3CX Live Chat vs Skype for Business comparison

3CX and Microsoft are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. 3CX is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.1. 3CX holds a 1.9% mindshare in VM, compared to Microsoft’s 11.7% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of 3CX users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

3CX Live Chat

Read 55 3CX Live Chat reviews

1,047 Views
272 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Skype for Business

Read 62 Skype for Business reviews

1,415 Views
990 Comparison Views

79% willing to recommend

3CX Live Chat

Skype for Business

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

3CX Live Chat and Skype for Business both compete in the communication solutions category. 3CX offers simplicity and cost-effectiveness for businesses, whereas Skype for Business holds the advantage in integration and infrastructure, being well-integrated with Microsoft's suite.

Features: 3CX Live Chat offers extensive VoIP features, easy deployment, and integration with CRM systems, ideal for mobile communication. Skype for Business excels in conferencing and collaboration, integrating seamlessly with Microsoft tools, providing a comprehensive framework for video communication.

Room for Improvement: 3CX needs better integration with other systems, improved call recording, and mobile app reliability. Reports on customization shortages in live chat also exist. Skype for Business could enhance integration with non-Microsoft products and improve call quality and ease of installation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: 3CX features straightforward deployment across cloud and on-premises setups but requires better customer support responsiveness. Skype for Business, though complex in deployment, leverages Microsoft’s support system, proving advantageous for Microsoft-centric environments.

Pricing and ROI: 3CX offers competitive pricing based on concurrent calls, yielding quick ROI for growing businesses. Bundled with Microsoft licenses, Skype for Business can be costlier, but benefits businesses integrated within the Microsoft ecosystem despite higher initial costs.

To learn more, read our detailed 3CX Live Chat vs. Skype for Business Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

3CX Live Chat vs. Skype for Business

July 2025

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Helped 865,384 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

3CX Live Chat

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

12th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IP PBX (1st), Unified Communications (2nd), Live Chat (5th), Hosted and Cloud Based VoIP (4th)

Skype for Business

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

4th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of 3CX Live Chat is 1.9%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 11.7%, up from 8.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Meetings

Featured Reviews

Ahmed ACHOUR

General Manager at Beyond IT Services

Enhanced service desk workflow which streamlines operations and offers strong integration capabilities

The customers use 3CX for IP telephony and call center activities. Additionally, they use 3CX for service desk activities, including integration with other ITSM products to collect data from customers who need technical support on their platforms 3CX has proven to be a good solution, particularly…

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Magdalena Teodorczuk

Senior at Krajowy Depozyt Papierów Wartosciowych S.A.

Offers great audio and video quality for virtual meetings

I like the instant messaging feature in the product since I prefer to use the chat functionalities provided by the solution. It is easy to integrate the product with some of the other solutions in the market. I rate the integration capabilities of the product a ten out of ten. The product's user interface is user-friendly. I use the product at a personal level, so I can't speak about the support it provides for the maintenance part. I rate the overall tool a ten out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The call queue and reporting systems are robust compared to what you have to pay to get the same level of functionality with a competing system."

"Easy management console access through web browsers with a good interface to Outlook and multiple CRM systems."

"The integration with SMS has been helpful. That's how a lot of customers prefer to communicate nowadays. It makes it convenient for the customer to reach us."

"The most valuable features of 3CX Live Chat are the ability to go straight to a call or screen-sharing and creating multiple channels from the same chat widget effectively. The ability to raise a call straight out to the cloud is fantastic, it is really useful. Additionally, it integrates very well with WordPress."

"This solution gives our customers mobility. They can use their phone system everywhere. The other key feature is the security."

"3CX has strong reporting and management features. You can manage the capabilities of a call center with queues and timers. It's a complete solution."

"3CX is a reliable solution."

"It’s straightforward to set up."

More 3CX Live Chat pros

"The most valuable features of the solution are that it is quick and easy to use. It is a good tool for group calls."

