GoTo Webinar vs. Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
GoTo Webinar
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
GoToWebinar is GoTo’s webinar and online conferencing solution, and offers features like audience polling and Q&A, flexible scheduling experiences, and webinar templates. It offers CRM integrations and reporting & analytics tools to help engage clients’ audiences.
$49
per month per organizer
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.N/A
Pricing
GoTo WebinarSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Editions & Modules
Lite
$49/month
per month per organizer
Standard
$99/month
per month per organizer
Pro
$199/month
per month per organizer
Enterprise
$399/month
per month per organizer
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
GoTo WebinarSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
GoTo WebinarSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Considered Both Products
GoTo Webinar
Chose GoTo Webinar
GoTo Webinar has a more custom approach towards the user who is specifically looking to manage a Webinar or Digital Event with a larger capacity of participants.
Chose GoTo Webinar
I was only introduced to GoTo Webinar in my current role, I would always give this a 10/10 rating because it is a work from home workers friendly, easy to use and to set up. I am encountering any trouble using it. Just clicking the generated link and there, I am already in the …
Chose GoTo Webinar
The features it offers set it apart from other similar tools
Chose GoTo Webinar
Zoom scores well above GoTo and ON24 in brand recognition across mid to large enterprises. But GoTo scores well in SMBs. Regarding value for money and ROI, it's better than ON24. We selected GoTo because of the price point and to ensure that our partner-sourced SMB stacks do …
Chose GoTo Webinar
We had been familiar with the GoTo products and decided to stay with them since they meet our needs and work well. We have used Zoom on occasion but IT prefers the GoTo Webinar package.
Chose GoTo Webinar
Zoom is a great product, but isn't as easy to use and doesn't have all the features GoTo Webinar has. Pricing plans vary for each of them, but we've found that GoTo Webinar gives us an excellent value for the service on all of our key usage situations. It was just a better …
Chose GoTo Webinar
I can't compare GoTo Webinar with other products from the same company because I haven't tested them. However, I can compare it with similar products from Zoom, Cisco, and Google, and GoTo Webinar performs within expectations.
Chose GoTo Webinar
Zoom and GoTo Webinar are probably my 2 most commonly used hosting softwares. They are both quite intuitive and contain similar features and both have become quite user-friendly.
Chose GoTo Webinar
GoTo Webinar provides a better users interface and more reliable experience when participating in remote meetings. It allows high quality virtual meetings which means more people can participate in a virtual discussion.
Chose GoTo Webinar
It was already a component of the tech stack before COVID, but with the introduction of numerous new platforms that are utilized on a daily basis for purposes other than webinars, it is currently not the greatest option for marketers. It's a useful addition to the tech stack, …
Chose GoTo Webinar
GoTo Webinar works very much like Microsoft Teams for meetings. The features of each are very comparable. However, GoTo Webinar's pricing model is more affordable.
Chose GoTo Webinar
We used TeamViewer and Skype for Business before this and we had a tough time conducting webinars when the target audience was huge. Lack of integrations with 3rd party platforms, and no analytics capabilities limited ourselves from going to the next level in both sales and …
Chose GoTo Webinar
We selected GoTo Webinars for several reason. It is easy to use. They have good customer service. They offer a lot of what we need.
Chose GoTo Webinar
While Zoom has similar functionality, the interface on GTW is more friendly and easier to navigate. They are both very similar on price-points, too.
Chose GoTo Webinar
All of the tools above are great but we’ve found they are only good for internal meetings and not external clients. The ease of use with GoTo Webinar is unmatched by any of the competitors so we choose to have 2 tools - 1 for internal engagement and 1 for external client use.
Chose GoTo Webinar
GoToWebinar has a user-friendly interface and intuitive controls. When comparing it with other platforms, assess how easily you can navigate through features, set up events, and engage with participants. Connection stability, audio and video quality seem pretty much ok. …
Chose GoTo Webinar
All of the other platforms are nice as well but something that has GoTo webinar is that it uses a software in your computer that makes the session to be more reliable and does not consume high ram or rom in your device. It has nice features to remind the people about the …
Chose GoTo Webinar
Zoom caters to a much higher attendee count. GoTo Webinar has more intuitive, user-friendly tools that most people can pick up on their own. Zoom is more tailored and customizable to suit your specific needs. GoTo Webinar is significantly cheaper with fewer add-ons....
