There are many advantages in using web-based video conferencing services. One is the convenience of being able to hold meetings, presentations, discussions, seminars with anyone, anywhere in the world.
Whether you’re trying to streamline operations or cut travel costs, it’s the best time to switch from physical meetings to web-based video conferencing. Here are some reasons why you should ditch those quarterly meetings for good!
Zoom
Who should use it?
Zoom is ideal for anyone who works remotely or has remote team members. Zoom allows for simple, easy setup meetings or regular meetings in your personal meeting room. Quickly create and share a private meeting link with an individual or team and connect remote team members through video.
Top Free Features:
- Host up to 100 participants
- 1-1 and group meetings
- Unlimited meetings
- HD video and audio
- Screen sharing
- Scheduled meetings
- Private and group chat
- Host controls
Google Hangouts
Who should use it?
Google Hangouts is a simple way to connect with Google contacts (or those outside of your network) and can be used for personal or business reasons. Use this tool for individual conversations, team meetings, recorded demos, and more.
Top Free Features:
- Up to 25 video participants
- Video, audio, and messenger conversations
- Video meeting recordings
- Join calls using Google Calendar
- Screen sharing
GlobalMeet Collaboration – Best for in-browser video conferencing
HD multipoint video, Dolby voice audio, local dial-in access, recording, and more.
GlobalMeet Collaboration is a no-download video conferencing solution with 24/7 in-meeting support offered for all users. They also have audio-only pricing available for those who don’t need video calls or are looking for calling features on a budget.
Easy to use and navigate, GlobalMeet scored favorably in the UX section of the evaluation criteria. The windows and menu are intuitive and clean, making their interface feel very self-explanatory upon looking at it.
Integrations include Microsoft Teams, Cisco, Tandberg, LifeSize, Polycom, Skype, Salesforce, Marketo, Hubspot, and more.
One con is that at $16-per-user, GlobalMeet tends to be quite costly compared to others on this list. They are certainly a feature-rich tool but many functions can be found elsewhere for cheaper.
GlobalMeet Collaboration starts at $16/user/month and has a freemium plan available.
- freemium version
- From $9.99/month
Dialpad Meetings
Who should use it?
The free version of Dialpad Meetings is ideal for teams of 10 or less. The free version limits your video call duration to 45 minutes, so it’s ideal for shorter meetings. Since it allows unlimited video conferences, you can use this video conferencing tool for recurring meetings, like 1-1s or monthly team debriefs.
Top Free Features:
- Up to 10 participants
- Unlimited conferences
- Call recording
- HD Audio
- Screen and document sharing
- Mobile apps
TrueConf Online
Who should use it?
TrueConf offers a free plan with up to three participants in video calls. This solution is great for small teams or individuals who need a simple tool to host video calls or collaborate with small groups. The collaboration features like remote desktop control are helpful for those in support who may need to help a client solve a problem.
Top Free Features:
- Up to three participants on team calls
- HD video
- Collaboration tools (screen sharing, remote desktop control, recorded calls, file transfer, and shared virtual whiteboard)
FreeConference
Who should use it?
FreeConference ideal for smaller teams or meetings with five or fewer participants. One major perk of this video conferencing tool is its ease of use — no downloads are required to start using it. Plus, moderator controls allow the individual who’s running the video conference to keep the meeting on track.
Top Free Features:
- Up to 5 online meeting participants
- Screen sharing
- Document sharing
- Moderator controls
- Text chat
7. Lifesize Go
Who should use it?
Lifesize Go can be used by remote employees, remote freelancers, or those working with clients who rarely host larger group meetings. While they have plans that include solutions for bigger teams, the free version offers a nice amount of features for individuals and small group conversations.
Top Free Features:
- Up to 8 participants
- No restrictions on meeting length
- Screen sharing
Slack Video Calls
Who should use it?
Slack users can take advantage of the call feature by simply using the command /call or clicking the phone icon at the top of the conversation with another Slack user. This is an easy way to make calls right from Slack if you need to ask a teammate a quick question. You can also Slack with up to 15 people if you start a call from a channel, enabling the rest of the channel’s members to join. This tool is good for teams looking for a supplementary video calling solution for small teams.
Top Free Features:
- Group calls of up to 15 people
- Individual calls
- Messenger
YouTube Live
Who should use it?
YouTube Live, like Facebook Live, is a platform for demonstrating a product with live Q&A, hosting an educational session to teach your audience while screen sharing or using a whiteboard, or hosting a live conversation with members of your team.
Top Free Features:
- Three stream quality options (normal latency, low-latency, ultra-low latency)
- Added delay
- Live questions from the audience
- Private live streams (people can only access with the link)
- Advanced scheduling
- Live automatic captions
- Location tags
When considering which video conferencing tool is best for you or your team, take a look at our State of Video Conferencing report to see how you stack up with your audiovisual needs and which products are trusted by other teams and businesses. Don’t forget to bookmark our AV conference room checklist as well so that meetings can get started right away every time.
Google Hangouts – Best for free video conferencing software
Google Hangouts can be launched right from Gmail or a dedicated app.
Google hangouts is a communication tool designed, as the name suggests, by Google and is a product housed within the G Suite package of solutions. This software has two primary components: Google Hangouts Meet (video-based) and Google Hangouts Chat (text-based).
