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IceWarp vs Skype for Business 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

IceWarp
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Email Applications (7th)
Skype for Business
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
63
Ranking in other categories
Virtual Meetings (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Messaging and Collaboration solutions, they serve different purposes. IceWarp is designed for Email Applications and holds a mindshare of 5.2%, down 6.0% compared to last year.
Skype for Business, on the other hand, focuses on Virtual Meetings, holds 10.8% mindshare, up 8.3% since last year.
Email Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IceWarp5.2%
Google Workspace20.6%
Microsoft Exchange Online12.8%
Other61.4%
Email Applications
Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Skype for Business10.8%
Zoom Workplace Business15.3%
Webex12.6%
Other61.3%
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

AvinashLotke - PeerSpot reviewer
Useful for collaboration and storage but improvement is needed in API integration
The solution has traditional SSL integration, SAML, and Federation Services. In its latest version, it added SAML integration. However, it needs to work on API integration, especially for dashboards or integration with SAP for log and data system management. It doesn't yet have the kind of API that Google and Microsoft provide for synchronizing users with Active Directory. I think IceWarp needs to improve in a few areas. They have two types of admin consoles - a web-based one and a remote one. I'd like to see these combined into a single web-based admin console. The log reading and information system also needs improvement. The current way of showing incoming and outgoing logs isn't very clear. For new users, it's hard to understand these logs, especially compared to Office 365 and other systems with easier-to-read logs. They should also add an export option to get all logs with a single click whenever we need them.
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is easy to manage and includes features such as smart documents and the archiving of user data."
"The solution's voice services work well for our company."
"The solution has a very good log-in to the UI when compared to other solutions."
"An effective, functional, very good tool for controlling resources."
"IceWarp has multiple applications that are easy to use for many people."
"It's scalable and stable."
"It has great communication capabilities for team chatting and web conferences."
"The product is used very extensively in my company since we have around 1,500 users using it. Also, there is no requirement for any administrators to manage the product by the people who own the solution."
"The deployment is very fast."
"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."
"It's a good product, we like using it."
"The most valuable feature of Skype for Business is overall it is an okay solution."
"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."
"I use the chat feature to communicate with my staff, which is very helpful."
"The GUI is very user-friendly."
"It's a good and stable product that fits my needs."
 

Cons

"Although the documentation is extensive and in depth, you must familiarize yourself with it before taking full advantage of the product."
"The tool's configuration capabilities are not straightforward. Apart from that, if I want to archive emails into a vault so that they can be retrieved again later, the integration doesn't work, and IceWarp crashes."
"The solution has traditional SSL integration, SAML, and Federation Services. In its latest version, it added SAML integration. However, it needs to work on API integration, especially for dashboards or integration with SAP for log and data system management. It doesn't yet have the kind of API that Google and Microsoft provide for synchronizing users with Active Directory."
"Our customers sometimes have problems receiving mail."
"I would like to have a trial for mobile applications and more documentation similar to Google Drive with mobile applications."
"Although it is not a tool, video conferencing should be scalable and operate in a professional and efficient way."
"The solution needs improvements in security, particularly regarding document management."
"With multiple databases for VOIP, chat and web IMAP, maintenance is cumbersome."
"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."
"We need a feature where you can virtually raise your hand to silently let the presenter know that you have a question."
"The initial setup could be simplified."
"There are not many options, in terms of some other third-party integration."
"The stability could be improved."
"I would like to see an updated user interface and layout even though no functionality is missing."
"I should be able to make a desktop phone call when I click a member of my Lync directory."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are various licensing plans available based on geographic zone."
"Costs far less than other solutions."
"The license is based on the number of users."
"The solution is priced well."
"I don't see any challenges for the Indian market. For example, 1 GB is available for around 399 INR, and 2 GB for 499 INR. They offer a range of plans, from basic to professional and enterprise, with multiple features. IceWarp's aggressive pricing is competitive compared to other market solutions like Zoho and Microsoft. One significant advantage is that IceWarp does not impose user capping like Google and Microsoft, which allows for substantial cost savings and flexibility in user conversion."
"I would rate the pricing and eight out of ten."
"Our licensing is on a yearly basis. There were no additional costs."
"Price-wise, it's a cheaper solution, without a doubt. Price is the reason we are still using the tool."
"Previously, I did not use another solution."
"I use the product's open-source version."
"We negotiated a fair price with Microsoft. It is definitely worthwhile to negotiate with them for the best price for your 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."
"The cost of Skype for Business is incorporated into our Office 365 licenses."
"We have been able to save money by moving our conferencing solution to Skype for Business Conferencing."
"A license is required to use the solution."
"It may be considered costly for certain markets, such as in India."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Media Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
17%
Government
12%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise27
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IceWarp?
IceWarp was very cost-effective, offering services at a significantly lower cost than Google, which was appealing for our organization.
What needs improvement with IceWarp?
The solution needs improvements in security, particularly regarding document management. Users currently have the rights to delete smart documents, which poses a challenge for administrators. A mor...
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?
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...
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Marriott, Toyota, Sony, Wendy's, Canon
EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services,LA Fitness, MedcoEnergi International, Tampa General Hospital, and HopewellHoldings Limited.
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