2025’s Top Skype for Business Alternatives

February 11, 2025

Collaboration

Over the past few years, Microsoft has been phasing out Skype for Business, causing companies to look for alternatives. Fortunately, there are many options available on the market that offer better call quality, security, and privacy compared to Skype for Business. Some of these alternate enterprise collaboration platforms also allow for greater hosting flexibility.

The 4 Best Skype for Business Alternatives

Skype was once the industry leader in video calling, but as of July 2021, Skype for Business has been retired. Fortunately, you can now find enterprise collaboration software that offers a better experience for companies. Below, you can find an overview of the four top alternatives to Skype for Business and their main pros and cons:

1. Zoom

Zoom is very popular among consumers and businesses for a reason. This cloud-based collaboration tool excels at facilitating communication via video and voice calls. However, if you’re looking for a dedicated collaboration platform, you’ll find its features lacking.

For example, though Zoom allows users to send messages during meetings, you can’t use the platform to send instant messages when you’re not in a meeting. Due to this drawback, many businesses rely on enterprise collaboration platforms that allow companies to integrate Zoom into the platform.

Pros of Zoom

HD Audio and Video Calls
Allows for groups of any size to meet, watch presentations, and attend conferences
Breakout rooms for smaller groups during a meeting
Screen sharing functionality
Integrates well with more robust enterprise collaboration platforms

Cons of Zoom

Limited collaboration tools beyond video and audio conference calls
Not a full enterprise collaboration platform, as it’s focused on video and audio calls
Has various security weaknesses, such as end-to-end encryption not being enabled by default, a history of ”zoom bombing” occurring, and user reports of unexpected emoji reactions happening in confidential meetings that weren’t caused by any users, which led users to have privacy and HIPPA compliance concerns.

Who Zoom Is Ideal For

Businesses that only need a solution for video and voice calls, not a full collaboration platform
Businesses looking for a high-quality video communication platform to run webinars or conduct conference calls with clients
Businesses that require integration with an enterprise collaboration platform for enhanced security, persistence, and operational continuity

2. Slack

For companies that want a cloud-based collaboration platform, Slack can be a good option. This platform allows users to exchange instant messages, organize their virtual office into channels, share files easily, and have video conferences with other team members via “huddles.”

Slack’s easy-to-use interface and user-friendly interface make it very popular for businesses.

Pros of Slack

Centralized and streamlined platform for instant messaging and file sharing
Automation tools for routine tasks
Multiple bot and app integrations for a better user experience
Offers channels that allow businesses to organize departments and teams while reducing the risk of notification overload
User-friendly design and intuitive features

Cons of Slack

Poorer quality audio and video calling compared to other options
Weaker security and less extensive compliance features
Risk of notification overload if teams don’t keep their teams organized on the platform
Self-hosting is only available when going through another collaboration provider
Cloud-only option is a significant limitation for organizations requiring full control over their data

Who Slack Is Ideal For

Businesses that need to communicate quickly, whether through instant messaging, audio, video, or file sharing
Businesses that want to reduce notification span and improve collaboration within teams
Businesses interested in a lightweight collaboration tool without needing high data security or self-hosted deployment

3. Microsoft Teams

Unlike the more limited Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams is a cloud-based collaboration platform that integrates well with other Microsoft products and provides all the communication tools your team needs. Whether you’re looking for instant messaging, robust video calling features, or automation tools, Microsoft Teams offers it.

While Teams complies with many regulatory security standards, it does have some potential security concerns.

Since Teams operates exclusively as a cloud-based service and has some configuration risks, including default Teams settings that allow external contacts to communicate with internal staff. Organizations using Teams must review and adjust configurations to enhance security.

Ultimately, some organizations that need to meet operational resilience, security, and compliance requirements may want to look elsewhere. Teams also doesn’t offer self-hosting, but it can be integrated with some enterprise collaboration providers to solve this issue.

Pros of Microsoft Teams

Supports large video and audio calls as well as web conferences
High-quality video conferencing, with features like screen sharing, live captions, and breakout rooms
Includes an instant messaging platform with multiple features and the ability to create channels
Pairs well with other Microsoft Office applications
Enterprise-grade security
Bots allow for the automation of everyday tasks

Cons of Microsoft Teams

Primarily focused on general collaboration instead of mission-critical collaboration, with Teams often integrated into mission-critical platforms that can make up for missing mission-critical features and enhance reliability
Too many redundant or too similar tools from Microsoft on the platform, which can lead to confusion
How channels work by default raises security risks (administrators can solve this by adjusting user permissions)
Susceptible to security risks from misconfigured permissions that can lead to unauthorized access (e.g., guest users have elevated privileges and unnecessary channel access)
Like Slack, self-hosting is only available through other enterprise collaboration providers
Some users don’t like the user interface, finding it unintuitive

Who Microsoft Teams Is Ideal For

Like Slack, Teams is great for businesses who need to quickly communicate via instant messages, audio, video, or file sharing
Businesses that use Microsoft Office products in their day-to-day work
Businesses that want a high-quality option for video conferencing or webinars

4. Mattermost

Looking for extensive security features or want more control over your data? Mattermost is an excellent choice. Mattermost is an enterprise collaboration platform designed to accelerate mission-critical work in government, defense, critical infrastructure, and enterprise business.

Since our team collaboration and workflow automation platform is designed with security features that allow you to meet the strictest security and compliance standards, you can expect your business’s data to stay private while using it. It also offers multiple collaboration tools that make communication between staff fast and easy.

Pros of Mattermost

Comprehensive enterprise collaboration platform
Real-time messaging, audio calling, and screen-sharing
Enterprise-grade security (e.g., self-hosting capabilities, TLS encryption using AES-256 with 2048-bit RSA, many access control policies administrators can adjust, and multiple authentication safeguards)
Multi-language support
Easy integration with leading video conferencing providers, such as Pexip, Zoom, Webex, and Microsoft Teams
Self-hosted and private cloud deployment options keep organizational data controlled and secure at all times
Highly customizable, with the option to customize integrations, user interface, language, channel actions, Playbooks, and more
Adopted by defense and government organizations (e.g., Mattermost supports the U.S. Air Force Advanced Battle Management Systems)

Cons of Mattermost

Mattermost is built for technical and operational workflows, and some businesses may only need basic collaboration tools
Self-hosted deployment offers greater security and control but requires dedicated infrastructure management
Not ideal for small businesses looking for a simple platform with only a few features

Who Is Mattermost Ideal For?

Large businesses and governmental organizations that perform mission-critical work and need additional security
Businesses that aren’t satisfied with restrictions imposed on them by other collaboration platforms (e.g., lack of self-hosting or integrations with other popular types of software)
Businesses who want to maintain complete control over their data

Learn more about Mattermost today.