Guide · Skype for Business
Skype for Business alternatives for small teams
Skype for Business is gone: Skype for Business Online was retired on July 31, 2021,[1] and Skype for Business Server 2015 and 2019 reached the end of extended support on October 14, 2025.[2] Microsoft's own successor is Microsoft Teams, and for small businesses that need calling Microsoft points to Teams Essentials with Teams Phone.[3] Outside Microsoft, Zoom Workplace Pro costs $16.99 per user per month billed monthly,[4] Google Workspace business plans allow Google Meet calls of 100 to 500 participants depending on the plan,[5] and RingCentral RingEX combines calls, texts, video meetings and fax in one app.[6] Skype for Business was a separate product from consumer Skype, which Microsoft retired on May 5, 2025.[3] Prices are per user per month as published; I checked them on October 25, 2026.
After Skype is published with support from TwinPhone; rankings reflect my criteria. Methodology and disclosure.
On this page
Skype for Business in one minute
- Online: retired July 31, 2021; the service is no longer accessible.[1]
- Server 2015 and 2019: out of support since October 14, 2025; Subscription Edition is the remaining on-premises version.[2]
- Default path: Microsoft Teams; small businesses that need phone calls get Teams Essentials plus Teams Phone.[3]
- Outside Microsoft: Zoom Workplace, Google Workspace, RingCentral or Webex in the cloud; Jitsi, Element or Nextcloud Talk on your own servers.
What happened to Skype for Business
Skype for Business came in two forms, a cloud service in Microsoft 365 and an on-premises server, and both have now reached the end of the road. The dates below come from Microsoft's lifecycle pages on Microsoft Learn.
Skype for Business Online (retired July 31, 2021)
Microsoft announced the retirement on July 30, 2019 and retired Skype for Business Online on July 31, 2021; after that date the service is no longer accessible.[1] Integrations ended with it, including third-party audio conferencing providers, Cloud Connector Edition and hybrid voice set-ups, and online users moved to Teams Only mode.[1]
Skype for Business Server 2015 and 2019 (end of support October 14, 2025)
Skype for Business Server 2019 was released on October 22, 2018, left mainstream support in January 2024 and reached the end of extended support on October 14, 2025, the same end date as Server 2015.[2] After that date Microsoft no longer issues security updates for either version.
Microsoft's on-premises successor is Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition. According to Microsoft's lifecycle note, it can only be installed as an in-place upgrade of Skype for Business Server 2019, so a new Subscription Edition server starts from the 2019 code and is patched up.[2]
Skype for Business vs consumer Skype
They were different products. Consumer Skype, the free app with Skype Credit and Skype Numbers, was retired on May 5, 2025, and Microsoft says Skype for Business was not affected by that retirement.[3] The Online retirement in 2021 also left consumer Skype untouched.[1] If you used consumer Skype at work, read about the consumer Skype shutdown; for home use, see Skype alternatives for personal use.
Skype for Business alternatives compared
| Option | Price per user / month | Meetings | Phone system | On-premises |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams Essentials | $4 at launch, December 2021.¹ | Up to 300 people, up to 30 hours.[7] | Teams Phone, added on.[3] | No |
| Zoom Workplace Pro | $16.99 monthly, $14.16 annual.[4] | Free Basic plan: 100 people, 40 minutes.[4] | Zoom Phone US & Canada Unlimited from $16 (annual).[8] | No |
| Google Workspace | —² | Meet: 100 (Starter), 150 (Standard), 500 (Plus) participants.[5] | Not part of the plans compared here. | No |
| RingCentral RingEX | — | Video meetings included.[6] | Yes: calls, texts and fax; 100+ countries supported.[6] | No |
| Webex | Free plan; Enterprise on request.[9] | Free: 100 attendees, 40 minutes; Enterprise: up to 1,000.[9] | — | No |
| Jitsi Meet | Free (open source).[10] | Video meetings; no account needed on meet.jit.si.[10] | — | Yes, self-hosted.[10] |
| Element (Matrix) | — | End-to-end encrypted calls.[11] | — | Yes, including air-gapped.[11] |
| Nextcloud Talk | Quote on request.[12] | End-to-end encrypted calls.[12] | SIP bridge for phone dial-in.[12] | Yes, self-hosted.[12] |
- ¹ Launch price from Microsoft's announcement of December 1, 2021.[7] I could not load Microsoft's current Teams Essentials pricing page on October 25, 2026, so check the price there before buying.
- ² Google's pricing page showed local-currency prices for my location, not US-account prices, so no price is given here.
Where the big three start
-
Microsoft's Skype replacement
Free for personal accounts; businesses move up to Teams Essentials and Teams Phone.[3]
Free
-
Scheduled group meetings
Workplace Pro from $14.16 per user per month billed annually.[4]
Free; Pro $16.99/mo
-
Browser video calls
Business plans raise Meet to 100 to 500 participants by plan.[5]
Free; paid plans
Microsoft Teams Essentials and Teams Phone
For most former Skype for Business customers, Teams is the default upgrade path: Microsoft's own upgrade guidance moved Skype for Business Online users to Teams Only mode, and on-premises Skype for Business Server users can run side by side with Teams in coexistence modes until they move.[1]
Teams Essentials is Microsoft's stand-alone Teams plan for small businesses. At launch Microsoft priced it at $4 per user per month, with group meetings of up to 300 people lasting up to 30 hours and 10 GB of file storage per user.[7] Microsoft's Skype retirement page says the free version of Teams has no paid calling plans and points businesses that need calling to Teams Essentials with Teams Phone.[3]
Teams Phone is what replaces the Enterprise Voice side of Skype for Business: phone numbers and calls to landlines and mobiles inside Teams. I could not read its current add-on price on Microsoft's site, so this page quotes none. The personal side of the story, what Teams (free) keeps and drops for home users, is in Skype vs Microsoft Teams for personal users.
Zoom Workplace and Zoom Phone
Zoom Workplace is the closest cloud alternative for teams that never used Microsoft 365. The free Basic plan ends meetings at 40 minutes with up to 100 participants; Zoom Workplace Pro costs $16.99 per user per month billed monthly, or $14.16 billed annually.[4]
Zoom Phone adds the phone system. The US & Canada Unlimited plan costs $18 per user per month billed monthly or $16 billed annually, and it includes a phone number.[8] The feature-by-feature comparison, meetings, chat and history, is in Zoom vs Skype for Business.
Google Workspace (Meet and Chat)
Google Workspace bundles Google Meet video meetings and Google Chat with Gmail, Drive and Docs, so it suits teams that already run on Google accounts. Meet's participant cap rises with the plan: 100 on Business Starter, 150 on Business Standard and 500 on Business Plus.[5] Google's Meet page says paid plans reach up to 1,000 participants and group calls of up to 24 hours.[13]
Google's pricing page showed me local-currency prices only, not US-account prices, so I can't give US prices here; check the page from your own account.[5]
RingCentral, Webex and other UCaaS suites
Unified communications suites (UCaaS) are the nearest match to what Skype for Business with Enterprise Voice did: one app for phone calls, chat and meetings. RingCentral's RingEX brings calls, texts, video meetings and fax into one app, and RingCentral says it supports 100+ countries.[6] Its per-user prices sit behind a plan selector, so I couldn't read them.
Webex by Cisco has a free plan with meetings of up to 40 minutes and 100 attendees, and an Enterprise plan for up to 1,000 attendees, priced on request.[9]
Self-hosted and open source options
Shops that ran Skype for Business Server for control or compliance reasons can keep communications on their own servers with open source software.
- Jitsi Meet. A 100% open source video conferencing project: free to use at meet.jit.si without an account, with a server download to run your own instance.[10]
- Element (Matrix). Messaging and calls built on the decentralised Matrix open standard, end-to-end encrypted, with self-hosted and air-gapped deployments offered for government and business.[11]
- Nextcloud Talk. A fully self-hosted, on-premises and 100% open source audio, video and chat service with end-to-end encrypted calls; a SIP bridge lets people dial in by phone, which needs the Talk High Performance Backend.[12]
Self-hosting moves the work to your IT team: servers, updates, TURN relays for calls behind firewalls, and support. For teams that only need meetings without running anything, the hosted video meeting apps are simpler.
Migration checklist for IT
Whichever platform you pick, a Skype for Business migration follows the same order. Start early: a server out of support since October 14, 2025 no longer gets security fixes.[2]
- Inventory. List users, meeting rooms, dial-in conferencing, phone numbers, call queues, auto attendants and every system that integrates with Skype for Business.
- Choose the target and coexistence plan. For Teams, decide how long users stay in coexistence mode with Skype for Business Server before moving to Teams Only.[1]
- Numbers. Port business numbers through your carrier or the new provider's phone system, and plan the cut-over date so calls don't drop.
- Meeting rooms and devices. Check that room systems and desk phones are certified for the new platform, or budget to replace them.
- Compliance. Export or archive chat and call records you must keep, and set retention policies on the new platform before users move.
- Training and cut-over. Move a pilot group first, train users on meetings, chat and calling, then switch everyone and retire the old servers.
Skype for Business FAQ
Is Skype for Business still available?
What should a small business use instead of Skype?
What replaced Skype for Business?
What is the difference between Skype and Skype for Business?
Can I still run Skype for Business Server?
How much does Microsoft Teams Essentials cost?
Microsoft launched Teams Essentials in December 2021 at $4 per user per month, with meetings of up to 300 people for up to 30 hours.[7] I could not load Microsoft's current pricing page on October 25, 2026, so confirm today's price there.
Is there an open source alternative to Skype for Business?
Related guides
Sources
- Microsoft Learn: Skype for Business Online retirement. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft Learn: Skype for Business Server 2019 lifecycle. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft Support: Skype is retiring in May 2025: What you need to know (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Zoom: Plans and pricing. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Google Workspace: Compare Flexible Pricing Plan Options. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- RingCentral: RingEX. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft 365 Blog: New Microsoft Teams Essentials is built for small businesses (December 1, 2021). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Zoom: Zoom Phone pricing. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Webex by Cisco: Webex pricing (United States). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Jitsi: Jitsi Meet. Accessed October 17, 2026.
- Element: Element: secure communications built on Matrix. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Nextcloud: Nextcloud Talk. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Google Workspace: Google Meet. Accessed October 25, 2026.
Gladstone Walters
Editor, After Skype
I'm Gladstone Walters, and I live in the United Kingdom. I write and maintain the After Skype guides. Every price, limit and date here comes from the vendor's own pricing, help or rate pages; I note the day I read each one and put a dash wherever I can't verify a number. TwinPhone supports this site, so I hold it to the same criteria as every other app and list its weak points next to its strengths.
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