Chose GoTo Webinar
GoTo provides features that others vendors don't have, analytics dashboard is exclusive for webinars sessions and it provides value to the complete solution, styling invite emails is another feature that will not find on other solutions. The advantage of other vendors is the …
Chose GoTo Webinar
Super-smooth video and fantastic audio with an extended range of volume control. Other vendors can claim their product is a superior choice; however, in my history of experiencing multiple options, GoTo Webinar gets my highest marks!
Chose GoTo Webinar
Livestorm is really good with integrations to other CRM tools but it has limitation in some niche tools we are using for our industry. users also often complain the reliability of livestorm on the client end.
Chose GoTo Webinar
We looked at Zoom and actually did consider a move, but chose to stick with GoTo because we have an extensive library of videos and didn't want to transfer all of that. Plus we already knew the limitations so didn't want to move just for a few features only to be surprised by …
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams is just better for us since we were already a Microsoft productivity suite (Office) user. No additional cost when we went from traditional product license model to SaaS. Continuous integration and upgrades with MS 365 make it …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Where Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams fails, Zoom shines. Zoom is able to handle significantly higher number of participants without dropping in quality and/or issues with viewing all participants. Other aspects such as more fine-tuned control of participants is …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
I have not evaluated any other Microsoft Teams products
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype/Teams is simply better. There are many more features, better design, more intuitive experience, more integration with other features/apps, and somehow a superior usage performance. I like the fact that it is connected with all other spaces that the organization uses - …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business makes it easier to group contacts and receive offline/online notifications. It is a great way to make small-group contacts and discuss things over text and phone. It makes business calls more manageable and more interactive to organize. It's helpful if I need …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
It is cheaper, easy to use, and reliable as compared to Zoom and other software.
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business's unique features offers many benefits. When I need to communicate with my colleagues, I rely on the chat function. Its interface is intuitive and has top-notch sound. Making groups is easy, and
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype performs better overall and is more reliable in low connectivity areas. Skype also has more options for making changes on the back end(Sound/notifications/invitations, etc) to customize the experience better. An area of improvement for Skype vs Zoom would be their mobile …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Teams is a superior product. The companies are now shifting more towards Teams as compared to Skype.
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype is a great tool to increase communication across an organization. I believe Microsoft Teams encourages greater collaboration amongst employees by making conversations and chats easily accessible and also keeping a history of conversations to allow users to pick up where …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype enables me to have a conversation with people worldwide via calls or messaging, which is extremely convenient. We can share our work or presentation during the call by sending files, images, and even screen sharing. As a result of its superior video and audio quality, …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
For the below reason I will always choose this app over its competitors: Better audio and video quality, Little to no disconnections or freezing when on a call/video conference Integrates well with mailbox/ calendar/ one drive, and SharePoint is easy to use.
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
We have recently started using the tools which I listed above, these are contemporary with all the additional features required for the world which is looking at the work from home option as the new normal, some functions in our organization are thinking of completely making …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Our school district uses both Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Many of our users prefer Zoom over Teams because they say Zoom is easier. Not considering just the Chat feature, I like the ease of setting up a conference in Teams and sending out the calendar event. The integration of …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Hangouts have the worst user interface I've ever seen on a web application. Skype is a separate purchase, while Office 365 includes Skype as part of the subscription. When it comes to competing with Skype, Hangouts needs an overhaul of the UI. We've made the switch to Microsoft …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Most of the above applications are more suited to the newer age smaller companies that can experiment and switch. Our primary use case for Skype for [Business] was an enterprise software for large-scale communication using Microsoft's suite of products and authentication at a …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Hangouts has worst UI ever. It requires an additional purchase where skype comes free with office 365. Hangouts doesnt have dedicated PC or Mac app. It works only on browser due to which notifications are hit and miss. Skype has dedicated PC app but no web app. Hangouts needs a …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
This app integrates the features and functionality of Slack and Zoom into one app. This, when coupled with other MS platforms like Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, and others makes this app a very compelling option when compared to others.
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business comes as part of the entire Microsoft package and thus gives confidence over other products in a way that it is part of entire Eco-system.
Other individual tools needs organisation permission because they are not part of eco system and thus can have impact on …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business (formerly Lync) at one time was the industry standard for communication and video calls. But times change, features adapt, and companies move on to new software focuses. That is what happened with Skype. If you use Skype for Business (formerly Lync), it …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business existing before all these other softwares were present.
So legacy is maintained by Skype.
Main feature that stacks up Skype against all of the mentioned apps is security provided by Skype for Business apps. As we all know Zoom was not at all safe to use as lots …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Better audio video quality then webex when it comes to one on one calling.
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
We have switched to Teams, and it does offer a lot more so I think that it was the right choice, but Skype [for Business (formerly Lync)] was a very functional tool. The main issues were the bandwidth issues. The work computers aren't particularly high in RAM or processing …
Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Skype for Business was originally used as the de facto enterprise messaging app for our organization, but we have since changed to Microsoft Teams as it allows more built-in collaboration tools such as teams and integration to other apps like Outlook, SharePoint, Jira, …
Features
GoTo WebinarSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
GoTo Webinar
7.1
Ratings
5% below category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Dashboards7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Data exportability7.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Product A and Product B
GoTo Webinar
7.6
Ratings
5% below category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
8.0
Ratings
1% above category average
High quality audio8.20 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Mobile support7.60 Ratings9.00 Ratings
High quality video00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Low bandwidth requirements00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Online Meetings / Events
Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Product A and Product B
GoTo Webinar
7.2
Ratings
11% below category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
9.3
Ratings
12% above category average
Calendar integration7.70 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Record meetings / events8.40 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Slideshows8.50 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Event registration8.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Meeting initiation00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Integrates with social media00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Online Events Collaboration
Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Product A and Product B
GoTo Webinar
8.2
Ratings
1% below category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
7.5
Ratings
9% below category average
Audience polling7.90 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Q&A8.60 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Live chat00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Online Events Security
Comparison of Online Events Security features of Product A and Product B
GoTo Webinar
7.9
Ratings
4% below category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
6.8
Ratings
18% below category average
Participant roles & permissions7.70 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Confidential attendee list8.00 Ratings3.00 Ratings
User authentication00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Online Events Marketing
Comparison of Online Events Marketing features of Product A and Product B
GoTo Webinar
8.1
Ratings
5% above category average
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Branding options8.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration to Marketing Automation8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Screen Sharing
Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Product A and Product B
GoTo Webinar
-
Ratings
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
7.0
Ratings
12% below category average
Desktop sharing00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Whiteboards00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
VoIP system collaboration
Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Product A and Product B
GoTo Webinar
-
Ratings
Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
7.8
Ratings
1% below category average
Video conferencing00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Audio conferencing00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Video screen sharing00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Instant messaging00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
GoTo WebinarSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Small Businesses
BigMarker
BigMarker
Score 6.0 out of 10
Whereby
Whereby
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Zoho Meeting
Zoho Meeting
Score 9.2 out of 10
JioMeet
JioMeet
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
ON24
ON24
Score 8.8 out of 10
Webex Meetings
Webex Meetings
Score 8.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
GoTo WebinarSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
7.6
(0 ratings)
8.4
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.2
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.6
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.3
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.0
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
5.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
7.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
GoTo WebinarSkype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
Likelihood to Recommend
It is great for big events like training or product demos. It's good for marketing webinars with features like polls and Q&A. It's not ideal for small, casual meetings. It can be too expensive for some businesses. For smaller events, other tools might be better.
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Skype is useful for collaborations across distances, including work from home, as well as a more convenient way to communicate with a large group of people. Skype is also useful to communicate with specific parties quickly, rather than relying on cellular service in areas where not as available. Skype is less useful if the team does not use computers , tablets, smartphones, etc in daily workflow as it would rarely be used.
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Pros
  • We launched a product for a mass and more than 500 people attended the webinar and it was seamless.
  • Recording capability for the later usage
  • Setup is very simple for both admins and end users
  • Polls are helpful in assessing the engagement of the customers
Read full review
  • Group Chat option allows multiple people to have a conversation away from the main presentation
  • Integration with Microsoft Office allows easy usage of excel, PowerPoint and other MS programs
  • Easy calendar integration for Microsoft Outlook
  • Mobile interface is very easy and intuitive
Read full review
Cons
  • Dashboard for control are mostly intuitive but in some menus like the webcasting section can be cluttered
  • The current polling and survey capabilities are too simple. More advanced features, such as branching logic and real-time results, would make engagement more dynamic and insightful.
  • Although it's easy for organiser to use goto webinar, users have reported issues and long wait time on their end and they don't have much control over the session
Read full review
  • Probably the biggest area is the video element as it has historically struggled in this area.
  • The need to be forced to federate with another organisation by providing yours and enabling the other organisation settings is a bit tedious but once done, allows for simple collaboration between third-parties.
  • Functionality wise, as it's an older product and being superseded by MS Teams, it feels as if it's run its course but was very good for what it does/did at the time.
