The threat of an epidemic has led many companies to rethink their operations, with their employees trying to work from home. They must organise their previous daily and weekly office meetings online. We've heard of a number of apps, but which is the most reliable for business meetings? In this article, we'll show you the pros and cons of each app, so you can decide which one is best for your business.
Zoom
The app, which has been spreading like wildfire during the pandemic, has become familiar to almost everyone. Its biggest advantage is that up to 100 people can participate in a video call, but meeting times are limited to 40 minutes for 3 or more people. Of course, this is only the case for the free version, if you subscribe you can use it unlimited.
To make a conference call, you need to download the Zoom app, then you can connect from your computer, tablet or phone. During the call, there are several optional views to really customise your meetings to your liking.
Recently, a lot of companies have started using Zoom, which has led to a growing number of problems. The most serious of these are the new security problems that many companies have had to deal with.
Benefits:
- up to 100 participants
- gallery view
- simple login
- screen sharing
Disadvantages:
- application required for use
- the free version of the meeting can last up to 40 minutes
- security issues
Google Hangouts
To use Google Hangouts, all you need is a Google Account. The free version allows up to 10 people to participate in a video call at a time. Joining is very easy, you can send an email invitation or send a link to invite people.
Thanks to the built-in security system, it is reliable and can be used for small business meetings. During a video call, it can be confusing to see only the user who is speaking on the big screen, with the others appearing in a small square at the bottom of the screen.
Benefits:
- easy connection
- reliable security system
- screen sharing
Disadvantages:
- up to 10 people at a time
- gallery view not available
Google Meet
Google Meet is an enhanced version of Hangouts, designed specifically for businesses. Available exclusively to G Suite users, Meet works seamlessly with Google Calendar and Gmail, making it easy to schedule meetings that take into account your employees' busy schedules.
By default, 100 people can participate in a video call at a time, but Google has extended this to 250 people in the wake of the pandemic. You can also use the screen-sharing feature here, and you can even record meetings and save them to Google Drive.
Benefits:
- free premium features
- easy connection
- reliable security system
- screen sharing
- Google Calendar, Gmail sync
- 100 person video conferences
- record a video conference, save it to Google Drive
Disadvantages:
- only people with a Google account can join
Skype
Skype is a Microsoft application that also lets you make group video calls. Only people who download the Skype app and have a Skype or Microsoft account can join conference calls. However, invitations can also be sent to people who do not yet have an account.
Free video calls can be made with up to 50 people at a time, on mobile, tablet and PC. Screen sharing is also available and the app has built-in screen recording. Thanks to Microsoft, Skype has a robust built-in security system.
Benefits:
- 50 people at a time
- reliable security system
- screen sharing
- built-in screen recording
Disadvantages:
- Skype or Microsoft account required
Microsoft Teams
The Microsoft Teams app is only available to Office 365 subscribers. Teams is available in the browser, but you can also download the app for easier access on PC, tablet and mobile.
Subscribers can hold up to 10 000 video conferences at a time. The video call is secured by Office 365. Built-in recording and screen sharing are also available here. Teams sync seamlessly with other Office 365 applications, so you can take notes during the meeting. You can also invite external guests without having to register or download the app.
Benefits:
- available in browser and app
- 250 people at a time
- screen sharing
- built-in screen recording
- reliable security system
- easy connection for external guests
- note-taking during a meeting
- sharing and editing files
Disadvantages:
- Office 365 or Teams subscription required
BlueJeans
BlueJeans is available from the browser as well. Its security is outstanding. You do not need a BlueJeans account to connect, but you do need one to start a meeting.
The free version allows 25 people to participate in the video conference, the premium version allows 100 people. It has built-in features such as screen sharing, voting, Q&A, screen recording and messaging. BlueJeans also works great with Microsoft Teams, Workplace by Facebook, Office 365, Google Calendar, Slack, Splunk, Trello, etc.
Benefits:
- extremely safe
- available from browser
- built-in features
- compatible with applications
Disadvantages:
- free version up to 25 people
- the free version can only be used for 7 days
GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is the well-known LogMeIn video conferencing application, which is spreading more and more dynamically. The app's special feature is that it can be used not only for video calls but also for webinars.
The app is free to use for up to 3 people, after that different plans are available depending on the number of organisers and participants. The organisers start the video call and the participants can only join, they cannot create it. Extra features are also available in the app, such as built-in call recording, screen sharing, drawing. Participants can also connect via a web browser, but video calls can only be initiated from within the application. With Zapier, you can connect to multiple applications, such as Google Calendar.
Benefits:
- safe
- available to participants from a web browser
- screen sharing
- built-in screen recording
- drawing
- Zapier integration
Disadvantages:
- free version up to 3 people
- an application is required to start
(Updated 28 April 2020)
After publishing this post, we received an enquiry from the Cisco Webex team, who pointed out that the Cisco Webex Meetings application, which is widely used in corporate and institutional environments, is now available in a free residential version. We have therefore added this to the list to give our readers a more complete picture of the options available.
Cisco Webex Meetings
Webex is one of the leading virtual meeting and video conferencing platforms, with 1 billion minutes of conversations taking place every day worldwide. Nothing shows that it's a trusted application better than the fact that the prestigious IT analyst firm Gartner has named Cisco's solution the best meeting platform for 12 years.
Cisco's solution was previously mainly used by large corporate and institutional users, but the virus has led to an upgrade to the free version, which now allows 100 people to participate in a video conference for unlimited time. Using the gallery view, up to 25 people can be seen at once, but multiple views are available. In addition to simple screen sharing, you can also share web-based multimedia content if you have bandwidth or hardware constraints.
Benefits:
- outstanding security system
- 100 participants
- screen sharing
- built-in screen recording
- sharing web-based multimedia content
Disadvantages:
- mobile device application required
- 50-minute time limit
UPDATE (15.06.2020): In the free version, the time limit has been reset as of 1 June, so you can now spend 50 minutes in a video conference. However, the number of participants has not been reduced and still 100 people can join the video call.
Conclusion
Overall, there is plenty of choice when it comes to video conferencing applications. Of course, which solution works for you depends largely on your company's headcount, existing subscriptions and other specific needs.
In general, we recommend the following:
- If you have less than 11 participants and don't want to pay for the app, but want an easy-to-use, reliable app without built-in screen recording, then choose Google Hangouts.
- If you don't want to pay for the app and you have less than 51 people, then choose Skype!
- If you have a Google account and a G-Suite subscription, make sure you choose Google Meet, where you can set up a free video conference for 100 to 250 people, coordinate it with Google Calendar, and record the conversation on GDrive.
- If your company has an Office 365 subscription, the best choice is Microsoft Teams!
- If you're willing to pay for a reliable program recommended by many associations, and need to organise meetings for up to 100 people, choose BlueJeans!
- If you don't want to share confidential information during your meetings - or if you're confident that Zoom will soon fix security problems -, you can choose the free video conference, which can be attended by up to 100 users for 40 minutes.
- If you want to use more than 3 people and are willing to spend 10-15 euros per month on a reliable app with many extra features, then go for GoToMeeting!
- If you want an extra secure video conferencing application with up to 100 participants for 50 minutes, choose Cisco Webex Meeting!
