;
• up to 300 participants per meeting;
• 10 GB of cloud storage per user ;
• 24/7 phone and web support;
• Microsoft Whiteboard;
• free and paid collaborative apps;
• live captions for more than 30 languages;
• meeting recording and transcripts; and
• Teams voice calling to replace VoIP systems.

When to upgrade to a paid Microsoft Teams plan

Organizations upgrading from a free plan must focus on three areas when weighing all the options available across Teams paid plans: security, business apps and calling features. These are areas where organizations may have more complex needs or must meet regulatory requirements. IT must evaluate which of the components are required within their organization and then determine which plan is the right fit.

Microsoft bundles Teams with its Office 365 small business and enterprise plans, which enables the communications provider to drive up adoption. Organizations that need more features than are available in their bundled plan can opt for add-on licenses to enable functionality, such as calling or additional security features . Whether free or paid, the Teams platform can provide all collaboration features an organization needs. Businesses should carefully evaluate their options and select the right plan for their collaboration needs.

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• Getting started
• Manage your Personal Tasks
• Manage your Team's Plans
• Plan your day with My Day
• Advanced capabilities with Premium Plans

Manage your Team's plans with Planner in Teams

In the Planner app, you can create shared plans to effectively track work for your team. Shared plans are designed for ease of collaboration to help you get work done faster.

Create a shared plan

Basic plans

Grid – Use grid view to see your tasks in an easy-to-understand list. Here you can easily set task fields, mark tasks complete, and add new tasks.

Board – Use board view to see your tasks in a Kanban style board. Here you can group your tasks by bucket, progress, due date, priority, and labels.

Schedule – Use Schedule view to organize your tasks on calendar.  Learn more about schedule view.

Charts – Use Charts view to visually see the status of tasks. Here you can view you can view charts for:

Status – status of tasks.

Bucket – progress of tasks in each bucket.

Priority – progress of tasks by priority.

Members – availability of team members.

Premium plans

Timeline – Use timeline view to see a Gantt chart of your tasks and dependencies.

Charts – Use charts view to visually see the status of tasks. Here you can view you can view charts for:

People –Use people view to see the distribution of tasks among team members and quickly reallocate as needed.

Goals – Use the Goals view to set and track objectives.

Assignments  - Use assignments view to granularly manage resources’ efforts on tasks to accurately represent how and when work will be executed.

For full details on the advanced capabilities offered by premium plans, please check out Advanced Capabilities with Premium Plans.  

Note:  Please note that some views may require different premium licenses. Please reference  Microsoft Project for the web service description  for more information.

Assign tasks

When you're ready to decide who's doing what, there are several ways you can assign tasks to people in Planner.

You can assign someone when you create a task – Add a task name, and then select Assign to choose a plan member from the list. If the right person isn't listed, type a name or email address in the search box to add someone new.

You can assign a task to more than one person  –   When a task is being worked on by more than one team member, you can assign it to up to 11 people so that they can all see it in their Assigned to me list. When any team member marks the task complete, it's marked complete for all team members.

Note:  People removed from a basic plan will still be able to view and edit tasks assigned to them. If you would like to restrict their access, you must unassign them from each task they are assigned to.

Change assignments

You can also change the Board to be grouped by Assigned to , and then drag tasks between the columns for each person on your team.

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• Write Your Business Plan | Part 1 Overview Video
• The Basics of Writing a Business Plan
• How to Use Your Business Plan Most Effectively
• 12 Reasons You Need a Business Plan
• The Main Objectives of a Business Plan
• What to Include and Not Include in a Successful Business Plan
• The Top 4 Types of Business Plans
• A Step-by-Step Guide to Presenting Your Business Plan in 10 Slides
• 6 Tips for Making a Winning Business Presentation
• 3 Key Things You Need to Know About Financing Your Business
• 12 Ways to Set Realistic Business Goals and Objectives
• How to Perfectly Pitch Your Business Plan in 10 Minutes
• Write Your Business Plan | Part 2 Overview Video
• How to Fund Your Business Through Friends and Family Loans and Crowdsourcing
• How to Fund Your Business Using Banks and Credit Unions
• How to Fund Your Business With an SBA Loan
• How to Fund Your Business With Bonds and Indirect Funding Sources
• How to Fund Your Business With Venture Capital
• How to Fund Your Business With Angel Investors
• How to Use Your Business Plan to Track Performance
• How to Make Your Business Plan Attractive to Prospective Partners
• Is This Idea Going to Work? How to Assess the Potential of Your Business.
• When to Update Your Business Plan
• Write Your Business Plan | Part 3 Overview Video
• How to Write the Management Team Section to Your Business Plan
• How to Create a Strategic Hiring Plan
• How to Write a Business Plan Executive Summary That Sells Your Idea
• How to Build a Team of Outside Experts for Your Business
• Use This Worksheet to Write a Product Description That Sells
• What Is Your Unique Selling Proposition? Use This Worksheet to Find Your Greatest Strength.
• How to Raise Money With Your Business Plan
• Customers and Investors Don't Want Products. They Want Solutions.
• Write Your Business Plan | Part 4 Overview Video
• 5 Essential Elements of Your Industry Trends Plan
• How to Identify and Research Your Competition
• Who Is Your Ideal Customer? 4 Questions to Ask Yourself.
• How to Identify Market Trends in Your Business Plan
• How to Define Your Product and Set Your Prices
• How to Determine the Barriers to Entry for Your Business
• How to Get Customers in Your Store and Drive Traffic to Your Website
• How to Effectively Promote Your Business to Customers and Investors
• Write Your Business Plan | Part 5 Overview Video
• What Equipment and Facilities to Include in Your Business Plan
• How to Write an Income Statement for Your Business Plan
• How to Make a Balance Sheet
• How to Make a Cash Flow Statement
• How to Use Financial Ratios to Understand the Health of Your Business
• How to Write an Operations Plan for Retail and Sales Businesses
• How to Make Realistic Financial Forecasts
• How to Write an Operations Plan for Manufacturers
• What Technology Needs to Include In Your Business Plan
• How to List Personnel and Materials in Your Business Plan
• The Role of Franchising
• The Best Ways to Follow Up on a Buisiness Plan
• The Best Books, Sites, Trade Associations and Resources to Get Your Business Funded and Running
• How to Hire the Right Business Plan Consultant
• Business Plan Lingo and Resources All Entrepreneurs Should Know
• How to Write a Letter of Introduction
• What To Put on the Cover Page of a Business Plan
• How to Format Your Business Plan
• 6 Steps to Getting Your Business Plan In Front of Investors

How to Write the Management Team Section to Your Business Plan Think you've got an all-star lineup? These are the key characteristics to showcase.

By Eric Butow Oct 27, 2023

Key Takeaways

• Who to include in your org chart
• The key traits to highlight

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

This is part 2 / 9 of Write Your Business Plan: Section 3: Selling Your Product and Team series.

One crucial aspect of any business plan is the management team slide, which outlines the key employees in the organization. Here are some things to keep in mind when putting together your all-star lineup.

Put Yourself First

Don't be modest. If you're the head of the business, you should feature yourself first. After all, you are the entrepreneur behind the business venture, and you will have to put your neck on the line, answer the hard questions, and take the criticism— as well as the praise and acclaim, should there be some.

If you want to impress people with your management team, it's essential to let your readers know who is at the helm and who is selecting the management team. Explain your background, including your vision, your credentials, and why you chose the management team you did.

A business follows the lead of the founder, and as such, you need to briefly explain what is expected of this management team and the role you see it, as a group, playing in the future of this business.

Related: Does Your Team Have the Right Stuff to Attract Venture Capital?

Highlight These Characteristics

Identifying your managers is about presenting what they bring to the table. You can provide this by describing them in terms of the following characteristics:

Education Impressive educational credentials among company managers provide strong reasons for an investor or other plan reader to feel good about your company. Use your judgment in deciding what educational background to include and how to emphasize it. If you're starting a fine restaurant, for example, and your chef graduated at the top of her class from the Culinary Institute of America, play that front and center. If you're starting a courier service and your partner has an anthropology degree from a little-known school, mention it, but don't make a big deal out of it.

Employment Prior work experience in a related field is something many investors look for. If you've spent ten years in management in the retail men's apparel business before opening a tuxedo outlet, an investor can feel confident that you know what you're doing. Likewise, you'll want to explain your team members' key, appropriate positions. Describe any relevant jobs in terms of job title, years of experience, names of employers, and so on. But remember, this isn't a resume. You can feel free to skim over or omit any irrelevant experience. You do not have to provide exact dates of employment.

Related: How to Craft a Business Plan That Will Turn Investors' Heads

Skills A title is one thing, but what you learn while holding it is another. In addition to pointing out that you were a district sales manager for a stereo equipment wholesaler, you should describe your responsibilities and the skills you honed while fulfilling them. Again, list your management team's skills that pertain to this business. A great cook may have incredible accounting skills, but that doesn't matter in the new restaurant's kitchen.

Each time you mention skills that you or a management team member has spent years acquiring at another company, it will be another reason for an investor to believe you can do it at your own company.

Accomplishments Dust off your plaques and trot out your calculator for this one. If you or one of your team members has been awarded patents, achieved record sales gains, or once opened an unbelievable number of new stores in the space of a year, now's the time to talk about it. Don't brag. Just be factual and remember to quantify. If, for example, you have twelve patents, your sales manager had five years of thirty percent annual sales gains, and you oversaw the grand openings of forty-two stores in eleven months, this is the stuff investors and others reading your business plan will want to see. Investors are looking to back impressive winners, and quantifiable results speak strongly to businesspeople of all stripes.

Personal information Investors want to know with whom they're dealing in terms of the personal side. Personal information on each member of your management team may include age, city of residence, notable charitable or community activities, and, last but not least, personal motivation for joining the company. Investors like to see vigorous, committed, and involved people in the companies they back. Mentioning one or two of the relevant personal details of your key managers may help investors feel they know what they're getting into, especially in today's increasingly transparent business climate.

Related: How to Evaluate Your Startup Like a VC

Who to Include in Your Plan

Should you mention everyone in your organization down to shop foremen or stop with the people on your executive committee? The answer is probably neither. Instead, think about your managers in terms of the crucial functions of your business.

In deciding the scope of the management section of your plan, consider the following business functions, and make sure you've explained who will handle those that are important to your enterprise:

• Advertising
• Distribution
• Human Resources
• Technical Operations

Related: How To Build a Team of Outside Experts for Your Business

What Does Each Person Do?

