Best Online Meeting Software

10 Best Web Video Conferencing Software for Small Business Video conferencing has become the new mantra with COVID-19 changing how businesses function and social interactions occur. It is a beautiful tool that has completely revamped the way people can connect. Video conferencing has made face-to-face communication as real as it can get with advanced features and real time information exchanges. With a robust video conferencing solution, your team can work more cohesively, brainstorm, share presentations, conduct webinars and so much more. In fact, it is also a great tool to interact with customers and clients effectively.

However, like most things in today’s age of plenty, there are far too many video conferencing programs available, leaving you spoilt for choice and a tad confused. Here is a list of the top 10 video conferencing apps that can provide a collaborative atmosphere for employees working from multiple locations and give them a feeling of being connected, even though virtually.

1. Skype for Business Skype was initially used as a video chatting portal for casual conversations between people, but it has transformed into a robust business meeting tool over time. It offers free group video calls for up to 10 participants, while the upscaled Skype for Business allows about 250 people. You need to have a Microsoft Office

365 subscription for it and you are set to use this user-friendly tool for meetings and conferences.

With enterprise-grade security, this pocket-friendly app allows you to integrate various office apps on the go. You can also schedule meetings through Outlook.

The web scheduler in this app helps schedule many business meetings and also get an overview of upcoming ones. You can use this portal on any operating systems, including Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Windows Phones, Xbox One and more.

Best features of the app: • • • • • •

Many presenter controls including muting all or individual participants, blocking, inviting and customizing permissions Personalized participant views including gallery, speaker, presentation, and compact view PowerPoint presentations with high-resolution displays Conferencing tools like whiteboard and annotations Easy broadcasting to more than 10,000 attendees Polling features for better collaboration

2. Join.me This is a relatively new video conferencing app that is ideal for both small groups and large enterprises. It has a free version for individual users allowing up to 3 participants with access to limited features. You can connect to this portal through the internet or a phone line. With a wide range of collaboration features and tools like screen sharing, text chat, meeting invitations and scheduling, call recordings and mobile access, it is soon becoming a favorite among corporates.

Other features include, unlimited audio from both VoIP or phone lines, where you can join a meeting from any device and any remote location. Joine Me makes video conferencing a personalized experience with the ability to add or remove participants, whiteboarding, and more.

Best features of the app: • • •

Excellent presenter tools including live preview, switch presenter, remote control, notifications blocker Effective collaboration tools like whiteboarding and screen sharing Enhanced meeting coordination through call scheduling, recording and participant permission

3. Zoom One of the premier video conferencing apps today, Zoom is ideal for one-on-one chats and also massive group calls taking up to 1,000 participants. Though it had a slight security breach in the past, it has ironed out the problems. Now all its

calls have end-to-end encryption and role-based user security with HIPAA compliance.

You can power up your video conferencing capabilities with its easy-to-use features. From screen sharing, whiteboarding, waiting room facility to scheduling a meeting through a free Zoom Scheduler Extension or Plug-In for Outlook.

One feature that sets Zoom apart is its capability to multi-share. This makes real-time collaboration easier and faster. And if you want to have a private meeting with just your boss, you can always have a Personal Meeting ID (PMI).

It reserves a virtual meeting room only for you. With so many unique features, Zoom is indeed a preferred video conferencing for most people.

Best features of the app: • • • • •

Virtual background to do away with distractions or to highlight branding Calendar integration Waiting room feature for better security Enhanced real-time collaboration with multi-share facility Touch-up My Appearance feature to give a professional touch to the appearance

4. GoToMeeting Citrix-owned GoToMeeting app is available in both a feature-heavy Pro version and a stripped-down Free one. This simple video conferencing portal is ideal for small groups allowing up to 3 participants to video chat with the best security features. The paid Pro version allows up to 100 participants. This browser-based solution is meant for Google Chrome only, with no registration needed.

It has all the features that can make virtual meetings effective and hassle-free.

This app has made work from anywhere completely effortless from full screen sharing, text chat to collaborative on-screen editing and the ability to dial-in through a phone for audio calls.

You can have quick one-click meetings where you join, host or manage a video call instantly from a conference room, desk or a remote location. Its GoToRoom features allow connecting with third-party vendors using other software. It also helps to convert conference rooms into collaboration centres syncing them with calendars and turning on the whiteboard mode.

Best features of the app: • • •

Dynamic video and premier-quality audio experience Easy syncing with Google or Microsoft calendars One-click join facility

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GoToRoom facility to connect with external customers using other software

5. Google Hangout Meet One of the easiest ways to connect with Google contacts outside of your network, Google Hangout Meet is ideal for both personal and business use. Make business meetings and conferences more user-friendly and seamless with its easy screen share, complete control of other participants’ desktops, and the ability to import files from Google Drive account for collaborative note-taking.

This communication platform is free for up to 10 participants, ideal for a business meeting in a smaller setup and you can always scale it up to 25 participants. For businesses that require live broadcasting, there is streaming of video calls via YouTube too. One unique feature of this portal is that users can communicate on official matters using a platform resembling a social network, making them more comfortable in a familiar setup.

Best features of the app: • • • • • • • •

Allows up to 25 video participants HD quality video, crystal quality audio and messenger conversations Ability to record recordings Collaborative features of Google Calendar as a reminder to join the meeting Screen sharing Intelligent muting Easy integration with multiple computing devices Customized control for admins

6. WebEx Meetings The leader in video conferencing, WebEx Meetings is one of the most popular and secure programs for business meetings. You can start with the most basic version of the app that allows up to three participants for free and then upgrade to the paid versions with up to 100 participants costing $89 per month in case the meeting size increases.

Some of its unique features include; sharing a single application to be viewed by the participants, screen sharing and innumerable facilitator functions like raising hands, collaborative document management, and remote control of all the other computers on the call. Easily integrated on different operating systems like Mac, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, this video conferencing app is a sure shot winner when it comes to a secure, feature-heavy app.

Best features of the app: •

Allows 3 – 100 participants

• • • •

Collaborative document management Remote control of computers of participants Easy integration on all kinds of operating systems 250MB of online storage space for documents

7. AnyMeeting An ideal app for small groups, AnyMeeting is simple-to-use and loaded with advanced features. This 100% web-based app supports free video chats with the computer allowing up to 6 people and through telephone-based audio for up to 200 attendees. It can seamlessly integrate with Google account, making it easy to get started with both the meetings and for people to attend.

With 720p HD Video with up to 30 webcams, the clarity of the video is impeccable, making virtual meetings feel like in-person ones. Its additional features of screen share presentations and premier security make it a preferred video conferencing app for businesses. Its latest feature includes a Waiting Room, where the host can lock the meeting for security purposes but allow late attendees through the waiting room.

Best features of the app: • • • • •

HD quality video and audio facility No restrictions on meeting length An added layer of security with the ability to mute attendees and lock meetings Waiting room feature Works seamlessly on both cellular networks and WiFi

8. Meetings.io Ideal for a small business setup, Meetings.io allows you to video chat with up to five people at a time with the added benefit of screen and file sharing. You can use this system to meet with clients, customers, or your project team without ever leaving your desk or home. The best part is that you don’t need to sign up to use this system.

Just create a small meeting room link and share it with others. You can also reuse this meeting room as many times as you want. With the added benefits of being able to calendar the meetings, import important contacts from their social media pages and email, this virtual meeting room setup is ideal for small groups for both professional conferences and personal hangouts.

Best features of the app: • • •

No need to sign up for this video conferencing app Ability to calendar meetings Seamless screen and file sharing

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Ability to create to-dos, take notes and other actions items Easy integration with other video conferencing tools for team members to join from anywhere

9. TrueConf Online This robust video conferencing app is meant for very small teams allowing up to 6 participants on a video call. However, you can upgrade to the paid plans to have more participants. TrueConf Online is a more intimate system but has all the bells and whistles of well-established programs like Zoom and Join Me. It has great collaboration tools like file transfer, remote desktop control, recorded calls and a shared virtual board, making meetings more effective.

One unique feature of this app is the ability to generate slides automatically from the images of a connected screen. The captured desktop is shown in a different window for all the participants, which allows users to broadcast their video and also generate slides at the same time.

Best features of the app: • • • • •

Dynamically generated slides TrueConf Virtual Printer for easy file and message sharing Robust moderator control for security purposes Remote desktop control Recording of meeting

10. FreeConference FreeConference is an excellent software to have for small team meetings. It allows up to 5 web participants and 100 call participants. One of the main pros of this app is the ease of use and the fact that it is absolutely free. So whether you want to have an official meeting with your team or just catch up with them over a virtual party, this is your go-to-app.

FreeConference is a highly secure app with the best possible privacy settings.

Also, you don’t even need to download anything; just start using it. Guess what?

The moderator can control all the people in the conference to keep the meeting as per plan and schedule. You can upgrade from the free plan to the Starter and the Pro plans, but these come at a cost.

Best features of the app: • • •

You can have a conference through the phone or web with the need for only an internet connection. You can use a dial-in number as well.

Allows free online meeting room with video conferencing Complete moderator control

Conclusion The ongoing pandemic has ensured that work from home becomes the mainstay, making video conferencing a must-have tool for seamless meetings and conferences. This tool is fast becoming an integral part of an office setup, making conversations and meeting more effective and giving team members a feel of attending meetings in-person. Go ahead and use any of these apps and make your business meetings feel as real as possible.