Top 10+ Zoom Alternatives & Competitors (Features, Pricing, & Ratings)

When COVID-19 started, in-house teams had to figure out how they would operate without in-person meet-ups.

They managed to do this by relying on video conferencing apps like Zoom to help them out.  

And while Zoom started off as the perfect cure for remote teams with communication problems, a few privacy issues and security breaches popped up. Since then, they’ve released several updates to address these problems, and now, it’s a lot safer than it was back in March 2020. 

But if you’re still cautious, there are tons of other video conferencing apps out there, all of which will help you address your remote communication needs. 

In this article, we’ll go over what went wrong with the Zoom cloud meeting tool and highlight 10 other tools to help you pick the perfect Zoom alternative.

Let’s zoom right into it! 💨

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What Is Zoom?

Note: These sections are for people interested in learning about what the Zoom issue is. If you’re already aware of that, feel free to skip ahead to the ten Zoom alternatives.

Collaborate with teams and clients in real time with Zoom
Collaborate with teams and clients in real-time with the Zoom app

Zoom is a popular video conferencing platform that lets you virtually meet other people across various hardware platforms like desktops, laptops, and mobile apps for Android and Apple smartphones.

It has several features like:

  • Built-in tools for audio and video collaboration
  • Instant messaging 
  • Mobile dial-in
  • Screen sharing
  • Meeting recording and transcripts

Over the past year, the Zoom video meeting tool has become very popular for business and personal meetings.

The reason?

Coronavirus, of course! 

As many teams adapted to remote work policies, they needed a virtual communication tool for project kickoff meetings and other discussions.

And Zoom’s video conferencing solutions, Zoom Meeting and Zoom Webinar, became the go-to tools for two reasons:

  • It’s super easy to set up and use 
  • It offers a feature-rich free version

But just like the movie, things went a bit off-road.

Familiar with the term ‘zoombombing’?

Zoombombing is when an uninvited guest, usually a hacker, joins your Zoom meeting.

It turns out that this mainly occurred because the meeting hosts didn’t really know that they would have to enable certain security features to make their meeting links and calls secure.

We can’t really say that’s Zoom’s fault, right?

However, Zoom was quick to address such privacy concerns. They released several updates over the last year. For example, it changed the default settings to make video calls more secure. 

It also has two-factor authentication, uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256, and is GDPR and CCPA compliant.

So despite the previous security issues, the Zoom app is now a pretty secure choice.

However, if you still want to check out some Zoom alternatives, we’ve got you covered. 

After all, there are plenty of us still left in the video-only conferencing world.

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What are the Top 10+ Zoom Alternatives in 2024?

Just like choosing a new Netflix show to binge, you need to first carefully assess the current situation and make wise decisions.

Why?

Choosing the right web conferencing tools is a crucial step for your business. After all, you’ll be using it to communicate project demands and other vital information with your team. 

And not every video calling app out there would be suitable for your business needs. 

For example, video calling tools like Google Duo and FaceTime are primarily used for personal video chat. On the other hand, Google Meet (previously known as Hangout) and Microsoft Teams are best suited for group video calling.

Bonus: Call log templates!

So what do you choose?

Here’s a detailed look at some of the best video conferencing apps to help you determine the ultimate Zoom alternative for your needs.

1. Google Meet

google meet new meeting homepage

Previously known as Google Hangout, Google Meet is a video conferencing platform from the folks at Google. The app is completely free if your team already has a G Suite or Google Workspace account.

While Google Meet is mainly geared towards business users, individuals can also use this video conferencing and collaboration tool to video chat with their family.

On top of that, teachers can use Meet to create a virtual classroom.

Key features

  • Supports up to 100 participants per meeting with 16 meeting participants visible at a time
  • Can preview your screen to check your camera, mic, and who is already present before you enter the online meeting
  • Screen sharing is available for detailed explanations
  • Meeting hosts can control the meeting with settings like removing attendees, muting, etc.

Pros

  • Meeting participants can use its live captioning feature to take detailed meeting notes during a virtual event
  • Has the same security setup as any other Google app and also encrypts all data
  • Integrates with other Google apps like Gmail and Google Calendar for better ease of use 

Cons

User ratings

  • G2: 4.4/5 (5000+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.5/5 (10000+ reviews)

Pricing

Google Meet has two pricing options:

  • Google Meet (free):
    • 60-minute group meetings
    • 24-hour one-on-one meetings
    • Maximum of 100 meeting participants
    • Unlimited meetings
    • And more
  • Google Workspace Essentials ($8/active user per month):
    • 24-hour group meetings
    • 24-hour one-on-one meetings
    • Maximum of 150 meeting attendees
    • Hand raise feature
    • And more

2. Microsoft Teams

microsoft teams sign in homepage

Microsoft Teams is a cloud-based group messaging platform for Office 365 users. 

If you’re looking to chat, meet, call, and share files with remote teams, then hopping on a Microsoft Team meeting is a good choice.

Key features

  • Supports 250 meeting room participants 
  • Screen sharing and presentation streaming features for detailed explanations
  • Recording function for recording important conferences
  • Message channels help keep conversations organized 

Pros

  • Users can join a conference call directly without requiring a download
  • Available versions include a mobile app, iOS app, and desktop app. It’s also supported across browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Safari
  • Managers can view their team’s work calendar and track their availability 

Cons

  • Sometimes messages don’t sync across different devices 
  • MS Teams’ interface can get confusing 
  • Screen freezing is a commonly reported issue

User ratings

  • G2: 4.3/5 (9000+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.4/5 (4000+ reviews)

Pricing

Microsoft Teams offers three pricing options:

  • Free
    • Voice and video calls
    • 100 participants
    • 60-minute meetings
    • Screen sharing
    • And more
  • Microsoft 365 Basic Business ($5/user per month when paid annually):
    • 300 participants
    • 24-hour meetings
    • Meeting recordings
    • Chat and collaboration
    • And more
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard ($12.50/user per month when paid annually):
    • 300 participants
    • 24-hour meetings
    • Customized backgrounds
    • Scheduled remote meetings
    • And more

3. Livestorm

Livestorm - a video sharing platform and zoom alternative

Livestorm is a video engagement platform that makes it easy to manage every part of your meetings, webinars, or video conferences.

As a browser-based platform, Livestorm is super easy to use. All you need is a link.

Key features

  • Registration pages help you optimize registration rates with fully customizable and pre-built landing pages
  • Engagement features such as emoji reactions, team whiteboards, live polls, and question upvotes
  • Analytics make it easy to analyze all of your data with our powerful reporting tool built into the dashboard

Pros

  • Registrant profiles let you access detailed information about any registrant
  • Invitation emails can help you improve attendance with customizable reminders and follow-up emails
  • Super adaptable for any event, like all-hands meetings, employee onboarding and training, product demos, and online classes

Cons

  • Best suited for multi-person meetings
  • The free plan is limited to 20 minutes per event
  • Recordings are limited to 4 hours

User ratings

  • G2: 4.5/5 (340+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.7/5 (350+ reviews)

Pricing

Livestorm has three pricing options:

  • Starter (Free):
    • All features included
    • Unlimited events
    • Unlimited moderators
    • Instant meetings with up to 4 people
  • Premium ($99 per month)
    • Unlimited events
    • Unlimited moderators
    • Up to 16 simultaneous live speakers
    • Up to 4 hours per event
    • Unlimited event registrants
  • Enterprise (Custom quote)
    • Unlimited hosts
    • Up to 3,000 live attendees
    • SLA
    • Dedicated CSM and Priority support
    • SAML SSO

4. Zoho Meeting

zoho meeting web conferencing homepage

Zoho Meeting is an open-source video conferencing tool that lets you host video conferences. It protects user information and meeting privacy with its advanced end-to-end encryption technology.

Key features

  • Can record an online meeting 
  • Audience poll and raise hand features to engage an attendee or the whole audience
  • Advanced features like moderator controls to mute distractions and lock online meetings
  • Allows up to 100 participants in any meeting in the basic pricing plan

Pros

  • User-friendly platform supported across desktop, Android, and iOS devices
  • For live streaming webinars, you can assign co-organizers for extra support and moderation
  • Integrates with other Zoho apps like Zoho Projects, CRM, and Bookings

Cons

  • Limited to a maximum of 250 webinar attendees
  • Can’t customize the tool, including meeting invitations 
  • Can’t lock your online meetings in the free plan

User ratings

  • G2: 4.5/5 (700+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.5/5 (400+ reviews)

Pricing

Zoho Meetings has three pricing options:

  • Free plan:
    • Limited to two participants for meetings
    • Limited to two participants10 for webinars
    • Up to three video feeds
    • Webcam sharing
    • And more
  • Meeting (starting at $3/host per month):
    • Up to three participants
    • Storage for 10 recordings
    • Video conferencing (up to 25 video feeds)
    • Multiple email reminders
    • And more
  • Webinar (starting at $19/host per month):
    • Up to 25 participants
    • Storage for 25 recordings
    • Registration moderation
    • Record webinar
    • And more

5. Vowel

Vowel helps remote teams host, capture, search, and share video meetings, without the need for add-ons. It offers all your video conferencing basics: secure video calling, mic and camera settings, screen-sharing, virtual backgrounds, calendar integration, and more.

But what sets it apart is the built-in functionality it has to make meetings searchable and shareable, including live transcription, instant cloud recording (no waiting!), and meeting recaps with shared links and action items.

Key features

  • One-click recording and live transcription (multiple languages)
  • Shared agendas and meeting notes
  • Universal search across meeting content
  • Instant meeting recaps with shared links and action items

Pros

  • No need to download an app or pay for add-on tools
  • Streamlined UI and fun emoji reactions
  • Free plan that lets you record and transcribe meetings

Cons

  • Limit of 50 participants per meeting
  • No private chat (you have to message the entire group)
  • No breakout rooms

User ratings

  • G2: 4.5/5 (130+ reviews)
  • Capterra: N/A

Pricing

Vowel offers two pricing options:

  • Free 
    • Record and transcribe all your meetings
    • Host meetings for up to 40 minutes each
    • Rewatch and search through past meetings for 7 days
    • Up to 12 participants per meeting
    • Basic integrations (Slack, Google, Calendly)
  • Business($16.49/user/month when paid annually)
    • No time limit on meetings
    • Rewatch and search through past meetings forever
    • Up to 50 participants per meeting
    • Priority support
    • (Coming soon) AI-powered meeting summaries and advanced integrations

6. GoToMeeting

goto meeting work from anywhere homepage

GoToMeeting is a web-hosted video conferencing platform that’s best suited to corporate teams. It uses several encryption techniques to maintain the security of its users

What makes it different from other video chat apps?

You don’t have to upgrade to a premium plan to get unlimited meeting time. 

Key features

  • Can transfer your keyboard and mouse control to any attendee during the meeting (this is the cool feature we were talking about)
  • Record team meetings in real-time and share them later
  • Has a file sharing and document collaboration tool
  • Can schedule meetings in advance

Pros

  • Can launch meetings in a single click
  • Can view up to 25 video participants at the same time for better team visibility
  • Integrates with Office 365 apps like Outlook and Calendar  

Cons

  • Have to download the app before launching a meeting which could lead to delays
  • Need to pay for additional features like polls, handouts, marketing integrations, advanced webinar tools, and more
  • Can be more expensive than most video conferencing tools

User ratings

  • G2: 4.2/5 (12,000+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.5/5 (8000+ reviews)

Pricing

GoToMeeting offers two pricing plans:

  • Professional ($14/organizer per month):
    • HD video
    • Web audio
    • Screen sharing
    • No meeting time limit
    • And more
  • Business ($19/organizer per month):
    • Co-organizers
    • Unlimited cloud recording
    • Transcription
    • Note-taking
    • And more

7. Skype

microsoft skype create a free video call homepage

Skype is a popular video conferencing tool primarily used for personal video chat

However, with Skype’s new feature ‘Skype Meet Now,’ it can be used as a business video conferencing software.

Key features

  • Screen sharing to share presentations, images, or anything on your screen
  • Call recording with live auto-generated subtitles
  • Background blur for virtual meetings in Skype Meet Now
  • Smart messaging lets you react to any message with emoji reactions

Pros

  • Intuitive interface 
  • Has platform support for Android and Apple devices    
  • High-quality video and sound even in Skype Meet

Cons

  • Many customer reviews report image freezing  
  • SMS feature is outbound only; you can’t receive an SMS on Skype
  • Might require a high internet bandwidth

User ratings

  • G2: 4.3/5 (19,000+ reviews)
  • Capterra: N/A

Pricing

Skype offers a free plan, and its paid plans start at $2.99/month per user.

8. Eyeson

eyeson video meetings in your browser homepage

Eyeson is a cloud-based video conferencing software that caters to businesses of all sizes. 

Unlike most other video conferencing services, you don’t have to download or install Eyeson to use it. Just send the call link to participants, and they can join directly through their browser.  

