As more professionals work from home, the need for a reliable video conferencing solution is more important than ever before. You may be debating between Zoom and Skype for your remote communication and team collaboration needs.
The right solution for you will depend on your specific business requirements. Security, scalability, ease of use, variety of features offered, and customer support are all important considerations.
Zoom vs. Skype: Briefly
Skype was first released in 2003 and was acquired by Microsoft in 2011. Zoom launched in 2013 and has experienced a meteoric rise in use, particularly in the last few years.
Zoom and Skype have several features in common. Both offer free plans, and both allow you to record your sessions, share your screen, chat within the video call and access meetings without signing up for an account. Zoom and Skype are also compatible with various operating systems, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux. While only Zoom and Skype account holders can set up meetings, participants do not have to join either platform to attend video meetings.
There are some differences between the two solutions. Skype does not offer a premium plan for businesses; Zoom offers three premium plans ranging from $14.99 to $19.99 per month per license. Skype’s maximum participant capacity is 100; Zoom’s is 1,000.
Skype allows video meetings to last up to 24 hours. Zoom’s free plan limits group meetings to 40 minutes, though one-on-one meetings can be up to 30 hours. Zoom offers breakout sessions; Skype does not. Zoom offers recording transcripts on its Business and Enterprise plans; transcripts are not available through Skype.
Zoom offers polling and whiteboards for interactive discussions, while Skype does not. With Zoom’s paid plans, you can live stream your meetings on social media. Social media streaming is not available with Skype.
Both Zoom and Skype offer the ability to change your virtual background, which is useful for remote workers that want to look more professional during calls. You can use Skype with an Xbox or any Amazon Alexa device; these options are not available with Zoom.
User-friendliness
Both Skype and Zoom offer simple, straightforward interfaces that make it easy to both set up and join meetings. When setting up a meeting on Skype and Zoom, hosts are given a unique link to share with meeting invitees; neither platform requires a software download to participate in a meeting. Skype and Zoom tie in terms of overall user-friendliness.
Customer Support
Skype offers customer support through the Skype Help Center and the online Skype Community. One-on-one support is not available for Skype Meetings.
Zoom’s support is available with all plans through the online Help Center, while Zoom premium plans also have access to email tickets and live chat. Zoom Business and Enterprise customers can receive personal support via phone.
Security
Skype comes with end-to-end encryption and has a solid reputation for system security. All Zoom plans come with TLS encryption and AES-256 encryption for real-time content. Enabling Zoom’s end-to-end encryption, which is available on all plans, protects communication between all meeting participants as data is encrypted during transit using cryptographic keys.
Bottom Line
Zoom offers far more robust business features than Skype and is the hands-down winner in the Zoom vs. Skype showdown. Skype is functional for small teams or personal use but pales compared to Zoom’s extensive suite of business features.
Michel Ouellette JMD, ll.l., ll.m.
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J. Michael Dennis, ll.l., ll.m.
Business & Corporate Strategist
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