Compare Cisco Unified Communications and Skype for Business - Mar 2022

Shlomi LaviShlomi Lavi / Mar 08, 2022

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Bottom Line: Which is Better - Cisco Unified Communications or Skype for Business?

Cisco Unified Communications is more expensive to implement (TCO) than Skype for Business, and Skype for Business is rated higher (97/100) than Cisco Unified Communications (76/100). Skype for Business offers users more features (3) than Cisco Unified Communications (1). There is a clear winner in this case and it is Skype for Business!

Looking for the right VoIP solution for your business? Buyers are primarily concerned about the real total cost of implementation (TCO), the full list of features, vendor reliability, user reviews, and the pros and cons. In this article we compare between the two software products:

Cisco Vs. Microsoft

Cisco: Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs, manufactures, and sells networking equipment.The stock was added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on June 8, 2009, and is also included in the S&P 500 Index, the Russell 1000 Index, NASDAQ 100 Index and the Russell 100...

Microsoft: At Microsoft, we aim to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more — and we empower our employees the same way.

Who is more expensive? Cisco Unified Communications or Skype for Business (formerly Lync) Software?

The real total cost of ownership (TCO) of VoIP software includes the software license, subscription fees, software training, customizations, hardware (if needed), maintenance and support and other related services. When calculating the TCO, it's important to add all of these ”hidden costs” as well. We prepared a TCO (Total Cost) calculator for Cisco Unified Communications and Skype for Business (formerly Lync) Software.

Cisco Unified Communications price starts at $210 per license , On a scale between 1 to 10 Cisco Unified Communications is rated 6, which is similar to the average cost of VoIP software. Skype for Business (formerly Lync) Software price starts at $2 per user/month , When comparing Skype for Business (formerly Lync) Software to its competitors, the software is rated 2 - much lower than the average VoIP software cost.

Bottom line: Cisco Unified Communications is more expensive than Skype for Business (formerly Lync) Software.

Which software includes more/better features?

We've compared Cisco Unified Communications Vs. Skype for Business based on some of the most important and required VoIP features.

Cisco Unified Communications: VoIP.

Skype for Business (formerly Lync) Software: Chat, Conference Calling, VoIP.

Target customer size

Cisco Unified Communications's typical customers include: Small, medium and large size businesses, and Skype for Business (formerly Lync) Software's target customer size include: Small, medium and large size businesses.

Cisco Unified Communications

ITQlick rating
(4.3/5)

starts at $210 per license

Cisco Unified Communications Manager is a cloud-based collaboration platform designed to integrate various business communication tools like video conferencing, call recording, telephony, and messaging. The so...

Categories: Communications, Business Phone Systems, Cloud PBX, VoIP.

Skype for Business

ITQlick rating
(4.3/5)

starts at $2 per user/month

Skype for Business (formerly Lync) software is a cloud-based Conference Calling software that enables users to host HD calling for multiple people. It allows them to organize meetings, record calls, and integra...

Categories: Business Phone Systems, Call Recording, Cloud PBX, Online Meeting, UCaaS Providers.

Compare specifications

Compare features

Cisco Unified Communications: 1 Features

VoIP

Skype for Business (formerly Lync) Software: 3 Features

Chat
Conference Calling
VoIP
ITQlick rating ITQlick Rating is based on the software score (below) and aggregated online reviews
ITQlick score ITQlick Score is a 1 to 100, the calculation is based on pricing, and functionality Vs. alternative solutions
Pricing score pricing Score is a 1 to 10 (10 is high cost), based on the TCO (cost of licences, customizations, training, hardware when relevant) Vs. alternative solutions
License pricing license pricing (if provided by the software vendor)
Functionality score
Software review
Compare
Cisco Un...
ITQlick rating
4.3/5
Score
76/100
Pricing
7.2/10
License pricing
$210 per license
Functionality
5
Compare
Skype fo...
ITQlick rating
4.3/5
Score
97/100
Pricing
2.2/10
License pricing
$2 per user/month
Functionality
11
RingCent...
ITQlick rating
4.2/5
Score
93/100
Pricing
4.2/10
License pricing
$19.99 per user/month
Functionality
34
jive com...
ITQlick rating
4.6/5
Score
93/100
Pricing
2.8/10
License pricing
$18.95 per user/month
Functionality
7
Nextiva ...
ITQlick rating
4.2/5
Score
93/100
Pricing
3.2/10
License pricing
$11.95 per user/month
Functionality
27

Auditor - Shlomi Lavi

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Shlomi Lavi is an entrepreneur and founder of ITQlick.com. He holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Information Systems Engineering from Ben Gurion University in Israel. Shlomi brings 17 years of global IT and IS management experience as a consultant and implementation expert for small, medium and large-sized (global) companies. Shlomi’s goal is to share the best knowledge and news about information systems so you can make smarter buying decisions for your business.