Summary
For small organizations, video conferencing technologies have become indispensable because they provide better collaboration, lower travel expenses, and more production. Video conferencing facilitates seamless participation in meetings, screen sharing, and real-time conversations among distant team members, therefore promoting a more cohesive and productive workforce. These systems also enable remote client meetings, which enables companies to reach a wider audience and maintain solid connections with clients and partners regardless of location. Furthermore, a lot of video conferencing software integrates with other crucial business apps. Some even include sophisticated functions akin to those found in VoIP systems for businesses.
Your demands will determine which video conferencing solution is best for your company. While some businesses would just want the capacity to do standard video meetings, others will require more sophisticated features like webinars, online training, and large-scale presentations. We evaluate top video conferencing services according to their functionality, features, and performance to assist you in selecting the one that will work best for your business. Here are our best selections for the category, along with links to in-depth evaluations and some useful purchasing advice.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
In summary:
Zoom One is a powerful, user-friendly collaboration tool that has undergone an amazing metamorphosis from a basic video conferencing software to a comprehensive communication center.
PROS
- Simple to employ
- Complete encryption
- Reasonably priced
- Numerous integrations
- Zoom AI Companion provides translation and transcription of meetings in almost real-time.
CONS
- Inconsistent performance while integrating third-party applications
- In the web interface, several settings are difficult to locate.
The Reason We Selected It
Media Intermedia AnyMeeting is a user-friendly, visually appealing service with an abundance of functionality to accommodate any kind of organization. Its AI-powered Virtual Assistant, which provides generally accurate transcriptions of video conversations and can even highlight action items depending on what is said during the call, was our particular favorite feature. Furthermore, AnyMeeting’s cost is comparable to that of the majority of its rivals despite how extensive it is.
For whom is it intended?
AnyMeeting is almost always a good choice, which is why it has consistently received our Editors’ Choice award. One potential drawback might be the absence of several features intended for webinars, including breakout rooms. Overall however, it’s difficult to beat if you’re at ease with its controls and user interface.
PROS
- Lets you share your screen from within a browser
- Innovative whiteboard feature
- Automatic transcription
- Lets you share your keyboard and mouse with others
CONS
- Lacks breakout rooms
- Webinar support is a separate product
Webex by Cisco
The Reason We Selected It
Webex, one of the most developed video conferencing options on our list, has been available since 1995 in one form or another. It has the specific advantage of benefiting from integration with the vast network of tools, hardware, and intelligent conference room systems of Cisco, which is now its owner. For some of the most well-known names on the Fortune 500, it is the preferred option as a consequence.
For whom is it intended?
Don’t think that using Webex requires a large staff. Even if its price is a little more complicated than that of some other services, it can easily scale from tiny companies to giant corporations and all sizes in between. Thus, Webex could be the best option if reliable support and almost infinite development potential are your top requirements.
PROS
- Strong whiteboard and application sharing functionalities
- Cloud recording is included.
- Transcribing in real time
- Separate rooms
- Fantastic and practical Reactions feature
CONS
- Extra fees apply for real-time translation.
- comparatively costly
- 10GB of online storage is all you get.
RingCentral Video
The Reason We Selected It
Regarded for its corporate communication technology, RingCentral is well-known for its VoIP (voice-over-IP) offering. Its debut into the video conferencing space is RingCentral Video, which is still a respectable product even if it’s lagging behind some of the more well-established competitors. Its generous free price tier, which allows you to have meetings with up to 100 participants for up to 24 hours at a time, is one of its enticing features.
For whom is it intended?
RingCentral is a great option if you’re searching for a video conferencing service that works well with a corporate VoIP system. The same program has both features integrated into its user-friendly layout. It also provides more free of charge than any other system we examined. But be advised that it does not yet provide all the features of more experienced rivals.
PROS
- Call participants don’t need to install any software.
- You don’t need an account to take part in calls.
- generously provided free plan
- apps for the web and all of the main platforms
- able to quickly swap between devices while
CONS
- Absence of Q&A moderator tools and keyboard/mouse sharing
- No special URL to get into an account
- Inept task organization
Google Meet
The Reason We Selected It
The fact that Google Meet conferences may only be joined via a web browser may first seem to be a drawback, but it may also be its biggest advantage. With Google Meet, anybody with a contemporary browser—regardless of OS platform—should be able to access it, since there are no separate programs to download and install. Naturally, the fact that Meet is compatible with the very well-liked Google Workspace collection of productivity tools is also beneficial.
For whom is it intended?
It’s likely that some of your clients or partners utilize Google Workspace even if your company doesn’t. Considering how readily it connects with users’ calendars and email in Workspace, there should be sufficient justification to give it some thought. Beyond that, Meet has one of the lowest entry hurdles of any service in our survey and is a powerful video conferencing option.
PROS
- generously provided free tier
- incorporates document cooperation
- operates only within of your browser
- records meetings and automatically stores them to Google Drive
- connects to further Google Workspace applications
CONS
- To access business features, you must be a Google Workspace member.
- Absence of an integrated transcription function.
GoToMeeting
The Reason We Selected It
GoTo, a firm that was originally known as LogMeIn, offers a sophisticated video conferencing system called GoToMeeting. With competitive features like intelligent transcription and limitless cloud recording, it provides a fantastic value for money. Additionally, it is compatible with Microsoft 365 calendars and Google Workspace.
For whom is it intended?
GoToMeeting is a solid option for video conferencing on its own, but it is devoid of some capabilities that you would expect for a more versatile video conference platform. Use cases including call centers, webinars, and remote IT administration are its greatest fits, particularly when combined with GoTo’s other products for those industries.
PROS
- Operates across all platforms
- helpful, astute helper
- Cloud recording without limits
- Notation when sharing a screen
CONS
- Virtual backdrops need to be purchased separately for free.
- Absence of whiteboard functionality
ClickMeeting
The Reason We Selected It
Because it serves users who wish to do webinars and other large-scale presentations mainly, ClickMeeting differentiates itself from the competition. It can grow to audiences of up to 1,000 people, unlike the other services in our roundup (albeit not everyone will be able to engage actively). In order to provide those who were unable to attend a live session with the opportunity to review the meeting at a later time, it also provides enough web storage for recording sessions.
For whom is it intended?
You should certainly check into ClickMeeting if you like webinars or are searching for a video conferencing solution for online training sessions. On the other hand, you’ll probably be better off with a different solution if you anticipate your consumers participating in a lot of peer-to-peer video chats or conferences with a limited number of attendees.
PROS
- UI is fast and easy to navigate
- Many features for webinar and event hosts
- Built-in support for live streaming
- Intuitive file collaboration
- Can handle huge audiences
CONS
- Unexceptional all-purpose conference
- Not equipped with automatic transcribing
- comparatively costly.
Microsoft Teams
The Reason We Selected It
Teams follows Microsoft’s approach of progressively adding capabilities to its products. From modest origins, it has grown into a massive team communication tool and an essential component of the Microsoft 365 suite. More significantly, it is a fully functional video conferencing system that can be used for far more than just one-on-one video meetings, in contrast to certain rivals (like Slack).
For whom is it intended?
Unwavering Microsoft resellers should take note: Teams may be all the video conferencing software you need if you currently use it, especially if you’re a Microsoft 365 subscriber. However, we advise you to go elsewhere if you’re only looking for video conferencing and aren’t fully committed to the Microsoft approach.
PROS
- very adaptable
- closely linked with more Microsoft Office applications
- Many possibilities for integration
- Accompanied by Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 business accounts
CONS
- Most productive in a setting that prioritizes Microsoft
- A compartmentalized design might make communication less open.
- It might be challenging to locate the necessary talks.
Zoho Meeting
The Reason We Selected It
Zoho Meetings is appealing because of its affordable cost even if it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of some of its rivals. You can hold meetings for up to 100 people using its free tier, which sets it apart from many of the services in our list. Additionally, it works well with the other applications in the Zoho business software package.
For whom is it intended?
If you’re already a part of the larger Zoho ecosystem, you should check out Zoho Meetings as well. Zoho wants to be your one-stop shop for business software. If money is very tight for you, it can also suit your demands. If you use it as a stand-alone solution, however, you may be able to find a better deal elsewhere.
PROS
- Cheap
- up to 25 video streams running at once
- allows for synthetic backdrops
- incorporates responses
CONS
- CONS No transcription by machine
- limited functionality of notebooks
What Is Video Conferencing Software?
The field of video conferencing has advanced remarkably. It was only first offered as expensive, high-end systems that integrated into conference rooms in offices and merged hardware and software. Right now, cloud-based services are the best as they don’t need a lot of specialized infrastructure.
These new services are distinguished by their hardware agnosticism, allowing you to use the camera and microphone on your computer or purchase specialized gear. Moreover, a lot of them provide a fully browser-based experience, eliminating the need to install an app. While desktop applications are often the best option, there are several excellent apps available for iOS, Android, and Chrome OS.
Modern video conferencing systems include a plethora of innovative features that none of its forerunners ever had. Top-notch video conferencing services include text chat, file sharing, screen sharing, remote desktop access, digital whiteboard discussion, and even the option to broadcast conferences to listeners alone, like webinars. Furthermore, several services are compatible with corporate voice over IP (VoIP) subscriptions, allowing customers to switch from phone conversations to video calls or start a shared conference with just a single click without breaking the connection.
How Much Does Video Conferencing Cost?
Numerous price levels are offered by video conferencing services, as is common with most software-as-a-service (SaaS). For most of the services we examined, the lowest tier is free of charge. These free resources are excellent for keeping in touch with loved ones and for sporadic commercial purposes. They do, however, offer fewer features and have limitations on the length and number of attendees for meetings. To take use of video conferencing’s extra features, organizations who want to utilize it often need invest in a subscription service.
The median monthly cost for business-grade service among the providers we evaluated is around $13 per user. The majority also provide more costly tiers designed for business implementations. As always, the more your demands, the higher the price you should anticipate.
While most services charge based on the quantity of users, others charge based on the quantity of hosts. Services that are charged per host are usually intended for use in webinar-style scenarios, in which only the host may call a meeting (and these meetings usually have a large number of participants). Conversely, per-user services are often designed for greater peer-to-peer use, meaning that anybody may initiate a meeting.
What Video Conferencing Software Can Do for You
Video conferencing has grown to be a vital tool for businesses, especially in light of the increase in distant work. All of the products in this roundup provide webcam video calls, usually in addition to other capabilities like text chat.
It may be difficult to distinguish between different video conferencing services since some of the same functions have recently been included into team messaging platforms such as Slack and Microsoft Teams. Because Teams provides a full video conferencing solution, we have evaluated it here. However, we haven’t included Slack and several of its rivals in our roundup since they have only included person-to-person video calling. All of the systems we’ve looked at thus far are designed to facilitate multi-party video conferences.
You’ll probably want a couple more features in addition to video calling. Screen sharing, for instance, is crucial for presentations. Additionally, you may want to search for more specific alternatives, including the ability to share a single document, picture, or program (like Microsoft PowerPoint) as opposed to the whole desktop. Video annotation and virtual whiteboards, which allow meeting attendees to participate, are additional features that many systems enable.
During meetings and sometimes even outside of video conversations, the majority of the video conferencing services in our review have text chat functionality.
You may start automatic recording from several providers by just pressing a button. The recording will usually be shared instantly with all participants of the meeting and stored to cloud storage. Make sure the service tier you choose has enough storage or can interface with your current third-party cloud storage provider if you believe this is a function you’ll want to utilize often.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been extensively incorporated into video conferencing systems by companies in recent times. Artificial intelligence is being used to meetings in a number of ways, including call scheduling, analytics and optimization, noise reduction, automated call summaries and transcription, and face recognition.
What Equipment Do You Need for Video Conferencing?
In addition to the software for video conferences, you need think about the gear required to support it. Fortunately, a built-in microphone and a functional, although rather subpar, camera are standard on almost all current laptops, tablets, and smartphones. High-quality 1080p cameras are standard on a lot of contemporary computers, and many higher-end mobile devices also have them built in.
However, more hardware is usually required for desktop PCs. You’ll need the greatest microphones and cameras you can afford if you want better audio and visual quality. Additionally, some corporate monitors include built-in video conferencing capabilities.
You just require consumer-grade hardware for the majority of use cases. However, you may need to invest in other items like LED panels, ring lights, and green screens if you want the best video quality for webinars and client meetings.
The good news is that you’ll still save money when compared to traditional, end-to-end conferencing solutions, even while these hardware purchases increase the overall cost of your video conferencing implementation. It’s not necessary to spend a significant amount of money all at once. Alternatively, you may purchase the necessary licenses and expand naturally as you add more seats, which can significantly lower expenses.
How to Buy Video Conferencing Systems
Selecting the best video conferencing service for your company might first appear difficult since most of them have similar features. Actually, however, you should consider a number of variables before deciding, and a smart place to start is by evaluating the software’s overall user experience (UX).
We go over how simple it is to register, set up a meeting, send out invitations, and configure audio and video settings in each review. We also examine the user experience (UX) from the perspective of those who are invited to meetings, and how simple it is for them to use smart meeting features like annotation, file sharing and collaboration akin to a whiteboard, and the aforementioned virtual assistant functionalities.
The main features of each service have also been evaluated; nevertheless, you must choose which ones are most important to you. Do you need VoIP integration, dial-in numbers, or both, for instance? What about capabilities like remote control or screen sharing? While some providers just provide VoIP calling, others offer teleconferencing with both local or toll-free dial-in numbers. A handful have dial-in numbers for countries abroad.
In order to evaluate the experience of both registered and non-registered users, we both hosted and attended meetings throughout our testing. We took care to specify the ease of joining a meeting, including whether or not downloading software ahead of time is required (which might be a deal breaker or create a delay). For some services, accessing the meeting only involves entering a code.
The administrative features of the host are also included in our evaluations. The finest services let you to create many kinds of meetings, such Q&A or discussion modes where presenters may mute and unmute participants as required, or lecture-style meetings where all participants are muted. Other choices include setting up a waiting area while the meeting is getting ready, permitting break-out sessions, keeping latecomers out of the room, and activating or disabling cameras.
And lastly, you shouldn’t believe anything we say. You may test drive the product that most appeals to you since the majority of these providers offer at least a 30-day free trial. Involve pertinent parties in your decision-making process, both within and outside of your company. You’re sure to find a solution that’s affordable, user-friendly, and provides you with the features you want if you give it some serious thought.