You might be using an unsupported or outdated browser. To get the best possible experience please use the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge to view this website.

Best Video Conferencing Software Of 2024

Staff Reviewer,  Editor
Staff Reviewer

Reviewed

Updated: Mar 26, 2024, 7:13pm

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

Video conferencing software has become a lifeline to millions and a standard part of our daily lives. Today’s best video conferencing software and apps allow colleagues to see and hear each other with high-definition (HD) quality. With a wealth of video conferencing options available—all offering unique features at different prices, selecting one can be difficult. Forbes Advisor breaks down the best video conferencing apps to help you choose the right fit for your team and budget.

Read more

The Best Five Video Conferencing Apps of 2024


Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor Small Business

The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content and guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.

We reviewed multiple video conferencing providers using a complex methodology to determine the five best video conferencing software options for small businesses. Our ratings considered numerous factors around pricing, number of features available, reviews of the software by real users and a final analysis by our panel of experts. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.


Best Overall Video Conferencing Solution

Zoom

Zoom
4.9
Our ratings take into account a product's benefits and coverage levels. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Free version

Yes

Security features

End-to-end encryption (E2EE), user authentication, region blocking and passcode functionality

Meeting capacity in free version

100

people

Zoom
Learn More Arrow

Read Forbes' Review

Yes

End-to-end encryption (E2EE), user authentication, region blocking and passcode functionality

100

people

Editor's Take

Zoom is one of the most popular video conferencing software systems on the market because of its affordable pricing, impressive feature set and exceptional usability. Additionally, Zoom offers an impressive number of integration capabilities with third-party applications. Whether you use the service on your desktop or mobile device, Zoom has a lot to offer just about any small business.

Zoom’s free plan is a perfect way to try out the software for yourself. With that in mind, group calls on the free plan are limited to 40 minutes in length and only support up to 100 people at once. At some point, you will probably want to upgrade to one of the company’s paid plans:

  • Pro: $15.99 per license, per month for meetings for up to 100 people, 30-hour meeting lengths and social media streaming
  • Business: $21.99 per license, per month for meetings for up to 300 people and automated meeting transcriptions
  • Business Plus: $26.99 per license, per month for meetings for up to 300 people and phone, translated captions and workspace reservations
  • Enterprise: Priced on a custom basis for meetings for up to 1,000 people and unlimited cloud storage of recordings (requires at least 50 licenses per plan)

All plans come standard with access to the company’s mobile apps and call controls for screen sharing and muting participants. For an additional $50 per month, Zoom also offers a “Large Meetings” upgrade that increases your meeting capacity to 500 people at once. This is especially useful if your company hosts frequent webinars for audiences.

As great as Zoom is, there have been unfortunate controversies surrounding its security flaws. The company has been very public about improving its security since the “Zoom-bombing” scandals, but teams that plan on sharing sensitive information over video calls might want to keep this in mind when researching services.

Zoom offers end-to-end encryption or E2EE. One downside to E2EE (which you can choose to enable and disable) is that it blocks features such as cloud recording when in use. Additional security measures include passcodes, the ability to lock meetings, screen share watermarks, audio signatures and the ability to directly control who can join and which attendees are allowed to record the session.

Zoom is one of the biggest players in the video conferencing space given its reliability and powerful feature set. Any business in the market for a new service should consider Zoom, especially since it offers a completely free version.

Learn more: Read our full Zoom review.

Who Should Use It:

Zoom is one of the best all-around solutions on the market today. As such, we find that it’s a good choice for just about any kind of company.

Pros & Cons
  • Completely free version
  • Affordable paid plans
  • Intuitive user interface
  • Licenses can get very pricey when hosting large meetings
  • Encryption module blocks out other functionalities

Best One-Stop Shop Video Conferencing Software

Google Meet

Google Meet
4.9
Our ratings take into account a product's benefits and coverage levels. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Free version

Yes

Security features

Automatic encryption of all data

Meeting capacity in free version

100

people

Google Meet

Yes

Automatic encryption of all data

100

people

Editor's Take

Google Meet is the company’s latest replacement for Hangouts and can be used by anyone with a free Google account. The software comes standard with calls for up to 100 people, mobile functionality and a screen sharing module. While a free version is available, you will need a paid Google Workspace plan for access to whiteboard tools and social media integrations.

While the interface isn’t as smooth as competing systems, the service also comes bundled with many of Google’s other useful apps free of charge, which is ideal for solopreneurs and startups that need to stretch every dollar of their tech budget.

Google Meet is completely free for personal Google accounts. If you upgrade to the company’s Workspace suite, you can unlock additional features:

  • Business Starter: $6 per user, per month with meetings for up to 100 people and 30 GB of cloud storage per user
  • Business Standard: $12 per user, per month with meetings for up to 150 people as well as 2 TB of online storage per user and meeting recordings
  • Business Plus: $18 per user, per month with meetings for up to 500 people, 5 TB of storage per user and advanced endpoint management
  • Enterprise: Priced on a custom basis, this package comes with noise-canceling features during meetings, unlimited online storage and priority support from Google

It’s worth noting that your Google account comes with a suite of other productivity services. Whether you have a personal or paid Workspace account, the service comes with access to a word processor, spreadsheet software, a calendar scheduling app and more. This could make Google Meet an attractive one-stop shop for new startups looking for a solid value.

As for security, Google states that data shared through Meet gets encrypted during transit by default. The service also adheres to the Internet Engineering Task Force’s (IETF) security standards for Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) and Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP).

While some might pass on Google Meet in search of a more specific video conferencing service, we think the solid free version and affordable service plans make Meet a worthwhile investment for most businesses.

Who Should Use It:

Google’s vast bundle of services makes Meet an attractive option for a do-it-all business suite that won’t break your budget.

Learn more: Read our full Google Meet review.

Pros & Cons
  • Offers free version
  • Complete set of call control options
  • Paid plans offer impressive suite of apps
  • Hard to host meetings for more than 250 people
  • Interface could be more intuitive

Best For Collaborative Meetings

TeamViewer Meeting

TeamViewer Meeting
4.2
Our ratings take into account a product's benefits and coverage levels. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Free version

Yes

Security features

RSA public/private key exchange and advanced encryption standard (AES) (256-bit) session encryption.

Meeting capacity in free version

5

people

TeamViewer Meeting

Yes

RSA public/private key exchange and advanced encryption standard (AES) (256-bit) session encryption.

5

people

Editor's Take

TeamViewer Meeting makes our list due to its impressive collaboration functionality. TeamViewer, formerly known as Blizz, comes standard with 4K screen sharing functionality. The software also has a variety of on-screen drawing and in-meeting file-sharing capabilities that make it easier to deliver informative presentations and distribute documents. If your team’s calls tend to be focused on sharing ideas and content, then TeamViewer might be a perfect fit for you.

TeamViewer’s free version only lets you hold meetings for up to five people at once. Therefore, most customers will want to look at the paid plans:

  • TeamViewer Remote Access:  $24.90 per month, billed yearly with meetings for up to one user, one concurrent connection and three managed devices
  • TeamViewer Remote Business:  $50.90 per month, billed yearly with meetings for up to one user, one concurrent connection and 200 managed devices
  • TeamViewer Premium Premium:  $112.90 per month, billed yearly with meetings for up to 15 users, one concurrent connection and 300 managed devices
  • TeamViewer Premium Corporate:  $229.90 per month, billed yearly with meetings for up to 30 users, three concurrent connection and 500 managed devices

All plans come with on-screen drawing tools and in-meeting file sharing. TeamViewer also offers integrations with various networking and business platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Atlassian, Zendesk, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Amazon WorkSpaces and more.

TeamViewer Meeting provides industry-standard security through RSA public/private key exchange and the use of AES (256-bit) session encryption. It’s a solid and secure video conferencing service that provides a truly global networking experience.

Who Should Use It:

TeamViewer’s sharing and drawing tools lend themselves well to brainstorming, educational and other collaborative meeting environments.

Pros & Cons
  • 4K calling available
  • Supports a number of languages
  • Useful screen drawing and sharing modules
  • Not the best value for money on the market
  • Slight learning curve

Best For Growing Teams

Zoho Meeting

Zoho Meeting
4.0
Our ratings take into account a product's benefits and coverage levels. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Free version

Yes

Security features

DTLS-SRTP encryption for audio and video, two-factor authentication

Meeting capacity in free version

100

people

Zoho Meeting
Learn More Arrow

On Zoho Meeting's Website

Yes

DTLS-SRTP encryption for audio and video, two-factor authentication

100

people

Editor's Take

Zoho Meeting is just one part of the company’s extensive roster of business applications. The platform offers video conferencing for up to 3,000 people at once depending on what package you go with. The company offers ten distinct pricing tiers, which make it easy to choose a plan that offers only as many participants per meeting as you need. Zoho’s customer service is also exceptionally easy to work with and can upgrade your package in minutes if necessary. Therefore, we recommend Zoho Meeting to fast-growing teams that want a service that’s easy to scale.

