Between Lark vs Teams, two sought-after work collaboration platforms today, choosing the right tool depends on your team’s needs.

As businesses adapt to advanced work setups, people see the charm of working outside a physical office. But remote work has its limitations, too; the lack of physical contact with the team can get lonely, and response times seem endless. 

Fortunately, collaboration tools like Lark and Microsoft Teams are now available to us. Video chats equipped with automatic transcription, messaging apps that allow GIFs, and shareable docs? Work has never been easier.

Automation and online collaboration techniques are what make these platforms create smart solutions for teams of any scale. But which between Lark and Microsoft Teams is right for your business?

This Lark vs Teams guide will walk you through their key features, pricing, scalability, and user experience. By the end, you’ll have a clearer idea of which platform best fits your team’s needs.

What is Lark?

Lark combines organization, communications, and management to maximize team productivity. The all-in-one work collaboration platform caters to businesses of any scale, whether they’re in the sales and marketing industry or tradesmanship and freelancing.

Lark features multiple apps any professional organization may need, from messaging to document organization and request approval. 

What Features Make Lark Stand Out?

Lark has produced several apps in their platform that altogether create an organized and centralized space for businesses to reach their goals. These apps may fall under four categories.

Communications

• Lark Messenger
• Lark Meetings
• Lark Rooms
• Lark Mail
• Lark Minutes

Collaboration

• Lark Docs
• Lark Base
• Lark Calendar
• Lark Sheets
• Lark Wiki
• Lark Tasks

Management

• Lark Approval
• Lark Workplace
• Lark Admin Console
• Lark Attendance
• Help Desk

Resources

• Changes and Updates
• Lark Academy
• Lark Glossary
• Lark YouTube Channel

Lark aims to create a fully equipped work environment for all types of businesses. Each tool serves a particular purpose, and when combined, results in a team that prides itself in efficiency and practicality.

What Is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams is a collaboration and communications platform that includes messaging, video conferencing, file storage, and app integration features. It became one of the most used work applications in early 2020 due to the high demand for remote work tools at the time.

From project managers to advertising associates, Microsoft Teams apps for chatting, scheduling assistance, and more, can streamline business operations for any and all professionals. It combines communication and collaboration techniques to make offsite productivity possible.

What Features Make Microsoft Teams Stand Out?

Teams currently serves four basic functions: Chat, Collaborate, Meet, and Call.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Teams features a chat function, where users can tag or mention team members in-app and send GIFs and images for clearer communication.

Replacing Microsoft Classroom and Skype, Teams enabled file sharing and the Community tool, where users can exchange content and track schedules in communities and channels. 

With Meet, users can communicate with high-definition audio, web, and video conferencing that enables presentations and screensharing.  Furthermore, the app allows cloud recording to make past conversations and presentations accessible anytime.

Paid versions of Teams also lets users call phone numbers directly from the Microsoft Teams app. The call function enables local and international calls and voicemails, thus providing users with an alternative mode of communication.

Key Features of Lark and Microsoft Teams

Desktop and mobile versions are available for both platforms. Users can download Lark and Microsoft Teams onto their computers and smartphones for added flexibility at work. 

Here’s a product breakdown for the two work platforms:

Communication and Messaging

Both platforms allow chatting with team members individually and within a group. Additionally, users can chat with themself in both Lark and Teams, which comes in handy for sending personal notes and reminders.

What’s more, Lark and Teams users can change the formatting style of their messages. With Rich Text capabilities in both, users are free to customize their chats to suit their intended message, reducing the risk of workplace misunderstandings.

The email function is only available in Lark, while Teams requires paid access to Microsoft 365 for users to communicate by email.

Video Conferencing

While both Lark and Teams contain a chat function, they differ in live video or meeting time durations. Lark provides more flexibility with its 24-hour time limit while Teams offers up to 60 minutes for the free plan.

Both platforms use speech recognition technology to offer multilingual subtitles, even translate subtitles into other languages in-call. Lark currently generates real-time captions for audio in English, Chinese, and Japanese. 

Two more of their unique features are automatic meeting transcriptions–also translatable–and virtual whiteboards. 

Lark has integrated Lark Minutes, allowing participants to focus on the meeting or presentation rather than look down at their written notes or change screen tabs. Lark Minutes also makes transcriptions searchable post-meeting.

On the other hand, MS Teams allows PowerPoint Live integrations, allowing users to present slides during virtual meetings. Fully interactive and equipped with clickable links, this is one of Teams’ key features, highlighting Microsoft 365’s  powerful integration capabilities.

Both the audience and presenter have several viewing options for such cases when a presentation occurs during virtual meetings. Presenters can turn in-call chat on or off if it helps maintain focus, and audience members can automatically sync their view to the presenters’.

File Sharing and Collaboration

In-chat file sharing is common among work chat tools today, and Lark and Teams are no different. Aside from cloud storage, Lark and Teams allow file sharing within their respective messaging apps.

Lark Base is the main dashboard interface of Lark where users can visualize, prepare, and present their project insights. Most useful to managers and administrators, Base gives users an overview of their work goals down to the tasks. 

Lark Docs has added customization features like covers. Users can add images to documents for flare or a personal touch to their docs.

Meanwhile, Teams users are free to utilize loop components in Meet and Chat for collaborative notetaking, with options ranging from bulleted lists to paragraphs.

These in-app tools give users the liberty to apply their own understanding of the meeting or discussion, promoting team participation and comprehension beyond mere listening.

Also, being a member of the Microsoft 365 family, Teams can connect to other productivity tools like Word, OneDrive, and PowerPoint. Collaboration across multiple apps of the same software environment makes for seamless file sharing and overall consistency.

Teams also uses SharePoint specifically for file sharing and collaboration within organizations. Contrary to OneDrive, SharePoint centralizes project-specific file storage, accessible to project members.

Calendar and Scheduling

In both Lark and Teams, users have access to calendars and scheduling tools. 

Lark Calendar gives a glimpse of which member handles what project. For quicker dissemination, users can also create meeting groups from calendar invites.

As for Teams, it offers both a calendar tool and Shifts, a scheduling app and a time tracker in one. Shifts has a Time Clock for letting team members clock in and out of work, useful for tracking attendance.

To assist with HR and admin work, Shifts also allows users to request for time offs and work shift modifications. This way, it’ll be easier to plot the approved requests onto calendars.

Workflow and automation

Built to streamline projects, Lark specializes in custom workflow automations, where users can plan triggers and actions to manage repetitive tasks. 

The number of automation runs varies per plan. Those numbers reset every month, so users shouldn’t be too worried about running out of them, regardless of their purchased plan.

Teams also allows workflow automations with Power Automate, which users can create flows with for different scenarios.

• When a team member sends a message on Teams
• Using adaptive cards
• When Dataverse for Teams is used to create flows in Power Apps

Teams currently has five flow templates available for use:

• Newly added chat message
• When keywords are mentioned
• New team member
• Post a feed notification
• When I am mentioned

Third-party Application Integration

Both Lark and Teams offer integration options to maximize each platform’s capabilities.

The Lark App Directory compiles all applications available for their third-party app integrations. Some of the apps they can connect users to are Trello, Zapier, Zoom, and Github.

As for Teams, users are free to collaborate with the following kinds of apps:

• Standalone apps, or fully functioning apps
• Collaboration apps intended to fulfill the collaboration features in Teams
• Microsoft SharePoint

To know which apps are compatible with Teams, visit AppSource on Microsoft’s official website.

Accessibility

Both Lark and Teams have incorporated accessibility features into their tools, particularly auto-translations.

While Lark supports audio translations in English, Chinese, and Japanese, it can conduct text and image-to-text translations to over 100 languages–perfect for teams of varying cultures across the globe.

Meanwhile, Teams can translate chat messages, live captions, and real-time video transcriptions, ensuring that online meetings run smoothly, wherever participants may reside.

Are Lark and Microsoft Teams Scalable for Growing Teams?

Lark and Teams offer different plans and packages that cater to varied workloads and company sizes. 

