When it comes to selecting the right communication platform for your UK business, GoTo Connect and Microsoft Teams are two prominent options that provide robust unified communication solutions. Both platforms are designed to streamline business operations by combining communication tools like video conferencing, messaging, and VoIP. However, they differ in several ways, from features to pricing. In this analysis, we’ll compare GoTo Connect vs Microsoft Teams, focusing on key features, costs, and how they meet the needs of businesses.
Overview of GoTo Connect vs Microsoft Teams
GoTo Connect is part of the GoTo suite of products, known for its reliable, cloud-based phone systems, video conferencing, and messaging tools. It’s primarily recognised as a unified communication solution that integrates seamlessly with third-party applications, offering businesses a straightforward and highly functional communication platform.
Microsoft Teams is widely known for its collaboration features, part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Teams integrates closely with other Microsoft tools such as Word, Excel, and Outlook, making it ideal for businesses already using Microsoft’s suite of products. Beyond video meetings and chat, Teams also offers VoIP functionality through its Phone System add-on, transforming it into a complete communication tool.
Feature | GoTo Connect | Microsoft Teams |
---|---|---|
Primary focus | VoIP and unified communications | Collaboration and integration with Microsoft 365 |
VoIP and telephony features | Advanced VoIP features included in all plans (call routing, auto-attendant, voicemail-to-email, call queues) | Basic VoIP functionality available with additional Phone System licence (£6 per user per month) |
Video conferencing | Up to 250 participants in Premium plan | Up to 1,000 participants with webinars, included in most plans |
Collaboration tools | Basic messaging and file sharing features | Advanced collaboration (shared documents, team channels, threaded conversations) |
Third-party integrations | Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, and other business tools | Integrates with third-party apps, but strongest integration with Microsoft 365 suite (Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive) |
CRM integration | Strong CRM integration with popular platforms | Limited native CRM functionality, but integrates with Dynamics 365 and third-party tools |
Mobile app | Full-featured mobile app for iOS and Android | Full-featured mobile app for iOS and Android |
Analytics and reporting | Call analytics, monitoring, and reporting (advanced features in Premium plan) | Basic reporting, advanced analytics via Power BI or third-party tools |
Number of users supported | Scalable for small to medium businesses | Scalable for small to large businesses |
Security features | Standard encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA) | Advanced security features, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) and integration with Azure Active Directory |
Pricing | – Basic: £18 per user per month – Standard: £24 per user per month – Premium: £33 per user per month | – Microsoft 365 Business Basic: £4.50 per user per month – Microsoft 365 Business Standard: £9.40 per user per month – Microsoft Teams Essentials: £3 per user per month Phone System add-on: £6 per user per month |
Best for | Businesses prioritising telephony, customer service, and sales teams | Businesses focusing on document collaboration, project management, and organisations using Microsoft 365 |
Feature comparison – GoTo Connect vs Microsoft Teams
Both GoTo Connect and Microsoft Teams offer an extensive array of features, but they are geared towards slightly different use cases. Here’s a breakdown of their key features to help you evaluate which one best suits your business needs.
Unified communication and collaboration
- GoTo Connect: Known for its easy-to-use VoIP phone system, GoTo Connect provides seamless voice, video, and messaging services. Businesses can integrate their existing CRM systems, which enhances productivity. Its focus on being a communication-first platform ensures call quality and reliability, which is a major benefit for UK businesses with customer service and sales teams.
- Microsoft Teams: With its emphasis on collaboration, Microsoft Teams excels in providing integrated document sharing, group chats, and team spaces for project management. While Teams also offers VoIP calling, its primary strength lies in its robust collaboration tools. Businesses using Microsoft 365 will find the experience much more streamlined, with built-in access to tools like SharePoint, OneDrive, and PowerPoint.
VoIP and telephony features
- GoTo Connect: GoTo Connect’s VoIP service is a standout feature. It includes standard telephony features such as call routing, auto-attendants, voicemail-to-email, call queues, and ring groups. Advanced analytics and call management make it a great choice for businesses that rely heavily on voice communication.
- Microsoft Teams: Teams has a telephony option, but it’s not built-in. Businesses need to purchase Microsoft’s Phone System licence, which enables VoIP calls within the platform. While it provides basic calling features, it lacks some advanced telephony options like those found in GoTo Connect unless businesses integrate third-party services or purchase additional Microsoft 365 tools.
Video conferencing
- GoTo Connect: The platform supports high-quality video conferencing for up to 250 participants. It includes features such as screen sharing, meeting recording, and virtual backgrounds. This makes GoTo Connect suitable for businesses that regularly host large meetings or webinars.
- Microsoft Teams: Teams also provides excellent video conferencing capabilities, with support for up to 1,000 attendees in meetings, plus interactive webinars. Its tight integration with other Microsoft tools allows for easy sharing of files and collaboration within meetings. Teams is particularly beneficial for businesses that need to collaborate on documents during video calls.
Collaboration tools
- GoTo Connect: While GoTo Connect offers collaboration features such as messaging and file sharing, its focus is primarily on communication. Collaboration is available but not as extensive as the tools provided by Teams.
- Microsoft Teams: Collaboration is where Microsoft Teams excels. Team members can work simultaneously on shared documents, manage projects using team channels, and use advanced messaging features like threaded conversations. These tools are essential for businesses that need real-time collaboration and project management features integrated into their communication system.
