Videoconferencing Tools Compared

Business people know that videoconferencing can be a cost-effective way to communicate with employees, partners and customers. If you're looking for the best video conferencing tools, you'll want to compare several popular options: Cisco WebEx Meetings, Google Meet, Skype for Business, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform, BlueJeans Networking, and Microsoft Teams are just some examples of what we’ll cover below.

We’ll compare different videoconferencing tools and look at the best options so that you can make an informed decision on which tool is right for your needs.

Conferencing Tools Comparisons

Businesses and individuals alike flocked to videoconference software to fill the vacuum of broken interpersonal relations brought about by the global pandemic—the same ones we all used to fear when some faraway flunky tried to host a meeting. But our sour attitudes towards those remote chats have sweetened. Some video conferencing companies even leave tools like Zoom video conferencing turned on from 9 to 5, creating a virtual working environment which simulates the real thing.

Here are some of the latest videoconferencing tools that you may consider for your business:

Zoom

Zoom, unique in this list, specializes in business videoconferences and has been around for over 10 years now. Zoom offers great service all across the world with its proprietary app.

Zoom is one of the most advanced video conference platforms, and it’s great for anything to do with ongoing interactive entertainment like when you’re having a casual party. Zoom also has many productivity tools that are helpful in collaborative situations.

But there’s a catch.

The downside is it can be clunky if you're trying to organize a conference call or do other presentations. All in all, Zoom is a great tool for small business meetings and casual parties, but not necessarily for virtual events like exhibitions or virtual trade shows.

MS Teams

MS Teams is great for events like a sales meeting because all of the conversations and activities are organized by the platform. It’s also great for when your team wants to organize its own event, but you can’t always control the device that they are using - and in that case, it’s good to have a service that “automagically” scales.

Many teams are still using Yammer for group messaging. When considering MS Teams, the first question to ask yourself is "What do we need to accomplish with this platform?” In other words, what are your goals? For example, if you want to keep all of your conversations in one place (i.e. a group-based email), then MS Teams is the best option for you.

Google Meet

This is an online video conferencing tool that works on all devices, including PC, Mac, Android and IOS. But it's not as user-friendly as Microsoft Teams or Zoom when working with lots of participants.

If you are looking for a great way to communicate with people remotely, Google Meet is a feature that can help you. You will be able to see if someone is in front of your computer or not and have the ability to switch between participants during a conference.

Google Meet is a free service that you can use when speaking to someone remotely. To set up a meeting, you can either open the Google Hangouts App or click on the meeting link. It works with both PCs and Macs and all devices are interoperable.

Text and video are encrypted, so you don't have to worry about your conversations being intercepted or spied on. It can also support audio calls with your friends if you need it. You can use Google Meet for free, but the only drawback is that the service sometimes has delays.

Google Meet has improved video conferencing and you can talk to people from different locations using Hangouts on Air. Google Hangouts App lets you easily arrange a meeting with your colleagues. It’s compatible with both Apple and Android devices, so everyone can connect from different locations. It can support up to 15 people in the same video conference call and is an excellent tool for virtual meetings and group discussions. Plus, it offers fantastic video quality.

Even if you are not a business user, you will be able to benefit from this great service. If you do not have Google+, you can still sign up for Google Meet and use many of its features. Unlink Zoom (for the most part), it allows up to 10 people in a group meeting and the resolution is 720p or 1080p for video chat.

Google Meet supports Android, iOS and Windows devices. You can use up to 25 people in a group call with freeware version of this tool. A great feature is that you can record all the sessions. Another great benefit is that you can create separate video conference rooms which are available 24/7 and users need not be online at the same. When using Google+ with Hangout with friends and family, you can have a maximum of 15 participants in the group hangout.

Webex by Cisco

Webex has been around since 1995. The most recent version of Webex was released last year and it comes with many new features. This is an online videoconferencing platform that allows you to connect to other people via your computer or mobile devices. You can search the web for any meeting on Webex, and the platform will find available participants from around the world. It’s a closed meeting between your team, so everyone has to be a member of this platform to attend.

The service of Webex has more than 25 million users each month. The majority of these users are corporations, but there are also government agencies that use Webex as well.

Webex comes with a standard package that is pre-set for six participants. You will also have the ability to add up to 15 participants during your meetings. A professional meeting can hold up to 500 attendees at once, and you can even link with other services such as Skype and Google Hangouts.

While you can access the platform through your desktop, there are many options for mobile devices as well as tablets, including Apple iOS, Blackberry 10, Kindle Fire HDX or Android 4.2+.

Lync

Lync is another online meeting platform that allows you to connect with others, regardless of where they are located. This platform uses cloud computing so you can access your meeting from anywhere. The webinar software used for Lync is very similar to Webex, but the interface is different and Lync does not offer mobile options like Webex does. If you want to have a conference call on your mobile device, then you will need Webex.

One thing that makes Lync very easy to use is the ability to make calls and even video conferences through a number of other services such as Skype or Google Talk.

GoToMeeting

This is another online service that allows you to connect to others from anywhere in the world with built-in conference features.

Google Hangouts

This is a free videoconferencing service that works on all devices, including PC, Mac, Android and IOS. It's good for when you need an easy-to-use, fast and reliable tool for a quick meeting.

Skype for Business

This is a videoconferencing service that works on all devices, including PC, Mac, Android and IOS. It's especially useful for when you need to add a video element to your meeting. This is the best way to have a group video call from your mobile phone.

Zulip

This is an open source project that allows you to collaborate online with other people. Unlike most other platforms, it doesn’t require any sign-up. It’s great because you only need one account for all of the different software users - which makes it very easy to work with others remotely.

As a note, this list was put together using information from all four major videoconferencing tech vendors: Zoom, GoToMeeting, Skype and Cisco Webex Room Systems. However, there are other platforms that can be used for video conferencing purposes. It is good to research which of these options is best for your business and then build a system around the platform that works best with your current technology and budget.

You may have a preference for one platform over another depending on your needs. To help you determine which is best, we’ve compared the top 5 videoconferencing tools and summarized their features to make it easier for you to decide what works best for you.