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Cisco Meeting Server vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop 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

Cisco Meeting Server
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Polycom RealPresence Desktop
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
18th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.5
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Cisco Meeting Server is 7.2%, down from 7.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Polycom RealPresence Desktop is 2.0%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

Ahmed Elrayes - PeerSpot reviewer
A scalable tool useful to hold conferences and video meetings
I use Cisco Meeting Server for conferences and video meetings, which are crucial for my company The share screen option available during conferences is one of the best features of Cisco Meeting Server. In Cisco Meeting Server, GUI is an area of concern where improvements are required. In the…
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cisco Meeting Server is an easy and less complex solution."
"The share screen option available during conferences is one of the best features of Cisco Meeting Server."
"The UI is user-friendly and very good overall."
"What I like most about Cisco Meeting Server is its quick management. The solution also has a straightforward configuration."
"You can use the Cisco Meeting Server to set up conference calls and virtual meetings. Those are the two primary functions of Meeting Server. Most people in the company are using Microsoft Teams, so we only use Meeting Server when we have an internal meeting for all staff."
"It allows us to further our reach, from a traditional video conferencing room."
 

Cons

"What would make Cisco Meeting Server better is integrating it with Zoom and Teams so that you can connect or make a call through any of the two third-party solutions."
"Cisco Meeting Server should include a feature to control another user's screen during a remote session."
"In Cisco Meeting Server, GUI is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"This is a difficult solution to install and it should be made easier."
"A few features are missing on the Meetings app, like a recording function. My understanding is that you need to buy a separate recording solution. It's modular, so you have to enable some functions if you want to use them. For example, we had to enable the Mood function. Recording is the primary feature we'd like to see in the app."
"There is probably room for improvement in interoperability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Price-wise, Cisco Meeting Server is a product that falls in a mid-range category."
"Cisco Meeting Server has reasonable licensing costs."
"Licensing fees are billed yearly."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
23%
Government
14%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Meeting Server?
Cisco Meeting Server is an easy and less complex solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Meeting Server?
Price-wise, Cisco Meeting Server is a product that falls in a mid-range category.
What needs improvement with Cisco Meeting Server?
Cisco Meeting Server should include a feature to control another user's screen during a remote session.
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.
 

Also Known As

Acano
RealPresence Desktop
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Starz
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
Find out what your peers are saying about Zoom Video Communications, Cisco, Microsoft and others in Virtual Meetings. Updated: April 2025.
850,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.