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Likelihood to Renew
GoTo Webinar is not boring at all. Its design is extremely intuitive and specific for what its name serves. It is a great software for webinars which have become the trend of "continuous learning". I like the way we can manage participants in the webinars, interacting with them while they cannot disturb the flow of the speech by intruding with the mic.
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I honestly feel that with most people using iPhone nowadays, it's easy to just call or use FaceTime if you need to be in touch with a client. Unless you need to have a conference call, there are plenty of ways to get in touch with a client otherwise besides using a somewhat inefficient program.
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Usability
GoTo Webinar's User Interface is simple and straightforward, which is what I, as an end user, prefer to interact with when I only use a software once or twice a month; I don't want to have to remember extra steps just to attend a webinar.
Read full review
Very easy to use. Even though Microsoft Teams has a lot of features and integrations, as a user I feel completely comfortable on finding what I need, getting information about the app extensions and using them. It's a very comprehensive tool, intuitive design and does not make me feel tired to be using it. I am glad with the current experience.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
I rated GoTo Webinar a 9 out of 10 for availability because it generally performs reliably, with minimal application errors or unplanned outages. The platform’s high uptime ensures that it’s usually accessible when needed, supporting a seamless experience for scheduling and conducting webinars. While occasional minor issues may arise, they are infrequent and typically well-managed, contributing to a strong overall rating for availability.
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No answers on this topic
Performance
I rated GoTo Webinar an 8 out of 10 for performance due to its generally robust capabilities. Pages load quickly, and reports are generated efficiently, even for complex data sets. The platform’s integration with other systems typically doesn’t introduce significant latency or performance issues. However, during peak usage times or when handling very large data volumes, there can be occasional slowdowns. Despite these instances, GoTo Webinar consistently provides strong performance and reliability in its core functions.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
I was always able to get someone on the phone when I needed to. They were very thorough and ensuring my questions were answered. And if I was asking for a solution or request that they didn't offer, they told me so I could at least stop trying to search for it.
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I have only had to reach out to the Support team at Skype for Business once with an issue, and I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the quickness and thoroughness of their response. The wait time was short and my question was dealt with politely and clearly, so I would say the support team has it together.
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Implementation Rating
I didn't participate in the implementation nor did my company. As far as I know we have an IT office running alla these projects and we just use the final products for our educational purposes. I also didn't notice implementation at any level while using the desktop interface, but would immediately recognize it, if so.
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Skpe for business is utilized company wide in regards to my company. Everyone not only uses it, but uses it often. It is an effective way of communicating. It also integrates very nicely with outlook and all conversation history is pushed to a folder within the outlook system. We also have it so that if someone misses a message, they are sent an email reminder saying that there is a message that went unread.
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Alternatives Considered
Zoom scores well above GoTo and ON24 in brand recognition across mid to large enterprises. But GoTo scores well in SMBs. Regarding value for money and ROI, it's better than ON24. We selected GoTo because of the price point and to ensure that our partner-sourced SMB stacks do not end up not engaging with us because of a lack of a proper medium.
Read full review
Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams is just better for us since we were already a Microsoft productivity suite (Office) user. No additional cost when we went from traditional product license model to SaaS. Continuous integration and upgrades with MS 365 make it even easier to use and therefore stickier.
Read full review
Scalability
I rated GoTo Webinar an 8 out of 10 for scalability because it effectively supports deployment across multiple departments and sites with its flexible features. It allows for easy management of large-scale webinars and integration with various systems, accommodating a growing number of users and sessions. However, some users might find limitations in advanced customization or specific integration needs as their requirements become more complex. Overall, its robust capabilities and adaptability make it a strong choice for scalable webinar solutions.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Good: We've been able to keep various client teams trained up on our product
  • Good: It helps us automate communication about the webinars, as well as follow-ups
  • Bad: There is a time suck that shouldn't exist surrounding the recurring scheduler which needs to be rethought and retooled with more than the most basic real world use cases in mind
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  • In the move to WFH for the over 90000 employees of the firm in 13 different timezones, Skype for [Business], as the primary communication tool has been the most critical factor in ensuring there's not a communication breakdown.
  • An average of 7 calls a day and around 50-60 text messages are sent via Skype for [Business]. These communications are critical for [the] continued delivery of our services.
  • Video/voice calling and screen sharing features of Skype have played a great role in simulating a shared workspace scenario in the virtual mode as best as possible.
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ScreenShots

GoTo Webinar Screenshots

Screenshot of Setup flow for a new webinar in GoTo Webinar.Screenshot of Organizer's Control Panel and in-session experience