6 Best Video Conferencing Apps for 2022 (Reviews)

Top 6 Video Conference Apps Compatible with Vibe.

• Zoom
• BlueJeans Meetings
• RingCentral Meetings
• Microsoft Teams
• Dialpad Meetings
• Cisco Webex

The shift to remote work means many of us are spending more time on video conferences—and that’s not a bad thing. Video conferencing gives businesses of all sizes the opportunity to foster new connections, expand creatively and technologically, and communicate more efficiently. (We’ve all felt the despair of being stuck in endless email threads, right?)

Many of us are familiar with the Zoom app, and it’s a great tool. But it’s not the only video conference solution out there. Just as every business has different needs, video conferencing apps offer a variety of features for a wide range of prices and time commitments. Let’s take a look at some of the Vibe Board -friendly conferencing apps that could be a fit for your business.

How do I choose a video conferencing app?

Zoom

You can’t write a video conferencing roundup without including Zoom . This app has been around since 2011 and debuted as one of the first truly reliable video conferencing applications. Zoom’s popularity soared at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic as many workplaces transitioned to remote-first operations and people were looking for easy ways to socialize from the safety and comfort of home.

zoom video conferencing

Cost and trial period

Zoom offers four plans ranging from free to $19.99/month. Users can sign up for the Basic plan at no cost (which replaces the need for a trial period), the Pro plan for $14.99/month/license, the Business plan for $19.99/month/license, or the Enterprise package at $19.99/month/license. Signing up for an annual plan versus month-to-month does give you a small discount.

Notable features

Similar to RingCentral’s free plan, Zoom’s Basic plan has a lot to offer. You can host up to 100 participants in a group meeting (limited to 40 minutes). Both group and 1:1 meetings are unlimited. Local recording is available, as well as screen sharing, breakout rooms, whiteboard, both private and group chat. You can also create personal meeting IDs for regularly occurring meetings. Tech support is limited to ticket submissions only.

The Pro plan also hosts up to 100 participants but gives you more licenses per plan. The other big differentiators from the Free plan include Facebook and YouTube streaming; local and cloud recording (up to 1 GB); online chat tech support; host controls; more reporting; and the ability to assign a meeting scheduler.

What’s the difference between Zoom plans?

With the Business plan, you receive these additional features (among others):

• Up to 300 participants in a group meeting
• 10-99 licenses
• Single sign-on
• Cloud recording transcripts
• Company branding
• Ticket, chat, and call-in tech support
• Admin portal (for advanced settings and user management)
• Language interpretations

And the Enterprise license includes even more:

• Up to 500 participants
• 100+ licenses
• Local and unlimited cloud storage
• A dedicated customer manager
• Transcription
• Executive business reviews

Is Zoom right for you?

Zoom is popular for a reason: the company’s plans and prices are comparable to many of the other most popular video conferencing tools. Plus, it’s easy to use. Combine that with Zoom’s newly strengthened security settings, and businesses of any size can find a plan that suits their needs.

Beyond being a must-have solution for so many businesses right now, the right video conferencing tool creates an opening for more flexible work schedules in the future. Having the option to work from home while still having access to co-workers is a huge plus for productivity. This flexibility keeps your employees happy while making your life a little easier, too.

• How to use Zoom on Vibe – Video
• How to use Zoom on Vibe – Help Article

BlueJeans Meetings Review

The BlueJeans app offers a couple of different services: BlueJeans Meetings for video conferencing and BlueJeans Events for interactive events and webinars. We’ll review the Meetings solution here.

BlueJeans Meetings

How much does BlueJeans Meetings cost?

BlueJeans Meetings is $12.49/month for the Standard plan and $17.49/month for the Pro plan. For the top-level Enterprise plan, you’ll need to contact a sales rep for pricing. Discounts are available when opting for an annual subscription over a monthly subscription.

The trial period gives users unlimited access to the Enterprise plan for seven days, which allows you to hold as many meetings as you want with up to 100 attendees.

Notable features

Users can join a BlueJeans meeting from any web browser without downloading an app. (While you can join a meeting this way, you will need to download the app to access all of BlueJeans’ features.) BlueJeans works with almost every operating system, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.

What’s the difference between BlueJeans Meetings plans?

With the Standard plan, you can host up to 50 participants in group meetings or you can opt for 1:1 meetings. Either way, there is no limit to the number of meetings you can host, and there’s no time limit on the meetings. You have five hours of meeting recording per month so you can download your session post-conference without losing any important information.

The Pro plan lets you host up to 75 participants in your unlimited group meetings. You get a significant bump up in meeting recordings (25 hours each month) and have access to meeting analytics as well. Like the Standard plan, the Pro plan allows for Outlook and Google Calendar integration for easy scheduling. Going Pro also includes Slack and Microsoft Teams integration, and there are other sales and learning management integrations on top of that.

The Enterprise option allows for up to 100 participants in a group meeting with unlimited hours of recordings. You get all of the features in the Standard and Pro plans along with the ability to customize the meeting experience to your specific brand. You’ll have access to an onboarding manager as well as dedicated support and management reps.

Regardless of the plan you choose, each video conference is delivered in HD video with Dolby Voice audio.

Is BlueJeans Meetings right for you?

According to the BlueJeans website , “The Standard package is for small businesses and teams who are getting started with video conferencing,” and it’s important to remember that this plan doesn’t include many third-party app integrations. The Pro and Enterprise plans are a better fit for larger teams who depend on more third-party apps and want access to meeting analytics.

All in all, Blue Jeans is a solid option for teams with straightforward video conference needs. If your team plans on working remotely and is new to the video conferencing environment, BlueJeans is a good place to start.

GoToMeeting Review

GoToMeeting is among the most well-known video conferencing platforms available. Founded in 2004, GoToMeeting expanded to include a large suite of technological offerings to make the online workspace a welcoming and collaborative one.

GoToMeeting

How much does GoToMeeting cost?

GoToMeeting runs $14.00/month for the Professional plan, $19.00/month for the Business plan, and the price for the Enterprise plan is available upon request. Discounts are offered when opting for annual plans over monthly subscriptions. GoToMeeting offers a free 14-day trial.

What’s the difference between GoToMeeting plans?

The Professional plan includes unlimited meetings with no time limits, so share your screen for as long as you need to with up to 150 participants. Meeting lock is available for security and subscribers receive 24/7 customer care. You’ll also get meeting analytics and other administrative reports. This plan offers select app integration, including a Slack Meeting Launcher and Salesforce, as well as an Office 365 and Google Calendar plugin.

The Business plan builds on the Professional plan’s features with unlimited cloud recording, transcription, and Smart Assistant. (This makes highlighting important notes and searching for relevant info easier post-meeting.) You can also take notes in the meeting to save and share with the team and use drawing tools in-session.

With the Enterprise package, you’ll receive all of the features of the Professional and Business plans, plus a dedicated Customer Success Manager and custom onboarding and training.

Is GoToMeeting right for you?

The Professional plan is a good option if you plan on having a lot of meetings but don’t necessarily need a lot of bells and whistles. The Business plan has some really great features to help you get the most out of your video conference experience (transcription, downloaded meetings, ability to annotate, etc.).

It comes down to this: GoToMeeting has a wide variety of services available, including GoToWebinar and GoToConnect. So if your company is serious about creating more remote work roles, having a full suite of options to mix-and-match is a smart route to take.

Microsoft Teams Review

Microsoft Teams is probably one of the most widely recognized video conference solutions. Businesses that already operate on Microsoft products have likely tried at least some of Teams’ features, but there’s plenty to learn about this service.

Microsoft Teams video app

How much does Microsoft Teams cost?

Microsoft Teams offers a free version with no time commitment. The Microsoft 365 Business Basic package costs $5.00/user/month; 365 Business Standard is $12.50/user/month; and Office 365 E3 comes in at $20.00/user/month (all prices are based on annual subscriptions).

What’s the difference between Microsoft Teams plans?

The free version of Teams has several components you would expect from comparable free plans: screen sharing, chat features, file sharing, etc. Some of the unexpected extras include custom backgrounds, scheduled meetings, larger file attachments in chat (up to 2 GB per user), and access to 250+ app integrations. You can also host meetings with up to 300 people. There’s no dedicated tech support, but Microsoft does provide resources for resolving any tech issues on your end.

The next step up is Business Basic, where meeting recordings are available and the file attachments in chat increase to 1 TB per user. You also have single sign-on capabilities, advanced reporting, administrative tools for managing users, and access to tech support via call-in or online assistance.

Business Standard is nearly identical to the Business Basic plan. The biggest difference is that with Standard, users receive desktop versions of Microsoft Office programs, including (but not limited to) Word, Outlook, Excel, and Publisher.

A few of Office 365 E3’s highlights include letting subscribers host online events for up to 10,000 people (video conferences are still capped at 300) and upping the size of file attachments in chat to unlimited. There are also other add-on services available with the paid plans.

Is Microsoft Teams right for you?

Similar to Cisco Webex’s offerings (which we’ll cover further down), Microsoft Teams fits a lot of features into their paid plans, justifying the price over what the free plan offers (which is still quite a lot). Teams, then, is an obvious choice for a Microsoft centered office. The paid plans are certainly worth considering for a long-term investment in a remote workplace or a large corporation. The free plan makes sense to try if you’ve heard about Teams for a while and want to test the waters before committing.

It’s also important to note that Microsoft Teams is replacing Skype for Business , so if that’s your current conferencing platform, consider what Teams has to offer.

• How to use Microsoft Teams on Vibe – Video
• How to use Microsoft Teams on Vibe – Help Article

RingCentral Meetings Review

RingCentral Meetings is the video conferencing component of the larger RingCentral system of tech solutions.

RingCentral Meetings

How much does RingCentral Meetings cost?

While RingCentral Meetings doesn’t offer an official trial period, they do have a Free plan with some great features. The next level up, the Essentials plan, is $14.99/user/month, and the Advanced plan is $19.99/user/month.

What’s the difference between RingCentral Meetings plans?

Compared to other video conference apps, RingCentral Meetings’ Free plan is fairly robust. Users get up to 100 participants per meeting, unlimited 1:1 meetings, and 40-minute group meetings. Participants can join from desktop, mobile device, or phone and have access to screen sharing, whiteboarding, annotation, and team messaging. The Free plan also includes local recording as well as Outlook integration for scheduling ease.

With the Essentials plan, you get unlimited time for group and 1:1 meetings; however, group meetings remain capped at 100 participants. In addition to the Free plan’s meeting features, Essentials plan users get 24/7 phone support and scheduling assistance. The team messaging has more advanced options as well.

In addition to having all the features of the Free and Essentials packages, the Advanced plan gives subscribers access to a real-time usage dashboard. Add-ons are available with the plans, including webinar features and options to host larger meetings.

Is RingCentral Meetings right for you?

RingCentral Meetings’ Free plan is an excellent option for a variety of teams: smaller organizations, companies that are new to video conferencing and are still figuring out their tech needs, and teams who have found they don’t necessarily need tons of fancy features to get their work done effectively. The Essentials and Advanced plans have just enough extra features to justify the cost, and knowing that you can customize your plan with other add-ons is nice too.

Dialpad Meetings Review

UberConference is now Dialpad Meetings, a video conference app from Dialpad , is the most bare-bones option in this roundup. It may not be as flashy as some of the other apps out there, but there’s still plenty to like about this streamlined solution.

Dialpad Meetings

How much does dialpad Meetings cost?

There is no trial period, but you can sign up for UberConference’s Free plan to get started. For a few more features, subscribe to the Business plan, which costs $20.00/month for a monthly subscription or $15.00/month for an annual subscription.

