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Cisco Meeting Server vs Skype for Business 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

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
Skype for Business
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
62
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Cisco Meeting Server is 7.1%, down from 7.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 13.1%, up from 8.3% 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…
Markus Schweizer - PeerSpot reviewer
Has good telephone integration but technology is outdated
We use the product for conference calls.  The tool's most valuable features are its audio and chat functions. They help us save time and have good telephone integration.  The solution's functionality needs to be moved to Microsoft Teams. Its technology is outdated.  I have been using the tool…

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."
"What I like most about Cisco Meeting Server is its quick management. The solution also has a straightforward configuration."
"The share screen option available during conferences is one of the best features of Cisco Meeting Server."
"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."
"The UI is user-friendly and very good overall."
"I think Skype for Business is scalable. However, I believe Microsoft is discontinuing the Skype platform altogether, so I don't think it's super-relevant."
"The most valuable features of the solution are that it is quick and easy to use. It is a good tool for group calls."
"The most valuable features of Skype for Business include its persistent chat, Edge Server, Reverse Proxy, front-end server, back-end server, and business calling capabilities, among others."
"Making calls and having meetings is easy."
"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."
"I have found Skype for Business to be stable."
"The most valuable feature is stability."
"Skype for Business is good for meetings and instant messaging."
 

Cons

"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."
"In Cisco Meeting Server, GUI is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"Cisco Meeting Server should include a feature to control another user's screen during a remote session."
"This is a difficult solution to install and it should be made easier."
"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."
"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 initial setup could be simplified."
"We would like to better customize our instructions within the Outlook plugin/invite, but we are unable to do so."
"The solution should improve the chat and add more flexibility to make a call."
"Skype for Business is not stable."
"I believe optimizing the solution for lighter endpoints, particularly for embedded endpoints on mobile devices, would be valuable."
"Sometimes the connection crashes, which is understandable if you are traveling. But, it would be nice if this could be stabilized somehow."
"I venture to say that 30% of the people using this solution at our company have had issues with stability, due to the volatility and crashes."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing fees are billed yearly."
"Cisco Meeting Server has reasonable licensing costs."
"Price-wise, Cisco Meeting Server is a product that falls in a mid-range category."
"When it comes to the pricing of the solution, I rate it as a five out of ten. It falls somewhere in the middle between being cheap and expensive."
"The cost of Skype for Business is incorporated into our Office 365 licenses."
"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."
"We negotiated a fair price with Microsoft. It is definitely worthwhile to negotiate with them for the best price for your solution."
"Previously, I did not use another solution."
"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 considered costly for certain markets, such as in India."
"Skype for Business' pricing is reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
23%
Government
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Educational Organization
82%
Financial Services Firm
4%
Computer Software Company
2%
Government
2%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
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 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.
 

Also Known As

Acano
Skype for Business Plan 1, Skype for Business Plan 2, Lync Server
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Starz
EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services,LA Fitness, MedcoEnergi International, Tampa General Hospital, and HopewellHoldings Limited.
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Meeting Server vs. Skype for Business and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.