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8x8 Express (discontinued) vs. Google Voice vs. Skype (discontinued)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    8x8 Express (discontinued)

    Score3 out of 10
    N/A8x8 Express was a cloud-based phone system that included unlimited calling within the U.S and Canada, HD video conferencing, business SMS and team chat, pre-configured. As of March 2023 8x8 Express is end of sale and no longer available.N/A

    Google Voice

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/AGoogle Voice is a free IP telephony service that provides users with one phone number that can be forwarded to multiple phones or devices. It includes features such as call forwarding, voicemail translation, text messaging, and voice calls. Fees may apply for international calling.

    $10

    per month

    Skype (discontinued)

    Score7.1 out of 10
    N/ASkype (the personal edition or Skype free) was a web meeting, video conferencing, and VoIP software, now superseded by Microsoft Teams' free edition and unsupported from May 2025.

    $2.99

    per month

    Pricing
    8x8 Express (discontinued)Google VoiceSkype (discontinued)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Starter
    $10
    per user/per month
    Standard
    $20
    per user/per month
    Premier
    $30
    per user/per month
    United States Subscription
    $2.99
    per month
    North America Subscription
    $6.99
    per month
    India Subscription
    $7.99
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    8x8 Express (discontinued)Google VoiceSkype (discontinued)
    Free Trial
    YesNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    8x8 Express (discontinued)Google VoiceSkype (discontinued)
    Considered Multiple Products
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    Google
    Chose Google Voice
    I chose Google Voice for their seamless integration. Calls and text bundle and email alerts. While Skype had great quality calls a long time ago, I noticed their support team is horrible with many bugs and crashes. The call logs on Skype were not registering and sometimes it …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    The integrations of Google Voice with all our devices are flawless, Android, iOS, Windows, Linux and Mac. Also, the call performance is far superior on wifi as well as on mobile data. With Skype, we had several problems with personal accounts, performance issues, and in …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    Google Voice is easier to use, but in Skype you can have local numbers in different countries (not only in the US).
    Skype call rates are lower than Google Voice's rates for non-US numbers, check the rates according to your predicted usage.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    Considering that Google Voice integrates well into the other Google services, it has clear benefits when sharing and accessing call information. Skype is always a pain to use for calls b/c, not everyone had it, but Google Voice works with any phone and most people already have …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    I haven't really used anything else that gives you a whole local phone number, so I can't speak to that, but there are other solutions like Skype or Zoom that can also do calling. These are nicer in a lot of ways but, again, are different tools designed for different purposes.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    Google Voice has much better call quality than Skype (and it's easier to use), and it's much less expensive than Zoom, which is a bit bloated for my needs. Also, Skype feels outdated and aged out - Voice is a hip product that seems better designed for the needs of producers …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    I found Google Voice much easier to set up a dedicated number than it was on Skype and cheaper. I had previously set up a dedicated number on Skype and although relatively cheap, I found setup complicated and it never did work seamlessly unlike Google Voice which took all of …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    Compared to Skype, GV is better. Not only is it a free alternative, it allows more customization, such as outgoing messages, which Skype ended without any warning (and my family lost ours of our then 3 year old son, which we were told is simply gone forever, although we'd have …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    It is more affordable than Skype for Business was. It is also more user-friendly as we have an older employee base.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    I see Skype for Business as a heavier, enterprise solution needing more backend admin support and training than Google Voice. Google Voice is just plain easy to use.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    None of the other small-scale VOIP systems I've tried came anywhere close to Google Voice. It is simple and simply works. Skype, on the other hand, is a bloated and convoluted junkpile of software which only barely operates, hogs resources, and puts advertisements in-app like …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    Google Voice performs similar communication activities compared to many other business service tools. However, one often must integrate other Google apps in order to fully experience the benefits that other platforms experience locally. Voice does have the benefit of merging …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    We have Cisco tools as a primary option for our VoIP needs due to it's more professional approach. However Google Voice has recently became a business level program as well. I'm happy to use it due to it's unique features and the flexibility as we always expect from Google.
