The 12 Best Video Conferencing Software (2023 Reviews & Rankings)

The best video conferencing software makes it easy to connect with co-workers or customers no matter where they are.

In the past, video conferencing required expensive equipment and software, but now there are many free and low-cost options available. As a result, video conferencing software has witnessed an explosive growth over the last few years, revolutionizing the way we connect and collaborate.

With user-friendly interfaces and seamless connectivity, it’s become an indispensable tool for businesses and individuals alike.

There are many benefits to using video conferencing software, from improved communication to increased productivity.

For businesses, video conferencing can help to reduce travel costs and make it easier to connect with clients and colleagues who are based in different locations. It can also be used for remote onboarding of new employees and more.

For educators, video conferencing apps can be used in virtual learning to deliver lectures and connect with students who are studying remotely.

The software also enables people to share documents and presentations more easily and to hold virtual meetings which can be recorded for future reference.

Of course, there are multiple video conferencing platforms that help you conduct both formal and informal meetings, but choosing the best fit can be a bit challenging.

We’ve reviewed and ranked the best video conferencing platforms based on a number of factors, including ease of use, pricing, and features.

This guide has been completely updated for 2023 to help you find the best current video conferencing solution to fit your unique needs.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost for you, we might get a commission if you click the link and purchase.

 

What are the Best Video Conferencing Platforms?

Here are our picks for the top video conference software tools worth trying in 2023…

 

1. Best Overall: Zoho Meeting

Zoho Meeting makes it easy to host secure, professional video conferences, meetings, and webinars with up to 3,000 participants.

The software is free to use for up to 60 minutes with 100 participants, making it a great video conferencing solution for small businesses or teams who need an affordable platform for meeting and collaborating.

Zoho Meeting offers a number of features that make it a great choice for businesses, including the ability to record and share meetings, share screens, and keep meetings private and secure.

The software is also simple to use and offers a variety of integrations with other Zoho apps and major third-party services.

Where Zoho Meeting really shines is its security. If it’s important to you to protect your privacy and data while you’re video conferencing, Zoho Meeting is a great option as it offers features like advanced encryption, two-factor authentication, and more.

Key Features And Benefits

• Easy screen sharing
• Record, replay, and share your meetings
• Advanced security features to keep your meetings private and safe
• Easy to use
• Scalable to fit your business’ needs
• Interactive features for keeping your audience engaged

Pricing

Zoho Meeting offers a few different plans that unlock various levels of features:

• Free ($0)
• Meeting (starting at $1/mo & up depending on number of participants)
• Webinar (starting at $8/mo & up depending on number of participants)

Click here to try Zoho Meeting for free.

 

2. Also Great: GoToMeeting

Looking for video conferencing software that isn’t very complicated and serves the purpose?

GoToMeeting is extremely user-friendly. It not only provides you with multiple features such as screen sharing, recording meetings, and seamlessly connecting several people, but also allows you to take over somebody’s machine in case they’re having trouble with something.

You can take control and carefully guide them through instructions they’re struggling with. This makes the entire experience more efficient and makes the exchange of information flawless.

Key Features And Benefits

• Allows large-scale meetings, up to 250 participants at a time.
• Enables document sharing within the software.
• You do not have to be present to attend the meeting. You can record meetings and keep them for later reference or share them with the participants who could not attend.
• Easy-to-use video conferencing solution.
• As the software has progressed, GoToMeeting has tried to integrate many other programs into itself so that you have one work desk where everything is available. It now supports integrations such as Zapier, Google Calendar, and even Chrome, which allows you maximum output.

Pricing

GoToMeeting offers 3 paid plans:

• Professional: $12/month (up to 150 participants)
• Business: $16/month (up to 250 participants)
• Enterprise: Custom packages according to your company’s requirements. (up to 3000 participants)

Click here to learn more.

 

3. Best For Webinars: ClickMeeting

Webinars, like any public event, are very tedious to organize, more so when they’re virtual. If you’re looking for a tool that acts as a great webinar platform, ClickMeeting is a great choice.

Globally regarded as the best video conferencing software for webinars, ClickMeeting is rapidly gaining popularity amongst businesses all over the world.

The most intriguing thing about it is that it facilitates you throughout the webinar process be it preparation or presentation.

It also enables you to interact and follow up even after the webinar is over.