Each Lark plan offers features limited to its allowed users, such as with the Starter Plan designed for small-scale businesses of 20 members. While its chat history only lasts 18 months, users may still benefit from its basic management and collaboration apps.

Meanwhile, there are Pro and Enterprise plans fit for medium to large companies (500 members or more) frequently holding video conferences and seminars.

The free version of Teams allows up to 100 participants in a video call–befitting for small-scale operations or personal use. 

But for a paid monthly plan, users can upgrade to a Microsoft 365 package, unlocking more of Microsoft’s work tools like Word and Clipchamp.

Moreover, video conferences with paid plans have expanded its parameters to 30 hours of uninterrupted meetings with up to 300 participants.

With free and paid options, Lark and Teams can accommodate any organization and project. When choosing a plan for your organization, consider the available features for each plan.

How Much Does Lark Cost Compared to Microsoft Teams?

Lark is ideal for its price relative to its features. Businesses planning to cut their budget may turn to Lark for an effective collaboration and project management solution at little to no cost.

For some users, Lark’s free Starter plan is already a game-changer. Beyond the free access to docs, meetings, and several other AI-powered tools, it offers 100GB storage and 1,000 workflow automation runs.

The monthly Pro plan, a popular choice for businesses, starts at $14.40 per user a month for up to 500 users, 15TB worth of storage, and 50,000 workflow automations allowed. And thanks to the 16.6% discount for annual plans, Lark also offers Pro for $12 per user a month.

On the other hand, users can get Teams with both Business and Home plans. Microsoft Teams Essentials, a Business plan, is at $4 each user a month, billed annually. It features 30-hour meetings for up to 300 people, 1GB storage, file sharing, and meeting recordings.

Then for $2 more, users can get Microsoft 365 Business Basic along with Teams. This plan includes web and mobile access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook–equipping Teams with more collaboration tools. Additionally, each users also get 1TB worth of storage.

Choosing the platform for your team boils down to the features encapsulated in the cost. Practically speaking, Lark stands out as the more compelling choice based on its free collaboration and work management capabilities alone.

Difference Between Lark and Microsoft Teams User Interface

Both platforms excel in user-friendliness–Lark with its ecosystem of work collaboration tools and Teams with its intuitive communications accessibility functions. 

Lark’s user interface enables users to gain access to apps with one click. With the Base situated on top of the sidebar, managers and members can first look at their projects from a broader perspective before they begin their day.

Lark’s integration features also enable users to move seamlessly between apps, such as messaging coworkers and editing calendars. 

Most of Teams’ free features, however, focus on video conferencing and in-call collaboration tools, with only the Chat, Meet, Community, and Calendar tools immediately available in the sidebar. 

Pros and Cons of Using Lark

Pros: All-in-one collaboration tool, with built-in document creation, messaging and email, video conferencing, administrative functions, scheduling, and translation capabilities

Cons: Limited automation runs allowed each month and chat history expiration in the Starter plan

Pros and Cons of Using Microsoft Teams

Pros: Productivity tools for video conferencing, including scheduling assistance, notetaking and whiteboards, in-chat file sharing, and community management

Cons: Several project management features only accessible in paid versions and third-party app integrations

Lark vs Teams: Which Work Tool Should You Choose for Your Team?

Lark and Microsoft Teams focus on specific aspects of work productivity. The former functions as a holistic collaboration platform for culturally diverse businesses, while the latter offers mindful video conferencing and messaging tools to maintain smooth communication among team members.

Both platforms offer solutions for team collaboration, but the best choice depends on what your business needs.

Lark simplifies project management and team collaboration by providing users of different backgrounds with a single, unified workspace they can communicate in effortlessly. Conversely, Microsoft Teams are for businesses that need structured, elevated virtual meetings and community management assistance.

If your team needs a well-equipped business solution catering to global users, Lark can be a strong contender. But if you want to prioritize virtual meetings and third-party app integrations, Teams is the better fit for you.

Ultimately, the right tool depends on your workflow, team structure, and budget. To know which works, it may help to try their free versions first or check out our comprehensive guide for Lark.

Want to know how Lark works first-hand? Sign up for a free trial today and we’ll help you automate your business workflow.