Skype for Business vs. Microsoft Teams Comparison

What is Skype?

This pioneer of IP telephony has been on the market since 2003, and has been part of Microsoft since 2011. Currently, Skype allows "group video chats" with up to 50 participants. Neither software nor registration is strictly necessary for this. Conferences can be set up via a link generated on the web. However, the app version of Skype offers an extended range of functions. In addition to chat, recording, and subtitles, practical features are added, such as the ability to share your own screen or a blur feature for the participants' backgrounds. According to Skype, the integrated translator currently allows conversations to be simultaneously translated into eleven languages, and supports more than 60 languages in text form in the chat. Since the summer of 2021, the business version of Skype has been discontinued. Since then, there has been a link from the page to Microsoft Teams.

What is Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams launched in 2017 and is now integrated into all enterprise versions of the Microsoft 365 Suite. The collaborative work platform can create meetings either as appointments for members of a "channel" or for freely chosen participants, or spontaneously from a chat. Within the conferences, participants can share their screen, work with a whiteboard, hold presentations, and share files with other participants. Microsoft Teams has integrated accessibility as standard. Colleagues living with hearing loss or deafness, or just in a noisy environment, can participate in Microsoft Teams video conferences without restrictions thanks to alternative text, captions, and live transcription. This integrative function converts speech into text in real time. With solutions for meetings, chats, phone calls, webinars, and rooms that work on almost any device, Microsoft Teams supports hybrid collaboration and seamless communication. In addition, the tool offers a "Together Mode," which gathers all call participants like avatars in a virtual lecture hall or an office with a sea view.

How do I install Microsoft Teams?

You can download the software from the Microsoft Teams website for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android and install it with a few clicks.

What do I need for Microsoft Teams?

To use the free basic version of Microsoft Team, all you need is a Microsoft account. If you are already using Skype, OneDrive, the web-based version of Outlook or Xbox Live, you already have one.

How does Microsoft Teams work?

Once you have opened Microsoft Teams and signed in with your access data, you can create a new team in the Teams view with a click on "Create Team". The tool then offers you many features such as chats instead of emails, simultaneous editing of Microsoft Office files, notifications for likes, @mentions, and replies.