"I have found Skype for Business to be stable."

"Making calls and having meetings is easy."

"Desktop sharing is a valuable feature."

"The tool's most valuable features are its audio and chat functions. They help us save time and have good telephone integration."

"The most valuable features of Skype for Business include its persistent chat, Edge Server, Reverse Proxy, front-end server, back-end server, and business calling capabilities, among others."

"It's a good product, we like using it."

"The most valuable feature is stability."

More Skype for Business pros

Cons

"Reporting and integration are the main challenges, which are at the mid-level or in the enterprise depending on the system that we choose."

"I need a robust provider who can help me use Live Chat. Unfortunately, I have to move from one provider to another because they don't have enough capabilities to maintain good service."

"Some customers want to integrate a CRM solution with 3CX, but it's not compatible."

"The reporting and dashboards of 3CX could be improved."

"Its features for scheduling and generating reports need improvement."

"There should be an option to save some extensions."

"It needs the option for the CS rep to stop recording when a credit card number is recited by the customer."

"Message management in 3CX Live Chat is a little tricky. You can transfer a conversation to someone else if it comes into a group, but it isn't always easy to return the conversation to the group."

More 3CX Live Chat cons

"Make it user friendly."

"The solution requires deployment on a Microsoft server and its performance is heavy because it consumes too many resources from the RAM."

"The solution's functionality needs to be moved to Microsoft Teams. Its technology is outdated."

"The inability to integrate Skype with other products is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"I feel that the whole look and feel of Skype should be improved, including its user-friendliness. It should also improve its scalability."

"Skype for Business could improve by having a document channel or repository. Microsoft Teams has a better repository place for documents that you can share with your team. You can access it anywhere from any device."

"We have had trouble with scalability when trying to host large meetings."

"I am not familiar with all of the features or whether they can hold conferences because we use Zoom for that. But, in my opinion, if they can do something similar to what Zoom is doing, it will be a complete solution."

More Skype for Business cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Switching from POTS or PRI to SIP Trunk save the customer real costs. ROI is seen in less than a year."

"We used a yearly license depending on the customer's requirements, and the customers did not complain about the pricing."

"We have purchased an annual license to use 3CX Live Chat. There are different options available, you can pay monthly or yearly. I am completely satisfied with the pricing of 3CX Live Chat, it is cheaper than competitors and it is a better solution."

"There aren't any additional costs. With the license I purchased, I have all features that I need. I don't have to buy an add-on or another license."

"The price of the solution is reasonable. There are a few license options and we are using an enterprise license."

"The price of the solution is in the middle range compared to other solutions. There are different license options available. For example, there is a professional version and an enterprise version, and with the enterprise version, you have the ability to modify the dashboards. You can purchase a license at many different time frame increments, such as monthly, yearly, or two years."

"3CX sells an annual subscription, but we usually split it out monthly for clients, so they don't see an annual bill for the 3CX licensing, it's just part of their monthly phone bill. As they're paying us for carrier service anyway, we just roll it all together. Your standard phone service would be an additional cost, you either need to maintain a local carrier with POTS lines or PRI or a SIP, or you have to go with a cloud-based SIP."

"The price of the solution has been reasonable. We have not had any problems or complaints with the licensing model. We have not reached a point where we need to upgrade. We have all the correct channels."

More 3CX Live Chat pricing and cost advice

"We purchased an open license."

"We had a license for every one of our users to use Skype for Business. The license we used was part of an overall Microsoft license package."

"To realize value from the purchase of Skype Business, you need to take advantage of all the important functions of the program."

"It may be considered costly for certain markets, such as in India."

"The licensing is billed on a yearly basis."

"When it comes to the pricing of the solution, I rate it as a five out of ten. It falls somewhere in the middle between being cheap and expensive."

"We are using the subscription-based version of Skype for Business. There is a free version of the solution."

"Previously, I did not use another solution."

