If you're choosing a communication tool and deciding between Zoom and Skype, you'll find both tools have their advantages. Skype is better for teams looking for a holistic business solution. Zoom is a better fit for teams that have frequent video chats and meetings.
The app's main selling point, at least to the broader consumer world, is that it offers free, 40-minute conference calls with up to 100 attendees. It's easy to use — people don't need a login to access a meeting — and the interface is relatively intuitive.
The 12 Best Free Web Video Conferencing and Screenshare Apps of 2020
- GoToMeeting.
- ezTalks Meetings.
- Cisco Webex.
- Skype.
- Zoom.
- Apache OpenMeetings.
- join.me.
- Google Hangouts. Google has several solutions and apps, like Google Voice.
Zoom offers a full-featured Basic Plan for free with unlimited meetings. Both Basic and Pro plans allow for unlimited 1-1 meetings, each meeting can have a duration of 24 hours maximum. Your Basic plan has a 40 minutes time limit per each meeting with three or more total participants.
Features. BlueJeans and Zoom both offer a range of web conferencing capabilities for organizations. BlueJeans also allows for browser-based meeting sessions in addition to app-based meetings. Zoom is highlighted for its robust collaboration features and competitive packages for midsize companies.
Overall, the 49-screen gallery display and image softening features of Zoom are great, but the fine-tuning of the display on GoToMeeting is a better video conferencing tool for managing the look and feel of your online meetings.
Microsoft Teams is excellent for internal collaboration, whereas Zoom is often preferred for working externally – whether that's with customers or guest vendors. Because they integrate with each other, it's easy to create clear scenarios for users on which to use when.
This list, however, is a good place to start.
- Zoom.
- Skype Meet Now.
- Cisco Webex.
- Google Meet.
- Microsoft Teams.
- Google Duo.
- Hangouts.
- StarLeaf.
Zoom was banned by many schools around the world, Elon Musk's venture SpaceX, Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered as well as governments in Germany, Taiwan and Singapore. A Zoom spokesman reiterated that companies across the world have done exhaustive security reviews of its platform and were using its services.
Google DuoOf course, like the other apps mentioned it's end-to-end encrypted—a fact that Google is now highlighting in a notice when you dial into your call. But it's also easy to use and functional for groups of up to 12, so it's a valid Zoom alternative for your more private video chats.
For users who don't to go with an highly enterprise-focussed solution like Cisco Webex, Microsoft recently brought Skype Meet Now that serves as an alternative to Zoom. It works without requiring an account and supports up to 50 participants — all for free.
Can Zoom be hacked? Nearly all online apps and services are vulnerable to being compromised through attacks like phishing, whereby login information is elicited through duplicitous websites and emails. The open nature of Zoom means it is particularly vulnerable to other types of sabotage.
However, a new report published by Mozilla claims that Zoom has met the same security standards as other video-conferencing platforms like Hangouts and Skype. Furthermore, the report suggests that Zoom provides better security than the FaceTime app by Apple.
Another aspect of security for which Zoom was heavily criticized was the lack of end-to-end encryption on the platform. This was perhaps unfair as many of its competitors don't offer the level of encryption that would mean Zoom, and law enforcement, can't access your data.
The best video-conferencing service for freelancers and small businesses. Despite its 40-minute limit on meetings, Zoom Basic is the most full-featured free video-conferencing service you can get.
The free tier allows unlimited one-on-one meetings but limits group sessions to 40 minutes and 100 participants.
Google Meet, previously named Google Hangouts Meet, is Google's premium video conferencing software, provided as part of G Suite. There's also a free version of Meet. Meet is similar to the video chat service provided in the consumer Hangouts but supports far more participants. Meet can be found at meet.google.com.
Enter Jitsi Meet. Much like Zoom, the free and open-source video-chat tool is easy to use and requires little-to-no onboarding. It's also encrypted, and doesn't sell your data. As an added bonus, you don't need an account and you don't need to download anything to start or join a meeting.
Hosting a Meeting
- Open your Zoom app on your desktop and click Sign In.
- Log in using the E-mail and password that you have created, or with Google(Gmail), Facebook, or Login with SSO.
- Click the downward arrow and select Start with video, then click New Meeting to start an instant meeting.
Unlike FaceTime, which requires an Apple iOS device or a Mac, Zoom will work on Windows, Android, and even Linux along with Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Zoom obviously does video calls like FaceTime, but that's not all. Zoom provides more all-around control of the video chats, too.
What is the best video meeting app?
- BlueJeans. BlueJeans is a full-featured web conferencing app that integrates with collaboration tools.
- Whereby. This video chat service is ideal for small organizations that want a simple method for connecting team members.
- GoToMeeting.
- Cisco WebEx.
- Google Meet.
- Blackboard Collaborate.
Skype is a popular VoIP app that most users will have heard of by now. It's suitable for video conferencing for small teams of up to 50 people (including the host), free of charge.
