The world of web conferencing software is a big one, with a huge variety of available products. Here we’ll be looking at two very different entries in the web conferencing market, both made by the same company. GoToWebinar and GoToMeeting are part of the GoTo series of software, made by Boston-based LogMeIn. While GoToMeeting focuses on setting up small online conferences quickly, its sibling GoToWebinar is aimed at those who want to reach a bigger audience. Although these two are made by the same company, they are much more different than you’d expect.
| Overview | GoToWebinar | GoToMeeting |
| Logo |  |  |
| Rating |  | |
| Reviews | Reviews | Reviews |
| Visit | Visit Site | Visit Site |
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free Trial |
| Coupons | Coupons | Coupons |
| Audio Support |  | |
| Video Support | | |
| Chat Support | | |
| Video Quality | HD | HD |
| Maximum Resolution | 960p | 1920 x 960p |
| Encryption | SSL, AES-128 | AES-128 |
| HIPAA Compliance |  | |
| Web Conferences | GoToWebinar | GoToMeeting |
| Maximum Attendees | 250 | |
| Whiteboard | | |
| Polls | | |
| Screen Sharing | | |
| Remote Control | | |
| Meeting Recording | | |
| Mobile Recording | | |
| Maximum Recording Length | 2 hours | |
| Meeting Transcription | | |
| Meeting Lock | |
| Webinars | GoToWebinar | GoToMeeting |
| Maximum Attendees | 3000 | |
| Whiteboard | | |
| Polls | | |
| Q&A | | |
| File Sharing | | |
| Screen Sharing | | |
| Remote Control | | |
| Webinar Recording | | |
| Maximum Recording Length | Unlimited | |
| Webinar Sharing | | |
| Recurring Webinars | | |
| On-Demand Webinars | | |
| Paid Webinars | | |
| Analytics Dashboard | |
| Devices | GoToWebinar | GoToMeeting |
| Windows | | |
| macOS | | |
| Linux | | |
| iOS | | |
| Android | | |
| Browser | | |
| Pricing | GoToWebinar | GoToMeeting |
| Cheapest Monthly Price | $49/mo | $12/mo |
| Free Trial | 7 days | 14 days |
| Money-Back Guarantee | | |
| Available Payment Methods | GoToWebinar | GoToMeeting |
| Visa | | |
| Mastercard | | |
| American Express | | |
| PayPal | | |
| Wire Transfer | | |
| Bitcoin | | |
| Customer Support | GoToWebinar | GoToMeeting |
| 24/7 Support | | |
| | |
| Live Chat | | |
| Phone | | |
| | |
| | |
| Community | | |
| About | GoToWebinar | GoToMeeting |
| Headquarters | U.S. | Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Founded | 2006 | 2004 |
| Languages | EN, ES, DE, IT, JP, CH | EN, ES, DE, FR, PT, IT |
GoToMeeting
GoToWebinar’s older sibling GoToMeeting was first released in 2004 and has been one of the go-to solutions for many business’s web conferencing needs. Similar to GoToWebinar, it’s quick to get started with GoToMeeting – all you need is one click. Your meetings are broadcast in high definition by a reliable service that adjusts the quality seamlessly to help those connecting with slower internet speeds. Meetings have a maximum of 250 attendees, allowing for 25 different video feeds with a two-hour time limit for recordings. During the meeting you can share your screen and pass remote control to another user; you’re also able to use whiteboard features like drawing and highlighting. We particularly like that you can add automatic transcription to your meetings, and while it may not have perfect accuracy you do have the option of editing any mistakes afterwards. Any recorded meetings are emailed to you soon after you’re finished, with the option of downloading the meeting as an MP4 file.
Dashboard
Schedule Meeting
Meeting
Screen Sharing
GoToMeeting has well-designed apps available for macOS and Windows, and mobile versions for Android and iOS users. Linux users will have to take advantage of the browser version instead to join the conversation. While GoToMeeting isn’t the cheapest web conference software on the market, it isn’t too expensive either. In fact, it’s worth paying the extra money to know you’ll be getting a reliable service. You can test it out before you commit by signing up for a 14-day free trial.
You can save up to 16% off your GoToMeeting subscription by choosing to be billed annually instead of monthly.
GoToWebinar
Since its release in 2006, GoToWebinar has enabled businesses and individuals to organize webinars for audiences of thousands. One of our favorite things about GoToWebinar is that it lets you launch a webinar with just one click, allowing you to immediately broadcast in high definition. GoToWebinar enables you to host webinars for up to 3,000 attendees and has far more interactivity than GoToMeeting. On top of the usual whiteboard features, you have the ability to add live polls and Q&A sessions to help keep your audience engaged. There are no limits on how long your webinar recordings last, and you’ll be emailed a link to your video as soon as your session is finished. Your video is also accessible in the GoToWebinar video library, where you’re able to edit your recording and correct any mistakes in the automated transcription. Once you’re finished, you can instantly publish and share your webinar through another GoTo product: GoToStage.
GoToWebinar App
Control Panel
Channels
Video Library
GoToWebinar uses the same base desktop app as GoToMeeting, though the former’s interface is the less user-friendly and more outdated. All webinars need to be first started with the desktop app, but you can then switch to the Android or iOS versions. Naturally, webinar software is more expensive than your everyday web conferencing software, but when compared with other webinar solutions, GoToWebinar isn’t too expensive. Of course, it’s always best to try out the service first, and GoToWebinar gives you a generous 7-day free trial so you can make sure it’s the right choice for your business.
Conclusion
Comparing GoToWebinar and GoToMeeting is really like comparing apples to oranges. GoToMeeting is a great platform for most businesses, and impresses with its reliability and how quickly it gets you connected. Of course, if you need to communicate with a much larger audience then GoToWebinar is the choice for you. GoToWebinar gives you up to a 3,000-viewer capacity for your sessions and allows you to quickly edit and share your webinar with the rest of the world. How you decide between them depends on your business’s own needs: for small everyday purposes GoToMeeting is the clear victor, but for anything bigger it’s worth taking a close look at GoToWebinar. In fact, you may even find that your business benefits from having both.
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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Chris K says
I think it’s time to update this article. It’s very much out of date… =(
LEGRE Yannick says
GoToMeeting offers now up to 250 seats, out of which 25 with HD camera, depending on your subscription and it is about 3x cheaper than GoToWebinar for equivalent audience… How is this possible?
Mike Roger says
GoToWebinar and gotomeeting are both quality web conferencing software’s. Another alternative is deploying on premise RHUB web conferencing appliances in order to conduct webinars, web conferences, online meetings, online presentations etc.