Saves a lot of time, right?

Key features

  • Supports up to 100 participants per call
  • Live stream your video call on Facebook and YouTube in real-time
  • Recording function to record a video conference
  • Can enable the ECO mode (audio-only) to save bandwidth

Pros

  • Only need to click a meeting link to join it
  • Allows you to create multiple meeting rooms for better organization and meeting cadence
  • Can check your past video calling history

Cons

  • Limited to nine people on camera
  • Has no whiteboard feature for video collaboration
  • No free plan available

User ratings

  • G2: N/A
  • Capterra: 4.6/5 (17+ reviews)

Pricing

Eyeson has two pricing options:

  • Pro ($9/host per month):
    • Unlimited meeting time
    • Unlimited number of meetings
    • Unlimited meeting rooms
    • And more
  • Corporate (custom quote):
    • Optional domain license
    • Cloud provider on demand
    • A dedicated customer success manager
    • All features included
    • And more

9. Jitsi Meet

jitsi meet start and join meetings for free homepage

Jitsi Meet is an encrypted, open-source video conferencing service. You don’t even have to create an account to join a meeting room in Jitsi Meet!

Key features

  • Collaborate on documents using Etherpad feature
  • Customizable URLs for any meeting
  • Integrated chat app for video meetings
  • Supports up to 100 meeting participants

Pros

  • A guest can quickly join a meeting room with an invitation link (no signup or download is required)
  • Multiple users can share their screen simultaneously 
  • Since it’s open-source software, it’s developer-friendly and customizable

Cons

  • Several user reviews report stability and bandwidth issues
  • Can’t record meetings
  • When you share your screen, you can’t see your camera or any meeting members’ cameras

User ratings

  • G2: 4.3/5 (40+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.1/5 (40+ reviews)

Pricing

Jitsi Meet is a free video conferencing solution. 

10. Cisco Webex Meetings

cisco webex meetings sign up homepage

Cisco Webex Meetings is a videoconferencing app that lets you hold group video calls, audio calls, and more. 

This video conferencing app even provides real-time translations of your meetings into 100+ languages, which is super helpful when you need to hop on international calls in a reality show via a computer program.

tv mounted on wall with welcome to the circle graphic

Key features

  • Access to group chats and personal chat rooms
  • Turn your shared content into custom backgrounds
  • Whiteboard feature that lets teams brainstorm together
  • Record meetings and get transcripts immediately

Pros

  • Host and join meetings on your web browser, desktop app, or mobile device
  • Use the Google or Microsoft calendar integration to manage schedules
  • The app has an audio and video calling feature that silences all background noise

Cons

  • The desktop app isn’t as robust as the web version
  • More expensive than most Zoom alternatives
  • No video recording and file-sharing options in the free plan

User ratings

  • G2: 4.2/5 (12,000+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.4/5 (5000+ reviews)

Pricing

Cisco Webex Meetings offers three pricing options:

  • Free
    • One host
    • 50-minute meetings
    • Up to 100 participants
    • Screen sharing
    • And more
  • Starter ($14.95/host per month):
    • 1–50 hosts
    • 24-hour meetings
    • Up to 150 participants
    • 5 GB of cloud storage for recordings
    • And more
  • Business ($29.95/host per month):
    • 1–100 hosts
    • 24-hour meetings
    • Up to 200 participants
    • MP4 recordings
    • And more

11. Chanty

chanty team communication app

Chanty is a team collaboration tool that promises to get more work done, together! This means, with your team you can be more productive than before and get all your tasks completed efficiently.

Key features

  • Audio, video chats and voice messages
  • Unlimited and searchable message history
  • Task management with Kanban board

Pros

  • The app has efficient search functions that help in finding the required information
  • Messaging and chat features focus on assigning and completing tasks
  • Integration with project management tools

Cons

  • Lacks custom emojis
  • Free membership does not have some important features
  • Link invitation to join a video meeting is not available yet

User ratings

  • G2: 4.9/5 (30+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.9/5 (30+ reviews)

Pricing

Chanty has two pricing options

  • Free
    • Unlimited public and private conversations
    • Unlimited searchable history
    • Unlimited one-on-one audio calls
    • Up to 10 team members, 1 guest user and 1 multi-conversation guest
    • 20 GB per team file storage
    • And more
  • Business ($3/member per month):
    • Unlimited group audio and video calls
    • Dedicated support line
    • Roles & Permissions
    • 3 free guest users per member
    • 20 GB file storage per member
    • And more
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How to Make Video Calling an Essential Part of Your Project Management Process

What do a project manager and a reality show contestant isolated in an apartment have in common?

