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Cisco TelePresence 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 TelePresence
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
9
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
64
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Cisco TelePresence is 2.9%, up from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 3.8%, down from 11.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Skype for Business3.8%
Cisco TelePresence2.9%
Other93.3%
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

OSCAR DE LA PENA - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Solution Architect at Ricoh España, S.L.U.
One-click meeting access and seamless integration enhance video conferencing experience
Cisco TelePresence could improve the WebRTC connections, as they are quite slow. The end user experiences delays when using WebRTC, sometimes taking one minute or more to receive a connection. This issue is mainly due to Cisco taking a long time to download and start the WebRTC client on their devices. Ensuring it is embedded in the device could help.
MD
Assistant Information Technology Officer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Internal communication has become more efficient while mobile usage still needs improvement
The honest answer is that the product has not really evolved in some time. Microsoft has been pushing everyone towards Teams and Skype for Business has been in maintenance mode for a while. The mobile experience is also not great. Staff who try to use it on their phones find it less reliable than the desktop version, calls drop more, and the interface is clunky. For a modern workforce that expects everything to work on mobile, that is a gap. Despite the initial setup challenges and mobile issues, we have noticed positive outcomes for our organization since adopting Skype for Business. I rate Skype for Business seven out of ten. I think that Skype for Business has served us well for what it is. A government office has different expectations from a fast-moving private company. We value stability and security over the newest features. On those terms, Skype for Business has delivered.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"TelePresence allows our customers to have a quick meeting while traveling and still be effective. It saves time and money."
"If at any point we require any support or our team requires any support, we just call into the Cisco support with their call-in number and they are very good."
"The SpeakerTrack feature is the most valuable feature."
"PresenterTrack cameras improve the meeting experience."
"We have a dual screen option to enable video and content sharing."
"Superior video and audio experience."
"The speaker tracker feature in Cisco Telepresence is highly valuable, especially the ability to track multiple participants and change focus during meetings."
"Cisco is a leader in video conferencing solutions because they apply the latest technologies to their devices and services, such as artificial intelligence and versatile functionalities."
"The tool's most valuable features are its audio and chat functions. They help us save time and have good telephone integration."
"Skype for Business is a scalable solution and we have approximately 350 people using this solution across all departments."
"The product helps me make international calls."
"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 have noticed positive outcomes for our organization since adopting Skype for Business, including improvements in efficiency and reduced costs."
"It's a good and stable product that suits my needs because I've been working from home for the past couple of years."
"It saves trouble, and it saves us time."
"The pricing is really good, it is quite affordable because it came with our Office 365, and I get a feeling that smaller organizations can interact with bigger organizations in a more global way by using this service as it is leveling the playing field."
 

Cons

"I would rate my experience with the initial setup a three out of ten, with ten being expensive. It was complex with badges and certificates. Too crazy."
"I was in touch with one of our clients and they mentioned that they would like to have a holographic video conferencing. It would be great if that feature would be added."
"Cisco TelePresence could improve its integration capabilities."
"Cisco TelePresence license is expensive and should be reduced."
"The tool is expensive."
"Cisco TelePresence could improve the WebRTC connections, as they are quite slow."
"The calling features can be improved."
"MX800 comes only with one available DVI port. A few more HDMI ports will improve the system's capability."
"The challenge we had with Skype for Business was with the signing in when a user signed out and when signing in back in again, there was a bit of a problem. We switched from Skype for Business to Teams, and Teams never had that sign-in problem once we did the switch."
"We have had trouble with scalability when trying to host large meetings."
"The stability could be improved."
"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."
"Whenever someone is using a messaging platform, the messages needs to be stored. In Skype for Business, the message will not be seen later on if you're not online. It isn't useful, in my opinion."
"The mobile experience is also not great. Staff who try to use it on their phones find it less reliable than the desktop version, calls drop more, and the interface is clunky."
"This is not a solution I would recommend."
"I don't recall coming across any big missing features."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I will rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."
"Cisco TelePresence license is expensive and should be reduced. There is only a cost for the license and it is annually."
"The price of Cisco Telepresence is high, especially in Brazil. However, the quality of the product justifies the cost."
"We used high definition, 1080p, but again, it required license purchases. For example, with three licenses (TP licenses), each allowing one 1080p screen, if I had six participants, I'd need to lower the resolution to 720p or lower to accommodate more participants. More licenses meant more cost."
"The pricing is expensive, therefore I rate it an eight out of ten."
"We negotiated a fair price with Microsoft. It is definitely worthwhile to negotiate with them for the best price for your solution."
"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."
"I use the product's open-source version."
"A license is required to use the solution."
"Our company pays for a license for us to use the solution."
"Skype for Business' pricing is reasonable."
"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."
"I am using a corporate account for which I have not made any payments."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Performing Arts
12%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Construction Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Construction Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Marketing Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business2
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise28
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cisco TelePresence?
Cisco TelePresence could improve the WebRTC connections, as they are quite slow. The end user experiences delays when using WebRTC, sometimes taking one minute or more to receive a connection. This...
What advice do you have for others considering Cisco TelePresence?
Cisco is a leader in video conferencing solutions because they apply the latest technologies to their devices and services, such as artificial intelligence and versatile functionalities. Security i...
What is your primary use case for Cisco TelePresence?
My primary use case for Cisco TelePresence ( /products/cisco-telepresence-reviews ) is providing video conferencing solutions for internal and external users, especially for enterprises. I am a par...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Skype for Business?
If I think back, my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing involves accessing it through our Microsoft Enterprise Agreement which covers the whole Office suite including Skype for Busin...
What needs improvement with Skype for Business?
The honest answer is that the product has not really evolved in some time. Microsoft has been pushing everyone towards Teams and Skype for Business has been in maintenance mode for a while. The mob...
What is your primary use case for Skype for Business?
My main use case for Skype for Business is internal communication across departments and between different government offices. We have staff spread across multiple locations in Malacca, and before ...
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Afni, AGCO, Bellevue, Came Group, Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC Children's), Del Papa Distributing, Instituto Zaldivar, ING Bank, Moffitt Cancer Center, Park Nicollet, Pentana Solutions Australia, San Jose State University, Sub-Zero Wolf, Transwestern and Metropolis Investment Holdings, Vital Images
EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services,LA Fitness, MedcoEnergi International, Tampa General Hospital, and HopewellHoldings Limited.
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco TelePresence vs. Skype for Business and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.