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Zoom's Success During the Pandemic Came at Skype's Expense

As Zoom was becoming the most popular video-call platform in the world, Skype was busy losing its market share over the course of a year.

 & Jason Cohen Senior Editor, Help & How To

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Remote work has changed dramatically over the past year, and the platforms we use for collaborating have changed with it. Believe it or not, Skype was the most popular video call platform at the beginning of 2020. Now we're all on Zoom.

EmailToolTester has the data to show that, before the pandemic, Skype owned a commanding 32.4% of the market in 2020 before losing 25.8% of its market share in a single year. Zoom grew 22.3% and Google Meet grew 20.2% in that same time.

video call market share

Now Zoom owns about half of the world market, including many major markets including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Google Meet has done well in India and southeast Asia, while Microsoft Teams is leading in mid-market countries including Poland, South Africa, and Turkey.

Zoom's meteoric rise can be attributed to the company's free service tier, but Microsoft also played a role by allowing Skype to lose users, even while continuing to bundle it with Windows. Microsoft has also clearly shifted focus now that Teams has reached 14.5% market share in 2021.

Those still predominantly using Skype make up just 6.6% of the total market, which is now projected to be worth $10.92 billion by 2027.

About Our Expert

Jason Cohen

Jason Cohen

Senior Editor, Help & How To

My Experience

As PCMag's editor of how to content, I have to cover a wide variety of topics and also make our stories accessible to everyday users. Considering my history as a technical writer, copywriter, and all-around freelancer covering baseball, comics, and more at various outlets, I am used to making myself into an expert.

I believe tech corporations are bad, but you might as well know how to use technology in everyday life. Want more how to content delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the tips and tricks newsletter that I curate twice a week.

The Technology I Use

My job as how-to guru means I use just about every gadget under the sun, so I can figure out how everything works. I work from a Lenovo ThinkPad running Windows 11, but also have a very large Dell Inspiron 17 3000 and Apple silicon MacBook. I also have a Google Pixel 6a for personal use and use a Galaxy Z Flip 4 for additional Samsung-related testing. For iOS coverage, an iPhone 13 mini works like a charm, though it's already becoming a little long in the tooth.

My desktop situation includes a dual monitor setup with a modest Acer monitor. I also use a Logitech mouse (who can use these ThinkPad trackpads) and a Havit keyboard (my first mechanical keyboard; I love it but my wife hates it!). I'm a recent convert from wired headphones; I have Anker Soundcore Liberty Air wireless earbuds for personal use and have taken to the Sennheiser HD 450BT headphones for work.

Whenever I have a second to myself, I'm probably gaming on my Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or Xbox Series S. I also still have a bunch of classic consoles lying around as well.

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