What’s the difference between Dialpad Meetings plans?

The Free plan allows for up to 10 participants, and PINs are required. You’re given an unlimited amount of conferences but they can’t exceed 45 minutes. Users have access to screen sharing and call recording during their conferences presented in HD video and audio.

The Business plan jumps up to 100 participants and doesn’t require PINs. Plus, the conference time is extended to five hours. Users on this plan receive additional meeting analytics as well as Voice Intelligence, which transcribes the meeting and highlights action items for you to review post-meeting. You’re also given the ability to dial out to add guests to the call and can even upload your own custom hold music.

Is Dialpad Meetings right for you?

With its relatively limited offering, UberConference is a nice option for small teams who are temporarily remote, or in-office teams who want a quick way to conduct video meetings. The 10-person and 45-minute meeting limits are nice for a free plan but likely couldn’t support a fully remote (or even mostly remote) team for the long term. The other upside: the plans are extremely cut-and-dry. So if you tend to be overwhelmed by too many choices, UberConference could be perfect for you.

Cisco Webex Review

If UberConference was the most streamlined of the video conferencing apps, then Webex is at the other end of the spectrum. With five different plans to choose from, there’s sure to be a solution for your team.

Cisco Webex

How much does Cisco Webex cost?

Users can choose from the following packages:

• Free: No cost. (This would be the best route to take in lieu of a trial period.)
• Starter: $14.95/month
• Plus: $19.95/month
• Business: $29.95/month
• Enterprise: Price available upon request.

Discounted prices are available on all plans when choosing annual over monthly subscription.

Notable features

There’s a lot to take into account with Webex meeting packages, so we’ll start with what you can expect from every plan:

• Screen sharing
• Mobile screen sharing
• Support for iPhone, iPad, Android, and wearable devices
• Chat/notes/raise hand and polling features
• Save recordings to computer
• Fullscreen video with layout options
• Breakout sessions
• Virtual backgrounds
• Unlimited direct and group messaging
• Interactive whiteboarding

What’s the difference between Webex plans?

The differentiating features between the plans are as follows:

• Free: 1 host, 50-minute meetings, up to 100 participants. Online-only customer support.
• Starter: Up to 9 hosts, 24-hour time limit, up to 100 participants. 5 GB cloud storage for recordings. MP4 recording. Recording transcription. Alternate host option. File transfer (maxes out at 2 GB for in-session file transfers). Online chat and call-in customer support.
• Plus: Up to 50 hosts, 24-hour time limit, up to 100 participants. 5 GB cloud storage for recordings. MP4 recording. Recording transcriptions. Alternate host option. File transfer (2 GB max). Online chat and call-in customer support.
• Business: Up to 100 hosts, 24-hour time limit, up to 200 participants. 10 GB cloud storage for recordings. MP4 recording. Recording transcriptions. Alternate host option. File transfer (2 GB max). Online chat and call-in customer support.
• Enterprise: Unlimited hosts, 24-hour time limit, up to 100,000 participants. Unlimited cloud storage. MP4 recording. Recording transcriptions. Alternate host option. File transfer (2 GB max). Online chat, call-in, and dedicated customer service rep.

Is Cisco Webex right for you?

Knowing that Cisco Webex has been in the video conferencing space for a while, they have the benefit of experience on their side. The biggest drawback to Webex video conferencing is how widely segmented the plans are. Not only are they among the pricier options, there’s also a lot of information to sort through.

Large corporations who need to be able to hold multiple meetings simultaneously would easily be able to make the most of this conferencing system. If you’re a small business owner, there are plenty of good, less expensive, and less complicated options out there.

Vibe offers a collaborative solution combining an interactive digital whiteboard and innovative smart software. Increase engagement and efficiency at your brainstorming sessions, virtual training, and classroom sessions by integrating your favorite applications with video conferencing and an infinite, mess-free writing canvas. Collaborate today with Vibe.

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