More Skype for Business pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Media Company

Manufacturing Company

17%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

Performing Arts

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for 3CX Live Chat?

The pricing of 3CX is around six out of ten. For some customers, the first year may be free of charge, allowing them to try the solution before deciding to implement it.

See all answers

What needs improvement with 3CX Live Chat?

The reporting and dashboards of 3CX could be improved.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for 3CX Live Chat?

See all answers

What do you like most about Skype for Business?

The solution’s video quality is fine.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Skype for Business?

Skype for Business is affordable and has decent pricing. The video quality is a bit lower than Teams or Zoom, but it remains a good solution overall.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Skype for Business?

The video quality could be improved, possibly due to internet connection issues. However, there is no significant weakness in Skype for Business.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 20% of the time

Yeastar S-Series VoIP PBX vs 3CX Live Chat

Compared 19% of the time

Kamailio SIP Server vs 3CX Live Chat

Compared 15% of the time

Zoom Workplace Business vs 3CX Live Chat

Compared 14% of the time

Fortinet FortiVoice vs 3CX Live Chat

Compared 13% of the time

More 3CX Live Chat Competitors

Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business

Compared 23% of the time

Webex vs Skype for Business

Compared 23% of the time

TeamViewer Business vs Skype for Business

Compared 18% of the time

Zoom Workplace Business vs Skype for Business

Compared 17% of the time

GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business

Compared 7% of the time

More Skype for Business Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Live Chat

August 2025

Download 3CX Live Chat product report

Buyer's Guide

Skype for Business

July 2025

Download Skype for Business product report

Also Known As

3CX PBX

Skype for Business Plan 1, Skype for Business Plan 2, Lync Server

Overview

Connect with your website visitors for free with the 3CX Live Chat plugin. With more than 1,900,000 downloads, 3CX Live Chat is the most popular, effective and reliable live chat plugin for WordPress. Increase conversions and boost customer satisfaction by communicating directly with your website visitors in real-time.

Integrate with 3CX for a multichannel communications suite including voice and video (requires 3CX V16). Get 3CX for free for one year for unlimited users hosted by 3CX, in your own cloud account or on-premise on Windows or Linux.

Easy and convenient for visitors
Build rapport with potential customers via live chat
Increase sales
Reduce customer support line costs by using live chat
Learn to understand the pain points of your customers

FEATURES

Simple and clean UI for all users
Option to elevate a live chat to a call or video call
Free iOS or Android apps to respond to messages through a smartphone
Ability to transfer chats to other agents
Agent’s picture is shown in the live chatbox
Customizable chatbox. Add a company logo, change the colors of the chatbox
All chats are saved in chat history
Dedicated storage system for all offline messages
Create unlimited agents to handle live chats and calls
Customizable offline message form
Supports animations in the chatbox
Ability to choose whether you want to accept or decline a chat

3CX

Skype for Business offers features including presence, IM, voice and video calls, online meetings, conferencing, and telephony solutions that support enterprise-level collaboration requirements. Skype for Business Record meetings, share your screen, and annotate PowerPoint for real-time collaboration with up to 250 people and use whiteboard, polls, Q&A, and built-in IM during your business meetings to make them more productive. Skype for Business provides new client experience, Skype for Business Server provides several new features to improve manageability of on-premises servers and hybrid solutions. Skype for Business also supports the Lync client experience so that you can choose a phased upgrade approach to the new client experience for users. Skype for Business is also an integral part of Microsoft Office 365, providing PSTN Conferencing, Cloud PBX, PSTN Calling, and Skype Meeting Broadcast capabilities to Office 365 users.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services,LA Fitness, MedcoEnergi International, Tampa General Hospital, and HopewellHoldings Limited.

Buyer's Guide

3CX Live Chat vs. Skype for Business

July 2025

Free Report: 3CX Live Chat vs. Skype for Business

Find out what your peers are saying about 3CX Live Chat vs. Skype for Business and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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