Best Video Conferencing Software for 2021

Best Video Conferencing Software for Businesses

Many of the video conference options we looked at above would suffice for certain business needs. However, the various participant and call duration limits can be a pain at times. As such, I thought it worth including another top ten here, to showcase the ten best video conferencing software packages for businesses. 

In some instances, I’ve included the same companies, but focusing on their paid service offerings rather than the free version. This ‘freemium’ model is highly effective in terms of drawing users in with a free service offering and then tempting them with additional features in order to convert them to paying customers. 

Ranking Criteria

As with the free video conference services, I’ve ranked the top ten business video conferencing options based on set criteria. However, I’ve weighted these differently in order to focus on business use. Call quality, for example, is arguably more important in a business setting than for family catchups. 

The list of ranking criteria for the business video teleconference picks includes: 

• Call quality

• Customer service 

• Joining methods (accounts, apps, browsers, etc.)

• Number of call participants

• Call duration limitations

• Ease of use 

• Additional features (such as recording meetings, cloud storage space, screen sharing, text chat, etc.)

With these in mind, my best video conferencing software for business choices are as follows. 

Cisco Webex Meetings

Webex holds the crown for being the world’s most popular enterprise-level video conference option. It’s fully featured, secure and reliable, with artificial intelligence delivering a range of pro-functions. There’s a digital in-meeting assistant to deliver real-time transcripts, closed captioning, notes and highlights, which can be incredibly useful. With a 1,000-participant limit, this video teleconference software is ideal for businesses big and small. 

RingCentral Office

My other top pick is RingCentral Office, due to its value for money, fully featured offering (which ranges from voicemail transcription to personalized onboarding training) and 24/7 customer support. This is slick, reliable web conferencing that will suit businesses of all shapes and sizes. Video meetings can include up to 200 participants, with unlimited meeting durations. There’s also a handy feature that allows you to hop between devices mid-meeting. 

Zoom

Zoom doesn’t quite take the top spot when it comes to the best video conferencing software for businesses, but it’s pretty close. Paid plan options deliver plenty of flexibility, with a choice between 100, 300 and 500 maximum participants and unlimited call durations. For call quality, Zoom is a solid choice. It doesn’t provide quite as many additional features as some of our other video conference options, but transcription is available with the highest priced plan. 

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a great option for big businesses, with the most expensive of the three paid plans allowing hosting of online events for up to 10,000 people. All packages permit video conferencing for up to 300 participants and this secure, reliable services is packed with useful features. 

Skype

Skype excels at delivering high quality video conferencing across the globe. The software is intuitive and easy to use and you can choose between browser and app versions for added convenience. A solid choice for business video conferencing with up to 50 participants. 

Google Meet

If you want a virtual meeting service that’s reliable, secure and user-friendly, Google Meet is ideal. It comes with unlimited Google Drive, which is a nice touch for business users. It’s worth bearing in mind that a fully featured experience – if you want to record meetings, for example – will push you into the costliest pricing plan. 

Zoho Meeting

Zoho Meeting is an excellent choice if you want to host a virtual meeting with no messing around setting it up. There’s an app available if you want it, but the browser version allows you to host and join meetings without missing out on any of the software’s most important features. Integration with Zoho’s other products can make this a handy tool for businesses that are also in need of CRM, accounting or customer service software. 

GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting is another video conferencing option that you can trust. You can host meetings with up to 26 participants or up to 1,000 if you opt for GoToWebinar instead. Easy to use and with great call quality, GoToMeeting is the service of choice for business video conferencing around the world. 

BlueJeans Meetings

BlueJeans Meetings’ cloud service is ultra-fast and easy to use. Up to 100 interactive participants can join a virtual meeting, while universal interoperability means that callers shouldn’t face any issues when joining meetings. Secure, enterprise-ready and with features such as meeting recording built in, this is a reliable service that’s backed by 24/7 customer support. 

UberConference

A serviceable video conferencing option, UberConference allows you to host a virtual meeting with up to 100 participants, with a five-hour duration limit. The software’s social media integration is excellent, making it easy to invite business contacts through LinkedIn. However, there are some question marks around stability, with many users reporting dropped calls and finding it tough to get through to customer support. 

Free Video Conferencing Platforms for People on a Budget

For my final round-up of the best video conferencing software for 2021, I wanted to focus on those who prioritise price above all else. Whether you’re looking for family video conferences on a budget or your business is facing economic hardship and needs to cut costs, the services below should serve you well when it comes to saving money. 

Ranking Criteria

For these picks, I’ve made the ranking criteria really, really simple:

• Price

• Reliability 

I toyed with the idea of using price as the single criterion, but a free video conference service that’s unreliable will likely only lead to frustration, so I’ve put an emphasis on reliability too. 

Skype

If you want a reliable video conference service that’s stood the test of time, it has to be Skype. The free service is used by individuals and businesses to connect with up to 50 people at a time. The ideal budget option for those looking for a dependable, decent quality service. 

Zoom

If you don’t tend to natter for more than 40 minutes at a time, then Zoom is the perfect choice of free virtual meeting software. The free service also provides unlimited duration video calls for two participants, which can come in handy. High quality and easy to use – an excellent all-round service. 

Google Meet

If you’ve already got a Google account, then using Google Meet for your web conferencing needs makes a lot of sense. The video calling functionality is easy to understand and delivers a solid, stable online meeting experience. A superb choice if budget is your main driver. 

Cisco Webex Meetings

If you’re looking for a taste of enterprise-level professionalism on a budget, then Cisco Webex Meetings will do the trick. You can invite up to 100 participants to join an online meeting of unlimited duration; perfect for small and medium businesses looking for a high-quality service while also keeping a close eye on the purse strings. 

Microsoft Teams

Another service with a time limit (45 minutes per meeting), Microsoft Teams has an easy-to-use interface that you can use to connect with up to 300 participants. If large but not overly long meetings are your priority, then this is a great way to host them without needing to spend any money. 

Join.me

Are you after free video conferencing software to use as a sales tool? If so, Join.me is well worth a look. Decent call quality and one-click screen sharing make this a solid choice for product demos to up to ten participants. 

ClickMeeting

If you’re after a fully featured video conferencing service for just a handful of meetings, then ClickMeeting’s free 30-day trial could be just what you’re looking for. You can host webinars or conferences yourself and also invite other presenters to join you, meaning this free service is well suited to a range of business use cases. On the subject of webinars, if you plan to deliver them in multiple languages, it’s worth checking out the link below, before you get started. 

Read more: How to Deliver a Webinar for a Multilingual Audience

CXEngage

Is it a contact centre-style video conferencing software that you’re seeking? Then CXEngage could be the tool you need. A popular choice with customer service agents in the healthcare, finance and retail sectors, this software doesn’t require any downloads, supports HD-quality video and is quick and easy to use. 

Lifesize

Easy to use and offering the option to join from both desktop and mobile, Lifesize is a hand option that’s ultra-budget friendly. You do have to set up an account before you can start video conferencing, but the process is quick and easy, so you can be up and running fairly quickly. 

Twitch

I wanted to include Twitch as a final option for those who are more interested in video game sharing, rather than online meeting software per se. If you want to live stream your video games (another sector that’s done very well out of the pandemic, by the way), along with your own audio commentary, then Twitch is the ideal free way to do so. 

Wrap Up

I hope that, whatever your motivation for looking into video conferencing software, you’ve found the service you need listed above. My top three overall recommendations are Zoom, Skype and Cisco Webex Meetings. Each offers a slightly different feature set, but all three video conferencing solutions deliver service stability, top notch call quality and a range of pricing options to suit all budgets. 

Even with healthcare and pharmaceutical teams around the world racing to produce and administer COVID-19 vaccines, we’re still months away from any kind of normality returning to work and travel arrangements. As such, it’s time to embrace everything that video conferencing has to offer.