Microsoft debuts free tier in competitive workplace chat app market

Silhouettes of mobile users are seen next to a screen projection of Microsoft logo in this picture illustration taken March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft Corp on July 12 introduced a free tier of its workplace collaboration software Teams to better compete against rival Slack Technologies Inc in a market analysts view as a main battleground in the world of enterprise software.

Previously, businesses without Office 365 subscriptions that have wanted to try out Teams have been limited to a month-long trial. The free version of the product is intended to make it easy for potential customers, typically teams of workers and small businesses, to start using Microsoft's products and become embedded in them.