Zoho’s most basic version is free to use, with limitations on the available features. These 60-minute meetings can include 100 people including the host. In the paid plans, pricing is determined by the number of participants you want to be able to host and the functionality is expanded. Prices for the Meeting service are as follows:

Meeting for 10 participants: $1 per host, per month, paid annually
Meeting for 25 participants: $4 per host, per month, paid annually
Meeting for 50 participants:  $5 per host, per month, paid annually
Meeting for 100 participants: $6 per host, per month, paid annually

One thing we particularly like about Zoho Meeting is that it does not lock any features behind premium packages. Every paid version of the service comes with email scheduling, meeting recordings, dial-in numbers and more.

Who Should Use It:

Zoho Meeting doesn’t allow too many people to join in on a call at one time unless you want to pay for its most expensive plans. But if you only have small meetings, the software is easy to scale and has affordable plans for fast-growing companies.

Learn more: Read our full Zoho Meeting review.

Pros & Cons
  • Highly scalable pricing and add-on structure
  • Affordable
  • Integrates with other Zoho apps
  • Dated interface
  • Meeting capacity could be bigger

Best for Image-Conscious Professionals

CyberLink U Meeting

CyberLink U Meeting
3.8
Our ratings take into account a product's benefits and coverage levels. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Free version

Yes

Security features

E2EE encryption, AES-256 bit, password availability

Meeting capacity in free version

25

people

CyberLink U Meeting

Yes

E2EE encryption, AES-256 bit, password availability

25

people

Editor's Take

At first glance, CyberLink U Meeting looks like a boring video calling solution. It offers competitive pricing and many of the standard features found in competing systems, but not much else.

However, what sets U Meeting apart is that each paid version of service comes with the company’s PerfectCam, a “virtual makeup” add-on that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve your appearance. It can even apply eyeshadow, blush, lipstick and more to your face. It’s a unique and impressive feature that could be a good fit for those who want to look their best during meetings.

Through the basic free plan, you can only hold a meeting for up to 30 minutes and with a maximum of 25 participants. Paid plans offer higher capacities as well as access to the PerfectCam plugin:

U Meeting:

  • Pro 50: $9.99 per host, per month
  • Pro 100: $14.99 per host, per month
  • Pro 200: Contact sales for a quote
  • Enterprise: Contact sales for a quote

In addition to some novel image-enhancement tech, U Meeting offers a solid video calling platform. You get HD video calling and screen sharing on both desktop and mobile. It comes with all of the call controls and standard encryption of your meetings, too. Its UI is a bit plain-looking compared to other services we looked at, but it’s still very clean and functional.

Who Should Use It:

Businesses looking for a decent all-around video conferencing service with an impressive AI-based virtual makeup module will find a solid fit with CyberLink U Meeting.

Pros & Cons
  • Clean, no-nonsense UI
  • Free version and a two-week free trial for premium plans
  • PerfectCam plugin comes with all paid plans
  • Video quality could be better
  • Pricing for top-tier plans unclear

Forbes Advisor Ratings

Company Forbes Advisor Rating Best For Free version Meeting capacity in free version LEARN MORE
Zoom 4.9 5-removebg-preview Best Overall Video Conferencing Solution Yes 100 people Learn More Read Forbes' Review View More
Google Meet
4.9 5-removebg-preview Best One-Stop Shop Video Conferencing Software Yes 100 people View More View More
TeamViewer Meeting
4.2 4-removebg-preview Best For Collaborative Meetings Yes 5 people View More View More
Zoho Meeting 4.0 4-removebg-preview Best for Growing Teams Yes 3 people Learn More On Zoho Meeting's Website
Cyberlink U Meeting
3.8 4-removebg-preview Best for Image-Conscious Professionals Yes 25 people View More View More

What Is Video Conferencing?

Video conferencing is a type of virtual, online meeting where two or more people talk through a video and audio call in real time. Video conferencing has been around for years, but it skyrocketed in popularity as school and work shifted into the home during the 2020 pandemic.


Types of Video Conferencing

A video conference can be:

  • Point-to-point: A one-on-one conversation involving two participants in different locations. A video call with a client or a customer service rep, for example, is point-to-point video conferencing.
  • Multipoint: Also called “group video conferencing” or “group calls,” this is a conversation that involves three or more people in at least two locations. It could be a business meeting with some participants at the office and others remote, or a webinar where a person streams to viewers in several locations.

How to Choose the Best Video Conferencing Software

Determining the best video conferencing software for your business will ultimately come down to your company’s size, desired features and budget:

  • The size of your audience or organization: The bigger your team, the more participants you will need to have in your meetings. You might also need large meetings if you hold frequent webinars for clients and associates.
  • Your monthly or annual budget: Most videoconferencing services are priced on a “per host” basis while others are priced per user. A per-host plan is generally cheaper in the long run because that means that your team could need just one paid account while the rest of your team uses the free version of the software.
  • Mobile functionality: Most of today’s mainstream systems have mobile apps for iOS and Android. This is convenient for today’s remote workforce as well as sales agents, executives and other team members who constantly travel for work.

What Is Required for Video Conferencing?

To join or host any basic video conference, you need:

  • A desktop or laptop computer
  • A web camera
  • A microphone
  • Speakers or headphones
  • High-speed internet access
  • An account with a video conferencing service
  • Most laptops come with a camera, microphone and speakers built in, and those are sufficient for basic conferencing. For more privacy, you can connect headphones, which usually also include a microphone. For a sharper picture, purchase a third-party webcam.

To join or host video conferences with multiple participants in a single room, your business could purchase a conference room set up to capture the best video and audio from all participants in the room.

A conference room setup might include:

  • A television with an HDMI input
  • Hardware from your video conferencing service
  • Speakers
  • An omnidirectional microphone, such as Polycom or Meeting Owl

Read more: Video Conferencing Equipment You Need


Methodology

When determining the best video conferencing software apps, we looked at several components we felt made for the best product. We then scored these contenders across four categories of features with 14 different metrics that were weighted to favor features that small business owners find valuable in video conferencing software.

Pricing

For pricing, we considered whether a software provider offers a free version. A free basic version of the service is useful as a trial run for a service, but today’s leading providers offer such powerful free versions that they may offer enough to smaller workgroups and solo workers. As such, we evaluated which services have the best free version.

We also looked at the affordability of its lowest and highest price tiers and the number of features that were available with each higher-priced plan. Companies that offer upfront pricing for all of their pricing tiers received higher ratings here than those that require potential users to contact the provider for a custom quote. Pricing accounted for 30% of our weighted scoring.

Features

For video conferencing, we considered certain features to be essential for users of the software. The most important features we looked for included offering recordings and transcriptions of meetings. Other essential features we wanted to see offered by a provider were screen sharing, whiteboard tools, third-party software integrations and a maximum participant limit of at least 200 attendees. We weighted features at 30% of our total score.

Third-party Reviews

We sought out reviews from real users to gauge their opinion of each software. This entailed ranking both the overall score from customers and the number of reviews for these scores to give the fullest picture of reality and reduce bias in sites that included G2 and Trustpilot. These accounted for 10% of the total score.

Expert Analysis

Based on our market research and customer reviews, we also ranked additional criteria, such as popularity, stand-out features and ease of use. For ease of use, videoconferencing services should be easy enough to set up and use for workers of all skill levels, even if they aren’t tech experts. Another key metric is value for the money. Sometimes, an expensive service is worth it if it has a wealth of features, top-tier security measures and helpful customer support. We evaluated the value proposition on all of these systems. Altogether, these criteria make up 30% of the total score.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does video conferencing work?

Video conferencing software captures participants’ video and audio instantly, compresses the data, sends it across the internet connection and decompresses it to present video and audio to the recipient.

What is the best video conferencing platform for large groups?

Zoom is the best option for hosting large video conferences. This is because its pricing is on a per-license basis and includes meetings of up to 500 participants with its Enterprise plan. Alternatively, Google Meet offers a free plan for up to 100 participants for up to 60 minutes, making it a good value for small businesses on a budget.

What is the best conferencing software for 1:1 calls?

Zoom was formerly the best one-on-one video conferencing software. However, it recently added a 40-minute time limit to one-on-one calls. If you need more time, Google Meet offers a bit more time with a limit of 60 minutes.

What are the benefits of video conferencing?

Video conferencing allows for face-to-face communication, and often includes options like screen sharing, document markup, breakout rooms, chat, reactions and quizzes that give participants more ways to interact, compared with audio-only calls. Connecting people through video conferencing expands an organization’s options by not requiring participants to be in a single location.


Next Up In Business


Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.
The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. This compensation comes from two main sources. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles; these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor. While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof. Here is a list of our partners who offer products that we have affiliate links for.
lorem
Are you sure you want to rest your choices?