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Rakuten Viber vs. Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Rakuten Viber

    Score9.8 out of 10
    N/AViber, now from Rakuten (acquired 2014) is an instant messaging and cross-platform VoIP software solution designed for personal use and available for both desktops and as a mobile app. It includes features such as video and audio calls, instant message, and unlimited-member group chats. Users can also make paid international calls.

    $0.02

    Per Minute

    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/ASkype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.N/A
    Pricing
    Rakuten ViberSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Editions & Modules
    USA
    $0.019
    Per Minute
    UK
    $0.019
    Per Minute
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Rakuten ViberSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Rakuten ViberSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Considered Both Products
    Rakuten
    Chose Rakuten Viber
    Better pricing than Skype. Skype has a better platform. Skype really excels in terms of video conferencing capability, the quality of image and the platform is clearly better than Viber. Viber and Skype have been in the market for a while, yet no one relies on Viber for video …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rakuten Viber
    It's faster than all of above, better for cross platform communication and unlike the above examples (Skype for Business and Slack), not directly tied to organization. Its other alternative (not listed on TrustRadius) is WhatsApp, which, in my opinion is a copy of Viber. Viber …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rakuten Viber
    We evaluated Whatsapp and Line as 2 other tools alongside with Viber and finally decided to go ahead with Viber since we found Viber's call quality especially on international calls to be really clear and much better without any disconnections or static when we compared it with …
    Incentivized
    Chose Rakuten Viber
    Skype offers similar communication features as Viber, but Viber is more convenient as it uses the phone number as contact details. So instead of having to remember the user id, you just need to add your business partner's contact number and you have their viber already. Al, o …
    Incentivized
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    67%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    80%
    Would buy again
    84 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    89%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    79 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    89%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    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
    83%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    56 Answers
    Features
    Rakuten ViberSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Cloud PBX
    Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Rakuten Viber and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Rakuten Viber
    9.5
    13 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Hosted PBX9.56 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)9.78 Ratings00 Ratings
    User templates8.87 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call reports9.89 Ratings00 Ratings
    Directory of employee names9.78 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call Management
    Comparison of Call Management features of Rakuten Viber and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Rakuten Viber
    9.3
    15 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Answering rules9.59 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call recording9.79 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call park8.84 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call screening8.89 Ratings00 Ratings
    Message alerts9.814 Ratings00 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Rakuten Viber and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Rakuten Viber
    9.6
    13 Ratings
    19% above category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.8
    1 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Video conferencing9.513 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Audio conferencing9.713 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Video screen sharing9.05 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Instant messaging10.09 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Mobile apps
    Comparison of Mobile apps features of Rakuten Viber and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Rakuten Viber
    10.0
    18 Ratings
    23% above category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Mobile app for iOS10.017 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile app for Android10.017 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
    Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Rakuten Viber and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Rakuten Viber
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    8.0
    195 Ratings
    1% above category average
    High quality audio00 Ratings9.1191 Ratings
    High quality video00 Ratings9.0185 Ratings
    Low bandwidth requirements00 Ratings5.0181 Ratings
    Mobile support00 Ratings9.0146 Ratings
    Screen Sharing
    Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Rakuten Viber and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Rakuten Viber
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.0
    191 Ratings
    13% below category average
    Desktop sharing00 Ratings9.0191 Ratings
    Whiteboards00 Ratings5.0120 Ratings
    Online Meetings / Events
    Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Rakuten Viber and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Rakuten Viber
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    9.3
    188 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Calendar integration00 Ratings10.0174 Ratings
    Meeting initiation00 Ratings9.5182 Ratings
    Integrates with social media00 Ratings8.182 Ratings
    Record meetings / events00 Ratings9.0143 Ratings
    Slideshows00 Ratings10.0115 Ratings
    Online Events Collaboration
    Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Rakuten Viber and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Rakuten Viber
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.5
    173 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Live chat00 Ratings8.5171 Ratings
    Audience polling00 Ratings7.094 Ratings
    Q&A00 Ratings7.094 Ratings
    Online Events Security
    Comparison of Online Events Security features of Rakuten Viber and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Rakuten Viber
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    6.8
    156 Ratings
    18% below category average
    User authentication00 Ratings9.0142 Ratings
    Participant roles & permissions00 Ratings8.5148 Ratings
    Confidential attendee list00 Ratings3.0109 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Rakuten ViberSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    Zoom Phone
    Score9 out of 10
    ClickMeeting
    Score7.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    Score8.6 out of 10
    JioMeet
    Score10 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Google Voice
    Score7.8 out of 10
    Webex Meetings
    Score8.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Rakuten ViberSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.6
    (18 ratings)
    8.4
    (198 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (7 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (14 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.4
    (7 ratings)
    8.5
    (40 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Rakuten ViberSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Rakuten
    As mentioned previously, it is easy to use and access since the you can chat, send voice memos or stickers in a conversation. So in overall it's very entertaining. But throughout that, the audio quality can seem to be a bit off. (Could be personal headset issue) Overall that is the only issue that is present or consistent.
    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
    Rakuten
    • Viber is a cross platform product. It does not matter if someone uses Android or iOS device, it will work exactly the same.
    • Also the desktop version is very good. You can switch between the desktop and mobile versions within a conversation and see updates right away.
    • It's a very international product. It has been available for very long time, which makes it very wide spread - it has a good user base.
    • You can see the status of your messages.
    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
    Rakuten
    • When someone sends a file in Viber, the program automatically saves it in your phone memory. This means that you must delete them manually and it really annoys me, as it takes a lot of time to do that.
    • It contains enormous amounts of adds.
    • There is file sharing limit.
    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
    Rakuten
    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
    Rakuten
    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
    Rakuten
    I have not frequently used the support for Viber as I have not had many problems with it on my phone. I did use support one time for problems with the computer application and used the forums to solve my problems. They were fairly easy to follow and I appreciated the online help in that format.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Rakuten
    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
    Rakuten
    End-to-end encryption scrambles my messages and delivers them as a scrambled code to my friend's device, whether mobile or desktop, so that only their device can decode them into plain text. If my friend's phone is turned off or they don't have access to the internet, my message will be stored on Viber's servers (for a limited time) until their device is ready to receive it.

    Because Viber can't access or read my private conversations in the first place, Viber can't sell them.
    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
    Rakuten
    • Viber saves me financially since I am now able to communicate with my international clients for free.
    • Viber helps keep my clients engaged by the fact that I can so easily share photos, which is important as a freelance photographer.
    • Viber allows me to make my messages to clients appealing in a visual way, which I have noticed helps drive actions of my clients, such as remembering to book their next session or pay for their photo order.
    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