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Polycom RealPresence Desktop vs Skype for Business comparison

Poly and Microsoft are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. Poly is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.0, while Microsoft is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3. Poly holds a 1.9% mindshare in VM, compared to Microsoft’s 10.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Poly users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
Polycom RealPresence Desktop
Read 1 Polycom RealPresence Desktop review
  • 329 Views
  • 329 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Skype for Business
Read 63 Skype for Business reviews
  • 1,478 Views
  • 1,049 Comparison Views
79% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between Polycom RealPresence Desktop and Skype for Business based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Zoom Video Communications, Cisco, Microsoft and others in Virtual Meetings.

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To learn more, read our detailed Virtual Meetings Report (Updated: August 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Virtual Meetings
August 2025
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Helped 867,341 peers since 2012

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

Polycom RealPresence Desktop
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
15th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.5
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Skype for Business
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
63
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Polycom RealPresence Desktop is 1.9%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 10.8%, up from 8.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Skype for Business10.8%
Polycom RealPresence Desktop1.9%
Other87.3%
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

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.
Read full review
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.
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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It allows us to further our reach, from a traditional video conferencing room."
"The solution is easy to use and includes the ability to text message, video and voice chat, and transfer files."
"Scalable communication tool that's easy to install. Even old people are using it, because of its ease of use."
"The product helps me make international calls."
"I use the chat feature to communicate with my staff, which is very helpful."
"The deployment is very fast."
"The GUI is very user-friendly."
"It's a good and stable product that fits my needs."
"The quality of the meetings is very good."
More Skype for Business pros
 

Cons

"There is probably room for improvement in interoperability."
"This service could be improved by adding some missing features. It lacks integration with Teams, which is a feature I would like to see in the next release."
"I feel bored with the look and feel of the tool, so it should be changed."
"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."
"We have found that there is a lag because it cannot integrate with the internal landline."
"The integration with Outlook could be improved."
"I should be able to make a desktop phone call when I click a member of my Lync directory."
"The stability could be improved."
"Sometimes the connection crashes, which is understandable if you are traveling. But, it would be nice if this could be stabilized somehow."
More Skype for Business cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Previously, I did not use another solution."
"The licensing is billed on a yearly basis."
"I am using a corporate account for which I have not made any payments."
"The solution is priced fairly."
"The cost of Skype for Business is incorporated into our Office 365 licenses."
"We purchased an open license."
"We negotiated a fair price with Microsoft. It is definitely worthwhile to negotiate with them for the best price for your solution."
"It may be considered costly for certain markets, such as in India."
More Skype for Business pricing and cost advice
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867,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
17%
Government
13%
Performing Arts
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise27
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Polycom RealPresence Desktop?
The solution is built right into Clarity.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Polycom RealPresence Desktop?
There is probably room for improvement in interoperability.
See all answers
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.
See all answers
What do you like most about Skype for Business?
The solution’s video quality is fine.
See all answers
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.
See all answers
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...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 42% of the time
Cisco TelePresence vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop Logo
Cisco TelePresence vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop
Compared 21% of the time
TrueConf Server vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop Logo
TrueConf Server vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop
Compared 21% of the time
Huawei Video Conferencing Platform vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop Logo
Huawei Video Conferencing Platform vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop
Compared 16% of the time
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Webex vs Skype for Business Logo
Webex vs Skype for Business
Compared 24% of the time
Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business Logo
Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business
Compared 23% of the time
Zoom Workplace Business vs Skype for Business Logo
Zoom Workplace Business vs Skype for Business
Compared 18% of the time
TeamViewer Business vs Skype for Business Logo
TeamViewer Business vs Skype for Business
Compared 17% of the time
GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business Logo
GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business
Compared 6% of the time
More Skype for Business Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Virtual Meetings
August 2025
Polycom RealPresence Desktop reportDownload Polycom RealPresence Desktop product report
Buyer's Guide
Skype for Business
August 2025
Skype for Business reportDownload Skype for Business product report
 

Also Known As

RealPresence Desktop
Skype for Business Plan 1, Skype for Business Plan 2, Lync Server
 

Overview

Polycom RealPresence Desktop is a powerful, enterprise-grade video chat app for PC & Mac. The video conferencing software extends communications beyond the typical conference room setting to mobile professionals. RealPresence Desktop combines quality HD video, industry-leading interoperability, and security that is both cost effective and highly scalable.

When powered by Polycom's infrastructure, customers can extend desktop collaboration value with app management, interoperability, scalability, resiliency, and multi-point calling.

Poly
Skype for Business offers features including presence, IM, voice and video calls, online meetings, conferencing, and telephony solutions that support enterprise-level collaboration requirements. Skype for Business Record meetings, share your screen, and annotate PowerPoint for real-time collaboration with up to 250 people and use whiteboard, polls, Q&A, and built-in IM during your business meetings to make them more productive. Skype for Business provides new client experience, Skype for Business Server provides several new features to improve manageability of on-premises servers and hybrid solutions. Skype for Business also supports the Lync client experience so that you can choose a phased upgrade approach to the new client experience for users. Skype for Business is also an integral part of Microsoft Office 365, providing PSTN Conferencing, Cloud PBX, PSTN Calling, and Skype Meeting Broadcast capabilities to Office 365 users.
Microsoft
 

Sample Customers

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
EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services,LA Fitness, MedcoEnergi International, Tampa General Hospital, and HopewellHoldings Limited.
Buyer's Guide
Virtual Meetings
August 2025
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