21 Mar 2022

Skype and Microsoft Teams both offer group video calls, group text chats, and file sharing in the cloud, but that’s about where the similarities end. On one hand, Skype offers free phone calls, but on the other hand, Microsoft Teams is free to use even if you don’t have an Office 365 subscription. Which business chat app do you need? Read on to learn more about Skype vs Microsoft Teams!

What is Microsoft Teams?

mircosoft teamsMicrosoft Teams is a unified communications platform that helps teams get work done. A chat-based workspace gives everyone a shared, up-to-date view of all conversations and files. Team members can share, discuss, and make decisions about everything—from planning projects and sharing files to keeping track of tasks. 

And it’s built for both teams on Office 365 as well as your employees who aren’t already on Office 365. You don’t need an Office 365 subscription to use Microsoft Teams. After signing in with a work or school account, you get free access to all capabilities in Teams (and other Office apps) while still benefitting from relevant security and compliance features in Azure Active Directory (AAD) sign-in services.

What is Skype Meetings?

Created in 2003 by two Estonian entrepreneurs, Skype is a popular VOIP service used for making voice and video calls over the Internet. It offers messaging features similar to services like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. The company was acquired by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion and became part of its Office suite. Today, it’s used by about 400 million people globally.  

What are the similarities?

At their core, both services enable people to communicate and collaborate by way of voice calls, video calls, screen sharing, messaging, and more. The most obvious difference is that one is an individual-focused service (Skype) while one caters to teams of all sizes (Microsoft Teams). With a total of 33 million paying users around the world, it’s safe to say there are plenty of differences as well as similarities between these two communication tools; let’s explore some now.

How Microsoft Teams is better than Skype for business?

When it comes to productivity tools, there are few that work as well as both of these platforms do. However, teams have proven that they can keep up with a popular competitor and even become one of its biggest rivals. As you’ll soon find out, there are many pros and cons when looking at each platform side by side. 

There are also quite a few things that make teams stand apart from skype. Here are just some reasons why teams is better than skype: 

Learning new applications is easier

One of the main benefits of using MS Teams is that it gives you access to all sorts of other apps. Because MS Office products exist on every type of device imaginable, finding apps within your team doesn’t take much effort. With Team being such a fresh product, there isn’t much competition between developers – making your research process easier than ever before. 

If an app exists in another format, chances are you can use it on MS office. This includes integrations like connect (google sheets), extend (Snagit/screen capture), simplify (Quickbooks) and amplify (google hangouts). 

If an app exists somewhere else in its own format, chances are you’ll be able to link or create a hyperlink with whatever service or software integrates best for what your organization needs. With Skype for business, learning new software is time-consuming because most existing programs aren’t made specifically for enterprise use – unless they were created especially for Microsoft itself.

Automated Administration makes Teamwork Simple 

The world we live in today relies heavily on technology and connectivity between multiple individuals through various networks. Organizations have found themselves faced with different challenges due to rising complexity and lack of central coordination. 

The advent of collaborative computing solutions came into existence as a means to enhance corporate performance by simplifying collaboration processes among dispersed groups. Different collaboration systems address different aspects of collaboration, but not all satisfy all needs. 

Skype for Business Vs Microsoft Teams Considerations

Microsoft Teams is a group messaging app, while Skype for Business is an all-in-one communication platform that also offers video calling and screen sharing. 

However, there are some features available on Microsoft Teams, such as voice and video calls, chat rooms, and integrations with other Microsoft products, which are not available in Skype for Business. 

Ultimately it comes down to what you need from your business communication system; here are some important considerations when trying to determine which solution best fits your needs.

Skype for Business Vs Considerations #1

More Integration Options While skype offers integration options, nothing beats how vast collaboration options are once you get into MS Office 2016 whether accessing files stored on internal servers or resources shared via SharePoint sites. 

Add multiple communication modes, unlimited storage space along with built-in voice calling abilities and collaborative docs sharing-what more could one ask for? How about integrating data sourced from third-party services while keeping record-keeping easy via SharePoint lists and libraries? All of it is possible with MS teams. 

Skype for Business Vs Considerations #2

No Incompatibility Issues We’ve all been there, where plans go wrong and opportunities turn sour – leaving us pondering on if only... scenarios. These are usually followed by a series of technical errors that leave you spinning your wheels on something that you didn’t know was going to happen. 

Even if it does, it’s really hard to pinpoint exactly where problems originated and troubleshooting takes days, if not weeks. Software, in general, suffers from incompatibility issues which leave everyone stressed out in meetings trying to figure out exactly who will be blamed for anything that happens afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions!

There are plenty of questions people may have about how skype and Microsoft teams differ, so let’s dive into some FAQs! Hopefully, we can give you a clear picture of what each service offers and help you decide which one will be best for your business.

Is skype being discontinued?

No, skype is not being discontinued. In fact, slype’s mobile app was just updated in 2016 and has great new features like offline messaging. It was also recently integrated with Outlook 2016 so that users can make and receive calls from their email accounts. 

This means that skype isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Rumors about skype being discontinued have been floating around for a long time, but they aren’t accurate—the company still exists today, as it did before its acquisition by Microsoft.

Is skype part of Microsoft?

Yes, it is. In 2014, Microsoft acquired Skype and it became a part of its subsidiary: Microsoft Office Division. Since then Skype has become even more integrated into all Microsoft products ranging from Windows OS to Outlook 365. For example, you can now use video chat in Outlook by clicking on the share screen feature when you're in an email thread with someone.

Difference between Skype and Skype for Business?

Skype and Skype for Business are both instant messaging and video conferencing applications. Both offer text, audio, and video chats. Their major difference is that Skype for Business is an integrated part of Office 365 or your on-premises server. 

When you log into Skype for Business from your Office 365 account or your on-premises server, you will be logged into both Lync and Skype for Business at once. And The good news is, it’s quite easy to connect them! You can simply upgrade your existing Skype account by installing/upgrading any of these free tools.