Key Features And Benefits

• Easy user interface
• Works fine on low bandwidths
• Whiteboards
• Screen/document sharing
• Record meetings
• Multiple cameras in one stream
• Audience polls
• Attendees/participants lists
• Live Chat translation
• Integrates with different social networks

Pricing

After a 30-day free trial, ClickMeeting offers 3 pricing plans:

• Live: $26/month
• Automated: $42/month
• Enterprise: Custom packages

Click here to learn more.

 

4. Best For Small Collaboration: RingCentral Video

If you’ve just started up a venture and are looking for a video conferencing tool that caters to most of your needs, RingCentral Video might prove to be a perfect choice for you.

The app is particularly famous for enabling large meetings and end-to-end encryption.

It has several features up its sleeve, the most fun one being the ability to mute other participants. So the next time your interruptive colleague doesn’t let you speak, you can mute him up with just a click!

RingCentral lets you have complete control of your meetings, from choosing who can invite people to who can get into the meetings, you’ve got it all covered.

Key Features And Benefits

• Doesn’t need an app or a plugin. You can host a meeting simply by accessing the RingCentral website through any browser
• Recorded meetings
• Meeting durations are unlimited.
• Most of the features required for a simple meeting are free.
• Support for mobile devices.
• Multiple integrations including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, etc.

Pricing

RingCentral Video has a few different pricing plans that range between $10 and $39 a month, depending on the features.

 

5. Best For Co-working: Remote PC Meeting

Teamwork makes dreams work, and what’s better than having your teamwork within the comfort of their homes?

With the work environment changing globally because of newer strategies, it has become exceedingly important to have a strong channel of communication in order to fulfill your companies’ goals.

Remote PC Meeting, as the name suggests allows you to connect seamlessly with each other thereby ensuring quality outputs.

This software is particularly efficient for co-working because it has features such as multiple co-hosts, a breakout room (splitting a meeting into two separate sessions), audience polling, and much more.

Tools like these not only open a whole world of opportunities for businesses but also facilitate small-scale ventures.

Key Features And Benefits

• Multiple co-hosts
• Low latency
• Unlimited meetings
• Dial-in via phone
• Group and private messaging
• Virtual background
• Youtube live streaming

Pricing

Remote PC Meeting has a few different plans to choose from, starting as low as $18.38 for your first year.

It also has a 7-day free trial (No credit card required)

 

6. Best for High-Resolution Conferencing: Zoom

Want to make the most out of your meeting? Choose Zoom, because apart from being just a video conferencing tool, it also offers high-definition resolution even in free meetings.

The only requisite for that is a good quality internet connection. If you have that covered, you can go ahead and meet people virtually for as long as you want!

Zoom, because of its easy interface and other perks, is also very popular for personal use. This means that the next time you need to video call your mother for a quick recipe, an ‘instant meeting’ is all you need to conjure!

Key Features And Benefits

• Low bandwidth requirements
• Compatible with multiple browsers
• Allows scheduling meetings
• Dial-in attendance
• Attendee/Participant list
• Q&A, live chat, and audience polling
• Meeting space storage

Pricing

Apart from the free setup, Zoom offers 3 pricing plans:

• Pro: $149.90/year
• Business: $199.90/year
• Enterprise: $250/year

 

7. Best For Free Video Conferencing: Skype

You read it right, it’s absolutely free!

Used by roughly 1.33 million people worldwide, Skype is one of the very first video conferencing tools to exist.

Having multiple interesting features, it can be used for both personal and professional setups.

The best part of Skype is that it isn’t just limited to video calls; it allows audio conferences, mobile phone calls, landline calls, and paid international calling for up to 25 participants.

Users can call anywhere in the world by using Skype credits or monthly contracts that allow them to make calls in specific locations.

You can also pay to associate a local number with Skype, through which you can answer phone calls from their desktops, tablets, or smartphones.

Key Features And Benefits

• Secure online events
• Screensharing
• Live chat
• User friendly
• Excellent connectivity
• Can be accessed through multiple platforms
• Document sharing
• Can be integrated with other software

Pricing

Skype calls are absolutely free when both parties are using the platform. However, to unlock features such as SMS texts or landline calls, you need to purchase Skype credits.

 

8. Best for Educational Setups: Cisco Webex Meetings

Choosing a video conferencing software can be a bit difficult if you need it for educational purposes. Getting your point across to students and vice versa is very challenging in a virtual environment.

If you’re somebody who has the same requirements, you might want to give Cisco Webex Meetings a try. It’s a great Skype alternative.

