Choosing Zoom vs. Microsoft Teams

Questions

  • Should I use Zoom or Microsoft Teams for my meeting?
  • Which video platform is better for a class, office hours, or a committee meeting?
  • My Zoom meeting keeps ending at 40 minutes — what should I use instead?
  • Which platform lets me record and keep the recording?
  • Can external guests join without an account or downloading software?
  • What should I use for a large event or a webinar?
  • As a student, what can I use to host a meeting longer than 40 minutes?
  • Do my meeting attendees need a license to join?

Environment

This article applies to all Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students. Bowdoin supports two web-conferencing platforms:

  • Microsoft Teams — available to everyone at Bowdoin with no meeting-length limit.
  • Zoom — faculty are licensed automatically; staff and students have a 40-minute Basic account and can request more.

Resolution

The Short Answer

For most everyday meetings — team meetings, one-to-ones, office hours, committee work, and anything where you would like to keep a recording — Microsoft Teams is usually the better choice. It has no meeting-length limit for anyone, records to your OneDrive, and lets external guests join easily.

Choose Zoom when you specifically need a large interactive meeting, a presentation-style webinar, or a feature that Teams does not offer for your situation.

Staff and students: Because your Zoom account limits meetings you host to 40 minutes, Teams is the easiest way to hold a longer meeting without requesting a license.

Why Microsoft Teams Works Well for Most Meetings

  • No meeting-length cap — host a meeting of any length, regardless of your role.
  • Recording included — record audio and/or video, and store the recording in your OneDrive automatically.
  • Internal and external attendees — invite people inside and outside Bowdoin.
  • No license or install required to join — guests can join from a web browser without a Teams license or the desktop app.
  • Connected to your files — meetings sit alongside your chats, files, and channels in Microsoft 365.

When Zoom Is the Better Choice

  • Large interactive meetings — for an interactive meeting where everyone can talk and share, a Zoom Large Meeting license supports up to 500 participants.
  • Webinars — for a presentation-style event with a large, view-only audience, Zoom webinars offer registration, Q&A, and attendee controls.
  • Public-facing or external events — Zoom is familiar to outside guests and requires no account to join.
  • Zoom AI Companion — if you rely on Zoom's built-in meeting summaries and transcription.
  • Classroom and teaching workflows — where a course already uses Zoom, or where Zoom's Canvas integration fits how you share recordings.

Side-by-Side Comparison

  Microsoft Teams Zoom
Meeting length limit No limit for anyone 40 minutes on a Basic account (staff/students); unlimited with a Pro license or for faculty
Who can host a long meeting Everyone Faculty, or anyone with a requested Pro license
Recording Audio and/or video; stored in OneDrive Cloud recording (Pro only, stored in Panopto); students can record locally
External attendees Yes — no account needed to join Yes — no account needed to join
Attendee software Join from a browser; no license or install required Join from a browser or app; no account required
Best for Internal meetings, office hours, recurring collaboration, recorded meetings Large interactive meetings, webinars, public events
Large events Structured events and town halls Large Meeting (up to 500) and Webinar licenses available on request

If You Need a Zoom License

If Zoom is the right tool and you need more than a 40-minute Basic account, use the Request a Zoom Pro license, Request a Zoom Large Meeting license, or Request a Zoom Webinar license options in the Related Services section. For details on what each includes, see Zoom Licensing at Bowdoin in the Related Articles section.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

  • Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
  • Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
  • In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
  • Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.

 

 

AI-assisted content: This article was drafted with the assistance of an AI writing tool and reviewed by Bowdoin IT staff for accuracy.
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Related Articles (5)

About Zoom at Bowdoin
An overview of Zoom at Bowdoin — what it is, who can use it, how licensing works for faculty, staff, and students, when to consider Microsoft Teams instead, and what IT support is available.
Host a Zoom Webinar
How to request a Zoom webinar license at Bowdoin and use it to schedule, set up roles, run, and end a webinar — including managing panelists, Q&A, and the practice session.
Record a Zoom meeting locally
Explains how to record a Zoom meeting locally to your own device when cloud recording is not available (for example, on a student Basic account). Covers starting a local recording, where the file is saved, and what to do with it afterward.
Record a Zoom Meeting to Cloud Storage
How to record a Zoom meeting to the cloud at Bowdoin, where cloud recordings are stored (Panopto), and how to record from the desktop app, a mobile device, or the web app. Notes that cloud recording requires a Pro license; students on a Basic account should record locally or use Microsoft Teams.
Zoom Licensing at Bowdoin
Details about Bowdoin's Zoom site license — what's included, meeting capacity limits, how to request a webinar license, where cloud recordings are stored, and the dial-in audio policy.

Related Services / Offerings (4)

Request a Zoom Large Meeting license
Request a Zoom Large Meeting license to host an interactive meeting of up to 500 participants, where everyone can speak, share video, and use meeting tools. Drawn from a limited shared pool — request early.
Request a Zoom Pro license
Request a Zoom Pro license to host meetings longer than 40 minutes, with up to 300 participants and cloud recording. Staff are granted automatically when a license is available; students receive temporary access after review.
Request a Zoom Webinar license
Request a Zoom Webinar license for a large, presentation-style event with a view-only audience. Bowdoin has a limited shared pool; events under 500 attendees are typically covered at no cost. Request well ahead of your event.
Zoom
Zoom is one of Bowdoin's supported web-conferencing platforms. Faculty are licensed automatically; staff and students have a 40-minute account and can request a Pro, Large Meeting, or Webinar license here. Also report Zoom problems or get help using Zoom in a classroom.