Top 10 Online Meeting and Conference Tools
Virtual meetings made effortless. Check out our comprehensive list of 10 online tools, ensuring you're equipped for any digital interaction.
Online meeting and conference tools have become a part of our lives. They help us work from home and stay in touch with loved ones. For example, I once joined a friend’s wedding from far away using Zoom. Isn’t that neat?
Here are 10 online meeting tools for you. Each has its own special features and is made for different types of users. This might help you choose the right one.
Read Also: 6 Tips Towards Not Having Pointless Meetings
1. Zoho Meeting
- Offers a suite of integrated online business tools.
- Affordable at $12/month with features for up to 100 participants.
- Includes Polls, QnA, and Raise Hand features.
- Doubles as a Webinar and online meeting tool with registration.
- Free plan limited to 3 participants.
- Webinar form customization can be challenging.
- Recordings are freely downloadable by participants.
Zoho Meeting is a strong choice for online meetings. Many people think of Zoom first, but Zoho Meeting is also worth considering.
If you’re a freelancer, the free version has everything you might need. For larger companies, Zoho offers many useful features. Tools like Zoho CRM work well with Zoho Meeting. It also has file sharing, group chats, sharing apps, and can work with other third-party tools.
Use Zoho Meeting for Online Meetings
2. Airmeet
- Ideal for events and concerts with ticketing.
- High audience engagement with its social lounge.
- Browser-based; no downloads required.
- Not suitable for businesses or teams.
- Pro plan recordings saved on their servers with access delay.
Airmeet is an online tool many use for virtual events. It’s simple to start, and they offer great help if needed. Airmeet is mainly for planned events, not just casual online chats.
Their free version can have 100 guests. Every plan has a social area where guests can chat before the event starts. They also offer polls, Q&A sessions, and even allow you to set up automatic tasks with Zapier.
Use Airmeet for Online Meetings
3. Google Meet
- Lightweight and versatile across OS and browsers.
- Intuitive UI.
- Pro account offers meeting recording at $6/mo.
- Offers screensharing, no time limit, and speech-to-text.
- Lacks advanced features like lighting adjustments and custom backgrounds.
I really like Google Meet for online meetings. It’s simple: open it in a web browser, and you’re set. No need to download any apps. You can join meetings on your phone or even by calling in. It offers features to run online meetings or classes. Plus, you can record meetings and save them to your Google Drive.
You don’t need a Google account to join a meeting, but you need one to start your own. It’s free and has everything you might need on the move. Another neat feature is its Speech to Text. This means you can talk, and it will show subtitles. It’s not flawless, but it’s handy!
Use Google Meet for Online Meetings
4. Microsoft Teams
- Free plan supports up to 100 participants.
- Offers 60-minute meetings compared to Zoom’s 40.
- HD call quality.
- Comprehensive solution for remote teams.
- Can be complex due to its all-in-one nature.
- More suited for teams than one-off meetings.
Microsoft Teams offers many tools by Microsoft for companies with remote workers. It provides tools for project management, chatting, and more.
You can do many things in one spot. Write documents, set tasks, follow activities, and hold meetings. The free version lets you have a call with 100 people.
Use Microsoft Team for Online Meetings
5. Skype
- Supports 100 participants in the free plan.
- From a reputable company.
- Offers background blur for video calls.
- Consumes more data for video.
- Can be heavy and laggy on older phones.
Many people know Skype. It’s a simple tool for chatting, used for both fun and work. Many help desks use it to support their customers. But its standout feature is online meetings with up to 100 people.
6. Facebook Messenger Rooms
- Free to use.
- High-quality calls.
- No call duration limit.
- Integrated within Facebook for easy invites.
- Limited to 50 participants.
- Privacy concerns due to Facebook.
- Lacks advanced features but is user-friendly.
Facebook Messenger Rooms might not be your first thought for online meetings, but it’s a good option. It quietly became a part of Facebook. It can host 50 people. Plus, you can set when it happens, decide who can join, and more.
Use Facebook Messenger Rooms for Online Meetings
7. GoToMeeting
- High guest capacity even in the starter plan.
- From a reputable brand.
- Excellent security.
- Offers toll-free number for international participants.
- Lacks a free plan.
GoToMeeting has been here before tools like Zoom and Google Meet became famous. It’s related to GoToWebinar, which many people use to hold webinars.
The webinar version might be a bit costly, but GoToMeeting is affordable at $12/month and can have 150 guests.
Use GoToMeeting for Online Meetings
8. FaceTime
- Completely free.
- Supports up to 32 participants.
- Native to iOS and Mac.
- High-quality video with good internet.
- Exclusive to iOS and Mac users.
- No native recording feature.
- Lacks chatbox.
If you use iOS or Mac, FaceTime is a handy tool for video calls. It’s perfect for talking with co-workers, family, or friends. Since it’s built into these devices, there’s no setup needed. Just use a phone number or iCloud email to begin.
Use FaceTime for Online Meetings
9. Cisco Webex
- Features AI virtual assistant integration.
- High-quality meetings from a reputable company.
- Excellent security with Cisco’s cybersecurity expertise.
- Advanced meeting administration.
- Supports file sharing up to 2GB.
- Needs better noise cancellation.
- HD conferencing limited to 6 participants.
Cisco Webex is a unique tool from a trusted company. It’s easy to use and offers many of the features seen in tools like Zoom. But its standout feature is its built-in A.I. assistant. During meetings, you can give voice commands, and this A.I. will take notes, set reminders, and more.
Use Cisco Webex for Online Meetings
10. Zoom
- Offers personal meeting rooms.
- Free plan with 40-minute sessions.
- Adjusts lighting in dark rooms.
- Features screen sharing, file sharing, chatbox, and calendar integration.
- Free plan sessions capped at 40 minutes.
- Past security concerns, though addressed now.
Zoom is a widely-used online meeting tool, especially since many started working from home due to the pandemic. Schools, companies, and even families use it for group calls.
Zoom is user-friendly and offers a free version with many features. Users can change backgrounds, share their screens, use filters, and more.
Conclusion
I hope this list helps you pick the right tool. I prefer Google Meet personally, but at work, we mostly use Zoom. For our basic needs, any of these tools work. But if Google Meet had the fun backgrounds like Zoom, it would be amazing!