Microsoft is decommissioning the classic version of Teams

Microsoft used to provide companies with a classic version of Microsoft Teams for free. However, Microsoft is retiring this version as of 12 April 2023. Join us for a look at the key differences between the paid and classic free versions, as well as how to upgrade Microsoft Teams and continue using the app for free.

Is it still possible to use Microsoft Teams for free?

Yes, it's possible. Microsoft is allowing users of the classic version of Microsoft Teams to upgrade to another new free version that gives users a different set of features. The downside is that you can't retain data from the previous version, including data about existing channels, recurring meetings or conversations. However, if you want to keep your data and information from the classic version of Teams, you can upgrade to the paid version of Microsoft 365 or the more affordable Microsoft Teams Essentials.

Overview of MS Teams features in different 365 packages

Microsoft Teams (free)	Microsoft Teams Essentials	Microsoft 365 Business Basic
Free	3,40 EUR user/month	5,10 EUR user/month
Unlimited individual meetings up to 30 hours	Unlimited group meetings up to 30 hours	Everything included in Microsoft Teams Essentials, plus:
Up to 100 participants per meeting	Up to 300 participants per meeting	Microsoft Whiteboard
5 GB of cloud storage per user	10 GB of cloud storage per user	Hundreds of collaboration apps
Unlimited chat with colleagues and customers	Telephone and web support at any time	Collaborative annotation within Teams meetings to allow participants to contribute to shared content
File sharing, tasks and polls	Unlimited chat with colleagues and customers	Live captioning at meetings (more than 30 languages)
Data encryption for meetings, chats, calls and files	File sharing, tasks and polls	Records of team meetings with minutes
Unlimited group meetings up to 60 minutes	Data encryption for meetings, chats, calls and files	Web and mobile versions of Microsoft 365 apps
	Live captioning at meetings (in English)	Advanced cloud storage with 1 TB per user
		Enterprise Class Email
		Standard security

Source: Microsoft

I'm interested in Microsoft 365

Do you use Microsoft cloud services but would like to save some of the cost?

If you use cloud services in your organisation and are comfortable with upgrading, a hybrid solution is right for you. Our hybrid solution combines cloud services with perpetual licenses. We will design a cost-effective solution that includes all the required features and is tailored to your organization's needs.

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A suitable complement to Microsoft's cloud services is the Office suite, which provides applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and so on.

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