Best Video Calling App (2024): Join.Me vs GoToMeeting vs WebEx vs Zoom vs Skype vs TeamViewer vs AnyMeeting & More

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Here’s how it works.

Best For…
Large Teams
Adobe Connect logo
Small Teams
Google Hangouts logo
Mobile-Friendly Conferencing
GoToMeeting logo

The need for virtual collaboration is more important than ever during the COVID-19 crisis, and knowing the best way to share information and brainstorm when your team is working remotely is essential.

Let’s face it — a phone call doesn’t always do it these days. Being able to share screens, documents, and see people’s faces on video conferences is much more efficient and cheaper than traveling across the country. This can also be helpful for interacting with clients and even potential customers.

We compare the best video conferencing software and discuss why some of the most recognizable companies may not be your best choice when it comes to online meeting services.

Article Overview

Is Your Video Conference Secure From Prying Eyes?

You probably heard the news about Zoom’s surge in business from coronavirus Stay At Home orders and an increase in teleworking. You may have also heard that they got into the limelight for a lack of what’s called end-to-end encryption.

What Is End-To-End Encryption And Why Is It Important?

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is designed to prevent prying eyes from accessing data while in transit. The data is encrypted before being sent across the internet, and only the recipient should be able to decrypt it. You’ll want to make sure that the service you go with supports an encryption level that you are comfortable with.

Best Video Calling Apps

We chose our top winners based on reliability, features, ease of use, security, pricing and other factors.

Best For Large Teams: Adobe Connect Review

Adobe Connect logo

Visit Website

Our pick for the best online meeting service for large teams is Adobe Connect. It has all the features you are likely seeking for online meetings, and it comes at a competitive price. We love the endless customization options, including ways to record and measure engagement during and after the meeting.

It is not the easiest service to set up initially, but this powerhouse software isn’t designed as a “one size fits all” solution. There are many tutorials and support services out there to help new users get started with Adobe Connect.

On the flip-side, first-time participants won’t need any training since the interface is very user-friendly for attendees.

Smaller teams can use this product too, but for the most part, smaller teams have smaller budgets, so we suggest taking a look at our pick for small teams (10 or fewer people).

Does Adobe Connect Support End-To-End Encryption?

Our web developer and security expert chimes in:

Adobe Connect can be end-to-end encrypted, but not always since it is a hosted solution, and its security is only as good as the security of the hosting provider.

I would not want to be responsible for setting it up if complete security was required. I would want a Linux Admin to do that.

Adobe also offers a subscription version on their Amazon Web Services (AWS) servers that is managed/maintained by them. This is end-to-end encrypted as long as everyone is using the app. If someone is connecting through a Flash Player, the encryption may be compromised. – Dane M., Safe Smart Living

Pros

Cons

  • High-quality video conferencing with up to 25 participants
  • Rich Multimedia – Share animations, images, audio and HD video
  • Instant messaging – Select the participants to message
  • Mac OS X, Windows and Linux compatibility
  • Records meetings – Also able to edit afterward, which enables the viewer to skip to relevant topics
  • Share screen and documents
  • High security and permission controls
  • No software download necessary
  • Compatible with Adobe Flash
  • Measure real-time engagement
  • Customization features
  • Free VOIP and cloud storage
  • Mobile collaboration – Host, present and collaborate from any mobile device
  • Initial setup can be difficult with so many custom options
  • No toll-free calls

Pricing

Adobe Connect has three different video offerings, and they are all available with a free trial: Meetings, Webinars and Learning. Meetings are the primary product we have reviewed and compared in this article, but we included pricing for all, in case you are interested.

Adobe Connect Meetings

Adobe Connect Meetings works well for online, digital meetings. Pricing starts at $50/month.

Adobe Connect Webinars

Adobe Connect Webinars are made for marketers to share their information, services, etc. Pricing starts at $130/month.

  • 100 Webinar Participants: $130/month
  • 500 Webinar Participants: $470/month
  • 1,000 Webinar Participants: $580/month
  • +1,000 Webinar Participants: Contact Adobe

Adobe Connect Learning

Adobe Connect Learning is great for online classes. Also, Adobe Connect works well on mobile platforms.

  • 200 Virtual Classroom Participants: $370/month
  • +200 Virtual Classroom Participants: Contact Adobe
  • View all options

Best For Small Teams: Google Meet Review

Google Hangouts logo

Visit Website

Google Meet is our pick for best video conferencing software for small teams. It is a completely free service. The web video version is called Google Meet and is what our team uses at We Rock Your Web.

The clean, organized look of Google Meet paired with its free and simple user interface are just a few of the pros.

The biggest issue is that there is a maximum number of 10 devices or users allowed at a time for a meeting. Since Google owns it and this is a “free” product, the cost is actually your privacy. So proceed with caution when sharing sensitive conversations or data using this service.

Google Meet is compatible across many devices and participants can collaborate in other Google products like Google Docs.

Personal Experience

Our team uses Google Meet regularly for our video conferencing needs. Here is one of our team member’s own experience:

Google Meet is a solid video conferencing service that has been around forever. It’s free, and the interface hasn’t changed much. The screen sharing feature works great and lets you select which monitor or application window you wish to share. It functions smoothly in both desktop and app versions most of the time. But, sometimes, it can be a serious RAM hog. I really miss the snap-style backgrounds and effects they used to offer! – Alex S., Safe Smart Living

Pros

Cons

  • Works with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS
  • Great audio and video
  • Video switching
  • Chat feature to share links
  • YouTube feature allows for simultaneous video watching
  • App available on Android and iPhone
  • Screen share
  • Collaborate in Google Docs
  • Free
  • Clean and organized look
  • No more than 10 devices can be connected during a meeting
  • Anything typed in the chat is not saved
  • Privacy concerns are always paramount when using free Google services since they capture user data to “improve” features and target advertising across all their products (Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, etc.)

Pricing

  • Free

Best For Mobile-Friendly Conferencing: GoToMeeting Review

GoToMeeting logo

Visit Website

GoToMeeting from LogMeIn is great for smaller-scale offices that are looking for an easy to use online meeting platform. Starting a meeting takes only one click. It’s also one of the easiest platforms to use from your smartphone.

GoToMeeting has many great features including screen sharing, keyboard/mouse control, VoIP and drawing tools.

The downside is there is no way for attendees to “raise their hands” to ask questions and the meetings require access codes and pins, which opens it up for user error to access a meeting.

Pros

Cons

  • HD video and good audio
  • Unlimited online meetings
  • Share presentations and anything else on your screen
  • Give access to your keyboard and mouse to other attendees
  • Affordable
  • Requires access codes/pins
  • Not as easy to use interface
  • No polls or ability to “raise hand” during a meeting

Pricing

All plans come with a 30-day free trial.

  • Free for up to 3 attendees
  • Starter: $14/month (10 participants)
  • Pro: $29/month (150 participants)
  • Plus: $39/month (250 participants)

What About AnyMeeting, BlueJeans, Callbridge, ClickMeeting, FreeConferenceCall, Fuze, Join.Me, MegaMeeting, R-HUB, Skype, StartMeeting, TeamViewer, DialPad, WebEx, & Zoom?

Here are the rest of the online meeting software pack. While they didn’t make our “best of” categories, some are viable competitors with unique features that may meet your needs.

AnyMeeting by Intermedia | BlueJeans | Callbridge | ClickMeeting | DialPad | FreeConferenceCall | Fuze | Join.Me | MegaMeeting | R-HUB | SkypeStartMeeting | TeamViewer | WebEx | Zoom

AnyMeeting by Intermedia Review

AnyMeeting logo

Visit Website

AnyMeeting is a great choice for all types of companies. With the free basic version, you get the same great perks as the paid version minus the ability to record your meetings. The free version also has ads. The maximum number of attendees is 1,000 for Webinar Pro and a maximum of 30 attendees for Meeting Pro.

Pros

Cons

  • Conference calling
  • Present PowerPoint slides
  • Mobile friendly
  • Twitter and Facebook integration (Webinar Pro only)
  • Unlimited meetings
  • Records meetings for Pro versions
  • Pro versions are ad free
  • Play YouTube videos
  • Maximum of 1,000 attendees
  • Must download an application for screen share
  • Ads on the basic version

Pricing

  • Free for basic version
  • Meeting Pro – $18/month or $180/year
  • Webinar Pro – starting at $78/month or $780/year

BlueJeans Review

BlueJeans logo

Visit Website

BlueJeans is definitely a unique name for a video conferencing service. Their reasoning behind the name is that they want your video conferencing service to be as comfortable as your favorite pair of jeans. Blue Jeans runs in the cloud, so there is no hardware or software installation. They offer many features, but to get pricing information you’ll have to contact them.

Pros

Cons

  • 14-day free trial
  • Video conferencing with Dolby Voice
  • Content sharing
  • Video sharing
  • Recording
  • Chat
  • Also available on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets
  • No pricing listed on their site

Pricing

You must contact BlueJeans directly for pricing.

Callbridge Review

Calliflower logo

Visit Website

Callbridge (formerly Calliflower) looks to have thought of everything. Callers can “raise their hand” so they don’t talk over others. You can also mute someone if there’s too much background noise. The dashboard shows who is speaking along with their photo to help you put a face to a name. Although you can share documents via Callbridge there is no video feature so you can’t actually see a person talking, only their photo appears.

Pros

Cons

  • Up to 200 participants
  • Unlimited number of calls
  • Chat during calls
  • No contracts (month by month)
  • Call in from your browser, phone or Skype
  • No video (only audio)

Pricing

Callbridge offers a 14-day free trial.

  • Calli-Go: 4.5¢/minute for worldwide calling and 6.9¢/minute for toll-free
  • Call500: $9.99/month for 500 worldwide minutes
  • Call2000: $29.95/month for 2,000 worldwide minutes
  • Call5000: $59.95/month for 5,000 worldwide minutes

If you go over your minutes, you are charged 2.9¢/minute for all plans except Calli-Go.

ClickMeeting Review

ClickMeeting logo

Visit Website

ClickMeeting’s selling point is its ability to hold international meetings and they specialize in webinars.

The software incorporates Google Translate, so you can communicate with others even if you aren’t a fluent speaker of the language. However, we all know how great Google Translate is so you may not receive the best translation.

Pros

Cons

  • Maximum of 5,000 attendees
  • No downloads for participants
  • Only email support
  • Not the best sound quality

Pricing

All plans come with a 30-day free trial.

  • MyWebinars: starting at $25/month
  • MyWebinars Pro: starting at $35/month
  • Enterprise: starting at $165/month

DialPad Review

UberConference logo

Visit Website

DialPad (formerly UberConference) is used by many big-name companies like Dropbox, Walgreens and The Weather Channel. They offer help through FAQs, email, phone and live chat. You receive your own dedicated number, so pins aren’t necessary.

The screen shows you who is talking, so there’s no confusion on whose voice you’re hearing.

Pros

Cons

  • No pin
  • Screen share
  • See who’s on the call and who’s talking
  • Record calls
  • Share documents
  • Call controls (mute, text chat, etc.)
  • You can call in yourself or have DialPad call you, so you don’t forget a call
  • Free version
  • Up to 100 participants
  • Call out feature doesn’t always work

Pricing

  • Free for up to 10 participants
  • Business: $10/month per participant

FreeConferenceCall.com Review

nobo

Visit Website

FreeConferenceCall.com is not a big name company but promises to do just that, provide free conference calling.

There are very few reviews about them online and their website has a minimum amount of information on it.

The upside is that their service is free (hence the name). So, if you want to try them out, all you have to do is enter your email address and name. If you don’t like it, you can cancel.

Personal Experience

Our team member has used FreeConferenceCall, here is her experience:

I don’t host many conference calls, but when a meeting requires me to host an audio bridge line, I use this service because it is free and has proved reliable. – Michelle S., Safe Smart Living

Pros

Cons

  • Free recording
  • Screen share
  • Up to 1,000 attendees
  • Chat during calls
  • Difficult to set up a meeting
  • Need a very strong WiFi connection
  • 6 hour limit on calls

Pricing

  • Free

Fuze (by 8×8) Review

Fuze logo

Visit Website

Fuze (previously known as Fuzebox and Thinking Phones, and recently acquired by 8×8) is pretty quiet about what it offers. In previous versions of this article, we had tons of information on Fuze. However, Fuze has changed and with it, the company has stopped being transparent about its offerings. If you know anything about Fuze, let us know!

Pros

Cons

  • HD video conferencing
  • Remote control
  • Performance sometimes has glitches
  • Pricing is not listed online
  • Little information listed online

Pricing

Pricing is not listed online. You must contact Fuze directly for pricing.

join.me Review

join.me logo

Visit Website

Join.me has many great features. These include the ability to share files, chat and give another participant control of your machine. The ability to screen share from a Mac to a PC or vice versa is a great tool for Join Me as well. This would be a great free choice for smaller offices.

Pros

Cons

  • Screen sharing
  • Can be used on iOS and Android
  • Machine control to other participants
  • Share files
  • Chat
  • Works with Windows and Mac
  • Records meetings
  • Reports of minor video and audio lags
  • Cannot start a meeting on a smartphone

Pricing

  • Lite (up to 5 participants) $10/month
  • Pro: $20/month (up to 250 participants)
  • Business: $30/month (up to 250 participants plus additional features)

MegaMeeting Review

MegaMeeting logo

Visit Website

MegaMeeting is a cloud-based video conferencing solution. So there is no installation needed. You can access a meeting on your browser or Apple and Android smartphone and tablet. They offer many features, but you may have to pay extra for them. If you’re a Mac user, you may not have access to all of the Mega Meeting features.

Pros

Cons

  • 24/7 customer support
  • Display up to 16 video windows during a meeting
  • No contracts
  • Text chat
  • Share documents
  • Site is old looking
  • Pricing is not listed
  • No free trial
  • For premium features, you must purchase the Business Bundle
  • Mac users don’t have access to all features
  • Delayed video
  • Must download some plugins for extra features to work

Pricing

You must contact MegaMeeting for pricing. Their site does say, “Web & video conferencing plans as low as $39/month.”

R-HUB Review

RHUB logo

Visit Website

R-HUB has an actual server that you purchase to use for your web meeting needs. You don’t have to pay the entire lump sum at once, but once you pay the necessary payments, the server is yours. These are extremely expensive, so it’s important that you are set on continuing online meetings, so it’s worth the money you spend.

There isn’t tons of information out about R-HUB, so it’s hard for us to justify spending thousands of dollars on something we do not fully understand.

Pros

Cons

  • Free audio conferencing
  • Up to 15 webcams per meeting
  • Up to 3,000 webinar attendees
  • Own your R-HUB server after 3-10 monthly payments
  • Works on any mobile device
  • Expensive
  • Not enough user feedback

Pricing

Pricing for RHUB is different from any other company in this article. We suggest looking at their site directly if you are interested in purchasing from them. They do offer a 30-day free trial.

Skype Review

Skype logo

Visit Website

Skype works well for smaller teams needing online video conferencing solutions, but once you get to larger numbers, you may experience some issues.

Customers said they had issues with sound since more people means more background noise it became a problem. Skype automatically lowers the volume of other attendees and increases the volume of the speaker.

However, if the attendees have a lot of background noise, this can mess up the entire call and make it impossible to hear the speaker.

Does Skype Support End-To-End Encryption?

Our web developer and security expert chimes in on Skype’s encryption technology:

Skype to Skype is end-to-end encrypted, but it is important to note that it is possible to use Skype to connect to out of network endpoints that are not encrypted. So if you use your Skype to contact me who is also on Skype, we are encrypted, but if you use your cell phone or landline, or Facebook messenger and I receive it on Skype, or if I use Skype to contact you on one of those, we are not. This has the potential to confuse some people. – Dane M., Safe Smart Living

Pros

Cons

  • Included in Microsoft Office 365
  • Screenshare, polls, Q&A, whiteboard, built in IM and more features
  • Easy to install and use
  • Inexpensive
  • Add up to 250 people to a meeting
  • Sound quality varies by bandwidth
  • Synchronization issues
  • Customers experience issues once they get more than 25 people on a call

Personal Experience

Our team member has used Skype, here is his experience:

Another ol’ timer in the video conferencing space, Skype comes without too many bells and whistles, but continues to be reliable and has a well-integrated chat feature. Functions well in both desktop and app versions. – Alex S., Safe Smart Living

Pricing

Skype is free for meetings up to 10 people (up to 3 people after 60 days). Below are the rates for U.S. calls.

  • Skype Credit: $0.023/minute
  • United States – Unlimited minutes: $2.99/month
  • North America – Unlimited minutes: $6.99/month
  • World – Unlimited minutes: $13.99/month

StartMeeting Review

StartMeeting logo

Visit Website

StartMeeting is a division of FreeConferenceCall. It’s a little on the pricey side but they recently expanded their product to now offer screen sharing and video conferencing.

Pros

Cons

  • Compatible with iPhone, iPad and Android
  • Free recording
  • On the more expensive side

Pricing

They offer to packages:

  • $14.95/month for 1,000 participants per license
  • $6,000/month for unlimited licenses

TeamViewer Review

TeamViewer logo

Visit Website

TeamViewer takes the best web conferencing service award for one-time payment because you pay upfront only (no recurring monthly cost), it works on all platforms, it has an easy setup and is simple to use. Sure, it requires a huge investment upfront but the software and services are then yours for a lifetime, and there are few complaints about this service.

Just make sure everyone has Internet access or has it installed on each device for each participant, and your meetings are reported to be flawless. You can even test it out before you make a large investment.

TeamViewer allows you to control your work computer from home or vice versa via a VPN. This is a huge benefit when it comes to those times you leave for home and forgot to edit something in your work document if it’s not in the cloud.

Pros

Cons

  • Easy setup
  • Ability to give presentations
  • Control remote computers
  • File sharing
  • Remote support and remote access
  • Up to 1,000 participants per meeting
  • VPN
  • One time payment fee, no recurring costs
  • Works with Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Phone
  • For personal use only, all capabilities are available for free
  • Large amount of money to pay upfront
  • Download required
  • Privacy concerns have been raised by users

Pricing

  • Single User: $49/month
  • Multi-User: $99/month
  • For Teams: $199/month
  • View all options

WebEx Review

WebEx logo

Visit Website

Webex from Cisco is an affordable choice for smaller-scale companies. The Premium 25 version is their most popular and has a good balance of key features. Webex is handy for companies that use multiple different operating systems because it works with Windows, Mac and Linux.

Pros

Cons

  • Ability to share desktop and documents
  • Video in HD
  • 1 GB storage for paid versions
  • Call in toll-free for paid versions
  • Works with smartphones and tablets
  • Can record meetings on all versions
  • Instant messaging
  • Drawing tools
  • Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux
  • High security
  • Schedule and start meetings from Microsoft Outlook
  • Audio and video conferencing
  • VoIP
  • Live customer support 24/7
  • Video can show only 7 participants at a time
  • Can’t expand interface window completely
  • Many files are presented in PDFs and not in their original format
  • Video lag
  • Default browser is Internet Explorer

Pricing

Webex has unlimited free meetings for up to 3 people and offers the premium features free for 14 days.

  • Premium 8: $24/month/host or $19/month for the annual plan with a maximum of 8 people
  • Premium 25: $49/month/host or $39/month for the annual plan with a maximum of 25 people
  • Premium 100: $69/month/host or $49/month for the annual plan with a maximum of 100 people

Zoom Review

Zoom logo

Visit Website

Zoom was created by Cisco and Webex engineers. This cloud service was created to “…improve the quality and effectiveness of communications forever.” This service was created in 2011 and has little user feedback, so it’s hard to decide whether it’s amazing or not.

Personal Experience

Our team member has used Zoom, here is his experience:

I like that zoom is easy to use and has built-in screen and content sharing tools. I also like the fact that it gives the meeting organizer a level of control over the meeting. During the current COVID-19 crisis, my children have transitioned seamlessly to virtual learning on the Zoom platform. – Neil G., Safe Smart Living

Pros

Cons

  • Free Basic plan
  • Compatible with Mac, Windows, iOS and Android
  • Group messaging
  • Screen share
  • Raise hand (so people don’t talk over one another)
  • Not enough user feedback

Pricing

  • Basic: Free
  • Pro: $14.99/month/host
  • Business: $19.99/month/host
  • Enterprise: Contact Sales

A Video Conference Call In Real Life (Video)

We’ve all been there when there’s a static connection, don’t know who is talking or background noise. Trip and Tyler show what a video conference call can look like in real life. Caution: this video is hilarious. Hopefully, the right video conference software will make your experience more pleasant than this one.

Keep Your Conference On Task With A Meeting Agenda

Your video conference will go a lot smoother and be a lot more efficient if you have a meeting agenda for everyone to work off of. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered – check out our article on how to create a meeting agenda template and you’ll be off to the races.

Video Conferencing Vs Webinar – Which Is For Me?

Ask yourself what your goal is with your online meetings. Is it to touch base with others on a current project? Do you need to share a presentation? Or is it a monthly meeting to update employees about new policies? Video conferencing may help you communicate more efficiently, and screen-sharing capabilities may help you showcase what you can see on your monitor. But if you want to showcase an organized, pre-planned presentation with video, slides, and more, perhaps for a new product launch, you’ll want to look into webinars. Visit our best webinar software review to see which platform is best suited for your needs.

Tagged With:

The information provided through this website should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease; it is not intended to offer any legal opinion or advice or a substitute for professional safety advice or professional care. Please consult your health care provider, attorney, or product manual for professional advice. Products and services reviewed are provided by third parties; we are not responsible in any way for them, nor do we guarantee their functionality, utility, safety, or reliability. Our content is for educational purposes only.

Subscribe
Notify of
81 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments