Cisco Meeting Server vs Skype for Business comparison

Cisco and Microsoft are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. Cisco is ranked #6 with an average rating of 10.0, while Microsoft is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0. Cisco holds a 3.7% mindshare in VM, compared to Microsoft’s 5.2% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Cisco Meeting Server

Read 5 Cisco Meeting Server reviews

887 Views
887 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Skype for Business

Read 63 Skype for Business reviews

1,935 Views
1,432 Comparison Views

79% willing to recommend

Cisco Meeting Server

Skype for Business

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

Cisco Meeting Server and Skype for Business are communication and collaboration tools. Cisco Meeting Server has an edge in pricing and support, while Skype for Business offers comprehensive features that might justify its cost.

Features: Cisco Meeting Server provides robust integrations, scalability, and security for large enterprises. Its pricing is competitive with comprehensive support. Skype for Business integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Office products, supports advanced telephony features, and enhances productivity within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meeting Server could improve in initial setup complexity, integration with non-Cisco products, and simplifying the user interface further. Skype for Business may enhance customer service consistency, expand integration capabilities beyond Microsoft products, and offer more competitive pricing plans.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meeting Server is favored for straightforward deployment and responsive customer service. Skype for Business benefits from easy setup and Microsoft infrastructure but shows variation in customer service experiences.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meeting Server generally involves higher initial costs but offers a significant ROI through its secure and scalable solutions. Skype for Business boasts lower initial investments with potential recurring costs, although integration with existing Microsoft services can boost productivity and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Meeting Server vs. Skype for Business Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meeting Server vs. Skype for Business

February 2026

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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

Cisco Meeting Server

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

6th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.9

Number of Reviews

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

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Cisco Meeting Server is 3.7%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 5.2%, down from 11.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Skype for Business	5.2%
Cisco Meeting Server	3.7%
Other	91.1%

Virtual Meetings

Featured Reviews

Ahmed Elrayes

Voice Network Engineer at Raya Integration

A scalable tool useful to hold conferences and video meetings

I use Cisco Meeting Server for conferences and video meetings, which are crucial for my company The share screen option available during conferences is one of the best features of Cisco Meeting Server. In Cisco Meeting Server, GUI is an area of concern where improvements are required. In the…

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reviewer1854369

Executive at a government with 201-500 employees

Relying on dependable communication features for efficient collaboration

I work with Microsoft Exchange. We use Microsoft Azure, though I am not involved with the back-end operations. I work with Microsoft Exchange and ServiceNow for the service desk. I do not work with Cloud Observability or Automation Engine. We use Microsoft Copilot with Teams. We do not use Microsoft Security Copilot as it is not cloud-based. We have moved from Skype for Business to Teams recently, though some of us still use Skype for Business because it is convenient. Skype for Business is particularly useful for remoting onto people's devices. I prefer Skype for Business over Teams for screen sharing. Sometimes there are compatibility issues when running Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business together. Phone calls in Teams might ring and then go silent, or the microphone might not detect calls from either application. I rate Skype for Business a 9 out of 10 because it works effectively with minimal issues.

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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

"What I like most about Cisco Meeting Server is its quick management. The solution also has a straightforward configuration."

"The UI is user-friendly and very good overall."

"The share screen option available during conferences is one of the best features of Cisco Meeting Server."

"Cisco Meeting Server is an easy and less complex solution."

"You can use the Cisco Meeting Server to set up conference calls and virtual meetings. Those are the two primary functions of Meeting Server. Most people in the company are using Microsoft Teams, so we only use Meeting Server when we have an internal meeting for all staff."

"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."

"A good option for virtual meetings."

"The most valuable features are the history tracking which allows us to see who participated and who didn't in the meetings as well as the integration with Outlook."

"The quality of the meetings is very good."

"The calling features are most valuable, especially now as we are working remotely."

"I use the chat feature to communicate with my staff, which is very helpful."

