Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued) vs. Vonage Business Communications

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Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.N/A
Vonage Business Communications
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Vonage Business Cloud is a communication solution aimed at small-midsize companies. It integrates with third party applications, and includes IP-PBX capabilities, video conferencing, and collaboration tools. Pricing starts at $19.99 per month and increases with the amount of phone lines needed.N/A
Pricing
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Vonage Business Communications
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Vonage Business Communications
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
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Vonage Business Communications
Considered Both Products
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)

No answer on this topic

Vonage Business Communications
Chose Vonage Business Communications
I know we were using Join.me and Skype for Business and looked into Zoom before going with Vonage - which has Chime built into the pricing.

As for competitors we looked at big guys like Verizon and Sprint (no thanks) and little guys that ran VoIPs... we wanted the VoIP solution …
Chose Vonage Business Communications
I haven't used anything else too closely related but Skype for Business has a lot of the same issues. Vonage's abilities and pros way outweigh the cons. I don't think I have heard of more viable software to fit our needs in the market right now. It has become essential to my …
Chose Vonage Business Communications
Offer flexible and scalable voice, messages, call recording, [and] video. Nothing to worry about to save [a] contact, there is no limit to add your contacts.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Vonage Business Communications
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
Vonage Business Communications
8.8
6 Ratings
7% above category average
High quality audio9.0191 Ratings8.66 Ratings
High quality video8.9185 Ratings9.03 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
Vonage Business Communications
8.1
3 Ratings
0% above category average
Desktop sharing9.0191 Ratings8.13 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)
9.3
188 Ratings
12% above category average
Vonage Business Communications
9.1
5 Ratings
11% above category average
Calendar integration9.9174 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Meeting initiation9.4182 Ratings8.44 Ratings
Integrates with social media8.182 Ratings00 Ratings
Record meetings / events9.0143 Ratings9.04 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)
7.5
173 Ratings
8% below category average
Vonage Business Communications
10.0
2 Ratings
23% above category average
Live chat8.5171 Ratings10.02 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
Vonage Business Communications
9.3
3 Ratings
18% above category average
User authentication9.0142 Ratings9.33 Ratings
Participant roles & permissions8.5148 Ratings9.33 Ratings
Confidential attendee list3.3109 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
Vonage Business Communications
-
Ratings
Video conferencing7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Audio conferencing8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Video screen sharing8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Instant messaging8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Cloud PBX
Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Vonage Business Communications
9.4
10 Ratings
13% above category average
Hosted PBX00 Ratings9.57 Ratings
Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)00 Ratings9.58 Ratings
Directory of employee names00 Ratings9.010 Ratings
Call Management
Comparison of Call Management features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Vonage Business Communications
8.7
11 Ratings
5% above category average
Answering rules00 Ratings8.911 Ratings
Call recording00 Ratings8.88 Ratings
Call park00 Ratings8.89 Ratings
Call screening00 Ratings8.99 Ratings
Message alerts00 Ratings7.911 Ratings
Business SMS/External Messaging00 Ratings8.36 Ratings
Online Fax00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Voicemail Transcription00 Ratings9.65 Ratings
Mobile apps
Comparison of Mobile apps features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Vonage Business Communications
8.4
11 Ratings
0% above category average
Mobile app for iOS00 Ratings8.711 Ratings
Mobile app for Android00 Ratings8.18 Ratings
Unified Communications Platform and Collaboration
Comparison of Unified Communications Platform and Collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Vonage Business Communications
8.9
5 Ratings
12% above category average
Centralized communications management00 Ratings8.55 Ratings
Team messaging00 Ratings8.75 Ratings
Team document sharing00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Call and meeting analytics00 Ratings9.54 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Vonage Business Communications
Small Businesses
ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting
Score 9.2 out of 10
Broadvoice | GoContact
Broadvoice | GoContact
Score 9.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting
Score 9.2 out of 10
Nextiva
Nextiva
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Webex Meetings
Webex Meetings
Score 8.4 out of 10
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Vonage Business Communications
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(198 ratings)
8.9
(28 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(7 ratings)
5.0
(2 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(14 ratings)
8.5
(5 ratings)
Support Rating
8.5
(40 ratings)
1.0
(11 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)Vonage Business Communications
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. :-)
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Vonage
Vonage Business Communications excels in scenarios requiring seamless remote work, such as virtual teams and remote workers. It's also ideal for businesses needing reliable disaster recovery solutions. However, it may be less appropriate for very small businesses with minimal communication needs or those with limited budgets, as the comprehensive features might be more than necessary.
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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.
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Vonage
  • Eliminates physical phone consoles that can be pricey and unnecessary for staff.
  • Has a companion app that allows you to use your personal cell phone to check messages or make calls.
  • The desktop application is easy to use and has a number of customizable settings so that the app can be minimized but alert you of incoming calls.
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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 .
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Vonage
  • The extension can only have three devices which is difficult if you work in multiple locations. Your cell phone is one of the three, so you really only get two. I have three office locations that I work out of and it would be nice to have my extension at each.
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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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Vonage
I think it will be renewed as overall it is a midrange product that mostly does what we need it to
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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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Vonage
I thought it had very practical and useful usability. It has a clean and simple interface with large fonts that make it easy to read. It isn't particularly difficult, although figuring out some operations may be a bit challenging. For the most part though, it isn't very difficult to use
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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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Vonage
We hardly have any issues with it to where we need to call them. There was a point where our connections across the board were terrible and it held us up in production quite a bit but since then things have been pretty simple and streamlined.
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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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Vonage
No answers on this topic
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
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Vonage
We believe Vonage Business Cloud is best for our organization over the AT&T and the Verizon platforms for several reasons including price, ease of use, connectivity, and other options. Since we have implemented this solution along with newer Polycom phones, we have had very few issues with our phones or our phone platform.
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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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Vonage
  • Cut down phone hardware expense since the soft phone is free and easier to use.
  • Text is becoming a more important and effective way to reach clients. Some will not answer a call or accept voicemail but respond quickly to text messages.
  • Allows me to work from anywhere with smart phone app saving hours at work.
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ScreenShots