TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Basecamp vs. Microsoft Teams vs. Polycom RealPresence Group Series

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Basecamp

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/ABasecamp is a web-based project-management tool. Basecamp offers features standard to project management platforms, as well as mobile accessibility, unlimited users, and 3rd party integrations. Basecamp is priced by space requirements and concurrent projects.

    $15

    per month per user

    Microsoft Teams

    Score8.3 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Teams combines video conferencing software with team collaboration tools. The communications platform allows MS Office users to conduct conference calls and share files via SharePoint, and join or initiate a group chat.

    $4.80

    per month per user

    Polycom RealPresence Group Series

    Score7.7 out of 10
    N/AThe Polycom RealPresence Group Series is a video conferencing codec that connects to a standards-based video conferencing infrastructure to allow users to make video conference calls. There are three products in the series – RealPresence Group 300, RealPresence Group 500, and RealPresence Group 700. It is certified to use with Office 365 and Skype for Business.N/A
    Pricing
    BasecampMicrosoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
    Editions & Modules
    Basecamp Plus
    $15
    per month per user
    Basecamp Pro Unlimited
    $299
    per month (billed annually)
    Basecamp Free
    Free
    Limited Capabilities
    Microsoft Teams Essentials
    $4.80
    per month per user
    Microsoft Teams Enterprise
    $5.25
    per month (paid yearly) per user
    Microsoft Teams Enterprise
    $5.25
    per month per user
    Microsoft 365 Business Basic
    $7.20
    per month per user
    Microsoft 365 Business Standard
    $15
    per month per user
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    BasecampMicrosoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
    Free Trial
    YesYesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Discounts are available for non profit organizations.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    BasecampMicrosoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
    Considered Multiple Products
    37signals
    Chose Basecamp
    I thought Microsoft Teams may be a good alternative to Basecamp, and it was already included in our suite of Microsoft products we subscribe to, but it seems to be more of a collaboration tool than a project management tool. After review, Microsoft Teams is not suited to manage …
    Incentivized
    Chose Basecamp
    We have Teams, at our organization. But, we cannot add people who do not have our email address extension. We started to look into Teams to do the same thing as Basecamp, but it was too complicated and difficult to set up.
    Incentivized
    Chose Basecamp
    I like Trello too, but our organization prefers Basecamp so that's what I stick to
    Incentivized
    Chose Basecamp
    Basecamp is a feature-rich and user-friendly platform that outpaces other solutions we've explored. The vast number of integrations available, as well as the years of dedicated developers as well as the natively available mobile apps, really make Basecamp a leader in this …
    Incentivized
    Chose Basecamp
    Basecamp is probably my least favorite. As a project manager, I'm always auditing our workflow and processes, so I try to run at least trials of project management software to get a feel for if they would help us do things more efficiently. I struggled the most with Basecamp.
    Incentivized
    Chose Basecamp
    Basecamp is simple to understand, easy to use, and does not come with the bloat and complications of a solution like Teams. It is certainly more organized and easy to follow than simply having a group chat on Slack and Viber. If you need to easily find information, it can be …
    Incentivized
    Chose Basecamp
    I have used Jira in past roles with different organizations, and I find Basecamp to be much more user-friendly and better at the more complex conversations that need to be had around product features. Basecamp knows what it does well, and sticks to that, instead of trying to be …
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Teams
    Microsoft Teams is a clear winner for robustness and for integration. It has the entire Office 365 toolkit in its corner and for an enterprise level solution, it doesn't have many peers, at least at that level of comprehensiveness. There are some peers that might compete well …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Teams
    Microsoft Teams was the best option for us because of its deep integration with other Microsoft products. It works seamlessly with the Office suite and makes collaboration and workflows with SharePoint and Flow possible in a way that other tools couldn't do or couldn't do as …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Teams
    Haven't really looked into any other options since Microsoft Teams was already installed with the Office 360 package. This made it convenient to integrate into our office and work space. It provides a good place to communicate without interrupting fellow employees and our …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Teams
    For an app that is integrated with the Microsoft Office 365 suite, it's nice to have. That said, there are many alternatives out there with the same or more robust options if you aren't tied to packaging everything together.
    Incentivized
    Poly
    Chose Polycom RealPresence Group Series
    We have used Microsoft Teams Rooms in some of our smaller huddle rooms that still require video, and this was due to the lower cost of the Microsoft Teams Room systems over the Polycom Presence Group series. The Microsoft Teams Rooms are perfect for small, less-used rooms, as …
    Incentivized
    Chose Polycom RealPresence Group Series
    When I started at one of my jobs, they already have Lifesize VC equipment. It was nice, they worked and they were less expensive. But once we started transitioning things to Polycom it was a night/day difference. Some of our large conference rooms had audio issues that the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Polycom RealPresence Group Series
    Polycom is the most flexible video conferencing hardware solution on the market. They provide a fantastic infrastructure but also have the option to directly register or convert to a cloud service endpoint!
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    89%
    Would buy again
    50 Answers
    90%
    Would buy again
