14 DAY TRIAL // Improving Microsoft Teams has become a priority for the Redmond-based software giant, and now it looks like the communication and collaboration platform will soon get a free version to compete against Slack.
Microsoft announced last year that Microsoft Teams would replace Skype for Business, and part of the company’s long-term commitment to this new solution appears to be delivering a more compelling alternative to Slack that would be based on the same cost-effective approach as its rival.
As Petri reports, the latest developer preview of Microsoft Teams includes references to a freemium version of the service, which essentially means that Microsoft will offer the essential features free of charge, but will require users to purchase a subscription should they want to receive the full package.
Microsoft is thus aiming for customers who don’t have an Office 365 account, though it remains to be seen how the company manages to make the free version of Teams compelling enough given that limitations and restrictions are very likely. The cited source says that an Office 365 account would be required for those who want to unlock the full functionality of Teams.
Several restrictions for free accounts
As far as these limitations go, it’s being speculated that Microsoft could restrict the number of users allowed for each team, as well as the maximum size of files that are shared.
Slack has long been considered a more cost-effective alternative to Microsoft’s offering, especially for small businesses and enterprises, so with this new version of Teams, the software giant is trying to give potential customers the chance to see what its service is up to and then have them purchase the full version should they think it’s worth the money.
Microsoft is yet to release comments on a possible free version of Microsoft Teams and it’s not known at this point when it could launch, though more information should surface soon as the software giant is already including code in preview builds.