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Awaio vs Microsoft Places: booking tool or workplace system?

Microsoft Places adds room and desk booking to Outlook and Teams. Awaio works with Microsoft 365 too, and also runs parking, lockers, door access and wayfinding in one system.

The Awaio admin dashboard on a desktop screen

Awaio made this page to help you compare Awaio and Microsoft Places. It’s based on public sources such as each vendor’s website, documentation and app store listings. Brand and product names belong to their owners.

Last verified October 2026

Key differences

  • One system: Microsoft Places covers rooms and desks. Awaio runs rooms, desks, parking, lockers and door access in one app.
  • Simpler pricing: Places features depend on Microsoft 365, per-space Teams licences and Copilot. Awaio is priced per resource, with unlimited users.
  • No new screens: Places checks people in through Teams panels, desk peripherals or email. Awaio uses QR codes and TapCards on the rooms and desks you already have.
  • Works with what you have: Awaio retrofits existing doors, lockers and barriers, and works with both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

Feature comparison

Booking

  • Meeting room booking

    Microsoft Places
    Yes In Outlook, Teams and the Places app[1]
    Awaio
    Yes

    Both let people book meeting rooms from their calendar.

  • Desk booking

    Microsoft Places
    Yes Desk pools included. Booking a specific desk needs a per-space licence.[2]
    Awaio
    Yes

    Check what booking a specific desk costs before you roll out.

  • Parking booking

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[3]
    Awaio
    Yes

    With Awaio, parking is booked in the same app as desks and rooms.

  • Recurring bookings

    Microsoft Places
    Yes [4]
    Awaio
    Yes

    Book a regular room or desk once instead of every week.

  • Book on behalf of others

    Microsoft Places
    Yes Through Outlook delegates[5]
    Awaio
    Yes Admins and reception book for others, and colleagues can share bookings

    Both let the right people book for others. In Awaio, colleagues can also share a booking.

  • Interactive floor plans

    Microsoft Places
    Yes IMDF maps, usually prepared by a partner[6]
    Awaio
    Yes

    Awaio admins draw and update floor plans themselves in the browser.

  • Indoor wayfinding

    Microsoft Places
    Partly Find nearby rooms and desks on the map[7]
    Awaio
    Yes Live map of rooms, desks and colleagues, with real-time occupancy

    Awaio shows rooms, desks and colleagues on a live map, so people find their way and see what’s free.

  • Check-in and auto-release

    Microsoft Places
    Yes Auto-release needs a per-space licence[8]
    Awaio
    Yes

    Unused bookings are released so others can use the space.

  • Payments for bookings

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[9]
    Awaio
    Yes Paid parking and other paid bookings

    With Awaio, people pay for parking and other paid resources in the same app.

  • Custom booking forms

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[2]
    Awaio
    Yes Custom forms for rooms, pool cars and more

    Awaio asks the right questions when someone books a room or pool car.

  • Events and registration

    Microsoft Places
    Partly In-person events and RSVP, no registration[9]
    Awaio
    Yes Events with registration in the app

    Awaio runs events with registration in the same app as everything else.

  • Booking quotas

    Microsoft Places
    Partly Limits on who, how far ahead and how long. No cap per user.[18]
    Awaio
    Yes Quotas set in the booking rules

    Awaio quotas share popular desks and parking fairly.

Lockers and access

  • Locker management

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[9]
    Awaio
    Yes

    Awaio runs personal, shared and delivery lockers from the same app.

  • Digital locks

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[10]
    Awaio
    Yes Open with phone, RFID card, PIN or fingerprint

    Awaio supplies locks that open with a phone, card or PIN.

  • Mobile access to doors

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[10]
    Awaio
    Yes

    With Awaio, employees open doors and gates with their phone.

  • Access cards

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[11]
    Awaio
    Yes Locks read the RFID cards people already carry

    Awaio locks read the RFID cards people already carry, so nobody needs a new card.

  • Access control hardware

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[12]
    Awaio
    Yes Mobile Access Box

    The Awaio Mobile Access Box connects existing doors and barriers to the app.

  • Parcel and delivery handling

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[12]
    Awaio
    Yes Parcel lockers with a notice when the delivery is ready

    Awaio parcel lockers tell people when their delivery is ready.

  • E-bike charging lockers

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[9]
    Awaio
    Yes Indoor and outdoor e-bike charging lockers

    Awaio runs e-bike charging lockers indoors and outdoors.

  • NFC service points

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[2]
    Awaio
    Yes TapCard and TapDot: tap the phone to book or open

    People tap their phone on a TapCard or TapDot to book or open a resource.

Integrations

  • Calendar sync

    Microsoft Places
    Yes Exchange Online only[9]
    Awaio
    Yes Outlook and Google Calendar

    Awaio also works if your organisation uses Google Workspace.

  • Single sign-on

    Microsoft Places
    Yes Microsoft Entra ID[13]
    Awaio
    Yes Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace

    Both let employees sign in with their work account.

  • Outlook add-in

    Microsoft Places
    Yes Built into Outlook and Teams[2]
    Awaio
    Yes Book desks, rooms, parking and lockers from Outlook

    Both let people book from Outlook. With Awaio they can also book parking and lockers there.

