For Indian businesses choosing a team chat platform, Microsoft Teams and Zoho Cliq are the two most pragmatic options after Slack (which is expensive in USD). Teams is bundled in Microsoft 365; Cliq is bundled in Zoho One and has a strong free tier. Here is how they compare.
| Feature | Microsoft Teams | Zoho Cliq |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | Yes — small teams, basic features | Yes — unlimited users, channels, search |
| Standalone Price | ₹115 / user / month (Teams Essentials) | ₹90 / user / month (Cliq Unlimited) |
| Bundled With | Microsoft 365 Business Basic ₹170 | Zoho One ₹1,500 / employee / month (45 apps) |
| Video Calls | Excellent — 300-1,000 participants | Good — up to 100 participants on paid plans |
| Voice/Phone | Microsoft Teams Phone (add-on) | Zoho Voice integration |
| File Storage | OneDrive 1 TB / user | WorkDrive (separate ₹250+/user/month) |
| External Guest Collaboration | Yes — strong | Yes — Cliq channels |
| Mobile App Quality | Best-in-class | Solid |
| India Data Centre | India regions available (Pune, Chennai) | Mumbai & Hyderabad regions |
| Integrations | 700+ apps in Microsoft store | 100+ apps + Zoho ecosystem |
| India Billing (GST) | Via Microsoft reseller in India | Direct from Zoho India |
Yes — Microsoft Teams is included free with Microsoft 365 Business Basic (₹170/user/month) and above. You're effectively paying for Office + Email + OneDrive and getting Teams thrown in. This makes Teams "free" if you already need Microsoft 365 anyway.
Very. Free Cliq supports unlimited users, unlimited channels, unlimited message history search, file sharing, and basic video calling. Paid Cliq (₹90/user/month) adds larger video meetings, voice channels, custom branding, and advanced admin controls. Many Indian SMBs use Free Cliq indefinitely.
For Microsoft 365 users, switch to Teams — you are already paying for it. For Zoho One users, switch to Cliq — same reasoning. For everyone else, evaluate based on team preference: Teams has more enterprise polish, Cliq has more generous free tier. Slack alternatives in India almost always save 50%+ on cost.
Limited integration. You can share OneDrive links in Cliq channels and connect Microsoft Graph for some calendar features, but the deep integration is between Cliq and the Zoho ecosystem. For Microsoft 365-first organisations, Teams is the natural fit.
Microsoft Teams' mobile app is slightly more polished than Cliq's, especially for video calls. Both are fully functional on Indian 4G networks. Cliq's mobile is lighter on bandwidth (useful in lower-connectivity areas); Teams is more data-intensive but feature-rich.
Need help picking team chat for India? Free consultation — Teams, Cliq, or Slack.