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Blackboard Collaborate vs Skype for Business comparison

Blackboard and Microsoft are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. Blackboard is ranked #20 with an average rating of 6.0, while Microsoft is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0. Blackboard holds a 2.0% mindshare in VM, compared to Microsoft’s 5.9% mindshare. Additionally, 75% of Blackboard users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
Blackboard Collaborate
Read 4 Blackboard Collaborate reviews
  • 369 Views
  • 369 Comparison Views
75% willing to recommend
Skype for Business
Read 63 Skype for Business reviews
  • 1,719 Views
  • 1,238 Comparison Views
79% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

Blackboard Collaborate and Skype for Business are tools competing in virtual collaboration. Skype for Business often has the upper hand in corporate settings due to Microsoft's integration and broader application.

Features: Blackboard Collaborate offers an interactive whiteboard, breakout groups, and polling capabilities. Skype for Business includes integration with Microsoft products, IM, and presence indicators, supporting large meetings.

Room for Improvement: Blackboard Collaborate needs improved ease of deployment, more intuitive user interface, and better integration with non-educational tools. Skype for Business can enhance mobile interface quality, reduce complexity in non-Microsoft environments, and improve video quality.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Skype for Business has straightforward deployment in Microsoft-rich environments with comprehensive support. Blackboard Collaborate requires more specialized setup but offers targeted guidance for educational settings.

Pricing and ROI: Blackboard Collaborate offers good ROI for educational institutions through specialized tools. Skype for Business provides better value for those integrated within Microsoft's ecosystem, maximizing ROI through its wide feature set.

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To learn more, read our detailed Blackboard Collaborate vs. Skype for Business Report (Updated: December 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Blackboard Collaborate vs. Skype for Business
December 2025
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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

Blackboard Collaborate
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
20th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Skype for Business
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
63
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Blackboard Collaborate is 2.0%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 5.9%, down from 10.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Skype for Business5.9%
Blackboard Collaborate2.0%
Other92.1%
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

YN
YN1
Teaching and Learning Systems Manager at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Useful in webinars, meetings and online classrooms
One of the features that people enjoy is the whiteboard, providing opportunities for academics to present content and for students to contribute. The platform also allows for the creating of different rooms, enabling large classes to break into smaller groups for discussions. Students can then return to the main classroom to share their opinions. It integrates with LMS.
Read full review
reviewer1854369 - PeerSpot reviewer
reviewer1854369
Executive at a government with 201-500 employees
Relying on dependable communication features for efficient collaboration
I work with Microsoft Exchange. We use Microsoft Azure, though I am not involved with the back-end operations. I work with Microsoft Exchange and ServiceNow for the service desk. I do not work with Cloud Observability or Automation Engine. We use Microsoft Copilot with Teams. We do not use Microsoft Security Copilot as it is not cloud-based. We have moved from Skype for Business to Teams recently, though some of us still use Skype for Business because it is convenient. Skype for Business is particularly useful for remoting onto people's devices. I prefer Skype for Business over Teams for screen sharing. Sometimes there are compatibility issues when running Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business together. Phone calls in Teams might ring and then go silent, or the microphone might not detect calls from either application. I rate Skype for Business a 9 out of 10 because it works effectively with minimal issues.
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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"One of the features that people enjoy is the whiteboard, providing opportunities for academics to present content and for students to contribute. The platform also allows for the creating of different rooms, enabling large classes to break into smaller groups for discussions. Students can then return to the main classroom to share their opinions. It integrates with LMS."
"The solution allows me to connect and collaborate with my classes."
"Document loading and annotation."
"The conversation history feature in Skype for Business is particularly useful because it links with Outlook, and it is beneficial to access conversations with colleagues from six months ago through Skype for Business."
"I use the chat feature to communicate with my staff, which is very helpful."
"Using this solution has helped us to cut long distance calls, as well as video services from third parties."
"It's a good and stable product that fits my needs."
"The Microsoft tech support are very good. They get back to you. I log a support call, and I usually have someone on the phone within a half an hour, so it is pretty good."
"I like the seamless integration to local telecommunications."
"You can do meetings of up to two hundred people in a single conversation."
"Scalable communication tool that's easy to install. Even old people are using it, because of its ease of use."
More Skype for Business pros
 

