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

Skype for Business vs Zoom comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

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

Skype for Business
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
62
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 Skype for Business is 11.5%, up from 8.8% 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

Magdalena Teodorczuk - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers great audio and video quality for virtual meetings
I like the instant messaging feature in the product since I prefer to use the chat functionalities provided by the solution. It is easy to integrate the product with some of the other solutions in the market. I rate the integration capabilities of the product a ten out of ten. The product's user interface is user-friendly. I use the product at a personal level, so I can't speak about the support it provides for the maintenance part. I rate the overall tool a ten out of ten.
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

"The most valuable features of the solution are that it is quick and easy to use. It is a good tool for group calls."
"We like the easy provisioning of Skype for Business Conferencing."
"It saves trouble, and it saves us time."
"The solution is easy to use and includes the ability to text message, video and voice chat, and transfer files."
"It's a good and stable product that fits my needs."
"What is most valuable about Skype for Business is that almost everyone knows about it and almost everyone has it. You will be able to reach a large number of people."
"Our employees use this solution for a communal space to collaborate for organizational decision making."
"The integration with Microsoft Outlook for creating and scheduling meetings is nice."
"The solution is easy to use with an easy user interface."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is its ease of use."
"The product runs pretty smoothly so I haven't had to contact technical support."
"The most valuable feature is video conferencing."
"The initial setup is straightforward as this is a cloud application. It only takes a few seconds."
"It meets all of our basic requirements. It's easy to use."
"The product is usable and very straightforward."
"The base infrastructure is robust."
 

Cons

"Microsoft Teams, as I see it now, is more useful than Skype for Business."
"There might be some invitation issues with Skype for Business."
"I am not familiar with all of the features or whether they can hold conferences because we use Zoom for that. But, in my opinion, if they can do something similar to what Zoom is doing, it will be a complete solution."
"Skype for Business could improve the interface. It could be easier to use. Additionally, it's hard to find the people or add people you want to communicate with."
"The video quality could be improved, possibly due to internet connection issues."
"I feel bored with the look and feel of the tool, so it should be changed."
"Sometimes the connection crashes, which is understandable if you are traveling. But, it would be nice if this could be stabilized somehow."
"We need a feature where you can virtually raise your hand to silently let the presenter know that you have a question."
"Zoom has frequent updates, occurring every week or twice a week. This poses a significant issue because sometimes when we attempt to initiate a call, the system begins an upgrade process, taking at least 30 seconds and sometimes up to two minutes. This unscheduled upgrade can be inconvenient for users, as they must wait for the update to complete."
"The video quality of the free version might not be as good as the enterprise edition."
"The product's stability is an area of concern where improvements are required since sometimes users get dropped off from meetings."
"Compared to Skype and Teams, Zoom is missing one feature, and that's the ability to call people. In Teams, I can call anyone I want. It's like a telephone. I can do the same on Skype, but I have to send a link in Zoom."
"It is difficult to see and control whether you're muted or not, so the interface should be improved."
"Zoom's audio quality could be improved. I feel like Teams is more reliable because sometimes the audio is patchy on Zoom, whereas I've never had a problem with Teams."
"There is insufficient customization."
"Zoom could use more background options."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Skype for Business' pricing is reasonable."
"I am using a corporate account for which I have not made any payments."
"We are using the subscription-based version of Skype for Business. There is a free version of the solution."
"I use the product's open-source version."
"A license is required to use the solution."
"The pricing is really good. It is quite affordable because it came with our Office 365. It is on a per-user license, which is nice. I quite like that they have made it very granular with all of their licensing."
"Our company pays for a license for us to use the solution."
"The cost of Skype for Business is incorporated into our Office 365 licenses."
"The pricing is too high. The cost of the license could be cheaper."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"In the basic version, there is a 40-minute time limit on group meetings."
"Zoom is free."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for Zoom, which is expensive in our part of the world."
"I use the free version of Zoom that is available for download."
"There are both free and paid versions available."
"Zoom is available with an open license that can support meetings of up to 40 minutes."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Meetings solutions are best for your needs.
838,533 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
93%
Financial Services Firm
2%
Computer Software Company
1%
Government
1%
Educational Organization
92%
University
1%
Financial Services Firm
1%
Computer Software Company
1%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Skype for Business?
Skype for Business is affordable and has decent pricing. The video quality is a bit lower than Teams or Zoom, but it remains a good solution overall.
What needs improvement with Skype for Business?
The video quality could be improved, possibly due to internet connection issues. However, there is no significant weakness in Skype for Business.
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.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

Skype for Business Plan 1, Skype for Business Plan 2, Lync Server
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services,LA Fitness, MedcoEnergi International, Tampa General Hospital, and HopewellHoldings Limited.
Fortinet, Veeva, Proofpoint, Box, Ticketmaster, Trend Micro, Caesars Entertainment, Santa Clara University, Pandora, Stanford Continuing Studies
Find out what your peers are saying about Skype for Business vs. Zoom and other solutions. Updated: February 2025.
838,533 professionals have used our research since 2012.