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3CX Live Chat vs Skype for Business comparison

3CX and Microsoft are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. 3CX is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.0, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 7.7. 3CX holds a 1.5% mindshare in VM, compared to Microsoft’s 13.4% 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
  • 270 Views
  • 178 Comparison Views
91% willing to recommend
Skype for Business
Read 62 Skype for Business reviews
  • 2,218 Views
  • 904 Comparison Views
79% willing to recommend
 

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.

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To learn more, read our detailed 3CX Live Chat vs. Skype for Business Report (Updated: March 2025).
Buyer's Guide
3CX Live Chat vs. Skype for Business
March 2025
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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
17th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
IP PBX (1st), Unified Communications (2nd), Live Chat (4th), Hosted and Cloud Based VoIP (4th)
Skype for Business
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
62
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of 3CX Live Chat is 1.5%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 13.4%, up from 8.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

Ahmed ACHOUR - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
Read full review
Magdalena Teodorczuk - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features of 3CX Live Chat are the integration with our existing CRM allowing us to get all of the numbers synced together. The communication aspect of the solution was always working very well, the sound quality was perfect. We were able to log into the application to check which users were using the solution and if they were in a call or not. Additionally, the solution integrates well with other CRMs."
"It is SIP compliant to multiple SIP phone vendors, though it is not locked into a proprietary vendor."
"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."
"3CX is useful and easy to use. I can talk to my colleagues from anywhere."
"The most valuable features of 3CX include meetings, IVR, and the workflow personalization of the service desk activity."
"Mobility features and remote extensions work well."
"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."
"It’s straightforward to set up."
More 3CX Live Chat pros
"Skype for Business is good for meetings and instant messaging."
"The quality of the meetings is very good."
"The most valuable feature is stability."
"The solution’s video quality is fine."
"We like the tools our administrator can use to identify which calls had quality issues and why. This makes troubleshooting our user experience somewhat easier."
"It has benefited my organization because I can use it on the phone, I can use it on a laptop, wherever I want. The communication channel is very easy now and I can call and chat. It's experienced. Together, my team manages everything. It's very easy."
"The most valuable feature is how useful it has been for virtual meetings during the pandemic."
"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."
More Skype for Business pros
 

Cons

"Once we establish the system and do the initial configuration, some configurations will be fixed. However, if we need to change those configurations, the option is to do a reinstallation. Otherwise, we cannot do anything."
"You cannot make a group call on 3CX. That feature would make my life easier because I could talk to two suppliers or a supplier and management together. I wouldn't need to end the call and call another person."
"Having a video call would be a nice idea."
"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."
"In 3CX, customization is not as easy as I would like. With 3CX Call Flow Designer, you can set up the flow of a call, deliver it to the department, and automate the process. I can't do many things with this."
"It could be better in terms of providing more options for call recording."
"Its features for scheduling and generating reports need improvement."
"The reporting and dashboards of 3CX could be improved."
More 3CX Live Chat cons
"The challenge we had with Skype for Business was with the signing in when a user signed out and when signing in back in again, there was a bit of a problem. We switched from Skype for Business to Teams, and Teams never had that sign-in problem once we did the switch."
"We have had trouble with scalability when trying to host large meetings."
"Skype's overall connectivity functionality or ability is one area with room for improvement."
"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."
"I believe optimizing the solution for lighter endpoints, particularly for embedded endpoints on mobile devices, would be valuable."
"This service could be improved by adding some missing features. It lacks integration with Teams, which is a feature I would like to see in the next release."
"The integration with Outlook could be improved."
"The video conferencing quality can be improved."
More Skype for Business cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 is reasonable. There are a few license options and we are using an enterprise license."
"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."
"There is no add-on costing on the standard fees."
"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."
"We used a yearly license depending on the customer's requirements, and the customers did not complain about the pricing."
"Switching from POTS or PRI to SIP Trunk save the customer real costs. ROI is seen in less than a year."
More 3CX Live Chat pricing and cost advice
"Our company pays for a license for us to use the solution."
"A license is required to use the solution."
"I use the product's open-source version."
"We purchased an open license."
"To realize value from the purchase of Skype Business, you need to take advantage of all the important functions of the program."
"Skype for Business' pricing is reasonable."
"We are using the subscription-based version of Skype for Business. There is a free version of the solution."
"We have been able to save money by moving our conferencing solution to Skype for Business Conferencing."
More Skype for Business pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Educational Organization
93%
Financial Services Firm
1%
Computer Software Company
1%
Government
1%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about 3CX Live Chat?
The solution is stable.
See all answers
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 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

Yeastar S-Series VoIP PBX vs 3CX Live Chat Logo
Yeastar S-Series VoIP PBX vs 3CX Live Chat
Compared 37% of the time
Kamailio SIP Server vs 3CX Live Chat Logo
Kamailio SIP Server vs 3CX Live Chat
Compared 24% of the time
Fortinet FortiVoice vs 3CX Live Chat Logo
Fortinet FortiVoice vs 3CX Live Chat
Compared 22% of the time
Webex vs 3CX Live Chat Logo
Webex vs 3CX Live Chat
Compared 17% of the time
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Webex vs Skype for Business Logo
Webex vs Skype for Business
Compared 28% of the time
Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business Logo
Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business
Compared 27% of the time
TeamViewer vs Skype for Business Logo
TeamViewer vs Skype for Business
Compared 15% of the time
Zoom vs Skype for Business Logo
Zoom vs Skype for Business
Compared 14% of the time
GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business Logo
GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business
Compared 7% of the time
More Skype for Business Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Live Chat
March 2025
3CX Live Chat reportDownload 3CX Live Chat product report
Buyer's Guide
Skype for Business
March 2025
Skype for Business reportDownload 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
March 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: March 2025.
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