There's more to a job than a title. A director in one organization is a high and mighty individual, whereas a director is practically nobody in another company. Many industries have unique job titles, such as managing editor, creative director, and junior accountant level II, with no counterparts in other industries.

In a longer plan, when you give your management team's background and describe their titles, don't stop there. Go on and tell the reader exactly what each management team member will be expected to do in the company. This may be especially important in a startup, where not every position is filled. If the CFO will handle your marketing work until you get further down the road, let readers know this upfront. You certainly can't expect them to figure that out on their own.

In a shorter business plan, or mini-plan , choose those people most vital to your business. If you are opening a martial arts studio, the instructors, or lead instructors, are significant, as is the software developer in a new software company. While you have room to describe these people in more detail in a longer plan, in the shorter miniplans, use one defining sentence for your top five people.

Related: 6 Tips for Making a Winning Business Presentation

Future Hires

If you do have significant holes in your management team, you'll want to describe your plans for filling them. You may say, for example, "Marketing duties are being handled temporarily by the vice president for finance. Once sales have reached the $500,000 per month level, approximately six months after startup, a dedicated vice president of marketing will be retained to fulfill that function."

In some cases, particularly if you're in a really shaky startup and need solid talent, you may have to describe in some detail your plans for luring a hotshot industry expert to your fledgling enterprise. Then, briefly describe your ideal candidate. For a mini-plan, you may write, "We plan to hire a marketing VP who excels in reaching our 20–29 target market."

Related: Vusi Thembekwayo's 7 Rules of Pitching

More in Write Your Business Plan

Section 1: the foundation of a business plan, section 2: putting your business plan to work, section 3: selling your product and team, section 4: marketing your business plan, section 5: organizing operations and finances, section 6: getting your business plan to investors.

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More From Forbes

How To Start A Business Plan: A Step-By-Step Guide

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Creating a business plan is a critical first step for any entrepreneur. Knowing how to start a business plan will help you create a roadmap, guiding your business from startup to growth and beyond. Whether you're looking for investment, trying to set clear goals, or simply organizing your thoughts, a solid business plan can make all the difference.

Here is a guide to help you get started on your business plan:

1. executive summary.

What It Is: This section summarizes your business plan as a whole and outlines your company profile and goals.

What to Include:

• Business name and location
• Products or services offered
• Mission statement
• The purpose of the plan (e.g., seeking funding, guiding the startup process)

Tip: Keep it concise. Although it's the first section, it's often best to write it last, after you’ve detailed everything else.

2. Company Description

What It Is: This section provides detailed information about your company, including who you are, what you do, and what markets you serve.

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• Your business structure (e.g., sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation)
• The industry and marketplace needs your business meets
• Your business’s objectives and how you stand out from competitors

Tip: Use this section to highlight your company’s strengths and what makes you unique.

3. Market Research

What It Is: Market research demonstrates your understanding of the industry and target market.

• Market size and growth potential
• Target customer demographics
• Market trends and outlook
• Competitive analysis, including strengths and weaknesses of competitors

Tip: Include data and statistics to back up your findings and show that you’ve done your homework.

4. Organization and Management

What It Is: This section outlines your business’s organizational structure and management team.

• Organizational chart
• Information about the ownership of the company
• Backgrounds and qualifications of the management team
• Roles and responsibilities within the company

Tip: Highlight the skills and experiences of your team that will help the business succeed.

5. Products or Services Line

What It Is: Here, you detail the products or services you offer or plan to offer.

• A description of each product or service
• The lifecycle of products or services
• Research and development activities, if applicable
• Intellectual property, such as patents or trademarks

Tip: Focus on the benefits your products or services bring to your customers.

6. Marketing and Sales Strategy

What It Is: This section explains how you will attract and retain customers.

• Marketing strategies, including advertising, promotions, and public relations
• Sales strategies, including sales processes, channels, and tactics
• Pricing strategy and how it compares to competitors

Tip: Ensure your marketing and sales strategies are aligned with your market research findings.

7. Funding Request

What It Is: If you’re seeking funding , this section outlines your requirements.

• Your current funding needs
• Future funding requirements over the next five years
• How you intend to use the funds
• Potential future financial plans (e.g., selling the business, repaying debt)

Tip: Be specific and realistic about how much funding you need and how it will be used.

8. Financial Projections

What It Is: Financial projections provide a forecast of your business’s financial future.

• Income statements
• Cash flow statements
• Balance sheets
• Break-even analysis

Tip: Use realistic and conservative estimates. Consider hiring a financial professional to help with this section if needed.

9. Appendix

What It Is: The appendix includes any additional information that supports your business plan.

• Resumes of key management team members
• Permits and leases
• Legal documents
• Detailed market research data
• Product photos

Tip: Only include essential information that adds value to your business plan.

Final Tips for Creating a Business Plan

Creating a business plan requires clarity and precision. First and foremost, keep your business plan clear and concise. Avoid using jargon or complex language that could make the plan difficult to read or understand. Your aim should be to communicate your ideas effectively and efficiently.

Next, be realistic in your approach. Ensure that your goals and financial projections are attainable based on your research and understanding of the market. Overly ambitious projections can undermine your credibility and potentially lead to unrealistic expectations.