Third-party integrations
- GoTo Connect: GoTo Connect integrates with popular business applications, such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack. These integrations enhance the platform’s functionality, making it a flexible choice for businesses using different software systems.
- Microsoft Teams: Teams also integrates with a variety of third-party apps and services. However, its strongest selling point is its seamless integration with Microsoft 365 applications. Businesses heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem will find Teams to be a natural extension of their existing tools.
Cost comparison – GoTo Connect vs Microsoft Teams
Pricing plays a crucial role in choosing the right platform for your business, especially when balancing cost with functionality.
GoTo Connect pricing
GoTo Connect’s pricing is based on the number of users and features required, offering three main plans:
- Basic Plan: Starts at around £18 per user per month, offering essential communication tools like call management, unlimited calls within the UK, and video conferencing for up to 4 people.
- Standard Plan: Priced around £24 per user per month, this plan adds advanced telephony features, integrations with popular business apps, and video conferencing for up to 150 participants.
- Premium Plan: Costs approximately £33 per user per month and includes all the features of the Standard plan plus additional analytics, call centre features, and video conferencing for up to 250 participants.
Microsoft Teams pricing
Microsoft Teams can be accessed through a variety of Microsoft 365 business plans:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: At around £4.50 per user per month, this plan provides access to Teams’ collaboration tools, online versions of Office apps, and video conferencing for up to 300 participants.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: Priced at £9.40 per user per month, this includes desktop versions of Office apps, 1TB of OneDrive storage, and the full range of Teams features.
- Microsoft Teams Essentials: A standalone plan for £3 per user per month, offering video conferencing, chat, and collaboration without the full Microsoft 365 suite. For VoIP features, businesses will need to add the Microsoft Phone System licence, which starts at £6 per user per month. This increases the overall cost significantly, making Teams less cost-effective for businesses focused primarily on voice communication.
Choosing the right solution for your business
When deciding between GoTo Connect vs Microsoft Teams, consider the following factors:
- For businesses prioritising telephony and customer service: GoTo Connect is the better option. Its advanced VoIP features and call management tools make it an ideal choice for businesses relying heavily on phone communication, especially in industries like retail, healthcare, or customer support.
- For businesses focused on collaboration: Microsoft Teams is the clear winner. Its integration with Microsoft 365 and strong collaboration tools make it perfect for businesses that need to manage projects, work on documents together, and host large virtual meetings.
- For cost-conscious businesses: GoTo Connect offers better value for those needing extensive VoIP features. On the other hand, if your business is already invested in Microsoft 365, Teams could be more cost-effective due to its integration with other tools.
Conclusion
Both GoTo Connect and Microsoft Teams offer valuable communication solutions, but the choice depends on your business’s specific needs.
If you’re looking for a robust telephony platform, GoTo Connect provides more advanced features at a reasonable cost.
However, if your business requires seamless collaboration and integration with other Microsoft tools, Microsoft Teams offers a more comprehensive solution.
FAQ
GoTo Connect is better for telephony, offering advanced VoIP features such as call routing, auto-attendants, and voicemail-to-email. Microsoft Teams requires the Phone System add-on for VoIP, and while functional, it lacks some advanced telephony tools unless integrated with other services.
GoTo Connect is generally more cost-effective for VoIP services as it includes advanced telephony features in its plans. Microsoft Teams requires an additional Phone System licence, increasing costs, especially if telephony is a primary need for your business.
Microsoft Teams provides superior video conferencing, supporting up to 1,000 attendees and hosting webinars. GoTo Connect offers strong video conferencing as well, but with a limit of 250 participants, making Teams more suitable for larger meetings or events.
Microsoft Teams has stronger integration with business tools, particularly with the Microsoft 365 suite (Outlook, Word, Excel). GoTo Connect integrates well with third-party CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot but lacks the deep integration that Teams offers with Microsoft’s productivity tools.
Microsoft Teams excels in collaboration, offering advanced document sharing, project management, and team channels. GoTo Connect focuses more on communication, providing basic messaging and file-sharing features, but lacks the robust collaboration capabilities found in Teams.
Both GoTo Connect and Microsoft Teams provide full-featured mobile apps for iOS and Android, supporting VoIP calls, video meetings, and messaging. Teams offers better collaboration features in its app, while GoTo Connect focuses more on telephony and communication.
Microsoft Teams is generally better for large businesses due to its scalability and extensive collaboration tools, especially for organisations already using Microsoft 365. GoTo Connect is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses, particularly those with a focus on telephony and customer communication.
GoTo Connect is easier to set up, particularly for businesses focusing on telephony. Microsoft Teams, while straightforward for collaboration, requires additional configuration for VoIP services through the Phone System add-on, which can complicate the setup process for businesses needing comprehensive communication solutions.
GoTo Connect offers better built-in analytics, especially for telephony, with features like call monitoring and detailed call reports. Microsoft Teams provides basic reporting, but advanced analytics are typically accessible through integrations like Power BI or other third-party tools.
Both platforms offer solid customer support, but GoTo Connect is known for more responsive, telephony-specific support. Microsoft Teams provides support via the broader Microsoft 365 ecosystem, which can sometimes make it harder to get targeted help for communication-specific issues like VoIP.