Chime – Amazon’s Answer to Skype and WebEx

By Hadi Waqas. in E-Commerce. Updated on April 7, 2018.

The video conferencing sector has gotten a lot more interesting as Amazon has introduced its own alternative to Skype and WebEx the table: Chime.

Built as part of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) suite, Chime is a video conferencing service that is aimed at business. While the service’s basic (free) tier comes with standard services such as one-to one VoIP calls, one-to-one video calls and chat room functionality, the paid tiers are where Chime gets some useful features.

For those looking to pay for the service, Chime has a "Plus" and a "Pro" option. "Plus" is a USD2.50 per month tier that gives you access to the base service of Chime, as well as screen sharing and remote desktop control capabilities.

On top of that, "Plus" users will also get access to Chime’s administrative tools such as usage reports and active directory integration.

Those who are willing to pay USD15 per month for the "Pro" option will get a lot more mileage out of Chime. In this tier, users will get access to all features that are available to "Plus", as well as "Pro" specific features such as:

Personalized meeting URLs.
Ability to record meetings.
Access to conference room video systems.
Meeting rooms that can support up to 100 attendees.

Much like any other business-related service, Amazon has made sure that Chime is as secure as possible. On top of the AWS-based security measures that comes with the service, Amazon has also built in security features into Chime itself. For example, messages, videos, voice, and content on Chime are all encrypted using AES 256-bit encryption.

Chime is available across Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android platforms, allowing users to access the service regardless of whether or not they’re on their desktops or their mobile devices.