    255 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    45 Answers
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    225 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    86%
    Happy with the feature set
    48 Answers
    90%
    Happy with the feature set
    255 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    92%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    36 Answers
    92%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    144 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    42 Answers
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    174 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    BasecampMicrosoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
    Project Management
    Comparison of Project Management features of Basecamp and Microsoft Teams and Polycom RealPresence Group Series
    Feature
    Basecamp
    8.9
    124 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Microsoft Teams
    8.2
    241 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Polycom RealPresence Group Series
    -
    Ratings
    Task Management9.1123 Ratings8.1179 Ratings00 Ratings
    Resource Management9.3103 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Gantt Charts7.243 Ratings8.196 Ratings00 Ratings
    Scheduling8.899 Ratings8.3208 Ratings00 Ratings
    Workflow Automation9.372 Ratings8.4126 Ratings00 Ratings
    Team Collaboration9.6123 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Support for Agile Methodology9.851 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Support for Waterfall Methodology8.748 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Document Management9.5115 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email integration8.1101 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Access8.6100 Ratings8.2229 Ratings00 Ratings
    Timesheet Tracking9.148 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Change request and Case Management9.558 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Budget and Expense Management8.442 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Search00 Ratings7.6212 Ratings00 Ratings
    Visual planning tools00 Ratings8.4143 Ratings00 Ratings
    Professional Services Automation
    Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Basecamp and Microsoft Teams and Polycom RealPresence Group Series
    Feature
    Basecamp
    8.0
    42 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Microsoft Teams
    -
    Ratings
    Polycom RealPresence Group Series
    -
    Ratings
    Quotes/estimates10.030 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Invoicing10.026 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Project & financial reporting8.034 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with accounting software4.028 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Communication
    Comparison of Communication features of Basecamp and Microsoft Teams and Polycom RealPresence Group Series
    Feature
    Basecamp
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Teams
    8.0
    251 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Polycom RealPresence Group Series
    -
    Ratings
    Chat00 Ratings9.0250 Ratings00 Ratings
    Notifications00 Ratings8.5249 Ratings00 Ratings
    Discussions00 Ratings8.7235 Ratings00 Ratings
    Surveys00 Ratings8.2146 Ratings00 Ratings
    Internal knowledgebase00 Ratings8.6157 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with GoToMeeting00 Ratings6.547 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts00 Ratings5.743 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Outlook00 Ratings9.1155 Ratings00 Ratings
    File Sharing & Management
    Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Basecamp and Microsoft Teams and Polycom RealPresence Group Series
    Feature
    Basecamp
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Teams
    8.2
    236 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Polycom RealPresence Group Series
    -
    Ratings
    Versioning00 Ratings8.6168 Ratings00 Ratings
    Video files00 Ratings8.4202 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audio files00 Ratings8.8200 Ratings00 Ratings
    Document collaboration00 Ratings8.9216 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access control00 Ratings8.6198 Ratings00 Ratings
    Advanced security features00 Ratings8.5158 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Google Drive00 Ratings5.353 Ratings00 Ratings
    Device sync00 Ratings8.6172 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    BasecampMicrosoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
    Small Businesses
    Any.do
    Score8 out of 10
    Flock
    Score9.5 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    KanbanFlow
    Score7.3 out of 10
    Troop Messenger
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Cisco Room Series
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft To Do
    Score7.9 out of 10
    Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
    Score9 out of 10
    Cisco Webex DX80 (discontinued)
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    BasecampMicrosoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.9
    (150 ratings)
    8.7
    (329 ratings)
    9.0
    (25 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (26 ratings)
    9.0
    (12 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    9.3
    (20 ratings)
    8.7
    (114 ratings)
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    7.3
    (4 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.8
    (28 ratings)
    8.0
    (114 ratings)
    8.3
    (4 ratings)
    Online Training
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    7.7
    (4 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.3
    (7 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (7 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    BasecampMicrosoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
    Likelihood to Recommend
    37signals
    Basecamp is a wonderful tool for teams of varying degrees of technical knowledge, teams managing lots of different types of "agifall" and waterfall projects, and teams that are remotely distributed. It's probably less useful for more strictly agile-focused development teams, compared to other more flexible software applications like Jira and Asana.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    It's amazing as a daily driver for team communication, and document search/store. Also, if you're doing a lot of LONG meetings and have trouble remembering details, the AI summarization is amazing and convenient. It just works. I'm not saying I always do this, of course, but if I need to 'skim' instead of really digging into every detail from a meeting, the AI-generated summary is generally good enough that I can get away with it.
