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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Skype (discontinued)

    Score7.1 out of 10
    N/ASkype (the personal edition or Skype free) was a web meeting, video conferencing, and VoIP software, now superseded by Microsoft Teams' free edition and unsupported from May 2025.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

    VMware Fusion

    Score7.4 out of 10
    N/AVmware Fusion is a virtual user session software built to run Windows applications on Macintosh to run any Windows applications.N/A
    Pricing
    Skype (discontinued)VMware Fusion
    Editions & Modules
    United States Subscription
    $2.99
    per month
    North America Subscription
    $6.99
    per month
    India Subscription
    $7.99
    per month
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Skype (discontinued)VMware Fusion
    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 (discontinued)VMware Fusion
    Considered Both Products
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    VMware by Broadcom
    Chose VMware Fusion
    Fusion seems to run better than Parallels. It also is much more user friendly and intuitive to use.
    Incentivized
    Chose VMware Fusion
    Speed and reliability. Easier to use Frequent updates
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    86%
    Would buy again
    85 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    80 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    85%
    Happy with the feature set
    84 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    84%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    53 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    70 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Skype (discontinued)VMware Fusion
    Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
    Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Skype (discontinued) and VMware Fusion
    Feature
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.2
    138 Ratings
    24% below category average
    VMware Fusion
    -
    Ratings
    High quality audio6.5135 Ratings00 Ratings
    High quality video7.2133 Ratings00 Ratings
    Low bandwidth requirements5.5130 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile support5.5118 Ratings00 Ratings
    Screen Sharing
    Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Skype (discontinued) and VMware Fusion
    Feature
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.2
    119 Ratings
    25% below category average
    VMware Fusion
    -
    Ratings
    Desktop sharing5.5118 Ratings00 Ratings
    Whiteboards6.860 Ratings00 Ratings
    Online Meetings / Events
    Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Skype (discontinued) and VMware Fusion
    Feature
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.0
    118 Ratings
    31% below category average
    VMware Fusion
    -
    Ratings
    Calendar integration6.185 Ratings00 Ratings
    Meeting initiation6.3106 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with social media4.465 Ratings00 Ratings
    Record meetings / events7.077 Ratings00 Ratings
    Slideshows6.268 Ratings00 Ratings
    Online Events Collaboration
    Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Skype (discontinued) and VMware Fusion
    Feature
    Skype (discontinued)
    5.3
    111 Ratings
    41% below category average
    VMware Fusion
    -
    Ratings
    Live chat5.5110 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audience polling5.364 Ratings00 Ratings
    Q&A5.362 Ratings00 Ratings
    Online Events Security
    Comparison of Online Events Security features of Skype (discontinued) and VMware Fusion
    Feature
    Skype (discontinued)
    7.4
    101 Ratings
    9% below category average
    VMware Fusion
    -
    Ratings
    User authentication8.988 Ratings00 Ratings
    Participant roles & permissions7.183 Ratings00 Ratings
    Confidential attendee list6.260 Ratings00 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Skype (discontinued) and VMware Fusion
    Feature
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.5
    4 Ratings
    12% below category average
    VMware Fusion
    -
    Ratings
    Video conferencing5.74 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audio conferencing6.54 Ratings00 Ratings
    Video screen sharing6.14 Ratings00 Ratings
    Instant messaging7.94 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Skype (discontinued)VMware Fusion
    Small Businesses
    ClickMeeting
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Parallels RAS
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    JioMeet
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Parallels RAS
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Webex Meetings
    Score8.7 out of 10
    VMware Workstation Player
    Score9.9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)VMware Fusion
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.3
    (140 ratings)
    8.0
    (20 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    6.0
    (4 ratings)
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (42 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Professional Services
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Skype (discontinued)VMware Fusion
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    Due to its perpetual licensing model, VMware Fusion is a great option for users whose needs do not change as much over time. It is also great for occasional-use scenarios such as testing and preparing code to run on newer platforms. Fusion is not really recommended for running graphics-intense applications as graphics acceleration in Fusion is fairly limited in both performance and API support. It has, however, come a very long way and offers near-native performance for many tasks.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    • Allows users to run Windows only applications on their Mac without switching devices.
    • Fusion is excellent for Windows image creation, and works exceptionally well on the Mac environment.
    • Assists a Mac user to virtualize Windows apps.
    • Excellent for installing Linux distros for penetration testing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    • With OSX - 10.14.1 and the latest version of Fusion - 11.0.2 the user interface has taken a step back IMHO.
    • I would like to see price decrease.
    • Better remote host connection capabilities - remote server connections are available but connections are spotty.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    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.
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    For Apple workstations VMware Fusion is the virtualization software to use. No other application (free or paid) can do what Fusion can. The features and constant updates make Fusion an application that cant be beat.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    I made an 8 because it's good in almost every aspect. As I said if you are on macos and you need both windows and linux I think is the best options out there. Otherwise if you need only windows there is a competitor that could be better for performance and integration.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    I have never contacted VMware, but there is a lot of support online on message boards, forums, StackOverflow, YouTube tutorial videos, and the like. VMware has been around nine years longer than its leading competitor, VirtualBox, although both seem to have a good presence of online user communities who can help solve issues that come up.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    This is a workstation application and no install insights are needed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    I've heard of other/competitive software but frankly once I tried VMware, I never looked back. There is absolutely nothing that I need that this product does not deliver. It's fast, effective and seems to be extremely durable and reliable. My only concern (and minor) might have to do with memory resources, but frankly it has not been an issue yet.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Professional Services
    Discontinued Products
    The service provided is up to date, as discussed before buying.
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    • Users using a VM often don't need something as "fancy" as VMware Fusion, and instead can use a free option like Virtual Box, so we waste money on using an extra amount of VMware Fusion licenses.
    • Developers using and IT admins using VMware Fusion for testing saves us time and money. Simply, we know mistakes would take time and money to fix, but VMware is powerful, allows for proper and fast testing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots