Polycom RealPresence Desktop vs Webex comparison

Poly and Cisco are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. Poly is ranked #20 with an average rating of 7.0, while Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.0. Poly holds a 2.0% mindshare in VM, compared to Cisco’s 17.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Poly users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Read 1 Polycom RealPresence Desktop review

258 Views
126 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Webex

Read 124 Webex reviews

3,208 Views
1,404 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Webex

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Polycom RealPresence Desktop and Webex based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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

To learn more, read our detailed Virtual Meetings Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Meetings

April 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 850,028 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

20th

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Webex

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

2nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

124

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Polycom RealPresence Desktop is 2.0%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Webex is 17.1%, up from 15.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Meetings

Featured Reviews

Norm Hubert

VTC Network manager at a government with 10,001+ employees

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

AlexandruCioruta

Senior manager at Ernst & Young

Used to conduct online third-party client meetings or third-party vendor meetings

The solution's video conferencing quality is good, and I rate it a nine out of ten. The solution's security features are end-to-end encrypted, and I rate them ten out of ten. The version we're using requires no technical team for deployment and maintenance. The solution has an enterprise version, but we're not currently using it. I would recommend the solution to other users because it has good video conference quality. I mostly leverage the solution for third-party client meetings or third-party vendor meetings. Overall, I rate the solution a nine 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."

"Doing presentations on the solution is very good. There isn't much they could do to improve this aspect. It's excellent."

"I like Webex because it is easy to work with."

"What I value most about Webex is its stability compared to other solutions."

"I don't think Zoom has anywhere near the features and functionality of Webex."

"The solution has been very stable."

"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."

"Lag-free video communication and virtual meeting software which runs smoothly."

"The tool alerts us when there are issues with our Kubernetes environment, such as excessive container usage. This allows our operations team to quickly identify and address these issues, reducing the time it takes to resolve them."

More Webex pros

Cons

"There is probably room for improvement in interoperability."

"We switched from Webex to Teams because there was a lag in the WebEx experience and also a lack of integration. Easy integration with a free email account like Microsoft or Google would be helpful."

"Everything just needs to be shrunk down without sacrificing quality so that not so much bandwidth is needed in order to hold meetings effectively."

"The interface of Webex should be improved and it is difficult to find information."

"The modification of the email template is not very intuitive."

"Webex could improve the calling feature. It would be helpful to be able to call outside the IP environment."

"Sometimes the call quality is not that great. When you call in, especially in an international situation, or if you have people calling from different continents or geographical locations, there can be issues with the call itself."

"Webex could add some integration with Microsoft Office or G-Suite."

"We have had issues where some of the invited participants are not able to join the meeting."

More Webex cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"We purchase the product's yearly license. It is expensive."

"The tool is expensive."

"I rate the product price a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is high price, and ten is low price."

"Webex is a cheaply priced tool."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten."

"The price of the license depends a lot on the type of service required and whether it is for the entire company or only for a few users."

"We paid for our Webex license as a bundle."

"I use the solution for free because I don't use the solution's enterprise version."

More Webex pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Meetings solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Educational Organization

64%

Computer Software Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

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 Webex?

Webex improved our overall team collaboration.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Webex?

Webex is expensive. If it weren't that expensive, we would probably use it for all our telecommunication needs, not just for telemedicine.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Webex?

Usability needs improvement. Webex is more complex compared to Zoom ( /products/zoom-reviews ). Zoom ( /products/zoom-reviews ) has a big advantage in simplicity, especially for the other side to c...

See all answers

Comparisons

TrueConf Server vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Compared 38% of the time

Cisco TelePresence vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Compared 33% of the time

Zoom vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Compared 29% of the time

More Polycom RealPresence Desktop Competitors

Skype for Business vs Webex

Compared 33% of the time

Zoom vs Webex

Compared 17% of the time

Cisco Meeting Server vs Webex

Compared 16% of the time

Adobe Connect vs Webex

Compared 12% of the time

TeamViewer vs Webex

Compared 10% of the time

More Webex Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Meetings

April 2025

Download Polycom RealPresence Desktop product report

Buyer's Guide

Webex

April 2025

Download Webex product report

Also Known As

RealPresence Desktop

Cisco Spark

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

Webex is designed to help companies improve communication and increase productivity with unlimited HD video meetings in shared meeting spaces.

Companies can use Webex, a Cisco product, to collaborate with peers, share documents and other information, create high-impact webinars and online events, and present dynamic online courses. It can be tailored to your exact company needs and can be fully integrated with mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry.

Cisco

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

Seagate Technology, Kohn Pedersen Fox, World Vision International, Glen Raven, University of Notre Dame, CEV Multimedia, The Food Group, LUMEDX, California Baptist University, and Georgetown University Law Center.

Find out what your peers are saying about Zoom Video Communications, Cisco, Microsoft and others in Virtual Meetings. Updated: April 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best Virtual Meetings vendors.

We monitor all Virtual Meetings reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.