    Incentivized
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    95%
    Would buy again
    41 Answers
    86%
    Would buy again
    85 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    41 Answers
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    80 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    91%
    Happy with the feature set
    39 Answers
    85%
    Happy with the feature set
    84 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    27 Answers
    84%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    53 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    97%
    Implementation went as expected
    35 Answers
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    70 Answers
    Features
    8x8 Express (discontinued)Google VoiceSkype (discontinued)
    Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
    Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of 8x8 Express (discontinued) and Google Voice and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    8x8 Express (discontinued)
    8.0
    6 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.2
    138 Ratings
    24% below category average
    High quality audio8.06 Ratings00 Ratings6.6135 Ratings
    High quality video8.03 Ratings00 Ratings7.2133 Ratings
    Low bandwidth requirements00 Ratings00 Ratings5.5130 Ratings
    Mobile support00 Ratings00 Ratings5.5118 Ratings
    Screen Sharing
    Comparison of Screen Sharing features of 8x8 Express (discontinued) and Google Voice and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    8x8 Express (discontinued)
    8.5
    2 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.2
    119 Ratings
    25% below category average
    Desktop sharing8.52 Ratings00 Ratings5.5118 Ratings
    Whiteboards00 Ratings00 Ratings6.860 Ratings
    Online Meetings / Events
    Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of 8x8 Express (discontinued) and Google Voice and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    8x8 Express (discontinued)
    8.7
    2 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.0
    118 Ratings
    31% below category average
    Calendar integration9.02 Ratings00 Ratings6.185 Ratings
    Meeting initiation8.02 Ratings00 Ratings6.3106 Ratings
    Record meetings / events9.02 Ratings00 Ratings7.077 Ratings
    Integrates with social media00 Ratings00 Ratings4.465 Ratings
    Slideshows00 Ratings00 Ratings6.268 Ratings
    Online Events Collaboration
    Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of 8x8 Express (discontinued) and Google Voice and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    8x8 Express (discontinued)
    8.5
    2 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    5.4
    111 Ratings
    40% below category average
    Live chat8.52 Ratings00 Ratings5.5110 Ratings
    Audience polling00 Ratings00 Ratings5.364 Ratings
    Q&A00 Ratings00 Ratings5.362 Ratings
    Online Events Security
    Comparison of Online Events Security features of 8x8 Express (discontinued) and Google Voice and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    8x8 Express (discontinued)
    9.3
    5 Ratings
    16% above category average
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    7.4
    101 Ratings
    9% below category average
    User authentication9.05 Ratings00 Ratings8.988 Ratings
    Participant roles & permissions9.54 Ratings00 Ratings7.183 Ratings
    Confidential attendee list00 Ratings00 Ratings6.260 Ratings
    Cloud PBX
    Comparison of Cloud PBX features of 8x8 Express (discontinued) and Google Voice and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    8x8 Express (discontinued)
    8.0
    6 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Google Voice
    5.3
    53 Ratings
    40% below category average
    Skype (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Hosted PBX7.54 Ratings6.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)8.05 Ratings3.027 Ratings00 Ratings
    Directory of employee names8.66 Ratings9.027 Ratings00 Ratings
    User templates00 Ratings1.419 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call reports00 Ratings7.046 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call Management
    Comparison of Call Management features of 8x8 Express (discontinued) and Google Voice and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    8x8 Express (discontinued)
    8.9
    6 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Google Voice
    8.4
    67 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Skype (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Answering rules9.06 Ratings8.546 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call recording9.05 Ratings8.152 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call park9.04 Ratings6.422 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call screening9.34 Ratings10.060 Ratings00 Ratings
    Message alerts9.25 Ratings9.065 Ratings00 Ratings
    Business SMS/External Messaging8.54 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Online Fax8.01 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Voicemail Transcription9.05 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile apps
    Comparison of Mobile apps features of 8x8 Express (discontinued) and Google Voice and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    8x8 Express (discontinued)
    9.6
    3 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Google Voice
    7.2
    63 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Skype (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Mobile app for iOS9.73 Ratings6.945 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile app for Android9.62 Ratings7.451 Ratings00 Ratings
    Unified Communications Platform and Collaboration