  • Meeting room displays

    Microsoft Places
    Yes Teams panels with a separate licence[14]
    Awaio
    Yes Works with Microsoft Teams Rooms. QR codes and TapCards replace door displays.

    Awaio uses QR codes and TapCards at the door, so you don’t need a screen for every room.

  • Mobile app

    Microsoft Places
    Partly Inside Outlook and Teams mobile[15]
    Awaio
    Yes

    Awaio has its own app for booking, doors, lockers and maps.

  • Building system integrations

    Microsoft Places
    Partly Occupancy data for analytics[12]
    Awaio
    Yes Access control systems through Inlet

    Awaio brings sensor, climate and access data into one system.

  • API and webhooks

    Microsoft Places
    Partly Graph API for places and maps. No Places webhooks documented.[19]
    Awaio
    Yes API and webhooks

    Awaio’s API and webhooks connect bookings to your other systems.

  • Sensor integrations

    Microsoft Places
    Partly Occupancy sensors for analytics[12]
    Awaio
    Yes Occupancy and indoor climate sensors, such as BLDNG and Swegon

    Awaio brings occupancy and indoor climate data into the same view.

Communication

  • Notifications

    Microsoft Places
    Partly Mainly email around desk check-in and release[8]
    Awaio
    Yes Push and email

    Awaio reminds people by push and email.

  • Messages to everyone in the workplace

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[9]
    Awaio
    Yes

    With Awaio, you can reach everyone in a building from the app.

  • Booking confirmations

    Microsoft Places
    Yes Through Exchange calendar replies[18]
    Awaio
    Yes A confirmation for every booking

    Both confirm bookings, so people know their space is theirs.

Admin and analytics

  • Utilisation analytics

    Microsoft Places
    Yes Occupancy reports need a per-space licence[11]
    Awaio
    Yes

    See how rooms and desks are actually used before you change the office.

  • Multi-tenant buildings

    Microsoft Places
    Not in public documentation[13]
    Awaio
    Yes

    Property owners can run shared spaces for every tenant in one Awaio system.

  • User roles and permissions

    Microsoft Places
    Yes [16]
    Awaio
    Yes

    Give admins the access they need, and nothing more.

Security, support and pricing

  • EU data hosting and GDPR

    Microsoft Places
    Yes EU Data Boundary[13]
    Awaio
    Yes Hosted in the EU. GDPR compliant, DPA on request.

    Both keep data in the EU and support GDPR.

  • Support

    Microsoft Places
    Microsoft 365 support and Places partners[12]
    Awaio
    Chat and email in English, Swedish and Norwegian. Weekdays 08–17 CET.

    Awaio support answers in English, Swedish and Norwegian.

  • Pricing model

    Microsoft Places
    Included in most Microsoft 365 licences. Premium features need per-space licences.[9][17]
    Awaio
    Per resource, not per user. Unlimited users.

    Count licences per user, per space and for Copilot when you compare cost.

Not in public documentation: we found no mention of it on the Microsoft Places website, help centre or app store listings.

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Why teams choose Awaio over Microsoft Places

  • One app for the whole workplace

    Rooms, desks, parking, lockers and doors in one app, instead of a booking tool plus separate systems.

  • Less hardware, not more

    QR codes and TapCards replace room screens, and Awaio retrofits the doors and lockers you already have.

  • Pricing that doesn’t grow with headcount

    Pay per resource, with unlimited users. No per-user, per-space or AI licences to add up.

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One system for the whole workplace

Start with one module. Add the rest when you need them.

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FAQ

Questions about Awaio and Microsoft Places

Sources

  1. [1] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/room-desk-booking/rooms · accessed 2026-10-08
  2. [2] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/room-desk-booking/desks · accessed 2026-10-08
  3. [3] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/configuring-places/add-services-to-buildings · accessed 2026-10-08
  4. [4] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/what-is-places/admin-web-app · accessed 2026-10-08
  5. [5] mc.merill.net/message/MC1124563 · accessed 2026-10-08
  6. [6] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/end-user/configure-floorplans-maps · accessed 2026-10-08
  7. [7] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/day-to-day-admin/administration-portal · accessed 2026-10-08
  8. [8] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/room-desk-booking/enable-checkin-desks · accessed 2026-10-08
  9. [9] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/what-is-places/license-requirements · accessed 2026-10-08
  10. [10] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places · accessed 2026-10-08
  11. [11] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/enable-places-analytics/building-analytics · accessed 2026-10-08
  12. [12] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/places-integration-partners · accessed 2026-10-08
  13. [13] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/compliance-privacy-security-in-places · accessed 2026-10-08
  14. [14] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/devices/overview-teams-panels · accessed 2026-10-08
  15. [15] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/frequently-asked-questions · accessed 2026-10-08
  16. [16] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/places/day-to-day-admin/enable-others-as-places-admins · accessed 2026-10-08
  17. [17] mc.merill.net/message/MC1235124 · accessed 2026-10-08
  18. [18] learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/set-calendarprocessing · accessed 2026-10-08
  19. [19] learn.microsoft.com/graph/api/resources/places-api-overview · accessed 2026-10-08

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