"The product helps me make international calls."

"We chose Skype for Business after other colleagues suggested that we give it a try. It has served us well."

More Skype for Business pros

Cons

"What would make Cisco Meeting Server better is integrating it with Zoom and Teams so that you can connect or make a call through any of the two third-party solutions."

"A few features are missing on the Meetings app, like a recording function. My understanding is that you need to buy a separate recording solution. It's modular, so you have to enable some functions if you want to use them. For example, we had to enable the Mood function. Recording is the primary feature we'd like to see in the app."

"This is a difficult solution to install and it should be made easier."

"Cisco Meeting Server should include a feature to control another user's screen during a remote session."

"In Cisco Meeting Server, GUI is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"Skype for Business is good for the PCs with higher bandwidth, but an improvement is required for low bandwidth usage."

"The solution isn't connected to Microsoft Teams, and I feel like there is better communication on that particular solution. The group capabilities are a bit less than Teams."

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

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

"We overcame the audio quality issues by asking users to use the 'Call Me' feature with their desk phone."

"There are some issues with stability during phone calls. Sometimes the connectivity drops, and it is frustrating."

"There is one issue regarding the audio settings. The application tends to select the internal microphone on devices rather than detecting external headphones."

"The initial setup could be simplified."

More Skype for Business cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco Meeting Server has reasonable licensing costs."

"Price-wise, Cisco Meeting Server is a product that falls in a mid-range category."

"Licensing fees are billed yearly."

"The cost of Skype for Business is incorporated into our Office 365 licenses."

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

"It may be slightly costly, but the features are awesome."

"The pricing is really good. It is quite affordable because it came with our Office 365. It is on a per-user license, which is nice. I quite like that they have made it very granular with all of their licensing."

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

"We purchased an open license."

"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."

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

More Skype for Business pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

17%

Manufacturing Company

14%

Computer Software Company

13%

Construction Company

Marketing Services Firm

18%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Performing Arts

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	18
Midsize Enterprise	19
Large Enterprise	27

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Meeting Server?

Cisco Meeting Server is an easy and less complex solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Meeting Server?

Cisco Meeting Server should include a feature to control another user's screen during a remote session.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Meeting Server?

Users worked from home after COVID-19, and we couldn't give them physical devices. Users were coming from different platforms like Teams and Zoom. We had to bring them on a single platform. We didn...

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?

I cannot think of many ways in which Skype for Business could improve in general. It works fairly efficiently for our purposes with Skype for Business. There is one issue regarding the audio settin...

See all answers

Comparisons

Webex vs Cisco Meeting Server

Compared 20% of the time

Pexip vs Cisco Meeting Server

Compared 17% of the time

Zoom Workplace Business vs Cisco Meeting Server

Compared 17% of the time

Vidyo vs Cisco Meeting Server

Compared 11% of the time

Huawei Video Conferencing Platform vs Cisco Meeting Server

Compared 9% of the time

More Cisco Meeting Server Competitors

Zoom Workplace Business vs Skype for Business

Compared 16% of the time

TeamViewer Business vs Skype for Business

Compared 15% of the time

Webex vs Skype for Business

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business

Compared 10% of the time

GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business

Compared 9% of the time

More Skype for Business Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Meetings

January 2026

Download Cisco Meeting Server product report

Buyer's Guide

Skype for Business

January 2026

Download Skype for Business product report

Also Known As

Acano

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

Overview

Cisco Meeting Server brings premises-based video, audio, and web communication together to meet the collaboration needs of the modern workplace. It works with third-party devices, and provides an enjoyable and intuitive user experience. It also scales easily, and can be purchased using our all-in-one, user-based multiparty licensing offer.

Cisco

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

Starz

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

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meeting Server vs. Skype for Business

February 2026

Free Report: Cisco Meeting Server vs. Skype for Business

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Meeting Server vs. Skype for Business and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.

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