    Comparison of Unified Communications Platform and Collaboration features of 8x8 Express (discontinued) and Google Voice and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    8x8 Express (discontinued)
    7.1
    5 Ratings
    18% below category average
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Centralized communications management8.05 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Team messaging8.34 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Team document sharing6.01 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call and meeting analytics6.03 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of 8x8 Express (discontinued) and Google Voice and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    8x8 Express (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Google Voice
    7.5
    44 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.5
    4 Ratings
    12% below category average
    Video conferencing00 Ratings6.022 Ratings5.74 Ratings
    Audio conferencing00 Ratings8.039 Ratings6.54 Ratings
    Video screen sharing00 Ratings8.014 Ratings6.14 Ratings
    Instant messaging00 Ratings8.027 Ratings7.94 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    8x8 Express (discontinued)Google VoiceSkype (discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    Broadvoice | GoContact
    Score9.1 out of 10
    CallFire
    Score9.7 out of 10
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    Score9.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Webex Calling
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Fuze
    Score8.2 out of 10
    JioMeet
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Webex Calling
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Webex Meetings
    Score8.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    8x8 Express (discontinued)Google VoiceSkype (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.6
    (8 ratings)
    7.5
    (73 ratings)
    9.3
    (140 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.3
    (7 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (11 ratings)
    6.0
    (4 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    7.0
    (35 ratings)
    10.0
    (42 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    8x8 Express (discontinued)Google VoiceSkype (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Discontinued Products
    The 8x8 app is great and very user friendly and straightforward. Team Members can adjust their own setting as needed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    I do think Google Voice works well for organizations that do not have a support team meant to provide regular telephone support, and instead do so on an ad hoc basis. I would not recommend it for high-volume call activities, such as SDR motions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Having interacted with a new replacement tool, Microsoft Teams, it is challenging to recommend Skype, as it lacks some essential features, such as being less equipped with the latest updates, and it is not platform-independent, causing issues on PCs and phones, as well as during calls that might hinder work.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Discontinued Products
    • So easy to use!
    • Voicemail - can be accessed anywhere, includes transcription of the voicemail and an email message with the recording
    • Telephone services without all the fees of a landline service
    • Auto attendant, offering recordings of our messages
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • Google Voice has been great for setting up additional phone lines and numbers.
    • The voicemail inbox is a great feature and you can see when messages come in online and listen to the messages from your computer.
    • Google Voice allows us to have multiple phone numbers and lines for specific business purposes.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • The instant chat function is great. Very straightforward, easy to use, easy to learn, no technical issues.
    • Video calls are pretty easy also, user friendly and a mostly stable connection with no issues.
    • Voice calls are easy also, eliminates the need for an external landline or the need to use your cell phone. Clear connections, not really any dropped calls.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Discontinued Products
    • We are just starting to use the platform and using limited features at the moment and 8x8 is doing everything we need it to do.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • There has not been much innovation since the initial release.
    • It doesn't handle SMS well.
    • It does not natively integrate with CRM without legacy complication
    • It is not supported by Google as it once was
    • Call Recording is non-existent
    • Call-Tree or Virtual Auto-Attendant needs are not available
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Skype is a RESOURCE hog. People who have limited bandwidth will have poor call quality.
    • It is hard to figure out how to use emojis and upload images in the chat.