It's also essential to remember that a business plan is a dynamic document. As your business grows and market conditions change, you should revisit and revise your plan regularly. This helps you stay aligned with your goals and adapt to new challenges and opportunities.

Finally, seek feedback from experienced business professionals. Having someone with business experience review your plan can provide valuable insights and help identify any potential issues or areas for improvement. Their feedback can enhance the overall quality and effectiveness of your business plan.

By following these tips, you'll be better equipped to create a robust and effective business plan that can guide your business towards success.

The bottom line is that starting a business plan may seem challenging, but with careful planning and attention to detail, you can create a comprehensive guide to steer your business toward success. Use this step-by-step guide to ensure that all essential components are covered, giving your business the best possible start.

Melissa Houston, CPA is the author of Cash Confident: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Creating a Profitable Business and the founder of She Means Profit . As a Business Strategist for small business owners, Melissa helps women making mid-career shifts, to launch their dream businesses, and I also guide established business owners to grow their businesses to more profitably.

The opinions expressed in this article are not intended to replace any professional or expert accounting and/or tax advice whatsoever.

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Microsoft Teams Plan Comparison: Free vs M365 Business vs Teams Essentials

The shift to remote work over the last two years has caused companies to realign their digital tools. Now, many meetings default to being via video conference rather than in person, and working from home has become commonplace.

Seventy-seven percent of remote workers say they’re more productive working from home (a big reason is fewer distractions). Plus 85% of surveyed managers expect that having teams with remote workers will be the new normal.

But for remote working to work without employees feeling disconnected and customers feeling you’re hard to reach, you need to use cloud communication tools. One of the most popular, which has skyrocketed in popularity, is Microsoft Teams.

Between April 2020 and April 2021, the Microsoft Teams daily active users count rose from 75 million to 145 million . 

Teams is an all-in-one communication platform, providing more than just video conferencing or chat. It combines several capabilities into an online work hub for collaboration and communication. 

Some of the key features of MS Teams include:

• Video and audio calls
• Webinar registration & attendance reporting
• Channeled team chat
• File storage and sharing
• In-app collaboration in Word, Excel, PPT, and more
• In-app collaboration in 3 rd party applications
• Tabs that allow teams to link apps and websites inside a channel
• Status notification and alerts
• Use on all devices

MS Teams Evolution

Originally, Microsoft Teams was available only through a Microsoft 365 Business subscription. Then, to improve the popularity of Teams and compete with video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Microsoft brought out a free version with fewer features in 2018.

This helped the service increase its user base, however, there was a wide gap between the capabilities of the paid version with a Microsoft 365 subscription and the free version. Such as much less support, fewer features, etc.

Microsoft noted that it was missing a vital audience, the small business. Small business owners had a more difficult time fitting into either the free model, with very limited group meeting timing, or the paid model, which required a full M365 subscription.

So, in December of 2021, it brought out the third plan for MS Teams that it is hoping is “just right” for smaller companies that need the same collaboration and communication tools as everyone else. This plan is called Teams Essentials , and you don’t need to sign up for Microsoft 365 to get it.

Comparison of Teams Essentials vs Teams Free vs Teams with an M365 Business Plan

Next, we’ll go through the differences between these three MS Teams plans so you can identify the one that may make the most sense for your company.

Microsoft Teams Free Version

The free version of MS Teams was really brought out to reach the residential and home user crowd. An audience that had been completely missing from the Teams userbase up to that point.

This plan has the following capabilities:

• Unlimited group meetings for up to 60 minutes
• Up to 100 participants per meeting
• 5GB of cloud storage per user
• Unlimited chat
• File sharing, tasks, and polling
• Data encryption for calls, files, meetings, chats
• Co-authoring capabilities
• Ability to add tabs inside group channels

The biggest drawback of using the free version for your business is the 60-minute limit on group video meetings. The 5GB cloud storage also can be limiting for business use of Teams.

Microsoft Teams Essentials

Teams Essentials is $4/user/month and was designed specifically for small businesses that may not want to subscribe to M365, but still need a good cloud collaboration tool to keep their team connected and productive.

• Everything in the free version, plus:
• Unlimited group meetings for up to 30 hours
• Up to 300 participants per meeting
• 10GB of cloud storage per user
• Anytime phone and web support

The additional group meeting time (up to 30 hours) is more than enough to fill any type of meeting need, even those that go on all day. Additionally, users get double the cloud storage space, and the phone and web support ensure your staff has help using the app when needed.

Teams with Microsoft 365

The version of Teams with Microsoft 365 is available with any business plan. The lowest cost plan is $6.00/user/month ($2 more than Essentials). However, the Basic package does not come with downloadable Office apps (Word, Excel, etc.), only the web versions.

The next step up would be M365 Business Standard at $12.50/user/month, which is quite a bit more than the price for Teams Essentials. This one does include the downloadable Office apps.

These plans have the following capabilities:

• Everything in the Essentials version, plus:
• Office applications (either web or web & downloadable)
• All the many M365 cloud apps (OneDrive, Forms, SharePoint, OneNote, and many others)
• 1TB of cloud storage per user
• Webinar hosting
• Customer appointment management
• Premium security features

If you are planning to use Microsoft Office software and other applications, then it makes sense to get Teams along with an M365 subscription. However, if your business already owns the offline version of the Office suite or does not need it, then Teams Essentials offers a lot of capabilities with a lower price tag.

