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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 #16 with an average rating of 7.0, while Microsoft is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.0. Poly holds a 2.0% mindshare in VM, compared to Microsoft’s 12.5% 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
  • 288 Views
  • 125 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Skype for Business
Read 62 Skype for Business reviews
  • 1,301 Views
  • 647 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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Buyer's Guide
Virtual Meetings
June 2025
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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
16th
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
7.0
Number of Reviews
62
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Polycom RealPresence Desktop is 2.0%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 12.5%, up from 8.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
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.
Read full review

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."
"You can do meetings of up to two hundred people in a single conversation."
"There are free versions of the solution available."
"File sharing and email invitations for a conference. I can have a meeting with people at the opposite end of the Earth, sharing documentation; it is quite easy."
"It has benefited my organization because I can use it on the phone, I can use it on a laptop, wherever I want. The communication channel is very easy now and I can call and chat. It's experienced. Together, my team manages everything. It's very easy."
"The GUI is very user-friendly."
"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."
"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."
"I have found Skype for Business to be stable."
More Skype for Business pros
 

Cons

"There is probably room for improvement in interoperability."
"We would like to better customize our instructions within the Outlook plugin/invite, but we are unable to do so."
"The initial setup could be simplified."
"Skype for Business could improve by having a document channel or repository. Microsoft Teams has a better repository place for documents that you can share with your team. You can access it anywhere from any device."
"Sometimes the connection crashes, which is understandable if you are traveling. But, it would be nice if this could be stabilized somehow."
"The technical support from Microsoft needs to be improved."
"The integration with Outlook could be improved."
"Lacks a zoom-in feature for whoever is presenting."
"The solution lacks to provide reporting functionality, and I would like to see the solution provide that feature."
More Skype for Business cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"To realize value from the purchase of Skype Business, you need to take advantage of all the important functions of the program."
"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."
"We have been able to save money by moving our conferencing solution to Skype for Business Conferencing."
"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."
"We are using the subscription-based version of Skype for Business. There is a free version of the solution."
"It may be slightly costly, but the features are awesome."
"I use the product's open-source version."
More Skype for Business pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Educational Organization
72%
Financial Services Firm
5%
Computer Software Company
3%
Manufacturing Company
3%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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

Comparisons

TrueConf Server vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop Logo
TrueConf Server vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop
Compared 54% of the time
Cisco TelePresence vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop Logo
Cisco TelePresence vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop
Compared 46% of the time
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Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business Logo
Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business
Compared 26% of the time
Webex vs Skype for Business Logo
Webex vs Skype for Business
Compared 26% of the time
TeamViewer vs Skype for Business Logo
TeamViewer vs Skype for Business
Compared 15% of the time
Zoom vs Skype for Business Logo
Zoom vs Skype for Business
Compared 14% of the time
GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business Logo
GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business
Compared 7% of the time
More Skype for Business Competitors
 

Product Reports

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