    Read full review
    Poly
    If you're always working in the Polycom ecosystem then the Group Series codecs are reliable and the quality of the camera and microphones are extremely good. However, the system relies heavily on either having onsite server technology and/or cloud based bridging capability. In addition, the peripherals like cameras and microphones are quite expensive. Maintenance and support costs also make the ongoing investment a costly one
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    37signals
    • Task management - It is very easy to add, organize and discuss tasks within Basecamp's interface.
    • The "Campfire" function is great for communicating when you just have a quick question for someone on the team.
    • Notifications - Basecamp lets you decide how often and about what you'd like to be notified. The ability to respond to messages in Basecamp directly via email saves a lot of time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • All in one communication for Teams.
    • High quality and reliable both audio and video meetings.
    • Well organized and clear instant chat.
    • Excellent security features.
    • Beautiful integration with 3rd party tools and systems.
    • Perfect compatibility with windows ,android and iOS.
    • Allow meetings recordings for later us or sharing with teams that missed the live.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Poly
    • The audio and video quality can not be matched.
    • For the most part, they are rather simplistic in their use and just work. People don't usually have a hard time operating them
    • They are rather versatile in that we have been able to integrate them with other applications
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    37signals
    • High Learning Curve. It's true that it can be easy to use, but to use well and effectively takes some time to learn. It's recommended to have an agreed-upon system in your team of what tools to use and when.
    • Notification Overload. If people aren't careful they could send a notification to everyone when only a couple people were meant to be prompted. And since emails are sent by default, you could have your mailbox overloaded with unnecessary updates. This is where it takes a bit of training in your team to have an agreed-upon system.
    • Lack of organization with Archived Projects. I will often need to reference an archived project to make a new one, but there is only a list of archived projects in alphabetical order, with no way to organize by archive date, or even search.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • The webinars feature has some missing functionally such as the ability for all users to use the Q&A feature (only those with a Microsoft Teams account can use it now), the ability to upload documents for attendees to easily access and download, and the ability for presenters and organizers to easily chat amongst themselves throughout the webinar.
    • The "Channels" organization hierarchy could be more clear. If you have several channels set up, it can get clunky and hard to find the specific channel you are looking for.
    • The MS Planner tool lacks functionality and organization. You cannot assign more than one person to a task and it's confusing when you try to share tasks with people - it would be nice if they were automatically added to someone's calendar.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Poly
    • The only issue that we have experienced with Polycom RealPresence Group Series is the speed dial functionality. When attempting to use the speed dial buttons, the system occasionally sends a call through the computer system, not the phone. While the computer call option is valuable, not everyone can answer calls that way and we have had to do a manual lookup of an extension and call back when that happens.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    37signals
    When I bring new people onto a project, it's immediately obvious how to use Basecamp. I don't have to worry about teaching them the features or walking them through it, it's just incredibly user-friendly. For this reason, I'll continue to renew my subscription even as new people are brought onto production jobs or the client changes.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Teams is included with our Office 365 subscription and we have no intention of migrating off of Office 365 and Microsoft products. Since Microsoft Teams is included for free with our Office 365 subscription, and since we enjoy all the features, benefits, and functionality, there is no question that our team will continue to use the product
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Poly
    We love the product and is totally integrated in our company.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    37signals
    It is easy to use, even for clients who have no experience with the platform. It can only get a little cumbersome to ensure that a client can't see certain documents you might want to keep in the Docs & Files folders. And sometimes, getting a client to actually use an unfamiliar platform can be a challenge.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    If you have the full Microsoft Office suite, it works really well because it's integrated well within its ecosystem, but if not, it can be annoying because it tries to open a shared file in the web versions of the file equivalents. The web version is also a bit slow, and the login is very difficult to handle if you have multiple Microsoft or Outlook accounts.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Poly
    The directory is slightly dated and unless you have a Skype for Business integration license, dialing users into a call is difficult. The Group Series Remote whilst minimalistic is actually more difficult to use than the previous HDX remote. Having to recharge the battery on the group series remote is both annoying and difficult as if you do not keep on top of it, you will be faced with a situation where the remote is not working and then have to try and find another one. Not ideal if you need to start a video call (assuming auto join has not been enabled in the admin portal).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    37signals
    I've never experienced downtime while using Basecamp, or been unable to access it when I needed it. That's not to say they've never had downtime, but I've been lucky enough not to encounter any, and I work odd hours, including late nights when maintenance is often undertaken.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Rare, but outages do happen
