Is Microsoft Teams Free on iPad? What You Need to Know

Hey there! If you‘re wondering whether Microsoft Teams is free to use on an iPad, you‘ve come to the right place. I‘ve done some deep research into Teams pricing and capabilities on iPad to help you out.

The short answer is: Yes, you can absolutely use Microsoft Teams for free on an iPad!

By downloading the Teams mobile app from the App Store, you can sign up for a free account that provides unlimited messaging, video meetings, basic file sharing, and more for personal and small team use.

However, there are some limitations compared to paid versions that larger organizations may need. In this detailed guide, I‘ll give you a full overview of what‘s included in the free Teams plan on iPad, what capabilities come with paid subscriptions, who the free version works best for, tips for using Teams on iPad, top alternatives, and more!

Here‘s what we‘ll cover:

Is Microsoft Teams Available to Download on the iPad?

The first question you‘re probably wondering is – can I even get Microsoft Teams on my iPad?

The answer is yes! Microsoft has developed a Teams mobile app specifically designed and optimized for iPadOS and Apple devices.

To install Teams on your iPad, simply:

1. Open the App Store app on your iPad.

2. Search for "Microsoft Teams".

3. Tap "Get" to download and install the app for free.

Once installed, you can sign in with an existing work/school account or personal Microsoft account. Or create a brand new Teams account for free directly on your iPad.

According to Microsoft, the Teams mobile app is supported on any iPad model running iOS 12.0 or later. So as long as your iPad meets those requirements, you can download and use Teams.

The Teams iPad app allows you to:

✅ Chat with contacts, groups, and channels

✅ Start and join meetings with audio/video

✅ View and collaborate on shared files

✅ Manage your contacts, teams, calendar, notifications

✅ Make calls through Teams phone integration

So in summary – yes, Microsoft Teams is available as a free downloadable app for both iPad and iPhone through the Apple App Store!

What Features Does the Free Version of Microsoft Teams Include on iPad?

Once you‘ve downloaded the Teams mobile app on your iPad, you‘re ready to start using it – for free!

Microsoft Teams provides a generous free version that gives you access to some of its most popular features without needing to pay anything.

Here‘s what‘s included in Microsoft Teams free plan on iPad:

💬 Unlimited Chat – Chat with as many 1-on-1 contacts and groups as you want. Search message history and shared files.

📹 Meetings – Hold team meetings with up to 300 participants, screen sharing, and up to 60 minutes per meeting.

🎥 Video & Audio Calls – Make unlimited 1-on-1 VoIP audio and video calls within Teams.

🗄️ File Sharing – Share files and collaborate with 2GB storage per user and 10GB team storage.

🛠️ Integrations – Connect 140+ apps like Trello, Asana, GitHub, and more.

👥 Guest Access – Invite anyone outside your team to join chats and meetings as a guest.

⚙️ Admin Portal – Basic controls like user management and org-wide settings.

📱 Mobile Apps – Full access to Teams free features on iOS and Android.

💻 Desktop Apps – Use Teams free on Mac, Windows, and browsers with full functionality.

🤝 External Collaboration – Chat and meet securely with partners outside your organization.

That‘s an impressive set of capabilities available entirely for free! For personal use, student projects, volunteer groups, and small teamwork – the Teams free plan on iPad provides a great experience.

According to Microsoft, over 145 million daily active users take advantage of the free version of Teams! So you‘ll be in good company.

Next, let‘s look at any limitations with the free tier.

Limitations of Microsoft Teams Free Version on iPad

While the free Teams plan offers quite a lot, Microsoft does impose some limits:

🙅‍♂️ 300 User Limit – Teams Free caps organizations at 300 users maximum.

⌛ 60 Minute Meeting Limit – Group meetings can only run for 60 minutes maximum on the free plan.

🗄️ 2GB Storage Per User – You get 2GB of personal file storage per user, with 10GB shared.

🚫 Limited Admin Controls – No advanced admin settings for provisioning, security, compliance, etc.

❌ No Phone System – No built-in calling or telephony options that come with Office 365 plans.

🔐 Basic Security – Standard security features only vs. enterprise-grade for pay plans.

📊 No Analytics – You miss out on advanced analytics, dashboards, and insights.

🤝 Less Support – No 24/7 phone support like with paid tiers.

