Microsoft Teams vs Riverside pricing: which is cheaper for your team?
Microsoft Teams's cheapest paid tier (Teams Essentials) lists at $4/user/month, which beats the other on entry pricing. Mid-tier and enterprise math can flip the answer — use the per-tier table below to see the real cost for your team size at each tier.
Calculate the cost for your team
Microsoft Teams pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams Essentials | $4 | $4 | user/month | Annual commit; chat, video, 10 GB storage |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | $6 | $6 | user/month | Teams plus web Office apps and 1 TB storage |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | $12.5 | $12.5 | user/month | Desktop Office apps, webinars, Loop, Clipchamp |
Riverside pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $24 | $24 | account/month | 2 hours of studio-quality recording |
| Live | $34 | $34 | account/month | 5 hours, live streaming and call-in |
| Webinar | $79 | $79 | account/month | 15 hours, transcription, webinar tools |
Feature by feature
The non-pricing differences that drive the real decision.
| Capability | Microsoft Teams | Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Billing model | user/month | account/month |
| Pricing model | Per-user license bundled with Microsoft 365 | Per-account with monthly billing |
| Cheapest paid tier | Teams Essentials at $4/user/month | Pro at $24/account/month |
| Mid-tier benchmark | Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $6/user/month | Live at $34/account/month |
| Total paid tiers published | 3 | 3 |
| Last verified | 2026-05-17 | 2026-05-17 |
Best for…
Hand-picked use cases mapped to the winner.
| Use case | Winner |
|---|---|
| Lowest entry price (10-person team) | Microsoft Teams Teams Essentials |
| Most pricing tiers (room to grow) | Microsoft Teams (3 tiers) |
| Predictable per-seat billing | Microsoft Teams |
| Most recently verified pricing | Microsoft Teams |
Choose Microsoft Teams when
- Bundled video and chat that pulls you into the Microsoft 365 stack and unlocks Phone, Premium and Copilot only as paid add-ons.
- Entry tier (Teams Essentials) at $4/user/month is your budget ceiling.
- Enterprise E1/E3/E5 sold separately. Frontline and Government SKUs need direct sales contact and annual commit.
Choose Riverside when
- Remote recording studio that caps each tier by monthly recording hours, so creators hit the $79 Webinar plan quickly once they record weekly.
- Entry tier (Pro) at $24/account/month is your budget ceiling.
- Custom Enterprise and Education plans exist for higher volume, SSO and team workspaces; pricing is sales-led.
Switching considerations
Watch the hidden fees on both sides. Microsoft Teams: Teams Premium add-on at $10/user/month Riverside: Recording hours hard-capped per tier Always confirm with the vendor before purchase.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper for a 10-person team, Microsoft Teams or Riverside?
At entry tier and 10 seats on annual billing: Microsoft Teams Teams Essentials comes to $40/mo; Riverside Pro comes to $24/mo. Microsoft Teams is the cheaper entry-tier choice at this team size.
Does Microsoft Teams have more pricing tiers than Riverside?
Both publish 3 paid tiers. The mid-tier benchmark is Microsoft 365 Business Basic for Microsoft Teams and Live for Riverside.
Which pricing was verified more recently?
Microsoft Teams's pricing was last verified 2026-05-17; Riverside's on 2026-05-17. Both pages link to the vendor's official pricing source so you can re-check before committing.