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Microsoft Teams vs Spectrum: What are the differences?
Introduction: Microsoft Teams and Spectrum are both popular communication and collaboration tools used in various corporate settings. While they share some similarities, there are key differences between the two that set them apart from each other.
Integration with other apps: One major difference between Microsoft Teams and Spectrum is the level of integration they offer with other apps and services. Microsoft Teams is tightly integrated with the Microsoft Office 365 suite, allowing users to seamlessly collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. On the other hand, Spectrum offers integration with a wide range of third-party apps, making it more versatile in terms of connecting different tools and workflows.
Video conferencing capabilities: Microsoft Teams is known for its robust video conferencing capabilities. It offers features like video meetings, screen sharing, and live captioning, making it a popular choice for virtual meetings and remote collaboration. Spectrum, on the other hand, focuses more on asynchronous communication and does not have built-in video conferencing features. It provides a platform for organized discussions and threaded conversations, making it suitable for teams that primarily communicate through text-based interactions.
Team management and organization: Another key difference between Microsoft Teams and Spectrum is the way they handle team management and organization. Microsoft Teams allows users to create multiple teams and channels, enabling a hierarchical structure for organizing conversations, files, and tasks. Spectrum, on the other hand, uses a flat structure where all discussions are organized in one place. While this can make it easier to find and participate in conversations, it may pose challenges for larger teams with diverse topics.
File sharing and collaboration: Both Microsoft Teams and Spectrum offer file sharing and collaboration features, but they differ in their approach. Microsoft Teams provides integration with OneDrive and SharePoint, allowing users to store, share, and collaborate on files within the Microsoft ecosystem. Spectrum, on the other hand, offers a simple file upload feature that focuses more on discussions around the files rather than extensive collaboration capabilities.
Customization and extensibility: Microsoft Teams provides a range of customization options, allowing users to personalize their experience with custom backgrounds, themes, and app integrations. It also offers a variety of third-party apps and connectors that can enhance the functionality of the platform. Spectrum, on the other hand, has a more minimalistic approach and does not provide as much customization or extensibility options.
Pricing and availability: Microsoft Teams is part of the Microsoft Office 365 suite and is available as part of various subscription plans, ranging from free to enterprise-level licenses. Spectrum, on the other hand, is a standalone product with a different pricing structure. It offers both free and paid plans, with additional features and support available for premium subscribers. The availability of Microsoft Teams is global, while Spectrum is limited to a few specific regions.
In summary, Microsoft Teams offers deeper integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, robust video conferencing capabilities, hierarchical team management, extensive file collaboration features, customization options, and a wide availability. On the other hand, Spectrum provides integration with third-party apps, focuses on asynchronous communication, uses a flat structure for team organization, provides a simpler file sharing experience, limited customization options, and is available in specific regions.
we were using slack
and at the same time we had a subscription with office 365. after a while we hit the slack free limitation quota. and it got annoying. the search ability was useless in free tier. and more annoying whenever you search, it opens a webpage and doesn't do it in the app.
on mobile there were many cases that I didn't get notification of important discussions. rooms was the way to separate a talk. but it become tedious. each time for a new subject that you wanted to discuss, you needed to add all the team members into a new room. and after a while the room goes silent. you will end up with a tons of not-in-use rooms that you don't want to clean up them for history purposes. also the slack UI for sub discussion is very stupid. if someone forget to check the checkbox to post the subdiscussion in the main discussion thread, other team members even won't notice such discussion is in progress.
we was paying for office 365 and thought why not give the teams a shot. we won't be in worth situation than we are. we moved to teams and we loved it instantly, we had a separate tab aggregated all the files upload. we could reply on other talk. no need of creating a new room. this way room belongs to a team and not a certain topic. our sub discussion was visible to the whole team. enjoyed integration with azure and unlimited history. the best part was integration with outlook. it was a full suit solution. our stats become busy on outlook meeting events. we get weekly analyse. we didn't need to host our wiki seperated. we've created wiki per team. the communication was much more fun.
Pros of Microsoft Teams
- Work well with the rest of Office 365 work flow28
- Mobile friendly23
- Free19
- Great integrations12
- Well-thought Design11
- Channels10
- Easy setup8
- Unlimited users6
- Strong search and data archiving5
- Multi domain switching support4
- Easy to integrate with4
- Same interface on multiple platforms3
- Web interface3
- Great voice quality2
Pros of Spectrum
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Cons of Microsoft Teams
- Confusing UI17
- Bad performance on init and after quite a use12
- Bad Usermanagement10
- No desktop client (only fat and slow electron app)6
- Can't see all members in a video meeting6
- Unable to Mute users5
- No Markdown Support5
- You don't really own your messages4
- MIssing public channels4
- Forced WYSIWYG4
- Stubborn, unused friendly3
- Challenging Onboarding3
- No linux support3
- Audio support problems1