Microsoft Teams vs. Polycom RealPresence Group Series

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Teams
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Teams combines video conferencing software with team collaboration tools. The communications platform allows MS Office users to conduct conference calls and share files via SharePoint, and join or initiate a group chat.
$5
per month
Polycom RealPresence Group Series
Score 6.1 out of 10
N/A
The Polycom RealPresence Group Series is a video conferencing codec that connects to a standards-based video conferencing infrastructure to allow users to make video conference calls. There are three products in the series – RealPresence Group 300, RealPresence Group 500, and RealPresence Group 700. It is certified to use with Office 365 and Skype for Business.N/A
Pricing
Microsoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
Editions & Modules
Free
$0.00
per user/per month
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
$5.00
per user/per month
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
$12.50
per user/per month
Office 365 E3
$20.00
per user/per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsDiscounts are available for non profit organizations.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Teams
Chose Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams was the best option for us because of its deep integration with other Microsoft products. It works seamlessly with the Office suite and makes collaboration and workflows with SharePoint and Flow possible in a way that other tools couldn't do or couldn't do as …
Polycom RealPresence Group Series
Chose Polycom RealPresence Group Series
We have used Microsoft Teams Rooms in some of our smaller huddle rooms that still require video, and this was due to the lower cost of the Microsoft Teams Room systems over the Polycom Presence Group series. The Microsoft Teams Rooms are perfect for small, less-used rooms, as …
Chose Polycom RealPresence Group Series
Polycom RealPresence Group Series stands head and shoulders above Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex Meetings both for dependability and robust delivery of function. One established the meetings were very hard to break apart but easy to end when so desired. The installation of …
Chose Polycom RealPresence Group Series
When I started at one of my jobs, they already have Lifesize VC equipment. It was nice, they worked and they were less expensive. But once we started transitioning things to Polycom it was a night/day difference. Some of our large conference rooms had audio issues that the …
Chose Polycom RealPresence Group Series
Polycom is the most flexible video conferencing hardware solution on the market. They provide a fantastic infrastructure but also have the option to directly register or convert to a cloud service endpoint!
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Microsoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Teams
7.2
183 Ratings
9% below category average
Polycom RealPresence Group Series
-
Ratings
Task Management7.5138 Ratings00 Ratings
Gantt Charts6.270 Ratings00 Ratings
Scheduling7.9154 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow Automation6.795 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Access8.0175 Ratings00 Ratings
Search7.4161 Ratings00 Ratings
Visual planning tools6.6112 Ratings00 Ratings
Communication
Comparison of Communication features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Teams
7.7
192 Ratings
4% below category average
Polycom RealPresence Group Series
-
Ratings
Chat8.8191 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications8.0190 Ratings00 Ratings
Discussions8.5178 Ratings00 Ratings
Surveys7.2105 Ratings00 Ratings
Internal knowledgebase7.0118 Ratings00 Ratings
Integrates with GoToMeeting7.147 Ratings00 Ratings
Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts6.243 Ratings00 Ratings
Integrates with Outlook8.8157 Ratings00 Ratings
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Teams
7.4
178 Ratings
9% below category average
Polycom RealPresence Group Series
-
Ratings
Versioning7.1122 Ratings00 Ratings
Video files7.5151 Ratings00 Ratings
Audio files7.6153 Ratings00 Ratings
Document collaboration8.1165 Ratings00 Ratings
Access control7.5149 Ratings00 Ratings
Advanced security features7.0111 Ratings00 Ratings
Integrates with Google Drive6.353 Ratings00 Ratings
Device sync8.0124 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
Small Businesses
Stackby
Stackby
Score 9.8 out of 10
Zoom
Zoom
Score 8.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger
Score 9.7 out of 10
Cisco Webex DX80 (discontinued)
Cisco Webex DX80 (discontinued)
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
HCL Connections
HCL Connections
Score 8.7 out of 10
Cisco Webex DX80 (discontinued)
Cisco Webex DX80 (discontinued)
Score 9.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
Likelihood to Recommend
8.1
(270 ratings)
7.7
(26 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
6.0
(9 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Usability
7.2
(52 ratings)
8.0
(3 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.3
(113 ratings)
8.3
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
6.2
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Professional Services
6.9
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft TeamsPolycom RealPresence Group Series
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Positive: The virtual workspace created for a work team within the same company, for the resemblance of information and communications in one place.Negative: The access for members of a non-profit organization who have external emails from the host but need the same access as an internal person since their volunteer work is part of the very core of the federation.
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Poly
If you're always working in the Polycom ecosystem then the Group Series codecs are reliable and the quality of the camera and microphones are extremely good. However, the system relies heavily on either having onsite server technology and/or cloud based bridging capability. In addition, the peripherals like cameras and microphones are quite expensive. Maintenance and support costs also make the ongoing investment a costly one
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Pros
Microsoft
  • Virtual meetings - ease of set up and execution
  • File sharing! We build channels for projects, and being able to invite only project members is huge!
  • Peer-to-peer communications - being able to "ping" one of my colleagues, either text, video or call-only, on-demand, is what runs our business.
Read full review
Poly
  • The audio and video quality can not be matched.
  • For the most part, they are rather simplistic in their use and just work. People don't usually have a hard time operating them
  • They are rather versatile in that we have been able to integrate them with other applications
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • The feature of notifications in the mobile application could be improved. Sometimes notifications of different teams are not visible and are only visible when the application is opened.
  • It uses lots of computational resources while running and thus, slows down the system sometimes.
  • It allows a few channels per team. The number of channels could be increased for better productivity.
Read full review
Poly
  • The only issue that we have experienced with Polycom RealPresence Group Series is the speed dial functionality. When attempting to use the speed dial buttons, the system occasionally sends a call through the computer system, not the phone. While the computer call option is valuable, not everyone can answer calls that way and we have had to do a manual lookup of an extension and call back when that happens.
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
Microsoft Teams is included with our Office 365 subscription and we have no intention of migrating off of Office 365 and Microsoft products. Since Microsoft Teams is included for free with our Office 365 subscription, and since we enjoy all the features, benefits, and functionality, there is no question that our team will continue to use the product
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Poly
We love the product and is totally integrated in our company.
Read full review
Usability
Microsoft
User experience has been much better than the previous Skype for Business app. It has an easy-to-use interface with persistent chats. The search feature is very fast and useful. MS Teams has mostly focused on Collaboration and team building features which are very useful for organizational communications. Since Teams is accessible from multiple platforms like Laptop, Desktop, Mobile phones, etc it has been very convenient from a Mobility perspective.
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Poly
The directory is slightly dated and unless you have a Skype for Business integration license, dialing users into a call is difficult. The Group Series Remote whilst minimalistic is actually more difficult to use than the previous HDX remote. Having to recharge the battery on the group series remote is both annoying and difficult as if you do not keep on top of it, you will be faced with a situation where the remote is not working and then have to try and find another one. Not ideal if you need to start a video call (assuming auto join has not been enabled in the admin portal).
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Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
Rare, but outages do happen
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Poly
No answers on this topic
Performance
Microsoft
Sometimes about once a week I get a message that says "Sorry, there seems to be something wrong". But it goes away in a few minutes.
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Poly
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Microsoft
Using Microsoft Teams has resulted in much faster business communications with both co-workers and consultants. There has been little need for support with this software as the interface is very intuitive and the product is overall very well designed. We did encounter an issue with the built-in phone service, however, this was quickly resolved by the support team.
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Poly
I can't say I've needed support more than a handful of times. One was for trying to connect a Polycom Conference phone and a Real Presence together. After a few months, we came to the conclusion it wasn't possible, that was the only frustrating occurance with support. Any other time if we needed to RMA a device, it was very smooth.
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Implementation Rating
Microsoft
I find everything I need for my day-to-day work.
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Poly
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Our company and IT department previously used Skype for our communication needs. Skype was not dependable in my opinion, because it seems each time I used it during a call and/or a meeting, I and several other team members would get disconnected more than once. This caused a great interruption of our meeting, caused team members to have to ask others to repeat themselves and caused a general lack of interest in employee attendance during meetings.
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Poly
Polycom RealPresence Group Series stands head and shoulders above Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex Meetings both for dependability and robust delivery of function. One established the meetings were very hard to break apart but easy to end when so desired. The installation of the devices, the training of technicians, and end-users were both intuitive and easy to manage, where the same interactions with Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex In my opinion, and experience, were challenging to work through.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Microsoft
Honestly, this tool is worth every penny. Yes, it's not free and you pay for the quality of services and the license. But the ROI and the benefits are all there. Also, the renewal, negotiation, and contract terms are all very well explained by our Microsoft account manager, and she's a charm.
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Poly
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Microsoft
It does not appear to have a limit to how many teams and employees we can have using it
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Poly
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
Microsoft
I used Skype for Business to take calls, hold conferences, and provide remote assistance to users. Microsoft Teams, on the other hand, is superior to Skype for Business in my opinion. My job entails a lot of screen sharing.
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Poly
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • I'm not sure I can point to a specific ROI, but it has improved our ability to communicate and work more effectively together.
  • It's also nice to have records of every interaction, photo, and document that has been shared. Less chance of something completely disappearing.
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Poly
  • Once pexip integrates Polycom/skype this will be a big win for us due to the RPTouch integrating the "one - touch join". This will increase adoption of video greatly.
  • Before the Group series with peripherals was implemented the cost of a video room was twice what it is today. Massive win.
  • Due to provisioning and automated firmware the IT involvement has been greatly reduced. No longer is there a need for manual changes to individual endpoints.
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ScreenShots