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Ex-Secret Service special agents explain why countersniper who saved Trump's life may have lost crucial seconds

• Trump's life was saved by a Secret Service countersniper assigned to Saturday's detail.
• But the shooter still managed to kill one rallygoer and injure two others before he was taken out.
• Experts said heat, staffing, and a focus on a nearby tree line may have cost crucial seconds.

The Secret Service countersniper who narrowly saved the life of former President Donald Trump may have lost crucial seconds because of factors including the extreme heat, a lack of antisniper backup, and a likely focus on a nearby tree line, a former special agent told Business Insider.

"This countersniper made an amazingly quick decision and clearly saved Trump's life," Bill Pickle, the former special agent in charge of Al Gore's vice-presidential Secret Service detail, said.

"Our guys are the best shots in the world. That's what they do," Pickle said.

"And within a second of the moment this kid opened fire, the CS guy shot him," he said, using Secret Service shorthand to refer to the countersniper deployed at Saturday night's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

"But someone will blame that CS and the spotter and say, 'If only he had been two seconds faster in spotting the shooter,'" the former special agent said.

"The real question may be: If there were more antisniper eyes on that building, could this have all been avoided?" he added.

How did the countersniper team not see the shooting suspect sooner?

Pickle said one area of focus for investigators would be how the shooter managed to get on top of the building without authorities taking notice.

"The other question is: Why wasn't this roof secured, and were there agents or law enforcement in there checking IDs?" he added.

"How did this kid figure out a way to get out on the rooftop and slither across that rooftop?" Pickle said. "He low-crawled across the roof on his hands and knees, and he pushed the weapon ahead of him just like in the military."

But even if they see a shooting suspect quicker, countersnipers may not always have the ability to act immediately when they spot a threat, Anthony Cangelosi, a former special agent who directed the Secret Service's technical-security advances for presidential candidates, said.

"You either have to make a decision: 'Do I take a shot? Or do I not take a shot?'" Cangelosi told BI.

"What if you find out, 'Oh, I just killed a 20-year-old kid who loves the protectee, and he couldn't get in the venue, and he just wanted to get up on that roof?' No one wants to be in that position," Cangelosi said.

Cangelosi said the Secret Service team at the event should have a "site plan" that would include a layout of the area and the surrounding buildings.

The would-be assassin fired at least three rounds from a rooftop 150 yards from where Trump was speaking. He killed one rallygoer and critically injured two others before being shot dead by a yet-to-be-identified Secret Service countersniper who was positioned on another rooftop.

One bullet grazed Trump's right ear , bloodying his face.

"This kid, at 150 yards, made a great shot," Pickle said Sunday of the would-be assassin, his voice grim. "I don't know the specifics of whether he used optics, meaning a scope on his rifle," he told BI.

"But even with optics, it takes somebody with training to aim at somebody's head from 150 yards away and you actually hit the edge of the head," he said.

"That's not a lucky shot," he added. "That's a guy who actually shot before."

The FBI identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks , 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The FBI said it was still investigating a motive.

Related stories

But for now, it's clear that at least three things may have factored into the several-second delay between when Crooks was seen crawling onto the roof and when the CS team saw and shot him, Pickle said.

The decision on how many antisnipers to deploy may prove the most critical factor, he said.

"Someone made a decision that that number of countersnipers was sufficient," he said. "And obviously, in hindsight, they were wrong because there was a kid who was able to get up there on that rooftop and pull the trigger three times at least."

How many CS teams were deployed?

Staffing decisions would have been made at the Secret Service's headquarters in Washington, DC, based on whatever agency personnel on the ground recommended after a several-day investigation of the site, Pickle said.

"An advance team actually does a lengthy survey, where they look at everything and then recommend what they need," he said.

"But if they're stretched for resources, headquarters can say we can only get you one team out there. And that's not unusual — if you don't have it, you don't have it," Pickle said.

"It always boils down to resources," he said. "And if it's not a resource problem, and the money was there, then it's still an allocation-of-resources problem," he said — meaning someone underestimated the forces needed to keep Trump safe.

Regardless of how many snipers were present, the Secret Service typically has "360-degree coverage" of an event where a sitting or former president is speaking, Cangelosi said.

Another factor is the weather.

"The CS guys would probably say: 'We were up there for four hours in 100-degree heat, and if we had another team up here or drone support, this wouldn't have happened,'" Pickle said.

The team may also have been focusing on a nearby tree line, seeing it as the primary risk.

"You're looking at everything that would hide a potential assassin," Pickle said.

"The first assumption is that if I'm a bad guy, I'm going to hide. Human nature is such that I'm going to be scanning the rooftops to make sure they're empty, but then I'm going to be focusing on that tree line because you think the bad guy is going to be hidden," Pickle said.

"You don't think the bad guy is going to be out in the open," he said.

Interagency squabbles and intense public scrutiny are forthcoming

Once the would-be assassin opened fire, "everything that happened up there was textbook and the way it should have happened," Pickle said. The CS team returned fire, long-gun-toting counterassault agents in black jumpsuits and helmets rushed the stage, and business-suited agents at the rally platform hurried Trump offstage.

"But why wasn't he identified seconds sooner?" Pickle asked of the shooter.