Cons

"We faced outages when the user limit went over a certain number."
"The system can overload when too many try logging in."
"If there were maybe more tutorials outside of what I'm aware the university is suggesting, I would take more tutorials on effective ways to deliver content. I come from the industry and content was always needed when people that were observing were smart and involved and decision-makers instead of so passively just trying to pass the course. In my imagination, the tutorials would be a tool where the learners themselves can have much more hands-on learning during a Collaborate session."
"The video quality could be improved, possibly due to internet connection issues."
"Make it user friendly."
"There are some issues with stability during phone calls. Sometimes the connectivity drops, and it is frustrating."
"The technical support from Microsoft needs to be improved."
"The solution should improve the chat and add more flexibility to make a call."
"The initial setup could be simplified."
"The solution isn't connected to Microsoft Teams, and I feel like there is better communication on that particular solution. The group capabilities are a bit less than Teams."
"We are looking for a more collaborative tool, not only in terms of virtual meetings but also for teams to collaborate, share a document, work together, and all those types of things."
More Skype for Business cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"We had a license for every one of our users to use Skype for Business. The license we used was part of an overall Microsoft license package."
"It may be slightly costly, but the features are awesome."
"We have been able to save money by moving our conferencing solution to Skype for Business Conferencing."
"The licensing is billed on a yearly basis."
"To realize value from the purchase of Skype Business, you need to take advantage of all the important functions of the program."
"The solution is priced fairly."
"Previously, I did not use another solution."
"Skype for Business' pricing is reasonable."
More Skype for Business pricing and cost advice
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881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Performing Arts
10%
Government
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise27
 

Questions from the Community

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Earn 20 points
What do you like most about Skype for Business?
The solution’s video quality is fine.
See all answers
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.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Skype for Business?
I cannot think of many ways in which Skype for Business could improve in general. It works fairly efficiently for our purposes with Skype for Business. There is one issue regarding the audio settin...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Microsoft Teams vs Blackboard Collaborate Logo
Microsoft Teams vs Blackboard Collaborate
Compared 17% of the time
Webex vs Blackboard Collaborate Logo
Webex vs Blackboard Collaborate
Compared 16% of the time
ON24 Platform vs Blackboard Collaborate Logo
ON24 Platform vs Blackboard Collaborate
Compared 14% of the time
Avaya IX Meetings vs Blackboard Collaborate Logo
Avaya IX Meetings vs Blackboard Collaborate
Compared 11% of the time
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Webex vs Skype for Business Logo
Webex vs Skype for Business
Compared 16% of the time
Zoom Workplace Business vs Skype for Business Logo
Zoom Workplace Business vs Skype for Business
Compared 16% of the time
TeamViewer Business vs Skype for Business Logo
TeamViewer Business vs Skype for Business
Compared 15% of the time
Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business Logo
Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business
Compared 13% of the time
GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business Logo
GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business
Compared 8% of the time
More Skype for Business Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Virtual Meetings
January 2026
Blackboard Collaborate reportDownload Blackboard Collaborate product report
Buyer's Guide
Skype for Business
January 2026
Skype for Business reportDownload Skype for Business product report
 

Also Known As

Blackboard Mobile
Skype for Business Plan 1, Skype for Business Plan 2, Lync Server
 

Overview

Blackboard Mobile give your learners, educators, and community access to all aspects of the educational experience on their mobile devices and they'll be able to go anywhere. Giving you the power to engage everyone on their terms and devices. Offering instant access to the information they need. Encouraging the interaction they crave.
Blackboard
Skype for Business offers features including presence, IM, voice and video calls, online meetings, conferencing, and telephony solutions that support enterprise-level collaboration requirements. Skype for Business Record meetings, share your screen, and annotate PowerPoint for real-time collaboration with up to 250 people and use whiteboard, polls, Q&A, and built-in IM during your business meetings to make them more productive. Skype for Business provides new client experience, Skype for Business Server provides several new features to improve manageability of on-premises servers and hybrid solutions. Skype for Business also supports the Lync client experience so that you can choose a phased upgrade approach to the new client experience for users. Skype for Business is also an integral part of Microsoft Office 365, providing PSTN Conferencing, Cloud PBX, PSTN Calling, and Skype Meeting Broadcast capabilities to Office 365 users.
Microsoft
 

Sample Customers

University of Derby Online, Universty of Warwick, University of Liverpool, City College Norwich, Northumberland College, Mid-Kent College, Watson Pharmaceutials, Capella University, Shore Tel Sky, Lincoln PD, City of Somerville MA, Somerset County Council
EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services,LA Fitness, MedcoEnergi International, Tampa General Hospital, and HopewellHoldings Limited.
Buyer's Guide
Blackboard Collaborate vs. Skype for Business
December 2025
Free Report: Blackboard Collaborate vs. Skype for Business
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