Best Web Conferencing & Webinar Software Reviews
The internet has changed our lives. The way we communicate is completely different nowadays, with phone calls quickly falling into disuse and being replaced by messaging chats and video calls. Moreover, the worldwide web has impacted the way we work. There are various companies that no longer have physical offices, and employees work from the comfort of their homes. The same can be said for customers, who can now be from anywhere in the world. Consequently, web conferencing software has become essential to any business since it provides a platform to run meetings or webinars with participants located anywhere.
Best Web Conferencing Software of 2022
| Rank | Provider | Info | Visit |
1 | Editor's Choice 2022  |
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2 |  |
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3 |  |
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Best Webinar Software of 2022
| Rank | Provider | Info | Visit |
1 | Editor's Choice 2022 |
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2 |  |
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3 |  |
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Web Conferencing Software
Web conferencing software is a platform mainly designed to host web meetings with people from all around the world. The software usually creates a web room where attendees can speak with each other by sharing their webcam video and microphone audio. Depending on the provider being used, reaching a web room can be done through a browser, a desktop program, a mobile app, or through dedicated hardware such as conference phones and cameras.
It goes without saying that different web conferencing software providers offer distinct functionalities. However, most providers offer core features including presentation and screen sharing, meeting recording, text chat, polls, surveys, and remote control. A few companies go a step further to gain a competitive edge, providing some advanced features like integration with third-party platforms for smooth work and information flow, and the ability to break the main meeting into smaller rooms, to give just a couple of examples.
Web Conferencing Free Trials
A great thing about the web conferencing software industry is the common practice of offering an experimental period to test the platform without committing to a paid subscription. There are even some good-hearted companies that provide their services entirely for free, though with limited features. We've put together the best free plans and free trial deals for all platforms reviewed so you can use the software without paying a dime.
Web Conferencing Coupons
The web conferencing software market is competitive, and companies fight with each other by providing discounts and coupon codes to attract customers who might otherwise opt for the competition. Throughout our coupons page, you'll find the latest deals to get a better price by understanding the companies' subscriptions, finding hidden discounts and promotions, or by using our exclusive coupon deals.
Web Conferencing Comparisons
Considering how popular web conferencing has become, it's no surprise that various companies have jumped on the bandwagon. Since most offer the same core features, it can become quite challenging to understand which one fits your needs the best. To help you, we’ve created a comparison chart with the most popular providers side by side, and comparison articles focusing on the differentiating details of each company.
Webinar Software
The best way to comprehend the purpose of webinar software is by understanding what the word ‘webinar' stands for. Webinar comes from the word seminar, and basically means a seminar done online. Webinar platforms offer the necessary tools to run these kinds of events attended by many people external to the company. Therefore, webinar software providers usually support a vast number of attendees – up to the thousands – but still limit the number of shared cameras and audio feeds.
Likewise, the core features found in this type of service are also designed to handle presentations to a large group of people. It's common to find tools to run polls and Q&As with the attendees, ways to share handouts, and the ability to prepare the room beforehand to upload the necessary documents to be presented. More comprehensive providers will also offer the ability to run recurring, on-demand, and paid webinars.
Webinar Software Free Trials
Webinar software is not cheap, especially when using it to reach thousands of people. Although it's pretty rare for webinar software providers to offer free plans that users can take advantage of forever, they usually provide a test period to try their platform and check if it fits your needs. We've put together the best free trial deals for all the webinar software providers reviewed so you can use the software at zero cost for the longest time possible.
Webinar Sofware Coupons
Sometimes we find just the perfect software and want to get it right away. However, before grabbing your credit card it's always advisable to look for discounts and coupon codes. Most online companies offer a way to cut down their price, and webinar software providers aren’t different. We've put together a continuously updated coupon compilation where you'll find the means to get the best price for all the web conference software reviewed.
Webinar Software Comparisons
Some services are easy to tell apart, and others not so much. Unfortunately, webinar software falls into the latter category. On the surface, all providers seem to offer the same features. But after a little digging, it's easy to see that companies have unique characteristics that put them above or below the competition. Our comparison chart is the perfect place for a quick overview, but for greater detail, we advise you to visit our comparison articles.
Video Conferencing vs Web Conferencing
Many people incorrectly use the terms ‘video conferencing’ and ‘web conferencing’ interchangeably. It's a natural mistake since both services provide a way for people to communicate in real-time while being apart from each other. However, they offer different approaches for communicating via live stream over the internet.
Video conferencing refers to solutions that focus on using live video to facilitate collaboration between people. This means that there's a lack of all features not related to video streaming.
On the other hand, web conferencing has the objective of facilitating collaboration between people over the web. Consequently, besides video-sharing capabilities, the service also offers features such as desktop, application, and file sharing.
By understanding each service's purpose, it's easier to guess where these products differ. Off the bat, web conferencing offers a wider array of tools for conducting meetings, allowing participants to do more than just speak with each other. Moreover, while specific hardware is necessary to perform video conferences, web conferences only need a laptop or a mobile phone with an internet connection. On the other hand, the video quality of video conferences is usually higher than what is achieved with web conferencing software.
Web Conferencing Software vs Webinar Software
Another common mistake is thinking that web conferencing software and webinar software are the same thing. They may both work over the internet and be capable of gathering people from all over the world, but they're built with different purposes, and therefore have distinct characteristics.
From the descriptions provided earlier, you already know that web conferencing software is built with team collaboration in mind, while webinar software focuses on events where the host is most likely presenting something to a large audience. Consequently, both platforms provide tools to reach these objectives the best way possible.
Webinar software providers are known for offering solutions that support up to thousands of attendees. On the other hand, web conference software solutions tend to max out at participants numbering in the hundreds. That being said, you'll usually find that the latter supports a higher number of shared webcams and audio feeds.
One of the main reasons people mistake web conferencing and webinar software so much is because they have various features in common. Nonetheless, there are some characteristics that you'll only find in one that it wouldn't make sense to have in the other. For example, webinar software provides the ability to run paid webinars, and web conferencing software enables users to lock their meetings a few minutes after starting them.