Zoom VS Skype Which Is Best For Video Calls?

There is a growing demand for dependable video conferencing solutions as more professionals want to work remotely. You may consider using either Zoom or Skype for your organization’s remote communication and team collaboration requirements. Both apps share many of the same characteristics but also significant distinctions.

Your company’s specific needs will determine which option is best for you to pursue as a solution. There are many factors to consider when choosing a service, including security, scalability, user-friendliness, feature diversity, and support. In this analysis, we evaluate both Skype and Zoom and highlight their respective strong points, in addition to areas in which they can still be enhanced.

Zoom

This video communication tool is not like any other: Zoom. It is a cutting-edge cloud-based platform that provides access to a comprehensive range of cutting-edge conferencing features.

Breakout sessions are a feature that comes standard with Zoom. You can use these sessions to divide your viewers (customers or employees) into smaller groups for webinar training, specific themes, or online class discussions.

The meeting organizer retains complete authority over all aspects of the event when using Zoom. You can silence the microphones, control who may access the presentation, and so on. Additionally, attendees can add to the discussion by electronically raising their hands through the use of this application.

The chat feature of Zoom allows viewers to connect directly with the instructor and other attendees, ensuring that the classroom environment encourages collaboration.

Skype

Imagine communicating with your staff via instant messaging, screen sharing, file sharing, and even casual video or audio calls directly from your computer or phone. Skype is all about being efficient and straightforward in its communication. With so many people using it, it’s likely that your employees already know how to use it. Skype is an innovative online communication method that uses cutting-edge technology.

Skype’s user-friendly chat interface, like that of Zoom, enables users to send short messages to other Skype users. Users can now easily combine video and voice inside the confines of their chat windows. In a word, Skype is an excellent platform for instant messaging, sharing documents and screen capture, and voice or more casual video chats.

Zoom VS Skype Video Quality

The quality of the video is among the most significant aspects to consider. Because you do not want your next presentation to look pixelated, you will be pleased to learn that both Zoom and Skype can use video resolutions of up to 1080p.

Both your gear and your data connection have to be capable of handling the workload. You can check out the link below to obtain an excellent webcam. Luckily, most current internet connections greatly surpass developer guidelines. Skype recommends a connection speed of 1.5Mbps (up and down) for high-definition calls. However, Zoom’s top settings require 3.8Mbps up and 3Mbps down of your bandwidth at its most demanding settings.

The most significant distinction is that Zoom does not activate 1080p resolutions when they are first used. You must adjust the settings manually, and the team must activate HD or greater resolutions on their end. In every other case, you will be forced to use 720p video (arguably still great).

You should look primarily to your microphone for sound quality.

Zoom VS Skype Participant Limits

In the difficulty of choosing between Zoom and Skype, your group size will be a significant factor to consider. The free consumer version of Skype has a participant cap of 100. However, if you pay for a Microsoft Teams plan, you can increase that cap to 300 people. These stats are laughable in contrast to those of Zoom.

The free Zoom Meetings plan lets you begin video conversations with as many as one hundred participants simultaneously. Putting up some cash can bring that total up to an astounding 1,000. Zoom is your best option if you run a large firm and often conduct video conferences with more than 300 participants.

No Worries If You Don’t Have An Account!

Meet Now is a feature recently added to Skype, allowing users to make video chats without having to join the service or download the app. It would appear that the new capability was taken from Zoom, allowing people to join meetings through their browsers without requiring them to sign up or download its app.

Zoom and Skype produce a one-of-a-kind link that users can distribute to invite more people to join a video conference. If you organize the meeting, you can invite anyone, regardless of whether they have Zoom or Skype. Once the call is established, customers can take advantage of the full complement of capabilities provided by both services. If your coworkers don’t particularly want to join up for either of them, this could be helpful to you.

Comparing Zoom To Skype In Terms Of Other Features Included

The feature sets offered by the Zoom and Skype services are highly comparable. Screen sharing, meeting recording, cloud storage, a whiteboard, the ability to share files, joining the conference via phone call, and other features are all included in both options. However, regarding the overall number of integrated features, Zoom is the superior service. We wish that Skype had additional features, such as virtual hand raising, breakout sessions for breaking attendees into smaller groups, etc.

Comparing Zoom With Skype In Terms Of Compatibility

You are in luck because Zoom and Skype are both quite compatible with one another. Both are compatible with Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, Linux, Google Android, Apple iOS, and web browsers. In addition, as was covered in the section before this one, it is also feasible to participate via phone. There is no need for you to skip the meeting under any circumstances!

Security Comparing Zoom And Skype

While both Zoom and Skype claim to have industry-leading security and end-to-end encryption, Zoom has been under the microscope for privacy issues, forcing the company to pause the development of new features for the next three months. Despite the firm’s efforts to combat Zoombombing, make improvements to encryption, add the capability to disable personal meeting IDs, and update privacy settings, the company is still unable to get a break because more than 500,000 stolen accounts are being sold online.

