Need to video conference when you are out of the office? Check out these 7 best free video conferencing apps
The pandemic still continues to have an impact on the changing workspace, as a huge number of employees from around the world are forced to work from home or in co-working spaces. However, for remote workers, information technologies provide the opportunity to collaborate on tasks and see colleagues even when they are in different parts of the world. With real-time video conferencing, employees can continue face-to-face communication which is necessary for coordinated teamwork. The best part is that it doesn’t require expensive hardware, stable internet connection or complicated software configurations because there are plenty of free video conferencing apps to help you stay connected.
Zoom
Zoom is a cloud-based video meeting and webinar platform used by small and mid-sized companies. With Zoom, users can quickly contact a team or an individual user. The service supports up to 1,000 participants in a meeting and up to 49 attendees on screen. Zoom even allows you to pre-schedule calls, communicate at any time with any of your contacts, or connect to conference equipment in the room.
The solution has both free and paid access. Users of the free version can also make calls, record video or audio locally and share screens with other conference participants. The main feature of Zoom software is that even in a free account you can connect up to 100 participants to one online conference. If you reach the 40-minute conference limit, you need to start a new one.
TrueConf
TrueConf is a secure team messaging platform that helps businesses collaborate with their teams and host 4K online meetings with up to 1,000 participants. As a self-hosted video conferencing solution, TrueConf does not allow third-party access to personal information, while all your communications stay within your corporate environment. Companies around the globe use this solution to keep sensitive data private.
During free video calls you can use multiple collaboration tools, such as remote desktop control, slideshow and screen sharing, recording and exchanging text messages.
Finally, TrueConf lets you easily manage your meetings remotely. For example, you can control the cameras and microphones of all attendees, lock individual user layouts for focus and to prevent distractions.
Skype
With Skype, millions of people and small companies can make individual and group video calls for free, and send instant messages and files to other Skype users. You can use Skype on any device you want – your smartphone, computer, or tablet. It is a free platform suitable for video conferencing up to 50 people.
Skype offers support for content sharing and the ability to blur the background. You can also enable automatic subtitles, record a video conference and download it within 30 days.
Thanks to Skype’s special features, it’s easy to conduct meetings in different languages with real-time translation. The software supports automatic translation of 10 languages, so now you can hold a conference with global users.
GoTo Meeting
GoToMeeting is a free online meeting service. It allows you to arrange a meeting and connect up to 100 participants at your convenience.
This platform provides audio and video calling, chat, screen and whiteboard sharing for meetings. In addition, live streaming is available for up to 100,000 participants.
To capture the results of video meetings, there are notes that can be taken in real time and a speech recognition feature that allows you to read the video conference as a dialogue. Meeting moderators can now create branded virtual meeting rooms and gather their team in them at any time to communicate and work together.
Cisco Webex Meetings
Do you want to hold online meetings from anywhere, with anyone, and with any device? Webex is the perfect solution for you.
With Webex, an enterprise can provide a more dynamic and flexible work style for employees, including new forms of collaboration. Webex offers its users video conferencing, desktop sharing, group chat, file sharing, and online learning applications.
The intelligent Webex system provides great audio with automatic noise removal and gesture recognition. With Webex Assistant, you’ll also be able to concentrate better on the meeting as notes and transcripts are taken care of.
Join.Me
Join.me is an easy-to-use platform that lets you host and share virtual events with friends and colleagues to collaborate better, whether you’re brainstorming ideas over a cup of coffee or planning a presentation for your boss. Join.Me is a free, simple to use online meeting tool that allows up to 250 participants for free. It also provides screen and file sharing capabilities.This web-based solution offers basic and advanced features such as audio and video recording, instant messaging, and easy access to each meeting agenda.
Google Meet
Google Meet makes arranging a video meeting quick and easy. To join, use any modern web browser or install the app. With a Google account, you can create a conference with up to 100 people and hold it for 60 minutes. For schools, there is the opportunity to have video meetings with up to 250 internal or external participants and live streaming to 100,000 viewers within a domain.
You can share photos, documents and archives which are automatically saved to albums and discs. This video communication service also has a conference scheduling feature available via Google Calendar. However, the lack of an address book is a significant disadvantage.
Keep Working Remotely
Video conferencing is a powerful tool for businesses, students and groups who want to stay connected over long distances. It’s also a great way to stay in touch with colleagues and classmates when you just can’t be in person or are worried about your health by keeping a quarantine.
Picking the right conference call application can help you save time and money while making your meetings more productive. Only by focusing on the user needs can you find the solution that is ideal for you, so when choosing, it is worth paying attention to the services and features offered by each vendor.