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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
7.0
Number of Reviews
62
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 5.1%, down 6.0% compared to last year.
Skype for Business, on the other hand, focuses on Virtual Meetings, holds 12.5% mindshare, up 8.2% since last year.
Email Applications
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

"An effective, functional, very good tool for controlling resources."
"The solution's voice services work well for our company."
"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 groupware module is the most valuable feature."
"It has great communication capabilities for team chatting and web conferences."
"The TeamChat feature has been really good for our email management. It lets us collaborate, share files, and invite guests like Google Spaces or Microsoft Teams. I like the two-factor authentication for security. However, they need to improve their document collaboration tools, as their Word, Excel, and PowerPoint features are basic compared to Microsoft and Google."
"The solution has a very good log-in to the UI when compared to other solutions."
"The most valuable feature of IceWarp is the chat rooms and file-sharing, they are useful. It is convenient that everything is in one place. You can easily share and collaborate documents, making the program's unity a significant advantage."
"Scalable communication tool that's easy to install. Even old people are using it, because of its ease of use."
"Using this solution has helped us to cut long distance calls, as well as video services from third parties."
"Desktop sharing is a valuable feature."
"The most valuable feature of Skype for Business is overall it is an okay solution."
"The solution is scalable and is capable of working on every appliance on every operating system."
"We really like the screen sharing tool. The user experience is smooth, and user-friendly."
"The simplicity and ease of use are the most valuable features. It's so much easier and quicker than writing an email to someone and waiting for them to read it."
"The most valuable feature of Skype for Business is that it has many other tools that you can be integrated with it. It makes the meetings more interactive."
 

Cons

"With multiple databases for VOIP, chat and web IMAP, maintenance is cumbersome."
"The solution should improve the mailing list feature. Google has a similar feature where you can automate sending files to different people in a sequence, but that feature is no longer available in the current version of IceWarp. Other features may also have been removed in the current version."
"The exchange compatibility mode is rather limited. Their technical support can also be better. They only provide online support, and there should be some option for escalating."
"Support should be improved. Most of the time, the queries are not resolved within the SLA."
"Although the documentation is extensive and in depth, you must familiarize yourself with it before taking full advantage of the product."
"I would like to have a trial for mobile applications and more documentation similar to Google Drive with mobile applications."
"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."
"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."
"We need a feature where you can virtually raise your hand to silently let the presenter know that you have a question."
"The solution's functionality needs to be moved to Microsoft Teams. Its technology is outdated."
"The solution has been discontinued by Microsoft."
"Make it user friendly."
"The video conferencing quality can be improved."
"The user experience during long sessions could be improved to avoid issues like intermittent disconnections or login failures."
"I feel that the whole look and feel of Skype should be improved, including its user-friendliness. It should also improve its scalability."
"I should be able to make a desktop phone call when I click a member of my Lync directory."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is priced well."
"The solution is inexpensive which is its main benefit."
"Our licensing is on a yearly basis. There were no additional costs."
"The license is based on the number of users."
"There are various licensing plans available based on geographic zone."
"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."
"Price-wise, it's a cheaper solution, without a doubt. Price is the reason we are still using the tool."
"I would rate the pricing and eight out of ten."
"Our company pays for a license for us to use the 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."
"Previously, I did not use another solution."
"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 are using the subscription-based version of Skype for Business. There is a free version of the solution."
"A license is required to use the solution."
"We purchased an open license."
"To realize value from the purchase of Skype Business, you need to take advantage of all the important functions of the program."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Insurance Company
8%
Educational Organization
35%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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?
The video quality could be improved, possibly due to internet connection issues. However, there is no significant weakness in Skype for Business.
 

Comparisons

 

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.
Find out what your peers are saying about Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and others in Email Applications. Updated: July 2025.
862,514 professionals have used our research since 2012.