The newcomer that is quietly stealing market share. In 2018, Zoom already has 1M+ daily meeting participants and growing fast. HD video that actually works on low bandwidth. One-click join links. Breakout rooms. Cloud & local recording. A clean interface that just works — while Skype struggles with its identity crisis. The free plan caps groups at 40 minutes but supports 100 participants.

The once-dominant household name that pioneered consumer video calling in 2003. By 2018, Skype is in identity crisis mode — Microsoft redesigned the UI to mimic Snapchat with "Highlights" that users despise. Skype for Business is being deprecated in favor of Microsoft Teams. E2E encryption by default remains an advantage, but dropped calls, lag, and a bloated interface are pushing users toward simpler alternatives.