Help Lightning vs. Skype (discontinued)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Help Lightning
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Help Lightning in Birmingham aims to reimagine how businesses, customers and employees are able to give and receive help using Virtual Expertise. The vendor states their merged reality adds missing visual cues, gestures, and non-verbal communication methods to any session. While providing remote assitance, users simply simply reach into a device's field of view and a colleague will see the user's hand merged into their field of view. Users can telestrate, freeze images, use hand gestures,…
$75,000
per year
Skype (discontinued)
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
Skype (the personal edition or Skype free) was a web meeting, video conferencing, and VoIP software, now superseded by Microsoft Teams' free edition and unsupported from May 2025.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
Help LightningSkype (discontinued)
Editions & Modules
Enterprise
$75,000
per year per installation
United States Subscription
$2.99
per month
North America Subscription
$6.99
per month
India Subscription
$7.99
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Help LightningSkype (discontinued)
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsSolutions are available as an annual subscription and the pricing is based on the number of licenses. The price per license will vary based on the number of experts providing help and the number of technicians or engineers needing help.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Help LightningSkype (discontinued)
Features
Help LightningSkype (discontinued)
Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Product A and Product B
Help Lightning
-
Ratings
Skype (discontinued)
6.7
138 Ratings
17% below category average
High quality audio00 Ratings7.2135 Ratings
High quality video00 Ratings7.5133 Ratings
Low bandwidth requirements00 Ratings6.0130 Ratings
Mobile support00 Ratings6.1118 Ratings
Screen Sharing
Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Product A and Product B
Help Lightning
-
Ratings
Skype (discontinued)
6.4
119 Ratings
21% below category average
Desktop sharing00 Ratings6.2118 Ratings
Whiteboards00 Ratings6.660 Ratings
Online Meetings / Events
Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Product A and Product B
Help Lightning
-
Ratings
Skype (discontinued)
6.3
118 Ratings
26% below category average
Calendar integration00 Ratings6.385 Ratings
Meeting initiation00 Ratings6.8106 Ratings
Integrates with social media00 Ratings4.965 Ratings
Record meetings / events00 Ratings7.077 Ratings
Slideshows00 Ratings6.568 Ratings
Online Events Collaboration
Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Help Lightning
-
Ratings
Skype (discontinued)
5.8
111 Ratings
33% below category average
Live chat00 Ratings6.1110 Ratings
Audience polling00 Ratings5.764 Ratings
Q&A00 Ratings5.762 Ratings
Online Events Security
Comparison of Online Events Security features of Product A and Product B
Help Lightning
-
Ratings
Skype (discontinued)
7.5
101 Ratings
7% below category average
User authentication00 Ratings8.888 Ratings
Participant roles & permissions00 Ratings7.183 Ratings
Confidential attendee list00 Ratings6.560 Ratings
VoIP system collaboration
Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Help Lightning
-
Ratings
Skype (discontinued)
6.9
4 Ratings
9% below category average
Video conferencing00 Ratings6.54 Ratings
Audio conferencing00 Ratings7.24 Ratings
Video screen sharing00 Ratings6.24 Ratings
Instant messaging00 Ratings7.74 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Help LightningSkype (discontinued)
Small Businesses
Getscreen.me
Getscreen.me
Score 9.6 out of 10
Intermedia AnyMeeting Pro
Intermedia AnyMeeting Pro
Score 7.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Action1
Action1
Score 9.5 out of 10
JioMeet
JioMeet
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Remote Desktop Manager
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.5 out of 10
Webex Meetings
Webex Meetings
Score 8.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Help LightningSkype (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.3
(140 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(5 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
6.0
(4 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(42 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Help LightningSkype (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
Help Lightning
I think that there are different scenarios where the platform can be used, an example is the realization of remote consultancies, individually or in the group. In this sense, I must highlight that it is great whenever you need to work with other people while sharing information, videos, or specific content.
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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.
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Pros
Help Lightning
  • Sharing graphics, images and other resources.
  • Connect remotely with different experts.
  • Favors team work, even remotely.
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.
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Cons
Help Lightning
  • It needs a strong network or signal connection.
  • Nothing else.
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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.
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Likelihood to Renew
Help Lightning
No answers on this topic
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.
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Usability
Help Lightning
No answers on this topic
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.
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Support Rating
Help Lightning
No answers on this topic
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.
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Implementation Rating
Help Lightning
No answers on this topic
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.
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Alternatives Considered
Help Lightning
I think it is very important to make it clear that most of these tools compliment and complement each other rather than oppose or surpass each other. In this sense, it is important to know when to apply one or the other, in addition to taking the time to get to know them thoroughly and master their functionalities. However, the different tools that Help Lightning contain put it above most platforms used for remote conferencing.
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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
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Professional Services
Help Lightning
No answers on this topic
Discontinued Products
The service provided is up to date, as discussed before buying.
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Return on Investment
Help Lightning
  • Makes work team better, even remotely.
  • Allows to share important information and get constantly retro alimentations.
  • Helps us to respect the Covid-19 prevention measures, while continue working.
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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.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Help Lightning Screenshots

Screenshot of Help Lightning's AR-enabled Remote Visual Guidance software.Screenshot of An expert providing help can reach into the field of view of an onsite technician or customer.Screenshot of Common tools can also be brought into the field of view to help solve problems.Screenshot of Product experts can work virtually side-by-side with anyone, anywhere in the world.Screenshot of Help Lightning supports problem solving involving complex and critical equipment.