Review of the Best in Video Conferencing Software: Skype vs. ooVoo

Communication is something that is valued in the world of competitive business. Over the years, corporations and conglomerates have been graced with the latest technological advancements in telephones, email, and instant messaging, but two fairly recent developments have helped revolutionize the way some businesses interconnect. Skype and ooVoo, software applications specializing in video conferencing and messaging, have helped modernize and reform the way some business meetings are being held. More and more individuals are utilizing the software as a means of effective communication.

However, which one is the most superlative? Which one is more ideal for your business?

Well, if the old axiom that with age comes wisdom is factual then Skype certainly has ooVoo beat. According to USA Today, Skype was launched in August 2003 and has been making quite a stir in the world of information technology ever since. With its network being operated by those wonderful folks at Microsoft, Skype offers its users more than just free video calling. Clients can call people all over the world on their phone or mobile device from just 0.9 cents per minute, and can also share important business documents of any size by creating an account to send presentations to fellow employees and colleagues. It also doesn’t hurt that Skype had 663 million registered users as of September 2011.

So, what about ooVoo? What does it bring to the table? Well, for starters…it seems to have garnered better reviews. According to their study, eight out of ten Skype users actually prefer ooVoo based upon third party research conducted among users of the Microsoft application. This is probably due to the fact that ooVoo offers a slew of features including video chatting, video call recording, desktop sharing, text chat, sidebar views, and high definition video streaming. That’s rather impressive.

Still, it doesn’t quite answer the question of which communications software is better for businesses. Perchance cost should be a factor. When it comes to expenditures associated with these communication devices, Skype is free when it comes to Skype-to-Skype calls, one-on-one video calls, instant messaging and screen sharing. However, its Pay As You Go service runs from 2.3 cents a minute and can change depending on the area in which the user may be calling. Skype Premium, a feature created to better enhance group video calling, costs $4.49 per month. Not bad, right?

Let’s not rejoice just yet. It would be wise not to forget about the cost of the equipment needed to access Skype Premium such as high speed broadband, webcams, microphones and speakers, and a DirectX 9.0c compatible video card for Windows users. Perhaps this may be a disadvantage.

So, how does ooVoo hold up in the cost department? Let’s take a gander, shall we?

Just like Skype, ooVoo offers users free video chatting and video messaging. However, in order to utilize its advanced features such as 12-way video chat, desktop sharing and file transfer of up to 25MB, businessmen, businesswomen and corporate professionals will have to upgrade to an ooVoo Plan or purchase ooVoo credits. Plans include ooVoo Plus which costs $9.95 monthly and $89.95 annually, and ooVoo Pro which costs $29.95 monthly and $269.55 annually. It seems Skype has won this round.

To that end, let’s talk quality and attributes. While ooVoo and Skype are both available for Windows and Mac, Skype can also be used on Linux and Sony’s esteemed PlayStation Portable, and perhaps even future releases of the Xbox considering it is a Microsoft property. Both can be used on several cellphones and tablets. However, according to the Dayton Business Journal, ooVoo enables six-way video calls as opposed to Skype’s five-way call.  Conversely, as stated before, ooVoo has a 25 MB limit when it comes to file transfer while Skype has no size limit at all. Decisions, decisions.

Furthermore, with other methods of communication such as Google Talk and Vonage, decision making has become a bit harder. Check out our analysis of those two software choices here.

Without a doubt, both Skype and ooVoo have their share of respective pros and cons when it comes to effective communication. It is apparent that each one brings something different to the table. To better determine which would be better for business and industry, it may be wise to simply analyze the needs of the corporation looking to use video conferencing to enhance communication between its colleagues. Before making a choice, one may want to ask around.

After all, every good business professional knows that communication is key.

Which one do you think is better…Skype or ooVoo? Let us know by leaving us a comment on our Facebook Page, sharing your opinion below, or by simply tweeting us at @HostDime.