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Blackboard Collaborate vs Skype for Business comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

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

Blackboard Collaborate
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
16th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Skype for Business
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Blackboard Collaborate is 2.1%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 3.9%, down from 8.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Skype for Business3.9%
Blackboard Collaborate2.1%
Other94.0%
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

YN
Teaching and Learning Systems Manager at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Useful in webinars, meetings and online classrooms
One of the features that people enjoy is the whiteboard, providing opportunities for academics to present content and for students to contribute. The platform also allows for the creating of different rooms, enabling large classes to break into smaller groups for discussions. Students can then return to the main classroom to share their opinions. It integrates with LMS.
MD
Assistant Information Technology Officer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Internal communication has become more efficient while mobile usage still needs improvement
The honest answer is that the product has not really evolved in some time. Microsoft has been pushing everyone towards Teams and Skype for Business has been in maintenance mode for a while. The mobile experience is also not great. Staff who try to use it on their phones find it less reliable than the desktop version, calls drop more, and the interface is clunky. For a modern workforce that expects everything to work on mobile, that is a gap. Despite the initial setup challenges and mobile issues, we have noticed positive outcomes for our organization since adopting Skype for Business. I rate Skype for Business seven out of ten. I think that Skype for Business has served us well for what it is. A government office has different expectations from a fast-moving private company. We value stability and security over the newest features. On those terms, Skype for Business has delivered.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The software is easy to use, has clear navigation and structure, and is highly customizable from an administrators standpoint (I've administered and used it as a client)."
"One of the features that people enjoy is the whiteboard, providing opportunities for academics to present content and for students to contribute. The platform also allows for the creating of different rooms, enabling large classes to break into smaller groups for discussions. Students can then return to the main classroom to share their opinions. It integrates with LMS."
"This solution has provided an additional way to connect with students and they feel like it allows for participation in a variety of ways."
"The solution allows me to connect and collaborate with student live time, or asynchronously."
"Document loading and annotation."
"It's a good product, we like using it."
"The solution appears to be quite stable."
"One of the best features of Skype for Business is that you can set it up on mobile phones, and you can set it up on laptops. You can connect to the tool from anywhere."
"The stability was good; there are no bugs or glitches, it doesn't crash or freeze, and it's reliable."
"Making calls and having meetings is easy."
"We really like the screen sharing tool. The user experience is smooth, and user-friendly."
"Skype for Business is good for meetings and instant messaging."
"Firstly, it is an innovative and even more profitable way of communicating."
 

Cons

"I wish I could upload assignments from my Android tablet or iPhone, but I guarantee that specific feature is in the works."
"I occasionally had difficulties logging in because I think that the system was overloaded with too many people."
"We faced outages when the user limit went over a certain number."
"The system can overload when too many try logging in."
"If there were maybe more tutorials outside of what I'm aware the university is suggesting, I would take more tutorials on effective ways to deliver content. I come from the industry and content was always needed when people that were observing were smart and involved and decision-makers instead of so passively just trying to pass the course. In my imagination, the tutorials would be a tool where the learners themselves can have much more hands-on learning during a Collaborate session."
"Originally, I was disappointed in behavior of the early Ultra version. It did not exhibit to students what I am showing on my own machine."
"I would not recommend Skype for Business because Microsoft Teams has more features, a lightweight application that I access on my mobile."
"We overcame the audio quality issues by asking users to use the 'Call Me' feature with their desk phone."
"The product is very heavy. It's very unmanageable."
"I don't recall coming across any big missing features."
"The video quality could be improved, possibly due to internet connection issues."
"This is not a solution I would recommend."
"The solution lacks to provide reporting functionality, and I would like to see the solution provide that feature."
"The mobile experience is also not great. Staff who try to use it on their phones find it less reliable than the desktop version, calls drop more, and the interface is clunky."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Our company pays for a license for us to use the solution."
"The cost of Skype for Business is incorporated into our Office 365 licenses."
"We have been able to save money by moving our conferencing solution to Skype for Business Conferencing."
"To realize value from the purchase of Skype Business, you need to take advantage of all the important functions of the program."
"We negotiated a fair price with Microsoft. It is definitely worthwhile to negotiate with them for the best price for your solution."
"We purchased an open license."
"It may be considered costly for certain markets, such as in India."
"Skype for Business' pricing is reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Outsourcing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Construction Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise28
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Skype for Business?
If I think back, my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing involves accessing it through our Microsoft Enterprise Agreement which covers the whole Office suite including Skype for Busin...
What needs improvement with Skype for Business?
The honest answer is that the product has not really evolved in some time. Microsoft has been pushing everyone towards Teams and Skype for Business has been in maintenance mode for a while. The mob...
What is your primary use case for Skype for Business?
My main use case for Skype for Business is internal communication across departments and between different government offices. We have staff spread across multiple locations in Malacca, and before ...
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

University of Derby Online, Universty of Warwick, University of Liverpool, City College Norwich, Northumberland College, Mid-Kent College, Watson Pharmaceutials, Capella University, Shore Tel Sky, Lincoln PD, City of Somerville MA, Somerset County Council
EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services,LA Fitness, MedcoEnergi International, Tampa General Hospital, and HopewellHoldings Limited.
Find out what your peers are saying about Blackboard Collaborate vs. Skype for Business and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.