Basecamp vs Microsoft Teams
Basecamp and Microsoft Teams are both team communication tools. Basecamp is aimed at small businesses and agencies, while Microsoft Teams is aimed at enterprise and small businesses. Microsoft Teams costs less, from $4/mo versus $25/mo for Basecamp. Both have a free plan.
Opinionated, calm project management
Microsoft's chat, meetings and calling hub inside Microsoft 365
| Pricing | Freemium · $25 | Freemium · $4 |
| Starting price | $25/mo | $4/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days |
| Built for | Small businesses, Agencies | Enterprise, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android, macos, windows | web, macos, windows, ios, android |
| Country | US · 2004 | US · 2017 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Basecamp if
Agencies and remote companies that value calm communication over detailed planning, especially at 30+ users on a flat plan.
- Simple, consistent structure every project shares
- Flat pricing with unlimited users from the Studio plan up
- Promotes async, written communication
Look elsewhere if: Teams needing dependencies, resource planning or engineering workflows.
Choose Microsoft Teams if
Organisations already standardised on Microsoft 365 that want chat, meetings and files in one governed platform.
- Included in most Microsoft 365 business plans at no extra cost
- Deep integration with Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive and Office
- Strong security, compliance and identity management via Entra ID
Look elsewhere if: Startups and developer teams that prefer fast chat and a large third-party app ecosystem, or Google Workspace users (Slack, Google Meet).
Basecamp vs Microsoft Teams pricing
Basecamp
- Free$01 project, 1 GB storage, up to 5 users
- Freelancer$25/mo3 active projects, 5 GB storage, up to 20 users
- Studio$59/mo10 active projects, 25 GB storage, unlimited users
- Pro$99/mo25 active projects, 100 GB storage, unlimited users
- Unlimited$299/moBilled annually; unlimited projects and users, 45-day trial
Microsoft Teams
- Teams (free)$0Personal use; 60-minute group calls, up to 100 people
- Teams Essentials$4/user/moAnnual commitment; standalone meetings and chat
- M365 Business Basic$7/user/moAnnual commitment; Teams plus web Office, email, 1 TB
- M365 Business Standard$14/user/moAnnual commitment; adds desktop Office apps, webinars
- M365 Business Premium$22/user/moAnnual commitment; adds Intune and advanced security
Basecamp · Key features
- Message boards, to-dos, schedules, docs and files per project
- Campfire real-time chat and Pings for DMs
- Automatic check-ins (recurring questions)
- Hill Charts and Lineup for progress and timelines
- Card Table kanban and Timesheets
- Client access with 'Clientside' visibility controls
Cons
- No Gantt, dependencies or custom fields
- Limited integrations; relies on Zapier
- Active-project caps on lower plans force upgrades
Microsoft Teams · Key features
- Persistent channels, group chats and threaded conversations
- Video meetings with recording, transcription and live captions
- Webinars and town halls for large internal and external audiences
- Microsoft 365 Copilot recaps, chat summaries and drafting
- Real-time co-editing of Word, Excel and PowerPoint files in chats
- Teams Phone add-on for cloud PBX calling
Cons
- Heavier and slower than Slack for fast chat
- File and permission model follows SharePoint and can confuse users
- Best features such as Copilot and Premium cost extra
Basecamp vs Microsoft Teams: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Basecamp or Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams starts at $4/mo and Basecamp at $25/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Basecamp and Microsoft Teams have a free plan?
Yes, both Basecamp and Microsoft Teams have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.