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Polycom RealPresence Desktop vs Webex comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Polycom RealPresence Desktop
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
13th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.5
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Webex
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
131
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of Polycom RealPresence Desktop is 1.4%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Webex is 5.0%, down from 11.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Webex5.0%
Polycom RealPresence Desktop1.4%
Other93.6%
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

NH
Network Technical Advisor at a government with 10,001+ employees
Regular use enables effective communication with room for improvement in interoperability
The most valuable part of the desktop is the ability to make voice and video calls. Without getting too technical or divulging too much due to the environment we are in, it allows us to further our reach, from a traditional video conferencing room. Scalability was easy. It was based on calls, not licenses.
DO
Web Designer / Developer & Creative Professional at Federal University of Technology Akure
Virtual training has supported collaborative learning and now needs a simpler and clearer interface
Webex can be simplified in terms of user interface, where many features should be displayed in a compact view, with similar features grouped together and a minimalistic design helping users understand what each button does. If specific features are not needed, they should not distract you, and some features should appear as sliding elements for ease of access. Additionally, connecting to Webex can be technical, and it would be beneficial to have a way to connect anonymously using a simple code instead of going through microphone issues.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It allows us to further our reach, from a traditional video conferencing room."
"The ROI was phenomenal."
"Doing presentations on the solution is very good. There isn't much they could do to improve this aspect. It's excellent."
"Easy to use virtual meeting solution. Installation was straightforward without the need for a technical team."
"Webex has helped me to give my customers a much faster response without the need to mobilize, so it avoids transport costs and times."
"I like how Webex lets you zoom in and out on the presenter's screen. It's silly, but all the solutions have the same features, and I think WebEx is the only one that allows zoom."
"Webex is a thin client and we like the interface. It is easy to use."
"I have found the most valuable features to be the high quality of the video and the audio. Additionally, the graphical user interface is good and it is easy to use."
"Webex offers a wide range of useful features and is pretty robust."
"The stability of the solution is the most important feature."
 

Cons

"There probably needs to be an improvement in interoperability."
"There could be a feature available to record the meetings."
"Before Webex was the worst meeting platform I used."
"Webex can be improved in terms of better user experience."
"We no longer use Webex because we found Microsoft Teams to be more stable."
"Webex is not as stable, especially when compared to Microsoft Teams. Webex can have a lot of glitches, and does not run as smoothly as Teams."
"Webex is clunky and it's hard to use. It's not simple. Webex is probably the most user-unfriendly of all of them. Whenever you're trying to get on it, it's an absolute pain."
"To make Webex more competitive, I would suggest lowering the price and providing some of the same features that are in Teams or Zoom."
"Everybody these days uses virtual meeting solutions because we're all remote working. It would be a benefit if there were permanent collaboration spaces for projects. For example, the way Teams has its teams folders and shared locations. Webex is missing that feature, or maybe it has it and I'm not aware of it. However, it needs a permanent sharing location for when projects can get stored and can be a collaboration space as opposed to only a meeting space."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The pricing of this solution is fine and I am satisfied with it."
"The price of the license for the solution could be less expensive."
"There is a need to pay the licensing charges to use Webex Enterprise Edition."
"Price is the one area where Webex needs to improve relative to its competitors. It's difficult to sell to small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) because of the license price."
"The tool is expensive."
"I have recently switched to a different solution. WebEx is more costly. There are equivalent solutions at a lower cost."
"For me, there is no licensing fee."
"There is a subscription needed to use this solution and we pay approximately $5,000 per year."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Meetings solutions are best for your needs.
920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
16%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise25
Large Enterprise72
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Polycom RealPresence Desktop?
There is probably room for improvement in interoperability.
What is your primary use case for Polycom RealPresence Desktop?
We use the desktop. It was used in the same case. We use it with our partners.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Webex?
My experience with Webex pricing, setup, and licensing has generally been positive. Since Webex is offered as a cloud-based service, deployment and onboarding were relatively straightforward compar...
What needs improvement with Webex?
I would appreciate clearer controls for switching between shared applications during a presentation, with a more prominent indication of exactly what participants can see. I would also appreciate h...
What is your primary use case for Webex?
My main use case for Webex is for conference calls, workshops, and team meetings. I use Webex for communication and collaboration at work, valuing the ability to discuss technical topics directly w...
 

Also Known As

RealPresence Desktop
Cisco Spark
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

John Laing, China Daily, Lincoln Fire and Rescue, NATO Communications and Information Agency, NHS Home Dialysis, Silver Chain, South Carolina Department of Mental Health, nimed
Seagate Technology, Kohn Pedersen Fox, World Vision International, Glen Raven, University of Notre Dame, CEV Multimedia, The Food Group, LUMEDX, California Baptist University, and Georgetown University Law Center.
Find out what your peers are saying about Zoom Video Communications, TeamViewer, Microsoft and others in Virtual Meetings. Updated: October 2026.
920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.