Zoom has not had an excellent time recently, and those concerned about your security will probably want to continue using Skype, at least for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, the corporation has released upgrades that remedy issues like the Zoombombing bug. In addition, end-to-end encryption has been introduced, which indicates that the situation is improving.

Pricing Comparison Between Zoom And Skype

ZOOM

Zoom has four different price packages for businesses: the Zoom Basic Plan, Zoom Pro Plan, Zoom Business Plan, and Zoom Enterprise Plan.

The Zoom Basic Package

The basic plan is free, has a limit of one hundred participants, and allows for an unlimited number of one-on-one meetings. This plan was developed with the idea that personal gatherings would be the platform’s primary purpose. It’s a potent offering, and there’s no charge for it. With this plan, you are able to: 

• Hold group meetings of up to forty minutes in length if you use this plan.
• Attend as many meetings as you like.
• Get assistance using the online platform.
• Take advantage of the video and web conferencing options.
• Make sure that the group collaboration is safe.

Zoom Pro Plan

The Zoom Pro Plan is designed for smaller teams and charges $14.99 per user, per month, for access. It supports a maximum of one hundred users and comes with all of the features included in the Basic Plan. When you upgrade to the Zoom Pro Plan, you will receive unlimited meeting duration, an allocated scheduler, an assigned bespoke personal meeting ID, and meeting reporting.

This plan includes user management tools, administrative controls, REST API access, and connectivity with Skype for business. Users can store and share massive amounts of data with one gigabyte of cloud recording space for M4A and MP4.

Optional Add-On Plans

The five sub-plans that are included in the optional add-on plans are as follows: Extra cloud recording storage, which costs $40 per month; 323/SIP Room Connector, which begins at $49 per month; join by Zoom Rooms, which costs $49 per month, Join by toll-free dialing/Call Me, which costs approximately $100 per month, and Add Video Webinars, which costs $40 per month. All of these add-ons are available.

Zoom Business Plan

The Zoom Business Plan is reserved solely for businesses with fewer than 100 employees and costs $19.99 per month per user. Because it comes with all of the capabilities included in the Pro plan, it is an excellent tool for medium-sized enterprises to take their communication to the next level.

This subscription provides you with a vanity URL, administrative dashboard, and phone assistance, allowing you to host up to 10 hosts. The Business Plan is an excellent choice if you feel more comfortable deploying the software on your premises. Other aspects of this plan include the following:

• Managed domains and single sign-on
• Company branding and custom emails
• LTI integration

The cost of using Zoom Enterprise is $19.99 per month, person or host. You need to have a minimum of 100 hosts to purchase this plan, which includes all of the features of the Business Plan. Under this proposal, there may be as many as 200 people.

Large businesses with a wide range of conferencing requirements will find the Enterprise plan ideal because it includes unlimited cloud storage, an enthusiastic customer success manager, and executive business reviews.

Skype

Skype is free to use. Skype has an enterprise price package that costs $2 per month per user. If you want to improve efficiency and boost revenue, this may be your best option.

Business Plan

Users of the Business plan for Skype can use features such as online meetings with up to 250 people and secure communication lines that are protected by robust authentication and encryption.

Online Plan 2

This package is intended for usage in online meetings conducted by businesses and costs $5.50 per user per month. You can do the following with Online Plan 2:

• Join on whatever platform you like.
• Enjoy HD video calling for groups in addition to audio calling (250 people)
• Receive enterprise-level based technical mobile support
• Online versions of Microsoft Office with a mailbox of up to 50 GB
• 1 TB file storage

Premium Version Of Office 365 For Businesses

This plan costs $12.50 per month for each user. The following is a list of notable features included with the Office 365 Business Essential plan:

Office applications that are pre-installed on personal computers and Apple tablets as well as mobile phones

In addition, Microsoft, the corporation that owns Skype, has been promoting its meeting and video conferencing software, Microsoft Teams, as a superior alternative to Skype. Consequently, support for Skype may shift away from Teams over time.

Which Is Better For You?

Zoom and Skype are considered the most formidable competitors of their kind. Both are excellent choices. However, business users and reasons relating to work will benefit more from the comprehensive features offered by Zoom. If the few additional capabilities that Zoom has compared to Skype don’t matter all that much to you, the big difference will be in price.

The most basic paid subscription for Zoom costs $14.99 per month; nevertheless, Zoom’s free version is more than adequate and includes the most premium features. Those who need video conversations with more than 100 participants or cannot deal with the 40-minute limit will find that paying for the service is more convenient.

Suppose your group can use the additional features, Office applications, and collaboration tools that Microsoft Teams offers. In that case, you might as well get the Skype services included as well. However, considering each paid Office 365 account costs at least $5, this could be more expensive. However, Microsoft Office is currently the most popular office suite, and many companies pay for it anyway. If so, you might as well make the most of your current situation.

That is unless you want to go all out with Zoom for a vast organization and want to add 1,000 participants rather than being limited by Skype’s maximum capacity of 300 participants in a meeting.