Polycom RealPresence Desktop vs Webex comparison

Poly and Cisco are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. Poly is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.0, while Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 7.9. Poly holds a 1.8% mindshare in VM, compared to Cisco’s 13.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Poly users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Read 1 Polycom RealPresence Desktop review

329 Views
329 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Webex

Read 125 Webex reviews

1,966 Views
1,907 Comparison Views

87% 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: August 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Meetings

August 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 868,654 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

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Webex

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

2nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Polycom RealPresence Desktop is 1.8%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Webex is 13.1%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Webex	13.1%
Polycom RealPresence Desktop	1.8%
Other	85.1%

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

Wajid Khattak

Procurement Officer at Emerging Systems

Easy to use, enables remote meetings, and saves time and money

We deployed the product in our headquarters and connected our four plants. It enables us to meet remotely. We use the tool for remote meetings. I work in the manufacturing sector The product is easy to use. We are very comfortable with it. The video call features are compatible with different…

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."

"The most valuable features of the solution revolve around stability and performance."

"Overall the quality of the solution is very good."

"Webex has one-click calling, which makes things easier. You click, and it automatically dials in to the meetings without pressing additional buttons. It's easy for people who aren't on WebEx. That was helpful."

"We can access and conduct meetings remotely from anywhere using Webex."

"In terms of stability, the solution is reliable."

"The product's initial setup is easy."

"I like how Webex lets you zoom in and out on the presenter's screen. It's silly, but all the solutions have the same features, and I think WebEx is the only one that allows zoom."

"The most valuable feature of Webex is if you are using the Cisco hardware it is simple to integrate. Additionally, it can integrate well with mobile devices."

More Webex pros

Cons

"There is probably room for improvement in interoperability."

"The solution is heavy and slow."

"The performance of WebEx could be improved. If you're using it on a mobile device and on the laptop, you sometimes get glitches, where you've answered the call or joined a meeting on a laptop and your mobile device doesn't quite know what's going on. It may just be technical glitches, but it seems to be a bit shaky sometimes on mobile devices."

"No private chat option."

"The WebEx interface is not as user-friendly as Zoom's. There is room for improvement there."

"Webex could improve the performance."

"I would like for them to include a collaboration tool so that you can directly do a video call or audio call to your colleagues or anyone in the office."

"The solution should come as a big client for the system. It should be able to be used just like chat software when necessary, similar to instant messaging."

"I do not like the solutions functions."

More Webex cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"Features matter more than the price for us. As long as we get all the features we want and it fits our budget, then the price doesn't matter. I can't speak for other companies. We have tried other applications, and we run into some problems that we don't see in Webex."

"There are licenses for business to use the solution but for end-users, there is not."

"The charges attached to the subscriptions of the product are okay. There are no extra charges to be paid in addition to the standard licensing fees."

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

"The price of Webex is in the middle range compared to the market."

"The tool's licensing is expensive, but it should be cheaper."

"I believe the license to be monthly."

"I have recently switched to a different solution. WebEx is more costly. There are equivalent solutions at a lower cost."

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

868,654 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Government

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	40
Midsize Enterprise	24
Large Enterprise	60

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?

I would appreciate improvements in communication stability and performance. Sometimes we experience a poor communication stream, but I am uncertain whether it is due to the internet link or somethi...

See all answers

Comparisons

Zoom Workplace Business vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Compared 44% of the time

TrueConf Server vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Compared 23% of the time

Cisco TelePresence vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Compared 16% of the time

Huawei Video Conferencing Platform vs Polycom RealPresence Desktop

Compared 16% of the time

More Polycom RealPresence Desktop Competitors

Skype for Business vs Webex

Compared 26% of the time

Zoom Workplace Business vs Webex

Compared 16% of the time

Cisco Meeting Server vs Webex

Compared 13% of the time

Adobe Connect vs Webex

Compared 11% of the time

TeamViewer Business vs Webex

Compared 10% of the time

More Webex Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Meetings

August 2025

Download Polycom RealPresence Desktop product report

Buyer's Guide

Webex

September 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: August 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

868,654 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.