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Cisco IP Phones vs. MiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco IP Phones

    Score9 out of 10
    N/ACisco began developing voice over IP (VoIP) communications and collaboration solutions in 1997. Currently, Cisco states they have more than 100,000 unified communications customers worldwide. The modern Cisco IP Phone portfolio includes VoIP and HD video phones designed to meet the needs of organizations.N/A

    MiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)

    Score3 out of 10
    N/AMiCloud Connect, or ShoreTel, was a business communications solution for contact centers that included features like IP PBX telephony service, desk phones, softphone, and collaboration tools. It was acquired by RingCentral in early 2026, and discontinued, with customers being moved to RingCentral's MVP platform.N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco IP PhonesMiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco IP PhonesMiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco IP PhonesMiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    70 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    58 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    69 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    98%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    56 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    97%
    Implementation went as expected
    58 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Cisco IP PhonesMiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    Cloud PBX
    Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Cisco IP Phones and MiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco IP Phones
    -
    Ratings
    MiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    8.2
    27 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Hosted PBX00 Ratings7.515 Ratings
    Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)00 Ratings8.315 Ratings
    User templates00 Ratings8.016 Ratings
    Call reports00 Ratings8.621 Ratings
    Directory of employee names00 Ratings8.327 Ratings
    Call Management
    Comparison of Call Management features of Cisco IP Phones and MiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco IP Phones
    -
    Ratings
    MiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    8.6
    28 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Answering rules00 Ratings9.024 Ratings
    Call recording00 Ratings8.323 Ratings
    Call park00 Ratings8.626 Ratings
    Call screening00 Ratings8.622 Ratings
    Message alerts00 Ratings8.323 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Cisco IP Phones and MiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco IP Phones
    -
    Ratings
    MiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    7.6
    23 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Video conferencing00 Ratings8.08 Ratings
    Audio conferencing00 Ratings9.023 Ratings
    Video screen sharing00 Ratings7.04 Ratings
    Instant messaging00 Ratings6.75 Ratings
    Mobile apps
    Comparison of Mobile apps features of Cisco IP Phones and MiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco IP Phones
    -
    Ratings
    MiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    6.2
    15 Ratings
    24% below category average
    Mobile app for iOS00 Ratings8.014 Ratings
    Mobile app for Android00 Ratings4.512 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco IP PhonesMiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    CallFire
    Score9.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Polycom Trio
    Score7.3 out of 10
    Fuze
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Unified IP Phone 6900 Series
    Score7.9 out of 10
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    Score8.3 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco IP PhonesMiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (70 ratings)
    8.3
    (63 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    8.6
    (42 ratings)
    Usability
    8.7
    (14 ratings)
    8.0
    (21 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (27 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.1
    (9 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.8
    (57 ratings)
    3.5
    (16 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (3 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    2.0
    (12 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.6
    (30 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (3 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.6
    (5 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco IP PhonesMiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    We have found so many use cases for Cisco IP Phones and have not come across too many situations where they were not well suited, other than being mobile. We have moved to another Cisco Solution for Mobile communications. We have phones all over the place, in offices, in clinical areas, in lobby or public areas, and even in all of our conferencing and meeting spaces.
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Mitel is excellent at allowing me as a user to setup up custom call routing in response to rapidly changing work flows. If I need to work from home for a period due to medical or other reasons, logging into Mitel and setting my office phone to ring through to my home or cell is quick and simple. Changing back is just as quick.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • Vibrant display
    • Retains mute functionality between headset and speakerphone
    • Consistent and incredibly clear audio
    • Energy saving mode, during nighttime hours
    • Mute light is physically linked with the button and the feature, if that light is on, you KNOW you're muted!
    • Variety of customizable ringtones
    • Supports up to 10 lines, if needed
    • Built-in camera provides quick and easy access to join any meeting or call in 720p HD
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • The system up-time has been 100% over 3 years.
    • With separate systems and two locations we used to have to fake the system into 4 digit dialing by forwarding all remote extensions to DIDs. Now with Shortel extended to the remote location we have true 4 digit dialing.
    • The Shortel desktop application makes managing calls and call routing a breeze for even our most novice users.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • So while the 6800 range may not offer slick features, it still provides all the core functionality that businesses have come to expect from their VoIP handsets.
    • Most of the handsets that make up the 6800 series do come with a greyscale display, which may be disappointing if employees are used to working with color VoIP solutions.
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • There are persistent problems with the app's functionality on mobile devices.
    • At times, the web conferencing service may have delays. It appears to be less stable than competing approaches.
    • Using a headset instead of the microphone and speakers integrated into a desktop computer slows down the softphone's performance.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    i think it's profitable and a good return on investment as a person who make an architecture based on VOIP with IP phones i really enjoyed the process of configuration of the router , the switch and everything and then when i had to test the communication between two phones I've configured it was a joy. Also it's a good phone to receive and give calls to our clients.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Although the price is higher than some of the other Hosted systems out there, the value is definitely worth a renewal. Everything is relative: there are some companies out there who need phones, but don't necessarily care how they work, the functionality/features available/durability etc., they just care that they have phones that make and receive calls. There are other companies that are completely reliant on phones and certain functionality that is provided by the system. There are even some companies who are straight up dependent on the phone system and are losing tons of money anytime they are down, ShoreTel is the perfect fit for theSMB client who sees value in a solid,robust, reliable and high functioning phone system
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Cisco
    Easy to use Functions are self-explanatory Light Efficient I generally have no complaints about them as they get the job done. Just a few employments on maybe graphics or so otherwise they are really great 👍 no complaints... Maybe it is just because is just a user and doesn't implement them or something.
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    I have not used a wide array of communication software, but this far ShoreTel/MiCloud has been the simplest and easiest to get into. My work employs several temps at certain points throughout the year, and they use this piece of software frequently, and new hires seem to have little to no issue using this software. Additionally, this is our primary telephone communication infrastructure, and I have yet to encounter any issues when signed in and regularly using it handling external calls to our department.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    The system has gone down on us MULTIPLE times. We asked them to move us to a different cluster. Shoretel declined. Basically we had problems or outages every month of the year from June 2012 to date. Our old phone system was just that: OLD, no bells or whistles. But it was up every day and I never had to think about it much until it was time for an upgrade. That's how I want Shoretel to be. I want it so reliable that I never have to think about it.
    Read full review
    Performance
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    Even though the system uses a lower bandwidth connection we have experienced a higher call quality than our previous system which required a T1 line and back up broadband connection.
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    Support has always been friendly and quick. most reps are able to assist you on their own but if not they will escalate you to another engineer spending on the complexity or severity of your call. Over all I have always had fairly pleasant and respectful conversations with all the Cisco support representatives
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    ShoreTel Sky's support is amazing. The only reason why I didn't give it a 10 is that we still need to contact them for stuff that we should be able to do, for ourselves, within the management portal. I know their portal is being worked on, so hopefully they will get the "little things" included for self-management.
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    I attended the first ShoreTel installer class in Austin,TX. It was a week of intensive study with a live lab and having hands on experience made the class worthwhile. I have taken all of the sales courses and remaining technical courses either online or self study to keep costs down. I send my techs to the first installer course in Austin as I feel it gives them a solid foundation and most of teh other courses they have taken have been online.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    The training identified some things M5 (ShoreTel's cloud division) could provide, however it was only using it every day and asking the Shoretel support several questions that I got the hang of it. The training was able to highlight functions but I did not learn how to use the phone from the training.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    It's complex to set up but with the help of New Era we were able to do it quickly and efficiently
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Each of our locations has a dedicated ShoreTel router and managed QoS. With full management, it provides us a breath of space and bandwidth to use our resources in other means. Strongly consider the managed solution as you have to maintain more technical issues when hosting with your ISP. You have to make sure your ISP can provide you the best service for voice and data. Plug and 'hope' doesn't work with just routing your phones over any Internet connection....especially when your handsets run int he 100's
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    The 8800 series phone is lighter and has a better build quality with all except the flagship phones from Yealink, Mitel, and Avaya. The Yealink S59 and Avaya Vantage have a touch screen interface the make them more akin to the old DX650 which is more high-end than the 8800 currently.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Aptela. I chose M5 (ShoreTelSky) because their platform puts call quality first. Their system also uses Cisco endpoints, which are very compatible with the rest of my Cisco network. I also liked the fact that ShoreTelSky uses the internet only as a backup for transport; I use MPLS as my primary connectivity.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    I believe that ShoreTel can be used by a minimum company size of about 25 to almost any size of a company and this can be achieved while the company grows, hence makes it pretty scalable when required. For companies which are smaller in size i.e. smaller than 25, I am not sure how useful it would be, it may be depending upon the type of business
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • I set up the desk for new hires in our group - it is super easy to plug in this phone and have them up and running.
    • Having the ability to pre-program speed dial numbers ensures that new hires are able to reach help without having to search for a number.
    • The ability to program ring tones is great, so if we are in the shared space meeting and we hear a phone ring, we know who's phone is ringing - the meeting can go on without everyone leaving to check.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • At my branch alone, we are saving over $500 a month using Shoretel Sky versus the phone company we were using before them.
    • Shoretel Sky has increased customer service by allowing our employees to easily transfer a call to the proper department or branch no matter where they are located instead of giving the caller a phone number to call.
    • Most of our locations did not have caller ID before Shoretel Sky. That feature has increased employee efficiency because when they know who is calling before they answer allows them to professionally greet their caller and have their info up on their computer as they answer.
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Cisco IP Phones Screenshots

    Screenshot of Cisco IP Phone 8865 with One KEM, CharcoalProduct screenshotScreenshot of Cisco IP Phone 8800 Series Desk Family, charcoalScreenshot of Cisco IP Phone 8800 Series Desk Family, whiteScreenshot of Cisco IP Phone 8865 with IP 8800 Key Expansion Module, whiteScreenshot of Cisco IP Phone 8865 with IP 8800 Key Expansion Module, white

    MiCloud Connect / ShoreTel (discontinued) Screenshots

    Screenshot of ShoreTel ConnectScreenshot of Mobile AndroidScreenshot of Mobile iosScreenshot of Teamwork Android