    • The background images do not fool anybody....it is clearly not your real background.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    Google Voice has been invaluable for us in our effort to provide exceptional customer service. With Google Voice, we have been able to increase our customer interactions while reducing the wait time to reach a live person on our team. We couldn't be more pleased with the way things have worked out since implementing Google Voice.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    I have given this rating as this need to give more than that as it's very helpful for us and makes our work more efficient and fast.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    I think it works really well in the arena it operates in, but not so well in areas where an enterprise system would be more appropriate. It's great for quick solutions that just work, but not so much for more complex call management tasks.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Skype is not as good as Facetime in terms of ease to glance at it and figure out how it works. I think that's a result of Skype trying to be too many things at once. A lot of the menu and UI could be streamlined, and I would jettison some of the additional functions that have been tacked on over the years to simplify. That being said, while some options are slightly hard to find, they all work flawlessly once found.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Discontinued Products
    If you get less than 4 phones you fall into the online only customer service. There were a couple of times that I could have used more assistance but figuring it out online was a bit of a hassle.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    They do not offer support unless you have the Business account for Google Voice under G Suite. This is tough, because Google doesn't really have a customer support team for this service, so when it gets shut down for a few hours, we have no choice but to wait it out. But this doesn't happen that often, which is great.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    I am not aware of the current support level for Skype for business, as I have never used even though I have the product. However, the support for Skype's personal paid users is not where it could be. Users who pay for Skype features do not have a clear path to reach out to support. So, rating 6, can be better as soon as I need to use Skype for business support and get a good experience. I will say that I will renew Skype for Business subscription, which is a significant inconsistency on my end. The explanation is that Skype for Business comes bundled with Office for Business, with no additional cost, so why not.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    It is a pretty seamless program to transfer to, even for people who either have little experience with these programs or people who were stuck on Skype
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    It can be used on the phone via mobile application as well as on the desktop by logging in to the website. Easily installed and ready to use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Discontinued Products
    8x8 has a much lower cost that avaya for the same features. 8x8 is a bit more user friendly than some other larger well established brands. It still uses industry standards in terminology and call flows to for anyone with voip experience its a pain free switch to make over.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    The integrations of Google Voice with all our devices are flawless, Android, iOS, Windows, Linux and Mac. Also, the call performance is far superior on wifi as well as on mobile data. With Skype, we had several problems with personal accounts, performance issues, and in general, it felt awkward to use it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    We use Skype in combination with Grasshopper. While Grasshopper acts as a routing toll free number with extensions, if we are making calls directly, we do it through Skype. Skype's desktop and mobile apps are easier to use, and provide unlimited local calls at a flat, affordable rate. Allowing our team to use their existing mobile or desktop devices without additional hardware for business office phone calls is important, and Skype makes that possible
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    Google Voice should be also be use to those who have difficulty in speaking English. So the contract term will need to be a little strict as Google Voice is used in navigations as the part of GPRS navigation is personal. The private data need to be in control much more securely and safely.
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Professional Services
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Google
    It help to connect with the products that we use as a part. We need to get in touch with our professional world. It is like a tool that helps us to get in touch with everything from A to Z in our professional careers. So we need to be in touch with everything as linearly as the jpb can be done.
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    The service provided is up to date, as discussed before buying.
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Discontinued Products
    • Being able to listen to phone calls when there is a discrepancy
    • Keeping the honest honest by knowing we can listen to calls
    • Easy to communicate internally, been very helpful and time saving
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • Cost for Google Voice is stellar, starting at $10/mo per user.
    • While it doesn't offer a new Audio/Video conferencing solution it does integrate with GSuite so it makes use of Google Calendar and Hangouts/ Google Meet.
    • Gets the employee's to use their company phone numbers more as texting is easy and deployment is simple.
    • The cell phone app is reliable and easy to deploy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Skype made keeping in touch with an advisor in Mexico very easy. The initiative there resulted in 5 new partnerships.
    • Skype has helped me with account management for at least 3 customers in LATAM--usually it's a fast way to answer a question about a support renewal.
    • For about 9 months Skype helped me stay in touch with a colleague in Prague. We would meet once a week to go over sales activities.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    8x8 Express (discontinued) Screenshots

    Product screenshot