Obviously, free-to-use software appeals to the Value for Cost segment of our evaluation criteria; Google Hangouts is also robust enough to satisfy most small business needs plus it’s easy to get started using.
Integrations include other Google software, like Gmail, Google Docs, and so on. Additionally, third-party services can be connected through Zapier or by using Google’s designated API.
The con of using a free video-conferencing tool is always that it will have paid-tools with a deeper expanse of features, or a more specific niche, and Google Hangouts is no exception. You may experience some connectivity issues, with audio echoing or not connecting right away.
Google Hangouts is free to use.Visit Website
- freemium version
- From $5/user/month
Skype for Business (now part of Microsoft Teams) – Best for small businesses
Skype offers chat and file sharing along with traditional video conferencing tools.
Microsoft Teams has now started to replace Skype for Business Online as Microsoft’s professional online meeting solution. They are a one-in-the-same tool but with a new branding angle; it offers instant messaging, video conferencing, calling, and document collaboration.
Skype for Business (via Microsoft Teams) is a great low-cost tool with a freemium version available for the benefit of startups and small businesses; they score favorably in the Value for Cost section of the evaluation segment.
Being a Microsoft product means that Skype is designed to easily integrate with other MS software.
One con is occasional stability issues of the software, be it video or audio not connecting even on a strong internet connection, or lost chat histories, delayed or disappeared notifications, and so on.
Microsoft Teams (which includes Skype for Business) starts at $5/user/month and has a freemium version of the software.Visit Website
- 30 days free trial
- From $5/user/month
Microsoft Teams – Best for enterprise with an all-in-one solution
Teams pairs the familiar capabilities of Microsoft programs with video calling.
Microsoft Teams is a project management solution that includes robust features for video calling and conference calls. They have account options for business use, educational use, and personal use, meaning there is a lot of flexibility for interested parties.
A stand-out feature of Microsoft Teams is their ability to gamify video conferencing; users will experience fun additions to the calls and chats, from GIF uploads to Snapchat-esque filters (yes, turning yourself into a potato is an option).
Integrations include other Microsoft software, like Word, Excel, Outlook, and Publisher, as well as third-party apps like Stack Overflow, LizardOpenDataBot, Skooler, Coreview, LeaveBot, Remind, GTMHub, and many more free and paid options that can be viewed in their Marketplace.
Microsoft Teams lost a few points in UX because of some navigation and clutter issues, resulting in decreased usability. The desktop app tends to have sluggish performance and it can be cumbersome to locate the latest version of any file.
Microsoft Teams starts at $5/user/month and has a free 30-day trial.Visit Website
- 90 days free trial
- From $50/month
Adobe Connect – Best for built in tools, extras, and add-ons
The Adobe Connect dashboard displays video calling options and more.
Adobe Connect is video conferencing and chats software with tools for online meetings, webinar solutions, and/or visual classroom solutions, depending on your company needs. The basic plan for meetings includes rich recording and editing tools and included storage and VoIP.
Adobe goes above and beyond for online meeting software, offering smart tools like chats and polls, video editing options, media sharing, on-demand recordings, and more. If you want a tool that lets you think outside of the box for web meetings, this could be it.
Integrations include Countdown Timer, Adobe Connect Clock, Randomizer, Custom Survey, and Polling Pod, Vantage Point, YouTube Player, StickyNotePages, UpVote, Talking Stick, Stage Lights, Star Rating, Canvas LMS Integration, SAP Enterprise Learning Integration, ScheduleOne, and even games like Odds and Evens or Tic Tac Toe. It’s compatible with Windows, Mac, and Android.
The learning curve for Adobe Connect, like much of Adobe’s software, has a steep learning curve; this tool is better for experienced AV users or at least a team with a robust IT department. Thus, they lost some marks in the Usability section of the evaluation criteria.
Adobe Connect starts at $50/month and has a free 90-day trial.Visit Website
- Free trial
- From $29.99/user/month
Whereby – Best for beginners to video conferencing
Whereby has no downloads and no logins for guests so you can get started fast.
Used by the likes of Shopify and Trello, Whereby is a video communication service that launched in 2013 and was acquired by Videonor in 2017. Their selling feature is video calling without the need for downloads or even log-ins for guests, so it can be used right in a web browser.
Whereby was ranked #1 easiest to use on G2 Crowd and we agree; the no download, no log-in feature is true to its promise to make using the tool quick and easy from the get-go. They scored highly in the Usability department because of this.
Integrations include Google Docs, Trello Boards, YouTube, and Slack.
One con is that certain integrations are limited to business and pro accounts only, meaning that you would be forced to upgrade even if you don’t need the increased user limits and other additions.
Whereby starts at $9.99/month and has a freemium version for 1 user.Visit Website
Facebook Live
Who should use it?
Facebook Live is a great fit for businesses, influencers, or individuals who are looking to broadcast demos, videos, or showcase their company culture while streaming live. Your followers on Facebook can comment and chat live, you can select a custom audience for the video, and you can schedule videos ahead of time to gain excitement.
Top Free Features:
- Broadcasts up to four hours
- Advanced scheduling
- Custom audiences
Conclusion
Web conferencing is a recent breakthrough that has emerged in internet technologies, allowing people to attend class remotely through the internet. It allows students to share their desktop screens with remote participants who are separate from them in space while still engaging in discussion.