It is very similar to other video conferencing software apps on the surface, but it comes with added benefits such as the ability to make notes online and top-notch security.

If data privacy is a top priority for your company, Cisco is your best bet.

Key Features And Benefits

• Compatible with multiple browsers, Android and iOS
• Requires low bandwidth
• Whiteboards
• Supports application sharing
• Slideshows
• International calling

Pricing

Cisco Webex Meetings offer you a couple different pricing plans:

• Meet plan: $14.50/month
• Meet + Call plan: $25/month

Webex Suite-Basic: Custom packages according to your requirements

 

9. Best for All Types of Business Communications: Microsoft Teams

If you have a strong business portal that you want to digitize, Microsoft Teams will definitely garner your attention.

The best part about Teams is its ‘all-in-one’ nature because it allows you to communicate and collaborate in one place. Being a brainchild of Microsoft, it of course supports integrations like MS Excel and Word.

Since most of the data storage in offices is done on these platforms, Teams naturally become a comfortable option because it gives them easy access.

Microsoft also is always up and about to make its ventures bigger and better and so, you can only see this software progressing in the future. This means that choosing Teams can be a great decision in the long run.

Key Features And Benefits

• Accessible from both mobiles and desktops
• Allows scheduled meetings
• User-friendly interface
• Can integrate all the tools present in Office 365 Suite
• Access control
• Can be linked with Google Drive

Pricing

Microsoft Teams offers 3 pricing plans:

• Microsoft Teams Essentials: $4/month
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6/month
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50/month

 

10. Best for Small to Mid-sized Businesses: DialPad

Formerly known as UberConference, DialPad has been a favorite for several local businesses.

One weirdly useful function of this software is that it automatically dials participants into a meeting. You don’t have to log in or set up the software prior to your meeting because once the meeting is scheduled and the participants are listed, the software will do the needful.

This means that even if you forget to join in the discussion, you don’t have to worry because DialPad has got you covered.

Key Features And Benefits

• Affordable
• Good call and video quality
• Excellent customer service
• Allows you to set up a team/company and have all your employees under one account
• Let’s you control callers’ volume and disconnect callers as well.
• Built-in backgrounds
• Supports Voice Intelligence
• Provides summary and time logs of calls

Pricing

DialPad offers 3 pricing plans:

• Standard: $15/month
• Pro: $25/month
• Enterprise: Custom quotes according to your needs.

They also offer a free plan that has limited features but does the job well.

 

11. Best for Medium to Large-sized Businesses: Lifesize

For fast-growing businesses, reliable and long-term investments become unavoidable, and to cater to a big business virtually, Lifesize is a very good option.

Rich in features, Lifesize has a lot more capability than other small-scale conferencing apps.

It allows you to connect with people from different locations and provides you with a world of options for briefing and debriefing your employees.

Lifesize also enables a huge space for collaboration and interaction.

You can also schedule meetings from various platforms and integrations.

Key Features And Benefits

• 4K video conferencing
• End-to-end encryption
• Built-in directory
• Specifically designed hardware
• Compatible with most meeting spaces

Pricing

Lifesize offers 3 pricing plans:

• Plus: $14.95/month & up (Minimum of 10 hosts)
• Enterprise: $14.95/month & up (Minimum of 50 hosts)
• Organization: Custom packages

Their packages also include a 30-day free trial.

 

12. Best For Quick Access: Google Meet

On a run and need to convey a couple of instructions urgently? Google Meet is your friend!

Meet users surged up to 100 million users during the recent pandemic and rightly so because it gives you an efficient calling experience and a number of features whilst being majorly free.

This particular software is also great for conducting online classes owing to its compatibility with other google plugins such as Google Jamboard and Google Classroom.

Key Features And Benefits

• Extremely easy to navigate
• Online events/webinars
• Allows direct access through a link that can be shared through any platform
• Calendar integration
• Up to 100 participants
• Instant meetings
• International dial-in phone numbers
• Recorded meetings
• Screen sharing and online presentations

Pricing

Apart from the free version, Google Meet has 3 pricing plans:

• Business Starter: $6/month
• Business Standard: $12/month
• Business Plus: $18/month

 

What Is Video Conferencing Software?

Video conferencing software is a digital tool that helps you connect virtually with one or several people.

Video streaming through webcams or phone/tablet cameras fills the need for face-to-face conversations, something that telephonic or audio calls obviously lack.

‘Conferencing’, as the name suggests, involves multiple people and when you’re in a professional setup, you need an equally formal tool to carry out your virtual meeting.

The purpose of a video conferencing tool is to bridge the difference between text communications and in-person meetings.

Such software includes many handy features such as screen sharing, document sharing, recording meetings for later use, and of course, the massive allowance for the number of people.

For instance, to organize a seminar for 100 people, you need to go through the tedious process of arranging a venue, getting appointments from the speakers, arranging refreshments, taking care of security, and dealing with multiple other domains but with a webinar, all you need is to generate a meeting link and your event is all set to go live.

 

Benefits Of Using Video Conferencing Software

Here are just some ways which show how video conferencing is beneficial:

It’s better than Audio calls/Print media

Man is a social animal and this quality also affects our attention span. When you just have a phone receiver in your hand or some lengthy emails in front of you, you automatically lose interest in them and struggle to focus. On the other hand, when you have all your teammates in front of you, you are much more conscious and attentive because one, you have eyes on you, and two, you’re not only hearing people speak but can also infer things from their body languages.

It’s sustainable

Not only do you save on travel expenses, but you also cut down a lot of time that is spent on traveling. This time can instead be spent on the meeting itself, thereby increasing productivity.

It dissolves geographical constraints

There are no logistical or geographical hurdles when it comes to video conferencing; I can be continents apart and still be able to work for my office. The best thing about this is the opportunities that arise; working for international clients or connecting with like-minded people in different countries- it’s all just a click away!

What Features To Look For When Choosing The Best Video Conferencing Software

As efficient as conducting meetings online is, it still can be a tedious job to find the best video conferencing software for yourself or your company.

Finding the ideal video conferencing software for your situation depends on many factors, some of which are mentioned below:

Bandwidth/Network Compatibility

It’s extremely important to choose a tool that aligns with your network speed or bandwidth.

No matter how good a software is, if your bandwidth is lower than its requirements then it won’t run efficiently for you.

You don’t have to upgrade or change your network for this though, because different software require different bandwidths and many of them work just fine on lower ones.

Features

Video conferencing is not just used by work setups, its users include students and 1:1 communicators as well and so, before choosing a software, you need to list down your requirements.

If you only need conference calls for study groups or family chats then you don’t need heavy software, even the free plans of most software would do the job pretty well.

If, however, you’re a full-fledged business or a company, you need additional features such as sharing presentations and dial-in options.

Security also becomes an important concern in such scenarios which is why you need to find something that is long-term, reliable, efficient, and has all the features you need. Prioritize software with robust security features, including encryption, secure access controls, and the ability to lock meetings to prevent unauthorized access.

Ease of Use

Choose software with an intuitive interface that both you and your participants can easily navigate. This minimizes the learning curve and encourages seamless communication.

Compatibility

Ensure the software is compatible with various devices and operating systems, such as Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, to accommodate all participants.

Video and Audio Quality

Opt for software that offers high-quality video and audio, as poor quality can hinder effective communication. Look for HD video and crystal-clear audio options.

Screen Sharing and Collaboration Tools

Check for features like screen sharing, virtual whiteboards, file sharing, and integration with other productivity apps to facilitate collaboration during meetings.

Number of Participants

This becomes an extremely important pointer to take care of especially when you’re dealing with businesses or webinars. This is because in case you make the wrong choice and end up purchasing software that is not meant for bulk use, you will have to face a lot of complications such as lagging and poor audio/video quality.

To save yourself from mishaps and embarrassment, you need to carefully estimate the number of people that will be using the platform and then look for a software and plan that easily supports that number.

This also is worth considering when you don’t have a hefty amount of people using the software because you wouldn’t want to purchase an expensive package when there are only a couple of people to use it.

Finding a software that fits your user count won’t be much hard though, because most software has custom packages available that allow you maximum usage. All it takes is just a bit of calculation to decide your usage and you’ll be good to go!

Cost

Some software has amazing packages and even free plans, but some also have little features for hefty amounts of money. It is important to do your research when purchasing a tool, to save yourself from any scams.

 

A Final Word on Video Conferencing Software

There are many different video conferencing software programs available on the market, and choosing the right one can be a challenge.

However, by taking into account your specific needs and budget, you can narrow down your options and find the best program for your needs.

And remember, many of these tools offer free trials, so that’s a great way to test out a few options before making your final decision.

By following these simple steps, you can be sure to find the best video conferencing software for your needs.