⚙️ Missing Advanced Features – Things like shifts, org charts, templates and more are only in paid versions.

So in summary, the free edition of Teams for iPad packs a punch, but does have some scaled back capabilities compared to what larger enterprises may require.

For personal use, small clubs, households, and teams under 300 – the free plan should suit your needs just fine!

Next let‘s look at how to join meetings if you don‘t have an account.

Can I Join Microsoft Teams Meetings on iPad Without an Account?

Don‘t have a Teams account yet but want to join a meeting you‘ve been invited to? No problem!

Teams makes it easy to join meetings as a guest on any device, including iPad, without needing an account or Teams installed.

If you receive a Teams meeting invite by email, simply tap the Join Microsoft Teams Meeting link on your iPad. You‘ll have two options:

1. Download the Teams app – You‘ll be prompted to download Teams from the App Store (free). Then you can open the meeting directly within the app.

2. Join on the web instead – This will open the meeting in your iPad web browser without installing anything.

Either way, just enter your name when prompted and join the meeting as a guest! No account or sign in required on iPad.

As a guest you can join meetings with full audio, video, and screen sharing capabilities as if you had a Teams account. Pretty cool!

So yes, you can absolutely use that meeting link to join Teams meetings ad hoc on your iPad, even without an account.

Next up, a quick tutorial on using Teams for the first time on your iPad.

Getting Started: Microsoft Teams for iPad Tutorial

Here‘s a quick step-by-step tutorial on getting started with Microsoft Teams on an iPad for the first time:

Step 1) Download the Teams App – Open the App Store, search for "Microsoft Teams" and tap Get to install the app on your iPad.

Step 2) Sign Up or Sign In – Launch the Teams app. Sign in with your work/school account or personal Microsoft account. Or sign up for a new free Teams account.

Step 3) Set Up Your Profile – Tap on your profile picture and complete your profile details like role, contact info, about me, status, etc.

Step 4) Review Teams & Channels – See the Teams and Channels you have access to. Browse Posts and Files shared within each Channel.

Step 5) Start Chatting – Tap the Chat icon on the left menu. Search for people, groups or teams and start messaging.

Step 6) Join a Meeting – Open your meeting invite, then tap Join Microsoft Teams Meeting. Turn on video and audio as needed.

Step 7) Start a Meeting – Tap Meet Now to instantly start a new meeting. Present your screen or invite others.

Step 8) Explore Apps – Check out built-in apps like Calendar, Calls, Files, Tasks, and more at the bottom of the left menu.

And that‘s it – you‘re ready to start chatting, meeting, calling and collaborating across Teams on your iPad!

Now let‘s go over some pro tips for using Teams on an iPad like a pro.

Top 11 Tips for Using Microsoft Teams on an iPad

After getting up and running, here are some expert tips for using Microsoft Teams on an iPad:

1. Use Split View – Open two apps side-by-side like Teams + Email for easier multitasking.

2. Adjust Notifications – Customize notifications under iPad Settings so you‘re not overwhelmed.

3. Use Trackpad Support – Connect a trackpad or mouse to your iPad for easier navigation in Teams.

4. Turn on Dark Mode – Enable Dark Mode under iPad Settings for better low-light use and less eye strain.

5. Pin Favorites – Pin your most important channels, chats and contacts for quick access.

6. Use Dock Mode – Keep Teams handy in Dock mode while using other iPad apps.

7. Share iPad Screen – Share your iPad screen during meetings for demos and presentations.

8. Use Keyboard Shortcuts – Connect a keyboard to enable shortcuts for faster operation.

9. Conserve Bandwidth – Turn off video in meetings and reduce usage if on a capped internet plan.

10. Mute Noisy Chats – Right click a team or channel and select mute to avoid distractions.

11. Add Useful Apps – Check out and pin apps like Wikipedia, Polly, and Forms to supercharge Teams.

With some practice, you‘ll be able to take full advantage of Microsoft Teams for your daily communication and collaboration needs – completely free on your iPad!

Now let‘s explore the pricing options if you do need more advanced capabilities.

Microsoft Teams Pricing: How Much Do Paid Plans Cost?

While the free version of Teams for iPad offers generous capabilities, you may want additional features, integrations, security controls and no limits on storage or users.

In that case, Microsoft offers several paid “tiers” of Teams as part of Office 365 subscriptions:

Office 365 Business Essentials – $5 per user / month

The lowest cost paid option. Includes online versions of Office apps, 1 TB of cloud storage per user, and unlimited Teams features. Ideal for growing small businesses getting started with Microsoft 365.

Office 365 Business Premium – $12.50 per user / month

Adds the full desktop Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), making it a great all-in-one solution for businesses who need desktop apps.

Office 365 E1 – $8 per user / month

Recommended for larger enterprises, this plan includes web and desktop apps, enterprise-level security, unlimited cloud storage, compliance features, and full Teams capabilities.

Office 365 E3 – $20 per user / month

The most popular Teams plan for large enterprises, E3 includes everything in E1 plus the full suite of Office desktop and mobile apps, advanced analytics, and more. It meets the needs of most large organizations.

Office 365 E5 – $35 per user / month

E5 includes all the features of E3, plus enterprise voice, PSTN conferencing, advanced security and compliance capabilities, Power BI Pro, and more premium add-ons. Ideal for highly regulated industries.

These paid plans unlock additional capabilities like:

✅ Unlimited users and storage

✅ Advanced security controls

✅ Full desktop Office apps

✅ Unlimited meeting duration

✅ Enterprise-level compliance

✅ 24/7 phone support

✅ Advanced analytics and dashboards

Discounts are available for nonprofits, education, government, and annual commitments. Contact a Microsoft partner to determine the right plan based on your needs and budget.

And keep in mind the free iPad app allows you to join and use Teams with any paid plan your company provides access to.

Now let‘s look at some key differences between the free and paid tiers.

Microsoft Teams Free vs. Premium: Key Differences at a Glance

Here is a quick comparison table outlining the major differences between Microsoft Teams Free and the premium paid Office 365 plans:

Based on the above, the free Teams plan is ideal for personal use and smaller teams. But larger enterprises will want to unlock capabilities like unlimited users, enterprise security and compliance, unlimited storage, and desktop Office apps.

Hope this comparison helps explain the key differences at a high level!

Next up, let‘s discuss some free alternatives to Teams that you could also consider.

Top 7 Free Alternatives to Microsoft Teams for iPad

Here are some of the best free alternatives to Microsoft Teams that also offer iPad apps:

🔸 Zoom – Zoom is fantastic for high-quality video meetings and webinars. The free plan supports unlimited 1-on-1 meetings up to 40 minutes each. They have a great iPad app.

🔸 Slack – Slack is a user-friendly chat app for teams. The free plan includes unlimited messages and apps/integrations. Slack also has an iPad app.

🔸 Discord – Discord is super popular for text and voice chat amongst online gamers. Their free plan supports unlimited users. Discord is on iPad too.

🔸 Google Hangouts – Hangouts provides free messaging and video calls for up to 150 participants. Get the app for iPad as well.

🔸 Cisco Webex – Webex lets up to 100 users join meetings with screen sharing for up to 50 minutes each. It has an iPadOS app.

🔸 Whereby – Whereby offers unlimited free browser-based video rooms up to 4 participants. Works on iPad via Safari.

🔸 Nextiva – Nextiva provides a business phone system with video conferencing and a mobile app – all for free. Could replace Teams calling needs.

These alternatives are worth evaluating depending on your specific use case. But overall, Microsoft Teams still provides one of the strongest free collaboration offerings for small teams and iPad users in my opinion.

Summary: Is Microsoft Teams Free on iPad?

In summary, yes – you can use the core features of Microsoft Teams 100% free on an iPad!

By downloading the Teams mobile app from the App Store, you can sign up and access:

• Unlimited chat

• Audio/video meetings for up to 300 people

• Screen sharing

• 2GB of file storage per user

• Guest access

• Mobile and desktop apps

This allows you to use Teams for most basic team collaboration needs on the go from iPad.

While the free version has some limitations for larger enterprises, it works great for personal use, student projects, volunteer groups, and small business teams.

For unlocking more advanced capabilities, you can upgrade to a paid Office 365 plan – but the free iPad app gets you started with a generous set of features.

Hope this guide gave you a comprehensive overview of how Microsoft Teams can be used for free on an iPad! Let me know if you have any other questions.