They both need to ace virtual communication.

In the show, contestants need to communicate with the other cast members via a computer program. There’s no way for them to interact in person.

Which begs the question:

How do project managers communicate effectively?

Spoiler alert: regular emails and texting don’t cut it.

Sure, you can try to send emails or texts to discuss a project. But it’s going to be impossible to keep track of everything.

In fact, there are so many issues with just using messaging tools like Slack for task management that we dedicated an entire article to Slack project management.

If you really want in-depth discussions and explanations, you need to use video chat for your project meetings. 

And once you pick the right video conferencing tool, you’re already halfway there.

There is one more thing you absolutely need. 

Just like The Circle’s computer program, you need an all-in-one solution like ClickUp to cure all your project management problems.

But wait… what’s ClickUp?

ClickUp is one of the world’s highest-rated project management software used by super-productive teams in small and large companies.

Here’s how ClickUp has the functionality to work with your preferred video-calling tool to create the perfect project management process:

Step 1: Integrate your video tool with ClickUp

Before starting any project, you need to keep your tools locked and loaded.

For example, if you’re using a conferencing tool like Zoom, you can easily integrate it with ClickUp to get everything ready.

Here’s how:

A. Enable the Zoom ClickApp

Here are the steps to do this:

  • Open the Workspace settings (you need to be an owner or admin)
  • Select ClickApps
  • Find the Zoom ClickApp and toggle it on
  • Enable it for all required Spaces
  • Once you’ve enabled it, a Zoom icon will pop up on the top of each ClickUp task section to help you start meetings instantly (you can also use the /zoom command to do this)

B. Connect your Zoom in ClickUp

Here’s how to go about this:

  • Go to the Zoom integration under the “My Apps” section in your settings
  • Hit “Connect”
  • Log in to your Zoom account
  • Accept the ClickUp app request to integrate it with your account

C. Start a Zoom meeting in ClickUp

Here are the steps to start a Zoom meeting within ClickUp quickly:

  • Open any task
  • Hit the Zoom icon (or use the /zoom command)
  • Link your Zoom account in the pop-out
  • Join the meeting instantly

Step 2: Have an initial video call with your team to discuss project plans

You’d want to avoid your team members feeling like this at the start of a project. Fortunately, there’s an easy way out.

Simply conduct an initial video call with your team to get everyone on the same page before starting work.

You need to inform them about the project’s deliverables and ultimate objectives to ensure they know what they’re targeting. For that, conduct a video conference with your team and brief them about the planning process. 

Use these ClickUp features to set everything up to make the project easier to attempt:

Step 3: Check-in with your team to keep track of your project status

Now that your plans are in action, you need to check in with your team members on a daily basis to know how they’re progressing.  

Don’t worry; these don’t have to be super-long video meetings that make them feel awkward. They can just be brief 10-15 minute meetings at the start of the day to help everyone get on the same page.

It’s what most agile, and scrum teams do. And they’re known to be some of the most effective teams in the world.

But remember, just checking in with your team via a video call isn’t enough. You need a lot more to keep track of your projects and track your meeting minutes! Let’s see how ClickUp can help you with this:

Step 4: Have a final video meeting after the project is completed

Congratulations, you finished your project! But you’re not done yet.

It’s time to get on a video call with your team and discuss:

  • What went smoothly?
  • What went wrong?
  • What difficulties did they face during the process?

Going over all this will help you make the changes you need to your work process to ensure that all your future projects go smoothly.

Bonus: read more on how to manage meetings in ClickUp and get our list of best ClickUp alternatives.

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Time to Zoom Over to an Alternative 🏃

Having the right video conferencing tool is one of the most essential things for modern remote teams. And while Zoom is still a decent tool, there are tons of other video conference solutions out there. 

But that raises the question: with so many options, which Zoom alternative do you choose?

Don’t worry.

Just go through our list of video conferencing software to find the perfect choice for your business needs. But remember, if you want to tackle remote project management, you’re going to need more than just a video conferencing tool.

ClickUp has everything you need to manage your team members, create tasks, and track your progress remotely. So why not zoom on over to ClickUp for free today?

Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.

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