With so many of us working from home due to COVID-19, having access to video conferencing software can be very important. If you’ve never had a video conference, an introduction to the most popular brands can be helpful before deciding which one to use.
Zoom
In recent months, Zoom has proven to be one of the top video conferencing softwares on the market. Even with its success as an IPO, there are still security and privacy concerns that have hurt Zoom’s reputation.
With Zoom, you can hold a simple one-to-one conference, group calls, webinars and training sessions as well as complex global meetings with up to 1,000 participants. You have the option to do Zoom sessions from just your web browser or you can use the service’s dedicated app, which is available for all desktop and mobile platforms.
Features
Despite recent privacy and security concerns, Zoom boasts many features, including:
- Role-based user security (HIPAA compliant)
- Screen sharing
- Meeting recording capability
- Collaboration tools
- End-to-end encryption
- Calendaring system with meeting invitations
- Searchable transcripts
Pricing
Zoom offers free usage for unlimited one-to-one meetings; however, group meetings are limited to 40 minutes and 100 participants. The basic paid plan starts at $15 per month per host. There are also business and enterprise plans available.
BlueJeans Meetings
BlueJeans Meetings, aptly named from the creator’s desire to have video conferencing be “as comfortable and casual as your pair of jeans,” is a video conferencing solution that is available for desktop and mobile applications, and right from your browser.
Features
- Background noise cancellation
- Integration with Microsoft Teams, Slack and Facebook Workplace
- Screen sharing tools
- Collaboration capabilities
- Whiteboard tools
Pricing
BlueJeans offers a free trial but after that a purchased plan is required. There are 3 options: Me, My and My Company.
- Me
The Me plan was designed with small businesses and individuals in mind. The price point is $16.65 per meeting host per month or $149.90 a year. Only basic features are available and it can be used for up to 50 attendees. - My
The My plan is $19.90 per host per month or $199.90 per year. The plan can support up to 70 attendees. Additionally, you have access to more advanced features, including 10 hours of recordings for cloud hosts. - My Company
The My Company plan requires a custom quote from the company. It also provides access to even more features than the My plan, including unlimited recording for the cloud, support for up to 150 attendees and tools that are beneficial to enterprises.
Microsoft Teams
Of the video conferencing options listed, Microsoft Teams is less of a product and more of a feature of Office 365. For those who previously used Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams is its successor.
Features
- Management, security and compliance tools
- Filing sharing (up to 1TB per user)
- Ability to schedule meetings from Outlook
- Record meetings
- Collaborate on documents with Office programs and SharePoint Online
- Online training sessions and webinars (for paid plans)
Pricing
A free version of Microsoft Teams is available. With the free version, up to 300 members can use the tool. Both audio and video calls are available for both one-on-one and group conferencing. You can also share files, screens and utilize document collaboration. However, those running a Business or Enterprise version of Office 365 will have a much better experience with full access to tools.