Starting at £9.50 a month, there’s no free version of GoToMeeting, but there is a free trial. Participants can join meetings via their browser, apps for Android, iOS or Windows Phone, or a phone call. Hosts can launch meetings via their smartphones, and can even hand over control to another participant. These include HD video, screen sharing, automatic transcription, unlimited cloud recording, whiteboard capabilities, support for note taking and 24/7 phone support. Supporting between 150 and 3,000 invitees, depending on your pricing plan, this service is packed with features to make your meetings organised and professional. While some apps, such as Skype and Google Hangouts, are broadly aimed at anyone wanting to organise a group chat, GoToMeeting is laser-focused on being a ‘serious’ tool for business. Cons: Not cheap can’t record on Starter Plan.Pros: Business-oriented advanced features.
GoToMeeting is packed with professional videoconferencing features (Image credit: GoToMeeting) In October, however, it may restrict meeting length to 60 minutes.
Currently, anybody with a Google account can now use Meet, to create free meetings of up to 100 people that can last any amount of time. Update: In late April, Google announced that you no longer need to be a G Suite for Business to use Meet. And depending on the features you’re looking for, you may find it a cheaper option than the other paid-for tools on this list.
If you want try Google Hangouts Meet before committing, there's a free 14-day trial for G Suite for Business. Attendees can access your meeting via the web app, a special phone number, or even via rival services such as Skype for Business. Enterprise customers can record meetings to Google Drive and enable live-stream viewing to up to 100,000 viewers. With Google Hangouts Meet, you can invite up to 100 people, record meetings, share your screen and stream HD video. The latter is a paid-for service, starting at $5/£3.30 per user per month. If you like Google Hangouts but want some more advanced videoconferencing features, then Google also offers Google Meet for users of G Suite for Business.
You can also record calls, and add live subtitles to conversations. These include group calls to up to 50 people, screen sharing options, and most notably, the ability to automatically blur backgrounds. Skype Meet Now offers some excellent video conferencing features, even in its free tier. One of the original video chat apps, Microsoft’s Skype is still going strong, and the main benefit of using the platform for videoconferencing, to be frank, is that most invitees will be familiar with it.
Skype Meet Now lets you videoconference with up to 50 people, for free (Image credit: Skype) However, their efforts haven’t come soon enough to prevent many governments and large companies from banning its use. In recent weeks, Zoom has been scrambling to tighten up these security issues, and introduced new measures such as introducing password-protect entry to meetings. The second is the number of security issues associated with Zoom, most notably the problem of ‘Zoom bombing’, where uninvited trolls disrupt meetings, often using obscenity and racist language. (That, of course, might be seen as a benefit rather than a drawback, preventing lengthy meetings eating into your day). The first is that under the free plan, meetings can only last a maximum of 40 minutes. There are, however, two big issues with Zoom. If you want to add a touch of colour and fun to your meetings, you can also add Zoom backgrounds, which are becoming something of a cultural trend right now.
You can hold unlimited meetings, with video up to 720p quality you can record your meetings locally and there’s 24/7 online support. Attendees can join via the app, their web browser or a traditional phone call.
The free version of Zoom allows you to invite up to 100 people to your meeting, and up to 49 can appear on screen, which is not to be sniffed at.