"Was it caused by exhaustion from being on a 100-degree roof for four hours? Was the CS team watching the heavy foliage there, which arguably was the best place to hide?" he said.

"An open roof is not the best place to hide. If he climbed out onto an open rooftop, he was prepared to die," he added.

"The worst nightmare for the Secret Service has always been a lone gunman who hasn't been announcing his views publicly and is ready to die," he said.

Pickle said Saturday's attack would be dissected for years to come and "will be in the training syllabus forever."

"It's going to be a circular firing squad," Pickle said of the interagency finger-pointing and conspiracy theories that will play out as the attempted assassination is scrutinized by the FBI, Congress, and the press and public.

Cangelosi told BI that "a lot of people talk and things just travel" within the agency after an event of this magnitude.

"We all want answers, and we want them as quickly as possible, but it's going to take some time," Cangelosi said. "You know the Secret Service; they're professionals. Mistakes are made. They're going to remedy them."

Watch: How the Secret Service protected Trump after 'screwing up'

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Maps show location of Trump, gunman, law enforcement snipers at Pennsylvania rally shooting

By Emily Mae Czachor

Updated on: July 14, 2024 / 7:52 PM EDT / CBS News

New details are emerging on the investigation after a gunman  opened fire Saturday at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where former President Donald Trump was addressing a crowd of supporters. Trump was rushed from the stage after shots rang out and later said he was injured by a bullet that struck the upper part of his right ear. 

The  gunman was killed  by a Secret Service sniper, officials said. "U.S. Secret Service personnel neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased," the agency said in a statement. 

 A man in the audience at the rally was killed in the shooting and two others were critically wounded.

Early Sunday morning, the FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, which is outside of Pittsburgh. 

Multiple law enforcement sources said he was armed with a semiautomatic AR-style rifle and opened fire from the roof of a shed about 410 feet from the stage where Trump was speaking. The gunman's location was outside of the security perimeter established by the Secret Service around Trump's rally, according to law enforcement sources.

Satellite maps of the property where the rally took place, which were generated using GoogleEarth and include features to measure distance, appear to corroborate the distance of about 400 feet.

Secret Service snipers were positioned on a rooftop behind the stage where Trump was speaking. On Saturday, there were four counter-sniper teams on site, a law enforcement official said. 

Several attendees at the rally told reporters that they saw the gunman on the roof and tried to alert officers before the shooting.

An armed municipal officer with Butler Township encountered the gunman before the shooting, Butler County Sheriff Michael Sloupe confirmed to CBS News. The officer and others had been previously alerted to a suspicious person and began searching for him right away, Sloupe told CBS Pittsburgh reporter Jen Borrasso.

The officer was hoisted by another officer onto the roof of the building where the shooter was in position. The shooter focused his rifle towards the officer, who let go and fell off the roof. Then the shooter began firing into the crowd, according to Sloupe.

In a news conference late Saturday night, Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge at the FBI's Pittsburgh branch, said he did not have information about any possible motive for the shooting. Rojek said that authorities are investigating the incident as an "attempted assassination." 

Crooks has no known connection to foreign terrorism, nor was he known to law enforcement prior to the rally, a law enforcement official said Sunday morning, but authorities were still looking into his background.

Rojek said at the briefing that the fact that the gunman could fire multiple shots was "surprising." He did not respond to additional questions about the circumstances around the shooting itself or the FBI investigation. 

Rojek did say that "there was identification of suspicious packages around where the shooter was, and so we deployed, in an abundance of caution, bomb assets, to make sure those were cleared for investigators."

Suspicious devices, which could have been explosives or incendiary, were found in the gunman's vehicle, CBS News has learned , and the gunman had in his possession a device that appeared capable of triggering the devices.

Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, said in a statement that the agency had put protective measures in place for the rally. 

Secret Service personnel were positioned around the stage and quickly rushed to surround Trump and usher him to his motorcade after the shooting. 

"During Former President Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the evening of July 13 at approximately 6:15 p.m., a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue. U.S. Secret Service personnel neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased," the Secret Service said in a statement Saturday. "U.S. Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and Former President Trump is safe."

In another statement on Sunday, the Secret Service denied any suggestion that protective resources had been refused.

"The assertion that a member of the former President's security team requested additional security resources that the U.S. Secret Service or the Department of Homeland Security rebuffed is absolutely false. In fact, recently the U.S. Secret Service added protective resources and capabilities to the former President's security detail," Guglielmi said.

"The former President, and the current President, are commonly subject to threats.  The U. S. Secret Service takes threats seriously, and it takes actions based on those threats as warranted. The U.S. Secret Service is constantly evaluating the very dynamic threat environment and responding to it in the fulfillment of its responsibilities."

He added, "While we can't get into specifics, the U.S. Secret Service adds additional resources for all campaign cycles including manpower and a variety of protective technology."

The former president and his campaign team released initial statements after the shooting to acknowledge what happened and thank law enforcement for their response. Trump shared a new statement on social media Sunday morning saying, "I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin," where the Republican National Convention is scheduled to begin Monday. 

"In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win," Trump said.

Pat Milton, Nicole Sganga and the CBS News Confirmed team contributed reporting.

• Pennsylvania
• Trump Rally
• Donald Trump

Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

More from CBS News

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Biden makes statement after Trump rally shooting: "It's sick"

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The Secret Service is investigating how the man who shot Trump got as close as he did

The Associated Press

Police snipers return fire after shots were fired while former President Donald Trump was speaking at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday. Gene J. Puskar/AP hide caption

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating how a gunman armed with an AR-style rifle was able to get close enough to shoot and injure former President Donald Trump at a rally Saturday in Pennsylvania, a monumental failure of one the agency's core duties.

The gunman, who was killed by Secret Service personnel, fired multiple shots at the stage from an "elevated position outside of the rally venue," the agency said.

An Associated Press analysis of more than a dozen videos and photos taken at the Trump rally, as well as satellite imagery of the site, shows the shooter was able to get astonishingly close to the stage where the former president was speaking. A video posted to social media and geolocated by the AP shows the body of a man wearing gray camouflage lying motionless on the roof of a manufacturing plant just north of the Butler Farm Show grounds, where Trump's rally was held.

The roof was less than 150 meters (yards) from where Trump was speaking, a distance from which a decent marksman could reasonably hit a human-sized target. For reference, 150 meters is a distance at which U.S. Army recruits must hit a scaled human-sized silhouette to qualify with the M16 assault rifle in basic training. The AR-15, like the shooter at the Trump rally had, is the semi-automatic civilian version of the military M16.

Trump is fine after an assassination attempt at his rally

The FBI early Sunday identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa.

The Secret Service didn't have anybody at a late-night news conference where FBI and Pennsylvania State Police officials briefed reporters on the shooting investigation. FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said it was "surprising" that the gunman was able to fire at the stage before he was killed.

Members of the Secret Service's counter sniper team and counter assault team were at the rally, according to two law enforcement officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss details of the investigation.

The heavily-armed counter assault team, whose Secret Service code name is "Hawkeye," is responsible for eliminating threats so that other agents can shield and take away the person they are protecting. The counter sniper team, known by the code name "Hercules," uses long-range binoculars and is equipped with sniper rifles to deal with long-range threats.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said his department and the Secret Service are working with law enforcement to investigate the shooting. Maintaining the security of presidential candidates and their campaign events is one of the department's "most vital priorities," he said.

"We condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms and commend the Secret Service for their swift action today," Mayorkas said. "We are engaged with President Biden, former President Trump and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security."

The Picture Show

Photos: see how the trump rally shooting unfolded.

Calls for an investigation came from all sides.

James Comer, a Kentucky Republican who is the House Oversight Committee chairman, said he contacted the Service Service for a briefing and called on Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing. Comer said his committee will send a formal invitation soon.

"Political violence in all forms is unamerican and unacceptable. There are many questions and Americans demand answers," Comer said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, called for investigating "security failures" at the rally.

"The federal government must constantly learn from security failures in order to avoid repeating them, especially when those failures have implications for the nation," Torres said.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, posted on X that he and his staff are in contact with security planning coordinators ahead of the Republican National Convention set to begin Monday in Milwaukee. "We cannot be a country that accepts political violence of any kind — that is not who we are as Americans," Evers said.

The FBI said it will lead the investigation into the shooting, working with the Secret Service and local and state law enforcement.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department "will bring every available resource to bear to this investigation."

"My heart is with the former President, those injured, and the family of the spectator killed in this horrific attack," Garland said in a statement. "We will not tolerate violence of any kind, and violence like this is an attack on our democracy."

• Donald J. Trump

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U.S. Uncovers Russian Plot to Assassinate C.E.O. of German Arms Maker

The company produces artillery shells and tanks that Ukraine has used in its war against Russia.

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By Julian E. Barnes ,  Lara Jakes and Christopher F. Schuetze

Julian E. Barnes and Lara Jakes reported from Washington, and Christopher F. Schuetze from Berlin.

American intelligence agencies uncovered a Russian plot to kill the chief executive of a German weapons manufacturer, according to multiple Western officials, as Moscow steps up a campaign to undermine support for Ukraine’s war effort.

The United States warned Germany about the plot, and German officials increased protection for Armin Papperger, who leads Rheinmetall, which makes artillery shells and tanks that Ukraine has used in its war against Russia.

This year, Russian military intelligence has carried out a series of arsons aimed at disrupting the supply of weapons and other materiel to Ukraine, prompting the expulsion of undercover spies and warnings from NATO. The assassination plot is a significant escalation, officials said, representing a more concerted covert effort to deter Western companies from producing supplies for Ukraine.

A senior Western intelligence official said that the threats were flagged this past spring. Mr. Papperger was the only defense industry figure who was targeted by name or for whom the Russians appeared to have developed an advanced plan for the assassination, officials said. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Russian operation.

The senior Western intelligence official said the plan was advanced to the point where Mr. Papperger had taken protective measures. Other threats that targeted European defense industry officials were more vague, the official said.

The plot, and the U.S. efforts to disrupt it, were earlier reported by CNN .

American, German and NATO officials would not comment on specifics of the plot, but they denounced Moscow’s sabotage and hybrid-style attacks in Europe.

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Microsoft Calling Plans for Teams

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• Applies to: Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams

Microsoft provides complete Private Branch Exchange (PBX) capabilities for your organization through Teams Phone System. However, to enable users to make calls outside your organization, you need to connect Phone System to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) by selecting a calling plan.