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Poly
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    37signals
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Sometimes about once a week I get a message that says "Sorry, there seems to be something wrong". But it goes away in a few minutes.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Poly
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    37signals
    For the many reasons I've given, Basecamp is a very strong program. There are a few features I can imagine that might make it even better, but I don't have a basis for comparison to be able to say that there is definitely a better one out there. I've noticed that Basecamp has evolved a bit from the time I started using it until now, so that makes me think that the producer of this program values it and believes in continuous improvement. If you could use the features offered by Basecamp, I would think you could use it with confidence.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    The overall support provided by Microsoft for Microsoft Teams has been quite good but there is still some room for improvements. Microsoft needs to proactively work on fixing the open bugs in order to provide a seamless experience to the users. But over the service and experience provided by the Microsoft team have been quite satisfactory.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Poly
    I can't say I've needed support more than a handful of times. One was for trying to connect a Polycom Conference phone and a Real Presence together. After a few months, we came to the conclusion it wasn't possible, that was the only frustrating occurance with support. Any other time if we needed to RMA a device, it was very smooth.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    37signals
    Decide the process before implementation - i.e. when it's due 8/9 does that mean 8am, noon, 5pm, 11:59pm? Check your to-do list frequently Set-up templates - just not with the dates (they can be funky)
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    I find everything I need for my day-to-day work.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Poly
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    37signals
    Pretty good, but [Basecamp] has its drawbacks. Honestly I find the interface non-intuitive and sometimes have trouble figuring out how to change the status of a task. Perhaps it has something to do with the way it was originally set up by the admin, but I'm not sure. I liked Jira's drag and drop obvious functionality, but the project management side of the software was lacking. Smartsheet has excellent project management functionality, but the task management isn't as good.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Teams offers a much more integrated experience between their chat and video call function compared to Google Chat and Slack. Both other tools are much better for internal communications are they have simpler UI without other features. Whereas Microsoft Teams can be used for more critical conversations, particularly between external companies, and has been very useful in sales conversations which is what we chose it for when speaking to companies that work exclusively through Microsoft.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Poly
    Our Polycom RealPresence Group Series unit replaced a Cisco Room Series that was mounted to a mobile cart. The cart had one smaller display and the speakers\microphone at the cart. This required staff to be very close to the cart to hear and speak during the meeting. No fault of Cisco but the cart was not sufficient for the space. Polycom RealPresence Group Series was less costly when we were planning out the room.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    37signals
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Honestly, this tool is worth every penny. Yes, it's not free and you pay for the quality of services and the license. But the ROI and the benefits are all there. Also, the renewal, negotiation, and contract terms are all very well explained by our Microsoft account manager, and she's a charm.
    Read full review
    Poly
    No answers on this topic
    Scalability
    37signals
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    It does not appear to have a limit to how many teams and employees we can have using it
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Poly
    No answers on this topic
    Professional Services
    37signals
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    I used Skype for Business to take calls, hold conferences, and provide remote assistance to users. Microsoft Teams, on the other hand, is superior to Skype for Business in my opinion. My job entails a lot of screen sharing.
    Read full review
    Poly
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    37signals
    • It has saved me time when having to get the same message out to multiple restaurants
    • It has helped us make smarter operational decisions because we can all collaborate on an answer in a shorter amount of time (instead of calling a meeting!!!)
    • The calendar function allows us to plot out our marketing agenda for the month and add/change it together as needed. The chef will post his recipe, the managers will cost it out, the social media manager will post pictures on it, and ultimately we will get that information out on an info sheet to the staff by printing the page.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Personally, I would say that by using Microsoft Teams, it upped my collaboration with my colleagues by around 50% or around more than half of what I usually did prior to using it.
    • I had 100% show rate and attendance on all of my meetings in the past 6 months.
    • If I may add, I also have been chattier & collaborative towards my colleagues in past 3 months particularly the month of December when we had huge traffic at work. I would estimate this behavior to have been increased by around 60% than what I usually incur during normal operating days.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Poly
    • Once pexip integrates Polycom/skype this will be a big win for us due to the RPTouch integrating the "one - touch join". This will increase adoption of video greatly.
    • Before the Group series with peripherals was implemented the cost of a video room was twice what it is today. Massive win.
    • Due to provisioning and automated firmware the IT involvement has been greatly reduced. No longer is there a need for manual changes to individual endpoints.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots