Virtual collaboration tools are becoming increasingly popular in the workplace. They allow employees to work together from different locations, and they can be used for a variety of purposes, such as brainstorming or sharing documents. Some of the most popular virtual collaboration tools include screen sharing and virtual backgrounding. Screen sharing allows multiple users to share a single screen, while virtual backgrounding allows users to create custom zoom backgrounds. breakout rooms allow groups of people to work together in separate rooms, and 3 whiteboards are perfect for capturing ideas and discussing them with others. Finally, mobile apps make it easy for employees to access these tools on their smartphones and desktop computers. ..
Some people don’t like Zoom’s interface, while others want more features that Zoom doesn’t offer on its free plan or only offers on its top-tier plan. For instance, say you need to host meetings longer than 40 minutes. Zoom might not be the best option unless you switch to one of the paid plans. ..
If you’re looking for a messaging and video meeting app that can take the place of Zoom, we’ve got 8 different options for you. In this guide, we explain each of these apps and why they might be a better fit for your needs. ..
8 Best Zoom Alternatives in 2022
Some of the best Zoom alternatives for paid and free video calls are as follows:
- Zoom: This is a paid service that offers better functionality than some of the free alternatives.
- FaceTime: This is a free service that is available on many devices.
- Skype: This is a paid service that offers better functionality than some of the free alternatives. ..
1. Google Meet
Google Meet is a go-to Zoom alternative because it offers slightly longer meeting durations than Zoom and most companies already use other G Suite tools in some capacity. Google Meet also offers the same number of maximum participants per meeting as Zoom, though it offers a longer meeting duration on its free plan. ..
-The ability to video call with up to 10 people -The ability to hold meetings in real time with participants around the world -The ability to share documents, photos, and videos with participants -The ability to manage meeting minutes and recordings ..
Google’s new live captioning feature is now available on all popular devices. This makes it easy for journalists to capture and share important conversations with their readers. The captions can be adjusted to fit any device, and the layout can be customized to fit the host’s preferences. Additionally, screen sharing and email integration make it easy for journalists to keep track of their conversations and share them with others as needed. ..
If you’re an enterprise user with a large team, you can upgrade to the Enterprise plans for hosting online meetings with up to 250 participants. You can also live-stream meetings (or host a webinar) to up to 100,000 attendees and record Google Meet meetings with the Enterprise plan.
Google Meet is a great tool for hosting high-quality video conferences. It has all the features you need and integrates with tools you already use. When selecting between Google Meet vs. Zoom, it comes down to just using a tool that allows you more flexibility in meeting length and integrates well with your other tools. ..
Google also has a video conferencing platform called Google Hangouts. This platform is great for personal video calls or for using VoIP calling features.
2. Microsoft Teams
-A chat client that lets you easily join and join chats with other people. -A collaboration tool that lets you easily create, manage, and share videos and photos with other people. -A messaging app that lets you easily send messages to other people in Microsoft Teams.
The Zoom meeting feature is great for groups of up to 60 people. It also has the added bonus of unlimited chat with coworkers and customers. The only downside is that it can be a bit noisy in the meeting room.
The answer to this question largely depends on what you need from a team communication tool. If you need more features, then Microsoft Teams is better. However, if you only need basic features, such as chat and collaboration, then Zoom is a better choice.
3. Skype
Skype is a long-standing video chat app that has been around for many years. It is primarily meant for personal use, offering many features for free. Skype continues to evolve as a video conferencing platform for individuals, rather than businesses. ..
-A call to a friend or family member -A call to a business or client -A call to a customer service representative -A meeting with a potential customer
A meeting room can be used to hold a meeting, with up to 100 participants. The meeting room can be recorded and changed to a background image, so that the participants cannot see or hear anything else. The meeting can also be screen-sharing for files up to 300MB in size. Call forwarding is possible so that any participant in the meeting can be called at any time.
The free plan includes almost all features of the paid plan, except calling mobile phones and landlines. You can also get a Skype number from another country to make and receive calls and send and receive text messages like you would if you were in that country.
4. GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is a great tool for organizing meetings with up to 150 participants. You can get unlimited cloud storage for your recordings and transcripts, so you can easily review the meeting conversations. ..
-A meeting scheduler that lets you plan and manage your meetings with other people on the same platform -A video conferencing feature that lets you share a meeting with others in real time -A chatbot that helps you communicate with other people in a more efficient way
The co-hosting feature allows two people to work together on a project or meeting. The interactive whiteboard and drawing tools make it easy to share ideas and plans. The smart assistant detects action items and highlights them in the meeting.
GoToMeeting does not have webinar functionality. To host a webinar, you’ll need to spend extra on GoToWebinar, which is not as feature-rich as GoToMeeting.
5. RingCentral
RingCentral is a great video conferencing solution for enterprise users who need more features than what is offered free with some of the other tools on this list.
RingCentral is a popular video conference call service that allows for up to 500 participants, offers switching between audio and video calls, and allows for changes in devices without dropping out of the call. ..
- Unlimited calls and texts
- A month of free talk and text
- A year of free talk and text
- A unlimited number of calls to any country
- A unlimited number of calls to any type of phone
The Whiteboard and Annotations for Easier Collaboration tool allows users to easily share and edit files in real-time. It also has integrations for popular CRMs, Zapier, Microsoft Outlook, Google Workspace (Google Calendar, Gmail, etc.), and more. The webinar feature allows up to 10,000 attendees.
RingCentral is a great communication tool, but it can be expensive. The pricing can be confusing, depending on how many people are on your team. ..
6. BlueJeans
BlueJeans is a cloud-based video conferencing service that is best suited for small teams. It can be used to connect with other team members, or to connect with enterprise users.
BlueJeans offers a few enterprise-focused capabilities, such as hosting up to 50,000 view-only members. There is no free plan, but you can try BlueJeans with all features using the 7-day free trial. ..
The paid plans (Standard, Pro, and Enterprise) on BlueJeans offer a variety of features. ..
The Windows, Apple devices, and Linux Smart Meetings are all great ways to connect with other people and share important moments in a meeting. They also let participants pin important moments in the meeting so that they can be remembered and assigned action items to others. The whiteboard and annotations feature is also helpful for keeping track of what was discussed in a meeting. The live-stream events on Facebook are also great for sharing important meetings with friends.
BlueJeans is a great choice for small teams that only need video conferencing features and don’t need many other communication features.
7. Cisco Webex
Cisco is a video conferencing tool that allows users to host HD video calls and offers a range of collaboration features, including file sharing and call recording.
The best part of Webex is that it has a free plan that allows up to 100 team members for 50-minute meetings. You can always increase the meeting duration to 24 hours by upgrading to a paid plan. However, if you want to host more participants, you’ll need to upgrade to one of the higher-tier plans.
-Unlimited calls and messages to any number -Unlimited video conferencing -Unlimited chat rooms -Unlimited collaboration tools -No data usage for the first year
The company offers a variety of features that make it an excellent choice for whiteboard and dial-in screen sharing. These include firewall, SSO, and secure scheduling features. The company also has top-notch security features like firewalls and secure scheduling. The integrations for Office 365, Google Drive, and Salesforce make it easy to use.
Cisco Webex is a powerful meeting tool that features AI features like gesture-based reactions and finds the meeting’s most important points. It also saves relevant shared files with these points.
8. Jitsi Meet
Jitsi Meet is a free, open-source video conferencing solution that lets you collaborate with your team on video. You can host up to 50 members in a meeting by inviting them with a meeting link or directly calling them.
-A public chat room for developers to share their ideas and work -A forum for users to ask questions and get help from Jitsi engineers -A community of users who are interested in using Jitsi for their business or personal needs
Screen sharing is a new feature in Google Calendar that lets you stream live meetings to YouTube. This is great for keeping everyone on track and connected. You can also control every participant’s desktop remotely, which makes it easy to stay organized. Screen sharing is available in resolutions 1280×720 (HD), 640×360 (SD), and 360×180 (LD). ..
Jitsi Meet is a versatile platform that allows for advanced customization. However, if you’re not a developer, you might prefer to use a paid platform with more features. ..
You can use Jitsi Meet to connect with colleagues and clients on the go. With Jitsi Meet, you can easily keep track of meeting times, locations, and other important information. You can also use Jitsi Meet to collaborate on projects and create a team atmosphere.
Zoom Alternatives Explained
Now that you know the Zoom alternatives available to you, you can pick one that best suits your needs. However, if you don’t really need video chats, you can also just use one of the best free calling apps that offer unlimited calls and text messages. ..