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Gather Town vs. Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Gather

    Score9.3 out of 10
    N/AGather is a web-based video call platform, building virtual spaces for people to live and interact more effectively online. They combine video-calling with a 2D map, letting you walk around and talk to the other people right next to you. Their creation tools allow you to make custom, interactive spaces.

    $0

    per month

    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/ASkype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.N/A
    Pricing
    GatherSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    GatherSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    GatherSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Considered Both Products
    Gather Presence Inc.
    No answer on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    80%
    Would buy again
    84 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    79 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    97 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    46 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    56 Answers
    Features
    GatherSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
    Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Gather Town and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Gather Town
    8.3
    1 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    8.0
    195 Ratings
    1% above category average
    High quality audio9.01 Ratings9.1191 Ratings
    High quality video9.01 Ratings9.0185 Ratings
    Low bandwidth requirements7.01 Ratings5.0181 Ratings
    Mobile support8.01 Ratings9.0146 Ratings
    Screen Sharing
    Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Gather Town and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Gather Town
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    12% below category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.0
    191 Ratings
    12% below category average
    Desktop sharing8.01 Ratings9.0191 Ratings
    Whiteboards6.01 Ratings5.0120 Ratings
    Online Meetings / Events
    Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Gather Town and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Gather Town
    7.2
    1 Ratings
    14% below category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    9.3
    188 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Calendar integration7.01 Ratings10.0174 Ratings
    Meeting initiation10.01 Ratings9.5182 Ratings
    Integrates with social media6.01 Ratings8.182 Ratings
    Record meetings / events8.01 Ratings9.0143 Ratings
    Slideshows5.01 Ratings10.0115 Ratings
    Online Events Collaboration
    Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Gather Town and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Gather Town
    8.0
    1 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.5
    173 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Live chat8.01 Ratings8.5171 Ratings
    Audience polling8.01 Ratings7.094 Ratings
    Q&A8.01 Ratings7.094 Ratings
    Online Events Security
    Comparison of Online Events Security features of Gather Town and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Gather Town
    6.3
    1 Ratings
    25% below category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    6.8
    156 Ratings
    18% below category average
    User authentication7.01 Ratings9.0142 Ratings
    Participant roles & permissions6.01 Ratings8.5148 Ratings
    Confidential attendee list6.01 Ratings3.0109 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Gather Town and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Gather Town
    9.0
    1 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.8
    1 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Video conferencing8.01 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Audio conferencing8.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Video screen sharing10.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Instant messaging10.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    GatherSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    ClickMeeting
    Score7.7 out of 10
    ClickMeeting
    Score7.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    JioMeet
    Score10 out of 10
    JioMeet
    Score10 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Webex Meetings
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Webex Meetings
    Score8.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    GatherSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.4
    (198 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (7 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (14 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.5
    (40 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    GatherSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Gather Presence Inc.
    i personally use the web page so it's 100% more comfortable because i don't need to have so much applications open, plus i can rapidly silence the page if i need.I can share screen, documents, have a video call very easily with any people if i want because if the space is free i can only share a URL and that person can access to the world in Gather Town
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams is a remote/virtual team collaboration tool must have...especially if you already use Microsoft tools. Of course, since it now part of an MS 365 subscription, it really doesn't make sense to use anything else. It is easy to use and just works. I'm not sure how anyone who works with digital files/documents and needs to work with other people doing similar work can be effective without such a tool. Of course, there are a number of alternatives like Zoom or Webex, but why pay or use another separate tool if you don't need to. :-)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Gather Presence Inc.
    • alert for messages
    • Being able to have several spaces for communication for free
    • constant updates
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Instant messaging to anyone who we know only by name/email. Even if they're offline, they get the message in missed convos and a notification automatically goes to them via Outlook mail. All conversations are saved and accessible via Outlook.
    • Video and voice calls are a norm in the WFH scenario, and an average employee has around 4-5 calls a day. Skype gives notifications for upcoming meetings, allows easy scheduling via outlook calendar, and its audio/video quality [is] reasonably good compared to the amount of data it consumes.
    • Status availabilities - in the WFH scenario, you could be off for lunch, out of office, busy, sharing screens - and might not want to be disturbed. Skype allows you to do that, and in case you're off, ensures that you know that you have missed messages.
    • Screen sharing - we have to share screens at least once or twice a day with a coworker when working on some issues/features, and Skype easily lets us do that. One of the best things about Skype is that the screen can be shared without being on a video/voice call - which is of immense advantage because oftentimes, you could prefer sharing the screen, while it [is] too noisy to talk.
    Read full review
    Cons
    Gather Presence Inc.
    • The chat history sometimes erase itself
    • sometimes the application become laggy randomly
    • the output lag when one member start to sharing the screen
    • The integration with google calendar doesn't detect all the meets even when refresh it or re-link the service
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Connection issues can be hard to diagnose when they come up(as some knowledge of server information may be needed to reestablish as the connection troubleshooting options on the sky are not as user-friendly as the rest of the platform.
    • Some issues setting up camera/sound could use more info on troubleshooting options with playback sound, video, etc.
    • Statuses sometimes are unreliable and do not display correctly .
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Gather Presence Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    The software is simple to install and configure. It is rather simple to explain for correct use. It is possible to profile users for the different functions offered. It is integrated quite completely with Outlook and with Active Directory security. It performs all communication functions well with one or more interlocutors and the possibility of granting control of your computer is convenient.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Gather Presence Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    Very easy to use. Even though Microsoft Teams has a lot of features and integrations, as a user I feel completely comfortable on finding what I need, getting information about the app extensions and using them. It's a very comprehensive tool, intuitive design and does not make me feel tired to be using it. I am glad with the current experience.
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Gather Presence Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    I have only had to reach out to the Support team at Skype for Business once with an issue, and I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the quickness and thoroughness of their response. The wait time was short and my question was dealt with politely and clearly, so I would say the support team has it together.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Gather Presence Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    Skpe for business is utilized company wide in regards to my company. Everyone not only uses it, but uses it often. It is an effective way of communicating. It also integrates very nicely with outlook and all conversation history is pushed to a folder within the outlook system. We also have it so that if someone misses a message, they are sent an email reminder saying that there is a message that went unread.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Gather Presence Inc.
    - Free tier option
    - Although all meet applications share the same functionalities, I can use gather quickly and easily. Only from a browser tab and anyone with that link can access my space.
    - If security is required, you can count on blocking spaces so that unauthorized people do not enter.
    - There is a conversation history and any documents can be sent in that chat
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    For the below reason I will always choose this app over its competitors: Better audio and video quality, Little to no disconnections or freezing when on a call/video conference Integrates well with mailbox/ calendar/ one drive, and SharePoint is easy to use
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Gather Presence Inc.
    • Considerable money savings since it has a free tier option
    • When required, a space for more than 100 people is contracted and we can canceled immediately.
    • social events have been carried out virtually thanks to this tool
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Skype for Business has enabled a migration in part away from fixed line telephony and introduced the user to mobile working with a headset which cannot be overstated as being a game changer.
    • Being able to schedule Skype for Business meetings through Outlook has meant meetings with colleagues without a meeting room has been a great enabler.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots