Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) vs. Slack

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.N/A
Slack
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Slack is a group messaging or team collaboration app that aims to simplify communication for businesses. Features include open discussions, private groups, and direct messaging, as well as deep contextual search and message archiving, and file sharing. Slack integrates with a number of other tools, such as MailChimp, Dropbox, and Google Drive. Slack was acquired by Salesforce in December 2020. The product is free to use, and also has paid plans with more features and greater controls. The…
$0
per month per user
Pricing
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Slack
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Free
$0
Pro
$7.25*
per month per user
Business+
$12.50*
per month per user
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Slack
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details*Per active user, per month, when paying once a year. Pro is $8.75 USD per active user when paying month to month. Business+ is $15.00 USD per active user when paying month to month.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Slack
Considered Both Products
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business is easier to maintain in an all Microsoft environment. It syncs better with the AD and Outlook. Video and Audio calls are way better than the beta on Slack. On the mobile apps side, Slack clearly wins. Skype for Business has a really bulky apps on either …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Most people are familiar with Skype (having personally used it), and Skype for Business has an approachable learning curve. It's also functional across multiple platforms and well-supported for smartphones, which makes it an easy choice when onboarding new clients/vendors. It …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
I have to use Skype for Business because its the only "approved" IM client. I also use Slack and there are some better collaboration options with Slack. Plus Slack is more fun to work in. But it doesn't integrate with anything else we have so it can not be fully used by everyone.
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Slack has a bit higher sound quality on calls but does not have a very comfortable GUI and not very good notification sounds. On the other hand, you can connect several accounts to Slack client, as for Skype for Business you can connect only one account and run only one …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
It is easier to chat on Slack and whatsapp.Skype For Business is much better for video collaboration that ClickMeeting. We have a problem with ClickMeeting because it uses Flash technology and not every browser supports this technology well. I think that long-term we will use Sk…
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Slack has a highly loved functionality, the channels. This is really missing from Skype for Business, but other than that, functionality wise, they pretty much the same, and Skype for Business does a great job when it comes to communication and collaboration. The integration …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
I personally like to use Slack for quick meetings with my colleagues. It feels intuitive, fast, and has good screen-sharing functionality. Google Hangouts is another similar tool that I have used. It has worked well and I have not had any problems with it.
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
I wouldn't have selected Skype. I feel GoToMeeting had license issues for the company we used it in and billing issues. Zoom was effective most of the time but didn't have easy interpersonal communication. Slack has instant messaging, but not video chat. In theory, Skype …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business was selected because it was a legacy tool in our organization. It will be replaced with Microsoft Teams in the next year or so. This is a welcomed change. Teams is much more current, engaging, and offers more capabilities and intonations with other O365 …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Depending on what you wish to use it for, I believe there are better options out there than Skype for business. For an IM service, Slack is a lot more streamlined and user friendly. It is also a lot more customisable. Google Hangouts / Google Meet is a good alternative for …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
The three are great tools, but each one have its set of benefits. Lync it's getting out of market, but certainly it still has a great market to those companies that are not worried with external communication, for example. Teams and Slack, have already this approach, but both …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business and Slack are actually very similar, Slack allows you to use gifs on your messages. Skype for Business has been used by my company for a long time and some people just got very used to that. Other than that, many partners also use Skype for Business as only …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business is more limited than Microsoft Teams or Slack but it was already in place at the organization and thus was the solution we continued to use. Teams has a more complete integration with the Microsoft suite of products and the same is true with Slack and …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
This app integrates the features and functionality of Slack and Zoom into one app. This, when coupled with other MS platforms like Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, and others makes this app a very compelling option when compared to others.
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business makes it easier to group contacts and receive offline/online notifications. It is a great way to make small-group contacts and discuss things over text and phone. It makes business calls more manageable and more interactive to organize. It's helpful if I need …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype enables me to have a conversation with people worldwide via calls or messaging, which is extremely convenient. We can share our work or presentation during the call by sending files, images, and even screen sharing. As a result of its superior video and audio quality, …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Most of the above applications are more suited to the newer age smaller companies that can experiment and switch. Our primary use case for Skype for [Business] was an enterprise software for large-scale communication using Microsoft's suite of products and authentication at a …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
We're working to transition away from Skype for Business and onto one of the alternatives. Working with Skype for Business, many of the features feel "last-gen" and while it's not terrible and it gets the job done, the alternatives have more team collaboration utilities and …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
It’s the most used tool in each company and I had to interact within my career on this software many times. Already part of the package of Office 365, it’s formally the most common step to learn the management role. It can be the great launch of your business growth and a …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business worked best for our company as it was easy to sync our calendars to Skype. It's been a great software to use to communicate within the company.
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for business is just a professional tool compared to all competitors.
There are no things that will distract you from finishing your daily tasks unlikely from competitors which are trying to make mix of Fun and Business, but my personal opinion is that a Business tool …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
I think others are easier to use and have the same capabilities. I only use Skype for business because some clients don't have any other alternatives.
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Slack and Chatter have great adoption here, for many reasons, including the persistent chat and because it is so easy to deploy.

BUT, there is no real working Windows clients for those solutions, while Skype for Business is available on almost all platforms. Using a web browser …
Slack
Chose Slack
Simply put, Slack is a much more robust and comprehensive tool.
  • Conversations & discussions in Slack can easily be reviewed & are searchable. Skype for Business doesn't offer this.
  • Slack offers a clear-cut "Workplace Directory" that's easy to use. Skype for Business didn't quite …
Chose Slack
Slack is a much better product, in my opinion! It’s much easier to use than other products, even though it may be similar enough. I would rather use it than any other product like Slack. Our team loves it and it integrates well with other apps like Asana or gmail.
Chose Slack
Slack has message history unlike Skype. Also Slack has the ability to share large files, have automations, remainders, schedule messages, integration with multiple tools etc. Whereas Skype does not have all these features. Teams takes up a lot of system resources. Whereas Slack …
Chose Slack
Slack is an integral solution for team communication, with an easy to use interface, intuitive access to its different modules, and lighter than its closest competitors. Even though more resource consuming than Google Chat, all the additional features justify the cost-benefit.
Th…
Chose Slack
Because with monday you can only handle your tasks and manage them while with Slack on top of that you can have a one-on-one conversation with your coworkers, you can schedule different uses and you can include apps so you have everything in one app. I'm happy using Slack for …
Chose Slack
Microsoft Teams, Google Chat and Skype for Business were no match for Slack's features, ease of use and integrations. The other products feel like an afterthought or bundle as part of a more extensive offering, so they can't compete with Slack. Slack is easy to use for novice …
Chose Slack
i didn't choose Slack - Slack chose me. i am familiar with Skype but i don't know all its functionalities so i cannot say if Slack is better or not. i feel like Skype lags a lot and takes up too much space when replying to another message. Rocket.Chat is great. it could have …
Chose Slack
Besides Slack, I have tried using Skype and WhatsApp Business for chat platforms, but they aren't as intuitive or natural feeling to use, and they don't feel like they belong in the business setting. Skype feels old school, and though the video feature is always readily …
Chose Slack
Slack is selected by bigger organizations. There is much more flexibility in organizing group chat, team groups. Each notification can be easily noticed and replying is faster. The mobile app is very user-friendly. I enjoyed using it while I'm away from my laptop. I can see and …
Chose Slack
Slack is very good compared to many other tools and I feel that it is much better and user-friendly than other platforms that I have used. slack is good with communicating and a majority of our projects come out with great success and very few options for room for improvement
Chose Slack
Slack has way more features than Skype. On Skype, you could only chat, send files & do video calls. Whereas in Slack, everything looks much more personalized. You could collapse channels & DMs so it's not too crowded on the app. You could set a status and integrate lots of …
Chose Slack
I currently have not searched for other vendors compared to slack. Slack has a great reputation and has been with 120WaterAudit for quite some time now. It is fully integrated into our company and everyone has a good time using all of its functions and the ease of use.
Chose Slack
Skype is good for calls/video, but not history retention. Sharing files isnt that great either.
Chose Slack
You can have multiple teams for a single user account. Most of times will use only one team, though, with multiple channels within it for further discussion levels. Slack permits a lot of third-party service integration.
You can fine-tune notifications to only send you an alert …
Chose Slack
Having had to use Skype/Lync in a former life as a Fortune 100 contractor, I can say that Slack's ease-of-use, customizability, and solid integrations with online tools puts it far ahead. It's nice to not be beholden to the Microsoft Stack for every little thing, as well. …
Chose Slack
Slack is mobile-friendly, whereas Lync/Skype was not mobile-friendly. Communication is a bit easier especially being able to be mobile with Slack
Chose Slack
Skype was a great product too. It's entirely a paid product. Whereas Slack lets you use it for free just that it will not save the chat history after a few days. Group chatting is very easy in Slack. Also, polling can be easily done. You don't have to use any external software …
Chose Slack
Slack has more features and provides higher quality of calls. Also media can be shared easily and be managed apart from messages. For software developers, Slack provides more features than other products, like sharing code snippets, files, and scripts. Slack also has the …
Chose Slack
Slack works a lot better than its alternatives. It has smart notifications and a lot less bugs. It is easy to search through messages and files. Also you can pin the message in the channel and start a thread from any message you want in order not to bother others with your reply.
Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Features
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Slack
Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
8.0
195 Ratings
1% above category average
Slack
-
Ratings
High quality audio9.0191 Ratings00 Ratings
High quality video8.9185 Ratings00 Ratings
Low bandwidth requirements5.2181 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile support9.0146 Ratings00 Ratings
Screen Sharing
Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
7.1
191 Ratings
10% below category average
Slack
-
Ratings
Desktop sharing9.0191 Ratings00 Ratings
Whiteboards5.2120 Ratings00 Ratings
Online Meetings / Events
Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
9.2
188 Ratings
11% above category average
Slack
-
Ratings
Calendar integration9.9174 Ratings00 Ratings
Meeting initiation9.4182 Ratings00 Ratings
Integrates with social media8.182 Ratings00 Ratings
Record meetings / events9.0143 Ratings00 Ratings
Slideshows9.9115 Ratings00 Ratings
Online Events Collaboration
Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
7.6
173 Ratings
7% below category average
Slack
-
Ratings
Live chat8.6171 Ratings00 Ratings
Audience polling7.194 Ratings00 Ratings
Q&A7.094 Ratings00 Ratings
Online Events Security
Comparison of Online Events Security features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
6.9
156 Ratings
16% below category average
Slack
-
Ratings
User authentication9.0142 Ratings00 Ratings
Participant roles & permissions8.5148 Ratings00 Ratings
Confidential attendee list3.4109 Ratings00 Ratings
VoIP system collaboration
Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
7.8
1 Ratings
1% above category average
Slack
-
Ratings
Video conferencing7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Audio conferencing8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Video screen sharing8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Instant messaging8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Slack
8.1
508 Ratings
5% above category average
Task Management00 Ratings8.1335 Ratings
Gantt Charts00 Ratings6.961 Ratings
Scheduling00 Ratings8.0281 Ratings
Workflow Automation00 Ratings8.4310 Ratings
Mobile Access00 Ratings9.4489 Ratings
Search00 Ratings8.4491 Ratings
Visual planning tools00 Ratings7.8204 Ratings
Communication
Comparison of Communication features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Slack
8.8
517 Ratings
10% above category average
Chat00 Ratings9.7517 Ratings
Notifications00 Ratings9.1513 Ratings
Discussions00 Ratings9.4502 Ratings
Surveys00 Ratings8.1325 Ratings
Internal knowledgebase00 Ratings7.8322 Ratings
Integrates with GoToMeeting00 Ratings8.9110 Ratings
Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts00 Ratings8.7182 Ratings
Integrates with Outlook00 Ratings8.8120 Ratings
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Slack
8.6
489 Ratings
8% above category average
Versioning00 Ratings8.2251 Ratings
Video files00 Ratings8.7439 Ratings
Audio files00 Ratings8.8430 Ratings
Document collaboration00 Ratings8.2340 Ratings
Access control00 Ratings8.3330 Ratings
Advanced security features00 Ratings8.4285 Ratings
Integrates with Google Drive00 Ratings9.0211 Ratings
Device sync00 Ratings9.1361 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Slack
Small Businesses
ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting
Score 9.4 out of 10
Stackby
Stackby
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting
Score 9.4 out of 10
Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Webex Meetings
Webex Meetings
Score 8.4 out of 10
HCL Connections
HCL Connections
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Slack
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(198 ratings)
9.4
(518 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(7 ratings)
9.8
(24 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(14 ratings)
9.2
(132 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.5
(40 ratings)
7.7
(67 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.0
(2 ratings)
8.4
(4 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Slack
Likelihood to Recommend
Discontinued Products
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams is a remote/virtual team collaboration tool must have...especially if you already use Microsoft tools. Of course, since it now part of an MS 365 subscription, it really doesn't make sense to use anything else. It is easy to use and just works. I'm not sure how anyone who works with digital files/documents and needs to work with other people doing similar work can be effective without such a tool. Of course, there are a number of alternatives like Zoom or Webex, but why pay or use another separate tool if you don't need to. :-)
Read full review
Salesforce
Slack is definitely well suited according to my experience of using it for over 6 years to be the best platform to have short quick huddles and catch up sessions with your team, More especially if your work environment is a WFH set up. you can easily direct message a colleague regarding something that needs quick attention. making calls is easy and you can basically present a presentation to your team quickly and easy by sharing your screen with them easily. its basically the future
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Pros
Discontinued Products
  • Instant messaging to anyone who we know only by name/email. Even if they're offline, they get the message in missed convos and a notification automatically goes to them via Outlook mail. All conversations are saved and accessible via Outlook.
  • Video and voice calls are a norm in the WFH scenario, and an average employee has around 4-5 calls a day. Skype gives notifications for upcoming meetings, allows easy scheduling via outlook calendar, and its audio/video quality [is] reasonably good compared to the amount of data it consumes.
  • Status availabilities - in the WFH scenario, you could be off for lunch, out of office, busy, sharing screens - and might not want to be disturbed. Skype allows you to do that, and in case you're off, ensures that you know that you have missed messages.
  • Screen sharing - we have to share screens at least once or twice a day with a coworker when working on some issues/features, and Skype easily lets us do that. One of the best things about Skype is that the screen can be shared without being on a video/voice call - which is of immense advantage because oftentimes, you could prefer sharing the screen, while it [is] too noisy to talk.
Read full review
Salesforce
  • Slack workflows which helps to automate day to day or weekly tasks
  • Slack Huddle which helps to communicate within the app and also the chat is saved in thread
  • Slack To Do Lists which helps to manage small projects
  • Slack Canvas to keep the whole team on the same page
Read full review
Cons
Discontinued Products
  • Connection issues can be hard to diagnose when they come up(as some knowledge of server information may be needed to reestablish as the connection troubleshooting options on the sky are not as user-friendly as the rest of the platform.
  • Some issues setting up camera/sound could use more info on troubleshooting options with playback sound, video, etc.
  • Statuses sometimes are unreliable and do not display correctly .
Read full review
Salesforce
  • Wish I could organize my "save for later" items into folders. It would be nice to store all of the golden nuggets of information I learn. Even better if we could export it out into a word doc to turn into a real article or resource!
  • Use AI to help us find themes around topics and prepare a summary every week/end of day/month so that the entire team can absorb all conversations into one clean space
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Likelihood to Renew
Discontinued Products
The software is simple to install and configure. It is rather simple to explain for correct use. It is possible to profile users for the different functions offered. It is integrated quite completely with Outlook and with Active Directory security. It performs all communication functions well with one or more interlocutors and the possibility of granting control of your computer is convenient.
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Salesforce
To be more transparent, I give 10 because Slack serves our collaboration needs. It provide us a good platform for team communication relaying important update within the company, it has even mobile app where you can install in your phone to monitor any updates within that team that needs your immediate attention and intervention.
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Usability
Discontinued Products
Very easy to use. Even though Microsoft Teams has a lot of features and integrations, as a user I feel completely comfortable on finding what I need, getting information about the app extensions and using them. It's a very comprehensive tool, intuitive design and does not make me feel tired to be using it. I am glad with the current experience.
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Salesforce
At the basic surface, Slack does deliver everything we need - easy to handle, easy to understand. But, as I said earlier, there are the more complex parts which demand more of us and some of them even lack information about how to be used, which is frustrating. If we could have maybe a section with instructions, or maybe if you make the features easier to use, it would be awesome.
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Reliability and Availability
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
Salesforce
Yes, the app works 24/7. I don't even recall having any period that we could not use since the implementation. Even the maintenance periods are barely noticeable and our work is not impacted by it when it happens.
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Performance
Discontinued Products
No answers on this topic
Salesforce
Slack is a soft app, we don't have many issues with it. I recall one or two people complaining about something during our usage period, but I didn't have a bad experience. When the app is slow, usually the problem is with my computer or my internet. The app works just fine.
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Support Rating
Discontinued Products
I have only had to reach out to the Support team at Skype for Business once with an issue, and I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the quickness and thoroughness of their response. The wait time was short and my question was dealt with politely and clearly, so I would say the support team has it together.
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Salesforce
I've never had to contact support for Slack which is a great testament to its ease and use. Adding people outside of the organization takes a little getting used to, but ultimately allows for greater collaboration between FTE and contractors. There is no clear alternative to this software, so it's the best we can do for now.
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Implementation Rating
Discontinued Products
Skpe for business is utilized company wide in regards to my company. Everyone not only uses it, but uses it often. It is an effective way of communicating. It also integrates very nicely with outlook and all conversation history is pushed to a folder within the outlook system. We also have it so that if someone misses a message, they are sent an email reminder saying that there is a message that went unread.
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Salesforce
I was not part of the implementation team, but I recall being 100% happy and excited to learn and use a new tool. I'm still am to be honest.
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Alternatives Considered
Discontinued Products
For the below reason I will always choose this app over its competitors: Better audio and video quality, Little to no disconnections or freezing when on a call/video conference Integrates well with mailbox/ calendar/ one drive, and SharePoint is easy to use
Read full review
Salesforce
Slack: It's easy to strike up a chat right away with one-click calls or huddles. By simply pressing the call button, both users are involved without the need to arrange a meeting. Microsoft Teams: With calendar invites, time slot choices, and numerous confirmation processes, scheduling even a basic one-on-one meeting can feel laborious.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Discontinued Products
  • Skype for Business has enabled a migration in part away from fixed line telephony and introduced the user to mobile working with a headset which cannot be overstated as being a game changer.
  • Being able to schedule Skype for Business meetings through Outlook has meant meetings with colleagues without a meeting room has been a great enabler.
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Salesforce
  • Slack has significantly improved communication within the organization by providing a platform for quick and instant messaging.
  • Teams can easily collaborate on different projects with Slack’s channels.
  • We have to use Google Drive to send large videos. Would have been good if it could be spent through Slack.
Read full review
ScreenShots