With the whole world locked down, the concept of Work From Home increased. For that, video conferencing apps play a major role to host virtual meetings.
Mind you, official meetings need some different features than our regular video calling apps. I’ve listed about the video calling apps in my another article.
[Check out: Best Video Calling Apps for Friends and Family]
However, most of these apps are not completely free. Of course, businesses can pay the cost for their requirements and these companies know it well.
This B2B sector prefers quality over the cost.
Video Conferencing Apps For Your Office Meetings
The screen sharing feature is the most important feature for official meetings and that’s the reason I am focusing on it.
So, let’s talk about the video conference apps that might be the most suitable for your office works.
1] Zoom
Zoom requires no introduction because of its sudden popularity. The controversy even added to the popularity as it is constantly getting in the news.
But I personally find it the best if we ignore the security part.
It has all the important features such as – screen sharing, collaborative whiteboard, integrated file sharing, breakout rooms, photo sharing, etc.
No wonder it is available everywhere including Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Android Tablet, iPad and even web version.
Best part? It is free for almost every important task that you need for small businesses.
Zoom can host 100 people for 40 minutes in its free model. Also, one to one meetings are totally free.
Other monthly plans include $14.99 & $19.99 depending on your team and usage.
Check out: Zoom Plans
[Warning: Due to security issues, Govt of India has recommended to avoid this platform. If the meetings are not so personal or confidential then you can use Zoom]
2] GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is not at all free and that is a bad part if we compare to the competitors in the market. You can get a trial version though.
However, it is solely meant for professional and serious purposes.
Since it is already a paid software, there is no limit of usage once you purchase it.
It has all the features like – screen sharing, multi monitor support, calendar integration, video conference, group chat, etc.
GoToMeeting is available everywhere including Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Android Tablet, iPad and even web version.
Packages include $12 for professional small companies up to 150 people and $16 for medium-sized businesses. However, if you have a larger team then you need to contact them.
As a result, this platform seems cheaper if you compare the paid subscriptions of Zoom.
Check out: GoToMeetings Plans
3] Microsoft Teams
In my opinion, Microsoft teams is one of the best video conferencing apps. Period.
Many companies already use Microsoft products instead of Google products. So, it’s good for them to use Microsoft Teams.
With the largest capacity of meetings, Microsoft Teams can host up to 5000 members at a time. Yes, Accenture is the largest company that relies on it due to its size. Of course, you need to pay a premium.
You will also get high security (just like Google Hangout Meets) with end-to-end encrypted data transfer.
It has a Free version which supports up to 300 members with unlimited chats and screen time.
Office 365 Business Essentials costs Rs 125 monthly per user. It has more options and tools like calendar, 1 TB of online storage. If you have a website then you can even host email with a 50 GB mailbox and custom email domain address.
Office 365 Business Premium costs Rs 660 per month for every user. You will get all the features from ‘Office 365 Business Essentials’ plus additional productivity tools.
Office 365 E3 is for enterprises. It says that it will cost Rs 1,320 per month for every user. But it depends on your huge company. Better call them for negotiation. You will get every feature in this package from security to admin access.
Microsoft Teams is available on iOS, Android, Web, Windows (of course), Mac and even Linux.
Check out – Microsoft Teams Plans
4] Skype
Skype is the oldest player in the industry. Once it was a verb for video calling.
It is available on – iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, Blackberry, Web, Tablet, iPad and even Android Wear.
Overall, it is a great Microsoft product.
[You Might Also Like: How Microsoft Makes Money? Microsoft Business Model]
Skype is not for hosting webinars as such but it is great for team meetings.
Skype is free for individuals but it charges for businesses. Of course, it gives some extra features that businesses require.
Skype allows screen sharing for free with up to 25 participants at once.
But even the charges are not fixed. It somehow starts charging monthly from $2 per user and the cost adds up as you add the services. You don’t pay for the services that you don’t use.
Check out: Skype Business Plans
5] Google Meet
(Earlier this platform was called as Google Hangouts Meet. However, on 08th April 2020, it was renamed to Google Meet. Don’t get confused.)
The best part about Google Meet is that is a part of Google and hence integrated with your Gmail.
Google Hangouts is totally free for individuals but Google Meet comes with Google G Suite.
Technically you pay for Google G Suite and you will get Meet in that.
G Suite provides way too many features that belong to Google and Meet is one of them.
Basic plan of G Suite starts from Rs 125 that supports 100 people per call. Business Plan of G Suite starts from Rs 714 that can handle 150 people and Enterprise Plan can host 250 people per call at Rs 1650.
Mind you, these are the monthly chargers per user. If you are relatively a small company then Google Hangouts will work the best for you as it is free.
Check out: G Suite Plans
6] Flock
I use this application daily and the reason is pretty simple. It was founded by the CEO of our parent company Directi.
I am pretty satisfied with this application due to the smooth interface.
Flock supports all the features like screen sharing while video calling, formation of unlimited private and public channels, etc.
Every member gets 5 GB to 20 GB of storage depending on the plan opted by the company.
The plans are pretty cheap as compared to the competitors.
It is available for iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, Mac, & Web like all other competitors.
Flock is free for small businesses. The price is from Rs 199 per month for small businesses and Rs 349 for enterprises.
Check out: Flock Plans
7] Cisco WebEx
Most of you might have already heard the brand name of Cisco and Cisco WebEx belongs to that company.
This is again a freemium service but the price gives you a good return. It allows you a meeting of 100 members with uninterrupted HD video meetings.
Also, free version only allows a meeting of 3 people but it makes sure that you get 1 GB cloud storage.
Other services like screen sharing, integrated voice conferencing, recording sessions, etc are present.
Unfortunately, Cisco WebEx doesn’t seem to support Mac and Linux devices. Other than that, it is present on Android, iOS, Windows, Web, Android Tablet and iPad.
Cisco WebEx costs $13.5 for starters up to 50 members, $17.95 for up to 100 members, $26.95 for businesses up to 200 members. If you are a larger organization then call them.
Check out: WebEx Plans
Key Points: Best Video Conferencing Apps
- Zoom – The highest number of features in Free version
- Skype – Pay for what you use
- Google Hangout Meets or Microsoft Teams – Integrated Google products or Microsoft Products
- Flock – Cheapest plans
- Cisco WebEx – Most value for money
Which platform are you currently using for your office work? Let me know.
P2
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