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Alternatives to Zoom: Best Platforms to Video Call
Best Platforms to Video Call include Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. With everything going digital during the pandemic, zoom video calls skyrocketed in popularity. From school classes to college lectures to business meetings to fitness classes, everything went online on Zoom. Well, in other words, zoom became a norm. However, video conferences and video call apps were always available before Zoom.
But after some time, it turned out that Zoom doesn’t suit everyone. A lot of people were already using a substitute. Many were looking for alternatives, which didn’t find Zoom effective for them. Because different teams have different needs, and Zoom might not tick all the boxes for all.
Well, you don’t have to spend all your time in meetings, so why not automate your video calls? Video conferencing apps go beyond Zoom depending on what you’re looking for, like killer chat features, AI magic, or top-notch video quality. In order to make sure we have something for everyone, here are four awesome Zoom alternatives that we have curated for you in this guide.
Before we move on with these platforms, make sure that you have a stable internet connection at your home or office as these platforms work in real-time. If you are looking for one, we suggest you go for Xfinity for its lightning-fast speed and reliability. It is also well-known for its supportive 24/7 customer support. You can get help anytime and that too is Spanish language. If you are of Hispanic descent, then you can contact Xfinity servicio al cliente and get your problems answered.
- Cisco Webex
Webex’s free plan is pretty generous, letting you have up to 100 folks in a meeting for a max of 50 minutes. If you’re looking to extend your meetings to a whopping 24 hours, you’ll need to go to their paid plans. But if you want to bump up the participant limit to 200, you’ll have to jump up two tiers. Now, if you’re really going big, the Premium plan lets you invite 100,000 people and have as many hosts as you need.
Now, let us talk about features. The free tier is great for working together, offering screen sharing, an interactive whiteboard, and messaging. But if you want to record your meetings, get extra storage, dial-in access, or international call-ins, you’ll need to upgrade. Also, all the paid plans come with some handy extras like transcriptions, file sharing, chat, “raise hand” for questions, and polling. Plus, you’ll get customer support on all the paid plans.
If you’re an on-the-go kinda person, Webex has mobile apps for both Android and Apple smartphones.
- Google Meet
Google Meet is all about serious business chats. Google Meet is part of Google Workplace (used to be G Suite), so if you’re already in that ecosystem, you’re all set. And if you’re inviting guests, they can hop in straight from a Calendar event, email invite, or Gmail. The free version lets 100 people chat for up to an hour. But if you’re going all out, the Enterprise tier allows for 250 attendees and 300 hours of hangout time. Plus, you can even live-stream to 100,000 viewers!
This is not just for desktops. Google Meet is slick on Android and iOS apps too. And if you’re all about that Google life, it’s fully hooked up with all the other Workspace tools. It offers cool stuff like screen sharing, snazzy layouts, and live captions are all in the free version. You’ll also get to jazz up your background and see everyone in a grid view.
But if you’re paying, you can record meetings straight to Google Drive. Premium users even get fancy extras like low-light mode and noise cancellation.
- Microsoft Teams
This shared workspace is like bringing your office online. When it comes to video calls, all plans let you have up to 300 people, but you can only see nine at a time. If you want to go more than that, the top-tier plan lets you throw online events for a huge 100,000 folks.
Moreover, Microsoft Teams has your standard video call tools like screen sharing and chat. But it goes a step further with snazzy features like custom backgrounds and web versions of Microsoft goodies. Plus, you can keep track of who’s in the meeting, get live captions, and share the recording. The free version is a bit basic, while the paid plans give you all the security, management, and compliance tools you’ll need.
- GoToMeeting
This video conferencing app has been in the game for a while and it’s all about handling big crowds. If you’re just dipping your toes, the cheapest plan lets you bring in 150 folks and you can chat as long as you want. Step it up a bit, and the next plan (which you can test for free for two weeks) gets you 250 participants. But if you’re running with the big crowd, the premium tier lets you roll with 3,000.
In addition to that, here’s the good stuff: setting it up is a piece of cake and it’s awesome for working together. You can have co-hosts, doodle on a virtual whiteboard, and share your screen. Also, if you’re going for the pricier options, you get the VIP treatment. That means unlimited cloud storage for recordings, transcripts of your chats, some drawing tools, and a Smart Assistant to help you out.
Conclusion
That is a wrap. So there you have it! Loads of free alternatives to Zoom for all your video call needs, be it for work or catching up with pals. Each of these platforms has its own special features, so give them a whirl and see which one fits your remote communication style best!