Comparing Webinars, Meetings, and Live Events
- Austin Dion (Deactivated)
- Dan Jakubiak
- Meera S Nair
In Microsoft Teams you can host and attend meetings, webinars, and live events. Each of these three features have different capabilities, and this article compares the services and provides guidance on when to use each one.Â
Comparison of Meeting, Webinars, and Live Events
 | Teams Meetings | Webinars | Live Events |
|---|---|---|---|
User Registration | Not available | Included - Can be customized | Not available |
Attendee count | 1000 | Fully interactive audience (can talk, answer polls, etc) - up to 1000 users. View only mode - up to 10,000 users | 10,000 users in view only mode, with capabilities for a Q&A |
Attendee microphone | Cannot be disabled | Microphone can be disabled (which prevents attendees from enabling their microphone) | Disabled for attendees |
Attendee camera | Cannot be disabled | All cameras can be disabled, or individual cameras can be enabled/disabled | Disabled for attendees |
Audience participation | Not limited | Interaction level can be customized by the organizer | Limited interaction |
Join by phone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Breakout rooms | Yes | Yes | Not available |
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When should you use a Meeting?
Meetings should be used when meeting with individuals or groups and attendees need the ability to speak and share content. Examples of this are teaching a class, meeting with project team members, department meetings, and hosting office hours.
When should you use a Webinar?
Webinars are intended for large audiences. The integrated registration page allows you to collect attendee information prior to the event.
Creating a Webinar in Microsoft Teams is just as easy as booking a normal Teams meeting, and the process is exactly the same. Webinars are Teams Meetings with special functionality. If you are booking a Teams Meeting normally, you can turn on the registration requirement to turn it into a webinar.
There are distinct roles in Webinars: Panelists and Audience. The Panelists have the normal Meeting features such as webcam, microphone, and screen-sharing. The audience however, may only use the Chat to participate.
When should you use a Live Event instead?
A Live Event is for broadcast purposes with no audience interaction capabilities. Unlike Teams Meetings, Live Events do not provide the same level of interaction between presenters and audience members. Live Events are great for delivering a presentation to a large audience that you do not need to interact with.