Skype versus Zoom for home/family use: All the FUNCTION comparisons I find between Skype and Zoom are for business/group conferencing uses. I want to know if there is anything to...

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

All the FUNCTION comparisons I find between Skype and Zoom are for business/group conferencing uses.

I want to know if there is anything to recommend one over the other for HOME AND FAMILY use, just one computer to another. Or is it just personal preference/bias?

And, can a Skype user and a Zoom user communicate with each other?

I do understand that Skype is free only for Skype-to-Skype use. Not the issue here.

I am not interested in responses regarding Microsoft versus not-Microsoft philosophy.

beeyul69

There is a free Google app called “Hangouts” that works really well. We have been using it for family game nights.
You can download the app for smart phones and tablets or use a browser on a computer.

JoeN Loc: East Texas

When I had an Android phone and all my family had iPhones, we tried Skype but it didn’t work well on Apple products. I finally gave in and got an iPhone so we could FaceTime. That works pretty good but not great.

We’re now using Skype for our business conference calls and it works ok but a lot depends on your signal.

We were using Zoom but the company determined it was not secure so it has been banned by the company. While we were using Zoom it was about like Skype, how well it worked depended on your signal.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Personal preference. They do the same thing differently.

I've used Skype in the past, Zoom twice recently for a 12 camera family get together,
so far I like Zoom more.

No, a Skype user cannot communicate with a Zoom user, different software and protocol.
All must be using either Skype or Zoom.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

Longshadow wrote:

Personal preference. They do the same thing differently.

I've used Skype in the past, Zoom twice recently for a 12 camera family get together,
so far I like Zoom more.

No, a Skype user cannot communicate with a Zoom user, different software and protocol.
All must be using either Skype or Zoom.

Thanks. Helpful answer,

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

nadelewitz wrote:

Thanks. Helpful answer,

Forgot to say I used a laptop. Three rows of four images for the participant's cameras.
Looked just fine. Zoom even highlights which "camera" is talking.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Years ago we used skype to include a cousin in London at Thanksgiving dinner. There were only two participants, the one in London and the one in MA.

Now we have a lunch every other week for retired men. Since I moved out of town my participation has been sparse. But with the lockdown they have moved to zoom so I can participate from home (3 hours away) whenever they meet. We usually have 5-6 participants and the one speaking is highlighted below the row of images at the top.

Since I never used skype with more then two people I can't compare them, but Zoom works well.

toxdoc42

I used Webex at work. It was great, but a bit complicated. We used Skype, it is great for one on one, now we use Zoom and Like it. You do have to control the speakers, it can quickly become chaos, since each participant's video/audio has its own delay leading to chaos.

Canonuser Loc: UK and South Africa

I’m hearing that Partytime is very good for small numbers to chat together. It’s not for business or very private communication, but for general chat seems good. I’ve not had a chance to try it yet, but I’m told it works fine across all platforms.

Canonuser Loc: UK and South Africa

I’m hearing that Partytime is very good for small numbers to chat together. It’s not for business or very private communication, but for general chat seems good. I’ve not had a chance to try it yet, but I’m told it works fine across all platforms.

ClarkJohnson Loc: Fort Myers, FL and Cohasset, MA

We use Google Duo as well.

domcomm Loc: Denver, CO

We used Skype for college classes, and it was terrible. Now we use Zoom, and it is FAR better!

Dannj

Used Zoom a few times with 6 or 7 people. I like the green highlight for the talker.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Having been on several large conference calls, a limited number of participants makes for a much smoother meeting. It will probably depend on the participants but I estimate 8-10 is an upper limit.

Canonuser Loc: UK and South Africa

We recently held a very successful on AGM on ZOOM that lasted almost two hours.
There were almost 40 contributors. The chair had the ability to mute all or individuals to maintain control if necessary, but I think everyone was able to contribute what they wanted to.
A neat feature was the ability to vote on motions with boxes for ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses.