Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Polycom RealPresence Desktop vs Zoom comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Polycom RealPresence Desktop
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
20th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.5
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Zoom
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
207
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Polycom RealPresence Desktop is 2.0%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zoom is 11.5%, down from 14.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

NH
Regular use enables effective communication with room for improvement in interoperability
The most valuable part of the desktop is the ability to make voice and video calls. Without getting too technical or divulging too much due to the environment we are in, it allows us to further our reach, from a traditional video conferencing room. Scalability was easy. It was based on calls, not licenses.
Kallol Chaudhuri - PeerSpot reviewer
Helped us tremendously in collaborating with each other and getting our work done and offers the breakout rooms feature.
We are a team located across various locations. Not in the same geographic location. We are distributed. And it's not possible to physically travel and meet people. Sometimes it's simply not possible. But Zoom has helped us tremendously in collaborating with each other and getting our work done. Without Zoom, it would have been very, very difficult. The breakout rooms feature is also helpful. For example, I have a meeting attended by hundreds of people and want to create subgroups. I typically use it for different role-play scenarios during training if we are trying to conduct some training on presentation skills. So there's a large group, which is initially trained by an instructor. Then you get instructions that the room will be split into smaller breakout rooms. I'll give you a topic, and you'll practice in these smaller groups. That's one way I use it. So it's like a simulation of a real brainstorming session I'd have in a physical space.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It allows us to further our reach, from a traditional video conferencing room."
"The solution offers a free version."
"The solution is easy to set up."
"It allows for both support and communication at the same time."
"The high capacity means that you can have a lot of people in the same meeting. I once attended a meeting with approximately 400 people."
"The interface is good and integrates well."
"Zoom is a stable solution."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."
"The ability to share content is a great feature."
 

Cons

"There is probably room for improvement in interoperability."
"The main issue with Zoom is its adoption in the business world compared to platforms like Teams."
"It's a heavy application that requires a lot of bandwidth. I would like to see Zoom incorporate those features where you can share documents and form teams while still maintaining efficiency."
"Although I have not experienced this issue directly, I have heard that there are a lot of security issues with Zoom. Security is very important to us and I have read in the news, there have been a few security issues with them, which worries us in general. We have to update this solution to use it for business purposes soon. We have to check it with an independent security product to verify its safety."
"It would be helpful if Zoom could integrate with our medical systems."
"I can't think of any features that are lacking."
"I have read some news about Zoom being a little bit insecure, but when we never had any issue with it. They can improve by making the sessions more secure."
"The interface requires some slight improvement in that it could better show the meeting attendees."
"They should consider increasing the time limits for free users."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"I am making yearly payments. So, I am paying 250 USD a year."
"We are using the free version of Zoom."
"I use the free version that is available, so I'm not sure what the licensing prices are."
"We have an account but we are also using the free version."
"There is a 40-minute time limit when you use the basic version, which is free."
"There is a free version available with time limits."
"The pricing is too high. The cost of the license could be cheaper."
"We have subscribed to a package for Zoom and it is a monthly payment."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Meetings solutions are best for your needs.
838,640 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Educational Organization
92%
University
1%
Financial Services Firm
1%
Computer Software Company
1%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Polycom RealPresence Desktop?
There is probably room for improvement in interoperability.
What is your primary use case for Polycom RealPresence Desktop?
We use the desktop. It was used in the same case. We use it with our partners.
LucidChart vs LucidSpark for brainstorming sessions over Zoom
Hi @Krista Thompson ​ - Yes, LucidSpark is a much more nimble and, in some ways, user-friendly tool than LucidChart. LucidSpark is designed to do a better job managing multiple users participating ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoom?
I use the free version of Zoom and have not encountered significant issues in its use. I also use the free version of Google Meet.
 

Also Known As

RealPresence Desktop
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

John Laing, China Daily, Lincoln Fire and Rescue, NATO Communications and Information Agency, NHS Home Dialysis, Silver Chain, South Carolina Department of Mental Health, nimed
Fortinet, Veeva, Proofpoint, Box, Ticketmaster, Trend Micro, Caesars Entertainment, Santa Clara University, Pandora, Stanford Continuing Studies
Find out what your peers are saying about Zoom Video Communications, Cisco, Microsoft and others in Virtual Meetings. Updated: February 2025.
838,640 professionals have used our research since 2012.