Microsoft Teams locks your collaboration inside the Microsoft 365 universe. Polybase gives you all-in-one communication without the ecosystem lock-in, bloated bundles, or per-seat licensing surprises.
Polybase unifies chat, video calls, task management, docs, and an AI agent into a single desktop app. There are no external integrations to configure. Every feature shares the same real-time data layer, so turning a chat message into a tracked task or jumping into a video huddle happens in one click — without leaving your flow.
Microsoft Teams is a chat and video platform tightly coupled to Microsoft 365. While powerful within that ecosystem, it requires Teams, Planner, SharePoint, and OneDrive separately for tasks, docs, and storage. Organizations outside the Microsoft stack often struggle with licensing complexity, slow desktop performance, and the constant context-switching between apps.
See exactly what you get with Polybase compared to Microsoft Teams.
Switching is easier than you think. Follow these steps and your team will be up and running in minutes.
Use the Microsoft Teams data export tools or the Admin Center to download your chat history, files, and channel structure as a backup before migrating.
Download the Polybase desktop app, create your workspace, and invite your team members. Polybase's onboarding wizard will guide you through workspace configuration in under 5 minutes.
Map your Teams channels to Polybase channels. Create public channels for company-wide topics and private channels for team-specific discussions. The flat, simple structure avoids the nested Teams/Channel confusion.
Upload your important documents directly into the relevant Polybase channels. Polybase's built-in doc editor means you won't need SharePoint or OneDrive anymore — everything lives in one place.
Share the workspace invite link with your team. Polybase's familiar chat interface means most users are productive within minutes, not days. No Microsoft 365 training required.
Polybase doesn't just replace Microsoft Teams — it gives you capabilities Microsoft Teams can't.
The Polybase AI agent reads your full workspace context — tasks, chats, docs — and can execute multi-step workflows with your approval. No extra per-seat AI licensing fees.
Chat, video, tasks, docs, and calendar live together natively. No Planner for tasks, no SharePoint for docs, no OneDrive for files. One app, one data model.
Deploy Polybase on-premise or in your own cloud. Full data sovereignty without being locked into Microsoft Azure data centers.
You don't need Microsoft 365, Azure AD, or any Microsoft subscription. Polybase works independently — use it alongside any tools you already love.
Convert any chat message into a tracked Kanban task instantly. No need for a separate project management add-on or third-party integration.
Common questions about switching from Microsoft Teams to Polybase.