Skype vs. West Collaboration (discontinued)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Skype
Score 7.3 out of 10
N/A
Skype (the personal edition) is a free web meeting, video conferencing, and VoIP software. The free version includes audio and video Skype-to-Skype calls, ability to call mobile phones and landlines, paid international calling, and conference calling capabilities for up to 25 people.N/A
West Collaboration (discontinued)
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Launched in October 2020, Hoot Meetings from Intrado was a client-free service used to host and join video meetings. Since rebranding to West Technology Group, the company is discontinuing its collaboration technologies. Hoot Meetings is no longer available.N/A
Pricing
SkypeWest Collaboration (discontinued)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
SkypeWest Collaboration (discontinued)
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
SkypeWest Collaboration (discontinued)
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
SkypeWest Collaboration (discontinued)
Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Product A and Product B
Skype
7.4
134 Ratings
8% below category average
West Collaboration (discontinued)
8.5
2 Ratings
6% above category average
High quality audio7.9131 Ratings9.02 Ratings
High quality video7.8129 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Low bandwidth requirements6.4126 Ratings7.62 Ratings
Mobile support7.5114 Ratings8.42 Ratings
Screen Sharing
Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Product A and Product B
Skype
6.8
115 Ratings
16% below category average
West Collaboration (discontinued)
8.3
2 Ratings
4% above category average
Desktop sharing7.3114 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Whiteboards6.457 Ratings8.62 Ratings
Online Meetings / Events
Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Product A and Product B
Skype
6.7
115 Ratings
20% below category average
West Collaboration (discontinued)
8.4
2 Ratings
2% above category average
Calendar integration6.782 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Meeting initiation7.1103 Ratings8.62 Ratings
Integrates with social media6.062 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Record meetings / events7.074 Ratings8.62 Ratings
Slideshows6.566 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Online Events Collaboration
Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Product A and Product B
Skype
7.6
108 Ratings
10% below category average
West Collaboration (discontinued)
8.3
2 Ratings
1% below category average
Live chat8.4107 Ratings8.42 Ratings
Audience polling7.262 Ratings8.42 Ratings
Q&A7.359 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Online Events Security
Comparison of Online Events Security features of Product A and Product B
Skype
7.3
97 Ratings
13% below category average
West Collaboration (discontinued)
8.7
2 Ratings
4% above category average
User authentication7.084 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Participant roles & permissions7.280 Ratings8.42 Ratings
Confidential attendee list7.758 Ratings8.62 Ratings
Best Alternatives
SkypeWest Collaboration (discontinued)
Small Businesses
ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting
Score 9.5 out of 10
ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting
Score 9.5 out of 10
ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Google Meet
Google Meet
Score 8.3 out of 10
Google Meet
Google Meet
Score 8.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
SkypeWest Collaboration (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
7.0
(136 ratings)
8.4
(2 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(42 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 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
SkypeWest Collaboration (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Skype is well suited for quick calls back and forth, in both video and audio, among team members who have it already installed and who know how to use it. It is less well-suited when trying to do a presentation for somebody who does NOT have it installed or who lacks internet speed.
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West Technology Group, LLC (formerly Intrado)
It is a great choice if someone wants to add a large number of participants and have a large team. I have been using it and haven’t found it ruining the quality of video because of participants. Furthermore, My team found it easy to join the link . Something that bothers me is that it doesn’t work well with a weak internet connection and this is troublesome for us.
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Pros
Microsoft
  • 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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West Technology Group, LLC (formerly Intrado)
  • Its integration with [Microsoft] Outlook is very helpful for us.
  • It provides the best quality of video and audio.
  • Its pricing is so fair and justified.
  • Its mobile application works quite smoothly.
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Cons
Microsoft
  • This is really small, but I'd love to see the emoticons updated to emojis.
  • Make calling free like some other communications app providers.
  • Grant the ability to not show that you're online even when you are. Sometimes you want to make a call, but you don't want other people to see you're online and start messaging you.
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West Technology Group, LLC (formerly Intrado)
  • It requires a profoundly strong internet connection or else it stops working.
  • It is buggy.
  • There should be an update on it.
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
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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West Technology Group, LLC (formerly Intrado)
No answers on this topic
Usability
Microsoft
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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West Technology Group, LLC (formerly Intrado)
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Microsoft
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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West Technology Group, LLC (formerly Intrado)
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
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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West Technology Group, LLC (formerly Intrado)
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Microsoft Teams provides basically the same services. Local number calling is not available (that I know of) but that only matters if you have any need to use it. Teams is a little more stable, especially with a lot of people on a call. Skype is easier to set up and to operate. Skype also has a larger install base.
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West Technology Group, LLC (formerly Intrado)
I was not satisfied with the quality of video Zoom used to provide us. Furthermore, my team didn’t find the Zoom link easy to join and above all creating link for the meeting was very hard and tricky in Zoom which is easy in Hoot and Hoot works well even with a large number of participants, and my teammates find it easy.
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Professional Services
Microsoft
The service provided is up to date, as discussed before buying.
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West Technology Group, LLC (formerly Intrado)
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • Overall Skype is a good investment. We use regular Skype so its a product that comes with Windows PC's as a standard app. We dont use Skype for Business so this cuts cost overall.
  • Using the basic functions of Skype and not Skype for business does have some downsides but you do save money. There are many other apps we use as well as Skype in order to accomplish all of our goals.
  • The downside of course is that the more you want Skype to do, the more money it will cost the organization as a whole. It does have many more functions which you have to upgrade to Skype for business for. That is my only criticism.
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West Technology Group, LLC (formerly Intrado)
  • My team and I can better coordinate.
  • I am able to bring my team on one page and can communicate freely.
  • I can add my whole team and the quality of the video remains the same.
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ScreenShots