Microsoft Teams Rooms vs. Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Teams Rooms
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
A solution to turn any space into a meeting room designed for inclusive collaboration, where everyone can fully participate.N/A
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.N/A
Pricing
Microsoft Teams RoomsSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Teams RoomsSkype 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
Microsoft Teams RoomsSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Features
Microsoft Teams RoomsSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Teams Rooms
6.8
Ratings
16% below category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
8.0
Ratings
1% above category average
High quality audio8.10 Ratings9.10 Ratings
High quality video8.10 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Low bandwidth requirements4.00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Mobile support7.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Screen Sharing
Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Teams Rooms
7.8
Ratings
2% below category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
7.0
Ratings
12% below category average
Desktop sharing8.60 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Whiteboards7.10 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Online Meetings / Events
Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Teams Rooms
8.2
Ratings
1% below category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
9.3
Ratings
12% above category average
Calendar integration8.10 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Meeting initiation8.10 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Record meetings / events8.60 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Slideshows8.10 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Integrates with social media00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Online Events Collaboration
Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Teams Rooms
8.0
Ratings
2% below category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
7.5
Ratings
9% below category average
Live chat7.50 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Audience polling8.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Q&A8.50 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Online Events Security
Comparison of Online Events Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Teams Rooms
8.5
Ratings
5% above category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
6.8
Ratings
18% below category average
User authentication9.10 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Participant roles & permissions8.60 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Confidential attendee list8.00 Ratings3.00 Ratings
VoIP system collaboration
Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Teams Rooms
8.7
Ratings
10% above category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
7.8
Ratings
1% below category average
Video conferencing8.50 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Audio conferencing8.50 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Video screen sharing9.10 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Instant messaging8.50 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft Teams RoomsSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Small Businesses
Intermedia AnyMeeting Pro
Intermedia AnyMeeting Pro
Score 7.1 out of 10
Intermedia AnyMeeting Pro
Intermedia AnyMeeting Pro
Score 7.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
JioMeet
JioMeet
Score 10.0 out of 10
JioMeet
JioMeet
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Webex Meetings
Webex Meetings
Score 8.4 out of 10
Webex Meetings
Webex Meetings
Score 8.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft Teams RoomsSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
7.5
(0 ratings)
8.4
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Teams RoomsSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft Teams Rooms has been pretty effective for our business. It has allowed multiple members of our team to connect remotely and stay on the same page with any changes, etc. A few times, the screen sharing option didn't work great, but otherwise, the product has been beneficial.
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Skype is useful for collaborations across distances, including work from home, as well as a more convenient way to communicate with a large group of people. Skype is also useful to communicate with specific parties quickly, rather than relying on cellular service in areas where not as available. Skype is less useful if the team does not use computers , tablets, smartphones, etc in daily workflow as it would rarely be used.
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Pros
  • Camera view selection is a nice feature which allows remote users to choose the camera feedback to select for better experience.
  • Live reactions like hand claps, thumbs up, raised hands,etc can be used to indicate to presenters that a meeting attendee has a question. This is cool.
  • We can connect our laptop seamlessly to the Microsoft Teams Rooms to share our content or presentation which makes things very simple.
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  • Group Chat option allows multiple people to have a conversation away from the main presentation
  • Integration with Microsoft Office allows easy usage of excel, PowerPoint and other MS programs
  • Easy calendar integration for Microsoft Outlook
  • Mobile interface is very easy and intuitive
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Cons
  • Improve AI Camera to frame participants in large rooms
  • no translation captions in real team for multilingual teams
  • new elements to introduce quizzes and help with engagement
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  • Probably the biggest area is the video element as it has historically struggled in this area.
  • The need to be forced to federate with another organisation by providing yours and enabling the other organisation settings is a bit tedious but once done, allows for simple collaboration between third-parties.
  • Functionality wise, as it's an older product and being superseded by MS Teams, it feels as if it's run its course but was very good for what it does/did at the time.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
I honestly feel that with most people using iPhone nowadays, it's easy to just call or use FaceTime if you need to be in touch with a client. Unless you need to have a conference call, there are plenty of ways to get in touch with a client otherwise besides using a somewhat inefficient program.
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Usability
Microsoft Teams Rooms really 'cleans up' the old clunky way to deliver a meeting. Too often we've seen issues with scheduling and staff not confident to use the equipment in front of an audience. Microsoft Teams Rooms has provided all the tools our staff need and didn't know that they needed and provides them in one familiar solution.
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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.
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Support Rating
No answers on this topic
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.
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Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
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.
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft Teams Rooms has been more cost effective for us than using a separate subscription from another vendor. With our microsoft 365 tenant already in-place we've streamlined our configuration and licensing into a single management portal which really suites us and the way in which we work as an organization. Managing meetings is just so much better through Microsoft Teams Rooms than any of our experiences with other vendors.
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Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams is just better for us since we were already a Microsoft productivity suite (Office) user. No additional cost when we went from traditional product license model to SaaS. Continuous integration and upgrades with MS 365 make it even easier to use and therefore stickier.
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Return on Investment
  • We save time in transportation having more online meetings.
  • We save resources doing webinars for our customers without paying additional licenses.
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  • In the move to WFH for the over 90000 employees of the firm in 13 different timezones, Skype for [Business], as the primary communication tool has been the most critical factor in ensuring there's not a communication breakdown.
  • An average of 7 calls a day and around 50-60 text messages are sent via Skype for [Business]. These communications are critical for [the] continued delivery of our services.
  • Video/voice calling and screen sharing features of Skype have played a great role in simulating a shared workspace scenario in the virtual mode as best as possible.
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ScreenShots