Both Zoom and Microsoft Teams are available for video meetings. Choosing the right tool depends on who you are meeting with, what features you need, and how the meeting will be run. This article outlines the key differences and guidance for each platform.

What is the quick difference between Zoom and Teams?

The table below provides a high-level comparison of the two platforms:

When should I use Zoom?

Zoom should be the preferred choice in the following situations:

• You are meeting with external participants (vendors, applicants, collaborators, students) who may not have a Microsoft account or access to Teams. Zoom does not require an account to join a meeting.
• You want AI-powered meeting assistance. Zoom AI Companion is fully enabled and provides real-time transcription, meeting summaries, smart recaps, and the ability to ask questions about meeting content during the call.
• You are hosting a webinar or large-audience event where attendee controls (muting, Q&A, green room, registration) are important.
• You want a simple, consistent meeting experience for participants across many different devices and organizations.

Note: Zoom AI Companion features are currently disabled for KHSU-KansasCOM employees and students.

When should I use Microsoft Teams?

Teams is the preferred choice in the following situations:

• You are meeting with internal colleagues and want the meeting to connect naturally with your existing Microsoft 365 workspace (shared files, OneNote, calendars, SharePoint).
• Your meeting is part of an ongoing team project and you want to keep conversation, files, and meeting history in one persistent Teams channel.
• You need to collaborate simultaneously on Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) during, or after the meeting.
• Zoom services are unavailable due to an outage

Note: Teams Premium licenses have not been purchased for our organization. This means advanced AI features listed below are not available in Teams. Zoom should be used if the functionality is needed.

What AI meeting features are available on each platform?

AI capabilities differ significantly between the two platforms based on current licensing: