As more companies embrace remote work, it’s important to find the right tools to keep everything running smoothly. How do you bring your team – or teams – together when the very nature of remote work can result in siloed teams that function independently?

Whether you’re running a newly launched startup with a remote-first approach to job structuring, or you’re at the helm of an established enterprise that’s experimenting with hybrid teams, one thing is clear: Finding the right web conferencing software and collaboration tools is quickly becoming an essential business move.

What is video conferencing software?

Face-to-face interaction is reportedly several times more effective than email. It can be a challenge for business leaders to capture that same level of productivity with a remote team across multiple time zones. That’s where conferencing software comes in.

Video conferencing software is, as the name implies, an application that facilitates real-time meetings, presentations, and collaborative environments for two or more people using live video and audio. You’ll find no shortage of applications and providers that offer these services; there are plenty of online meeting platforms to choose from, with varying degrees of services, subscription plans and advanced features.

Selecting the right video conferencing tools for your business

Say you’re a project manager who can select new software for virtual meetings and video calls. How do you pick the right application? 

Start by prioritizing your needs: Ease of access for first-time users, the ability to host a certain number of participants at a time, affordability. Once you have a list of prospective solutions, start scheduling product demos or trial runs. If you run a larger business, you can streamline this by delegating a team to research selections and negotiate with vendors.

Features to look for in your video conferencing solution

Depending on the size of your business, the scope of your project, or the limits of your budget – you’re likely to end up with a short list of video conferencing products. Here are some key features to look out for: 

• HD video and audio calls: Look for high-quality meeting and seminar capabilities.
• Screen sharing: This simple collaboration tool is great for presentations and enhanced communications.
• Meeting recording: The ability to record a virtual conference or presentation makes it easy to share information with other teams, employees, or professionals outside the organization.
• File share: Easy and accessible file sharing capabilities are sometimes built into conferencing tools or text chat functions. Look for this if your teams regularly share or distribute multimedia content.
• Whiteboarding: A relatively new feature being incorporated into more and more video conferencing products is whiteboarding. That is the provision of a virtual whiteboard that can be used by everyone.

The best video conferencing software available today

After comparing more than 20 of the top video conferencing software applications in use today, we’ve narrowed the choices for you. We’ve considered a host of factors, such as all-inclusive integration with other tools or products, scalability, accessibility and price. 

Top choice for all-in-one team collaboration: Zoom

With tens of millions of new users per year since 2020 and a quarterly revenue increase of nearly 600%, there’s no denying that Zoom is one of the most popular and recognized platforms today. It includes all of the bells and whistles to satisfy a modern workforce (screen sharing, whiteboarding, private chats, scheduling and breakout rooms). 

While there is a free option with limitations on attendees and 40-minute caps on meetings, paid subscriptions start at $149.90 per year for Zoom One Pro, which combines Zoom meetings, phone, events, and more into one well-rounded product.

Runner up: Microsoft Teams – thanks to its integration with Office 365.

Top choice for large-scale meetings: Google Meet

Once known as Google Hangouts, Google Meet is a powerful virtual conferencing tool and component of the G Suite products. With a Google account, anyone can host a 60-minute meeting with up to 100 participants (250 with a paid account). Additionally, you can live stream presentations and webinars to up to 100,000 viewers at once – perfect for large-scale businesses and enterprise-wide announcements. 

Monthly subscriptions for Google Workspace (which allows access to Meet and the rest of the G Suite products) start at $6 per user, with higher packages allowing more meeting participants and additional features.

Runner up: Zoho Meeting due to its low prices and a free tier that lets you host up to 100 attendees in a single meeting. 

Top choice for ease of access: Whereby

This browser-based virtual conferencing service prioritizes simplicity and accessibility with super easy processes for creating and sharing links, hosting meetings, and screen recording. Whereby also has a unique approach to integration, with productivity apps loading directly onscreen for everyone involved, instead of via screen share, taking instant collaboration to another level. Pro plans start at $6.99 per month.

Runner up: BlueJeans Meetings, due to cloud integration that easily links desktops and devices in one meeting.

Top choice for cost savings: Jitsi Meet

When comparing prices, it’s hard to beat free. That’s why Jitsi Meet – a completely open source conferencing solution with strong data encryption and zero limitations or requirements – wins out. Meeting rooms top out at 75 participants, but with no time limits (unless you configure one yourself), Jitsi provides a powerful collaboration tool for small and medium-sized businesses at no cost. 

Runner up: U Meeting, which offers a free and paid version ($9.99 per month) and a solid checklist of features.

Looking for new technology for your video meetings? Check out the options below.