Most Popular Video Conferencing Software to use on Mac and Windows

Here's The Best virtual meeting platform for large groups. Best Video Conferencing Software offers End-to-end encrypted video conferencing.

Get an answer what are some of the video conferencing software (virtual meeting platforms)? List of secure Video Conferencing Software for small businesses, Virtual Meetings, Webinars, Screen Sharing/Records, for families, for large groups, for personal use, etc.

Email is quick and easy, but nothing can beat the power of face-to-face meetings when it comes to professional meeting sessions. Meeting face to face is 34 times can prove to be more successful than email communication.

The need for more personal conversations can be done with video conferencing software (best end-to-end encrypted video conferencing) since so many employees are working remotely, traveling, and enjoying flexible schedules.

Luckily, the vast market is full of so many options for different types of video conferencing software. However, the best one for your company will depend entirely on numerous factors like your budget, the number of employees you have, and any special features that you may require.

In this article, we have broken down the top 10 video conferencing software programs you can use on Mac and Windows to help you figure out which one best fits your company.

Get video calling software list: secure end to end video conferencing

#1. Zoom Meetings

Which Web Conferencing Platform is Best for Large Groups? Zoom is free video-conferencing software for both MacBook and Windows that you can get. Zoom incorporates a working phone system that allows you to coordinate calls. Additionally, it allows you to conduct webinars.

Zoom sessions can start from either a web browser or in a dedicated client app for every mobile platform and desktop, with end-to-end encryption. Additionally, Zoom meetings use role-based user security (including HIPAA compliance), collaboration tools, and easy-to-use screen sharing. The meeting invitations on Zoom are integrated smoothly with the popular calendaring system. The meetings can also be recorded as cloud-based or local files, with searchable transcripts.

  • Online meeting for 500 participants free

#2. Skype: Best free video conferencing for large groups

Skype is one of the original (or amongst the first) free conferencing software suites to hit the market. Skype works with things such as Xbox One console since it has spent so long in developing itself. Hence, Skype has huge compatibility across different devices. Skype provides both instant messaging as well as a great video conferencing suite to the users. It works directly by visiting the website and doesn’t require downloads.

Skype is packaged with Microsoft Office 365, and Skype for Business is familiar to many users. In addition, the Skype software can be easily integrated with Microsoft Office programs such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, and Outlook.

  • Allows free video conferencing with up to 12 users

#3. Microsoft Teams: A best Remote Meetings Software

Microsoft Teams is a successor to Skype for Business. However, the software isn’t such a product; instead, it is a feature of Microsoft 365. As a result, Microsoft Teams is best suited for businesses and educational organizations of all sizes. One can quickly sign up for the free version of Microsoft Teams by using their email address (10GB per team and 2GB per user), document collaboration, and screen sharing using online Office web apps.

Microsoft Teams deliver its full promise as a video conferencing solution to any organization that runs on an Enterprise or a Business or Enterprise version of Microsoft 365. Microsoft Teams in that environment can become administrators and have access to a full range of management, compliance tools, and security. Team members in Microsoft Teams can also share files (up to 1TB per user), record meetings, schedule meetings directly from Outlook, and collaborate on documents using SharePoint Online and the desktop Office programs. In addition, paid plans in Microsoft Teams support webinars and online training sessions.

#4. Cisco Webex Meetings

Cisco Webex Meetings is the older man of the video conferencing software segment. Webex was founded in 1995, and Cisco acquired it in 2007. It is a free conferencing plan (up to three users) loaded with surprisingly full-featured screen sharing on desktop and mobile devices, HD video, and limited recording options. Additionally, it also supports over 50 participants per meeting, with online storage limited to 1GB and meeting times capped at 40 minutes.

Three paid plans are available for Webex:

  • Starter plan(with a $13.50 per host per month and for 50 attendees)
  • Plus plan (with a $17.95 per month, and for 100 attendees), and
  • Business (with a $26.95 per month, an excellent five-license minimum, and support to 200 attendees)

#5. Google Hangouts Meets

Google Meet is an efficient business version of original Google Hangouts that enables video meetings for G Suite subscribers and connects external participants.

Naturally, the Google Hangouts Meets service is designed to work in the Google Chrome browser with mobile apps available on iOS and Android. However, the exact feature set depends on your G Suite version. For example, the number of participants is limited to 100 for G Suite Basic (with 150 for Business and 250 for Enterprise). Further, you will need G Suite Enterprise for conducting live streaming (a total of 100,000 audience members) and can also record meetings and store them on Google Drive.

  • Online meeting more than 100 participants free

#6. BlueJeans Meetings

BlueJeans Meeting is a video conferencing solution that calls itself “the meetings platform for the modern workplace.” It primarily focuses on instant connections, using a desktop or a mobile app or directly from a browser. Verizon took over the company in April 2020, and soon after the purchase closed, Verizon quickly lowered the prices and added new features such as support for end-to-end AES-256 GCM encryption. In addition, Verizon plans to “deeply integrate” BlueJeans into its 5G product roadmap.

Dolby Voice powers the meeting technology in BlueJeans Meetings. It includes background noise cancellation, and it also integrates with hardware-based conference room systems and enterprise applications such as Microsoft Teams, Facebook Workplace and, Slack, etc. In addition, blueJeans provide a full array of whiteboard and screen-sharing tools that add collaboration capabilities to all sorts of meetings.

BlueJeans Meetings requires one of three plans after an initial free trial to be billed both monthly or annually and for a 20% discount.

  • The Standard plan (meant for individuals and small businesses, with a cost of $12.49 per meeting host for every month) supports up to 50 attendees and 5 hours of meeting recordings. It, however, doesn’t integrate with messaging apps like Slack.
  • The Pro plan (with a $17.49 per host every month or $167.88 per year) and supporting up to 75 attendees and additional 25 hours of cloud recordings per host)
  • The Enterprise plan (unlimited cloud recordings and an assortment of Enterprise focuses tools) supports 200 attendees and requires a custom quote.

#7. GoToMeeting

In recent years, LogMeIn has been on an acquisition tear, and a collection of related collaboration tools was acquired in 2016 from Citrix. A significant update was made to this video conferencing software in late 2019 that includes an extended list of new features and what LogMeIn often calls “a completely reimagined product” that works without downloads in a web browser or through desktop and mobile apps. You’ll need to choose a paid plan after the 14-day free trial is over.

The options for GoToMeetings include

  • Professional plan (with a $12 per organizer for each month, for 150 participants) and
  • Business plan (with a $16 per organizer every month to 250 participants).

An Enterprise plan is also available that supports up to 3,000 participants.

#8. Slack Video Conferencing

You will get easy access to a few limited video calling options if the organization subscribes to a paid workspace and uses Slack’s collaboration tools. The options available to you might be good enough for team collaboration needs and important meetings. However, in Slack, the video calls options are available only on desktop platforms (such as Mac, Windows, and Linux). In addition, the iOS and Android apps are limited only to voice calls.

You will need to download the Slack app for the full range of screen-sharing features, and you will get options to stream easy presentations and also use a shared screen. You can view a teammate’s screen with Google Chrome (the only supported browser), but you can’t start a screen share.

#9. RingCentral Video

RingCentral Video conference software offers a full range of industry-standard features across all of its plans. The plans include video call scheduling and recording, in-built chat functionalities, and screen sharing and annotation, among many others.

RingCentral’s most outstanding feature is its integration of Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365, and Slack. As a result, the users can schedule and begin calls directly from these 3rd party platforms anytime they want. Additionally, users can also integrate their calendars with the RingCentral platform, which quickly visualizes their schedule for the day.

The analytics dashboard offered by RingCentral is yet another powerful feature that enables pinpoint performance issues down to the exact location, network, ISP, and endpoint and administrators to monitor the service usage. RingCentral is loaded with features that offer a high degree of administrator control. In addition, it can be optimized to work on web browsers to minimize the need for additional software and applications.

#10. Zoho Meeting

Zoho grew to 50 million users worldwide since its founding nearly a quarter-century ago. Zoho’s flagship product is Zoho One, a web-based suite of services and mobile apps designed to tie together sales, HR, accounting, marketing, and operations. The software offers tools for webinars, online meetings, training, etc., with plans starting at $10 per host per month (or just $8 every month if the subscriber pays for an entire year). The price tag of the video conferencing solution includes storage for ten recorded meetings and support for up to 100 participants.

Zoho Meetings is an entirely browser-based conferencing solution for both PCs and Macs, with no downloads required. Participants can dial in over the phone for audio (toll-free numbers are an extra-cost option), and in-session chat is also available. Meetings can be recorded from any endpoint, even mobile devices. Zoho says the service is GDPR-compliant. Further, Zoho claims it is certified to the Privacy Shield Frameworks with more granular privacy tools such as moderators to lock meetings and eject or mute participants.

Conclusion

This is a list of the Best online meeting platforms that work efficiently with Mac and Windows. There are several options available when it comes down to online meeting software. First, however, it is essential to make sure your internet connection is as fast as possible and enhance your presentations.

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Karly Wood

Karly Wood is a journalist based in Ohio who specializes in covering Apple and technology trends. With a varied experience in reporting on public safety, government, and education, her insights bridge multiple disciplines, providing readers with a well-rounded perspective on today's technological advancements. If you need to contact me, you can reach me at [email protected] or through (Facebook)

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