Top 10 Online Meeting Software for Small Business
In an ever more globalized world, a distributed workforce is becoming a highly popular personnel structure for companies. Companies such as Github, Stripe, Airtable, and Automattic are some of the most famous companies that opt for a purely distributed workforce — that is a team made up of completely remote workers.
Whether or not companies are opting completely for this structure, or if the Coronavirus pandemic is preventing 50% of their workforce from coming to the office, one thing is for sure: communicating effectively online is becoming vital to all businesses.
There is plenty of software in which you can video call your meetings, as you would expect. This article will outline the top 10, and their pros and cons. The choice is an important one because communicating online can have its limitations, and so you want the process to be as smooth as possible.
Zoom is one of the fastest-growing options and has seen a drastic rise in its stock price since the Coronavirus pandemic started. It provides HD video and audio, and it can support a huge 1,000 participants in one meeting (49 different videos on one screen). This is hugely impressive, and the software as a whole is very user friendly. There are over 12 million active users on Zoom, which is rising each month.
Pros
- It has a freemium option
- It is very user friendly with a nice design
- Low chance of buffering or technical issues
Cons
- Mobile app is inferior to the website version
- Lack of security
Google Hangouts is a hugely popular meeting software. Why? Because pretty much everyone already has a Google account, so they already have a Google hangout account. The software is clean and seamless and is run by Google, it’s extremely stable, secure, and reliable. You’re limited to 150 users at one time.
Pros
- Completely free
- Very easy to use
- Secure, and everyone already has a Google account
Cons
- Doesn’t have Chromecast support
- Isn’t the best option for file sharing
- Lacks features such as waiting rooms
GoToMeeting is a video call software that is specifically designed for business purposes. For that reason, it doesn’t have a free option. It’s extremely mobile friendly, and it has been gaining in popularity. You can have up to 250 attendees — better than Google Hangout.
Pros
- Extremely mobile friendly
- Very easy to share documents in real-time
- You can record your meetings
Cons
- Requires a very stable connection
- No free option
Skype is a legendary video calling service at this point, as it’s been around for years. Whilst it was very casual, Skype has seemed to be appealing more strictly to business in the past half-decade. With well over half a billion users, Skype is certainly accessible for most.
Pros
- Screen sharing feature
- Reliable and easy to install
- Very secure
Cons
- Logging in can be confusing for some
- Messaging isn’t a nice user experience
GlobalMeet is a relatively comprehensive online communication system which can facilitate webinars, webcast, meetings, and so on. The software has a great selection of features and is very popular among its users. 125 people can be on-call at once.
Pros
- Has a free option
- Everything can be done on a phone
- Great features, such as the guest call-in using a passcode
Cons
- Can find the same features for free using other software
FreeConference is another software that has free conference calls, free screen sharing and many other features. It only houses 5 users at a time, though, unless you pay for PLUS or PRO which is $24.99 and $34.99 per month respectively.
Pros
- Screen sharing
- Free option
Cons
- Limited amount of web participants
Cisco Webex Meetings can host 100 participants in a single meeting for free and has a solid file sharing feature along with good security and mobile features
Pros
- Free option
- Decent features
- Easy to use
Cons
- Limited to only one room at once
- Cannot add notes when watching a presentation/conference
BlueJeans offers a simple-to-use, clean, and smart web conferring tool that leverages AI and voice recognition “to make your meetings intelligent”.
Pros
- Great quality audio and video
- Easy to use with intelligent features
- Can record meetings
Cons
- No free option
- Limited amount of recording
Pexip offers a high-quality video meeting service which is cloud-native. It has very high ratings in the business world, with many worldwide users. There are very few drawbacks or issues with this service.
Pros
- Good mobile access
- Screen sharing and recording abilities
- Easy to use
Cons
- No free option, only a free trial
Lifesize provides a video and web conferencing platform which can be relied upon, although it’s arguably for more technical users.
Pros
- Very strong list of features
- Some fantastic integrations with Google and Microsoft
Cons
- Difficult set-up
- No free option
Ultimately, the choice is down to your needs. Some are cleaner and simpler to use but may lack screen sharing and recording functions. You may end using multiple platforms, which is perhaps the best way to maximize your online communication if you want to remain an unpaying customer. If you’re open to paying, then it’s advised to use a comprehensive all-in-one fit such as Pexip or Lifesize.