This article describes Phone System with Microsoft Calling Plan--Microsoft's all-in-the-cloud voice solution for Teams users. This solution is the simplest option that connects Phone System to the PSTN for external calling. With this option, Microsoft acts as your PSTN carrier.

To find out if Microsoft Calling Plans are available in your area, see Country and region availability .

If Calling Plans are not available in your area, Microsoft provides other PSTN connectivity options. For more information about planning your voice solution, and for information on all PSTN connectivity options, see the following articles:

• Plan your voice solution
• PSTN connectivity options

After reading this article, see Set up Calling Plans .

Calling Plan options

Microsoft Calling Plan options include the following:

Domestic Calling Plan

International calling plan, pay-as-you-go calling plan.

To decide which option is right for your organization, ask yourself the following:

• Are Calling Plans available in my area? Which user locations will have Calling Plan service?
• Do my users need international calling?
• If some of my users don't make a significant number of outgoing calls, is the Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan the most economical option for them?

All users in the same country/region with the same Calling Plan share a pool of minutes. For example, if you have 100 users located in the same country/region with a 120 minutes Domestic Calling Plan assigned, they share a pool of 12,000 minutes. All calls exceeding these minutes are billed per minute. Pooling is only available on identical Calling Plans.

The country/region is based on the location of the user's license in the Microsoft 365 admin center > Active users and NOT the billing address listed under the Organization Profile in the Microsoft 365 admin center .

For more information about monthly minutes available in each country/region, see Country and region availability .

With the Domestic Calling Plan, licensed users can call out to numbers located in the country/region where they're assigned in Microsoft 365. Unlimited incoming minutes are included. Outgoing minutes are included based on the license purchased.

There are three Domestic Calling Plan options to choose from:

Domestic Calling Plan Zone-1 US : For users in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Domestic Calling Plan Zone-1 Canada/UK : For users in Canada and the United Kingdom.

Domestic Calling Plan Zone-2 : For users in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The International Calling Plan includes both domestic and international minutes for outbound calls. Domestic minutes allow users to call numbers in the country or region where their Microsoft 365 license is assigned. International minutes allow users to call international numbers in 196 countries/regions . Unlimited incoming minutes are included. Outgoing minutes are included based on the license purchased.

With the Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan, licensed users can call out to numbers located in the country/region where their Microsoft 365 license is assigned to the user based on the user's location, and to international numbers in 196 countries/regions .

Unlimited incoming minutes are included. No outgoing minutes are included. All outgoing calls are charged based on the minutes used, either with Communication Credits or post-usage billing (for new commerce experience calling subscriptions only). Licenses are assigned to users based on their location.

To learn how to fund and use minutes for a Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan, see How to fund a Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan .

There are three Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan options to choose from:

Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan Zone 1 - US : For users in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan Zone 1 - UK & Canada : For users in the United Kingdom and Canada.

Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan Zone 2 : For users in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Zone 2 licenses aren't currently available for sale in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Mexico has its own Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan. It's not part of any zone. You must purchase the independent Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan for Mexico.

How to buy Calling Plans

You must first purchase a Phone System add-on license . To do that, sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center and choose Billing > Purchase services > Add-on subscriptions > Buy now .

Depending on your plan, you may need to buy more add-ons before you can buy Phone System licenses. To learn more, see Microsoft Teams add-on licensing .

After you buy Phone System licenses, you can buy a Calling Plan by signing in to the Microsoft 365 admin center and choose Billing > Purchase services > Add-on subscriptions , and then selecting Buy now .

You can buy and assign different Calling Plans to different users, depending on the needs of your organization. After you select the Calling Plan you need, proceed to checkout. You assign a plan to each user in the Microsoft 365 admin center. To learn how, see Assign Microsoft Teams add-on licenses .

How to fund a Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan

Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plans don't have a set number of outgoing call minutes like the Domestic or International Calling Plans. Instead, some admins may need to take additional steps to fund their Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan. Until the Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan is properly funded, users won't be able to make outgoing calls.

There are two ways you can fund and use minutes with a Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan:

Purchase the Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan through the new commerce experience (NCE)

• Customers who purchased their calling plan through the new commerce experience are able to pay for the outgoing call minutes they used in the previous month. This is also called post-usage or post-consumption billing.
• For instructions on purchasing a calling plan through the new commerce experience, see Enable pay-as-you-go for your subscription and New commerce overage for telco pay-as-you-go .

Purchase Communication Credits

• This option is for customers who didn't purchase their calling plan through the new commerce experience (NCE). These customers need to purchase Communication Credits to fund their Pay-As-You-Go Calling Plan.
• For instructions on how to purchase and assign Communication Credits, see Set up Communication Credits for your organization .

Pricing information

• Pricing for Calling Plans and Phone System .
• Pricing for Audio Conferencing .
• Microsoft Teams Essentials and Microsoft Teams Phone Bundles .
• Audio conferencing .

Related content

For more information, see the following articles:

• Set up Calling Plans
• Microsoft Teams add-on licensing .
• Add funds and manage Communications Credits

When signed in to the Teams admin center, see the Plan and Implement your Microsoft Teams Phone Deployment Guide . This guide customizes your experience based on your environment. To review best practices without signing in and activating automated setup features, see the Microsoft 365 setup portal .

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