Collaboration

Solution Spotlight: Google’s Most Popular Conference Meeting Software Explained

Jan 12, 2018

We shine the spotlight on the most popular conference meeting solutions on Google's search engine results. Learn about pricing, features, and more!

AvatarImg
Abhishek SinghAnalyst Team Lead

In GetApp's Solution Spotlight series, we explain which software is at the top of Google's search engine results and how each can meet your specific needs. To identify the systems featured here, we entered the term "conference meeting software" in Google during the week of December 20 in an incognito window with the location set to the U.S. The first five solutions on the first page of Google's results are described here in alphabetical order.

For small businesses, finding the right conference meeting solution at the right price can feel impossible. Especially when you have very specific requirements, such as the number of participants you need to host on conference calls, integration with mobile, multiple screen sharing, and more.

We're going to save you the time and hassle it can take to compare the available solutions. In this article, we've shortlisted the top five conference meeting software products that come up in Google's search engine results pages (SERPs) when you search for "conference meeting software." Higher ranking on the SERPs indicates that more users and potential buyers are looking for information about these particular solutions.

Conference meeting software can be a great asset to development and project teams, sales and marketing reps, and other professionals who need to communicate with clients, customers, or team members remotely, and potentially present to a large group. These solutions help teams collaborate, and they help sales reps promote their products and services, increase their market base, and save on travel expenses.

Read on to get a quick, easy overview of the conference meeting software landscape with screenshots and pricing info at a glance.

Cisco WebEx

Caption: Meeting dashboard in Cisco WebEx that shows a list of participants along with options to use video or audio, screen share, record, and invite more participants. (Source: GetApp.com)

Cisco WebEx is a videoconferencing software solution that helps users discuss and collaborate on projects through video calling, screen sharing, webinars, and conference calls.

Key features of the solution include:

  • Video and audio conferencing

  • Screen sharing, whiteboarding, and editing tools

  • Personal meeting rooms with a unique URL

  • Recording and sharing of meetings

  • Ability to host or attend meetings from desktop and mobile devices

What makes Cisco WebEx unique?

Cisco WebEx now includes its dedicated cloud-based conference meeting solution called Cisco Spark, which lets you communicate with colleagues or clients from anywhere on any device.

In addition, Gartner has recognized Cisco as a Leader in its Meeting Solutions Magic Quadrant, positioning Cisco WebEx as a leading solution for enterprises. In fact, 93 percent of Fortune 100 companies and 78 percent of Fortune 500 companies use Cisco WebEx for their videoconferencing needs, and, according to the vendor, its software is used to host 26.5 million meetings per month.

Cisco WebEx pricing

Cisco WebEx offers a 30-day free trial of Cisco WebEx and Cisco Spark, so users can get hands-on experience with all the Premium 200 features.

Cisco WebEx offers three pricing plans based on the number of users:

  • Premium 8: For up to eight people per meeting, priced at $19 per month when billed annually ($24 per month with monthly billing).

  • Premium 25: For up to 25 people per meeting, priced at $29 per month ($39 per month with monthly billing).

  • Premium 200: For up to 200 people per meeting, priced at $39 per month ($49 per month with monthly billing).

The solution's Call Me feature-which automatically calls participants at their preferred number when it's time for a meeting-is included in the Premium 25 and Premium 200 plans for those in the U.S. and Canada.

Users also have the option to add Call Me International to any of the Premium plans. This allows users to extend the Call Me functionality to participants in over 70 additional countries, and costs $35.75 per month per user ($42.25 per month per user when billed annually).

Cisco WebEx comparisons

As we mentioned above, Cisco is listed as a Leader among conference meeting software products in Gartner's Meeting Solutions Magic Quadrant, which breaks down the strengths as well as challenges offered by Cisco WebEx and other leading solutions.

You can also compare Cisco WebEx to other small business conference meeting solutions by checking out GetApp's Cisco WebEx Alternatives page.

GoToMeeting

Caption: A snapshot of GotoMeeting's videoconferencing interfacewith screen sharing functionality. It can be hosted on a desktop as well as a smartphone with multiple participants (Source: gotomeeting.com)

GoToMeeting is online meeting software that allows users to meet instantly or schedule meetings on their tablets, smartphones, or desktops. Users can connect through audio, video, or screen sharing and organize conference calls with a dedicated "out-of-the-box" software and hardware kit called GoToConference.

Key features of the software include:

  • Instant or scheduled meetings from anywhere with the option to record.

  • The option to create and attend meetings on multiple devices and operating systems, including desktop options such as Mac, PC, Chromebook, and Linux and through mobile devices such as iPhones, iPads, Android, or Windows.

  • Personal meeting rooms with a customized URL that you can share with attendees.

  • Videoconferencing in high-definition (HD) resolution with 25 HD video feeds per session.

  • Hardware, as well as software bundles to enhance meeting quality.

What makes GoToMeeting unique?

GoToMeeting's hardware and software bundle positions GoToMeeting uniquely compared to its competitors, since conference meeting software solutions don't always offer dedicated hardware. Users that opt for the bundle won't have compatibility concerns. For example, if a solution offers HD videoconferencing, streaming errors could occur if using it on a non-HD device.

In addition, GoToMeeting ranks first on Capterra's Top 20 Most Popular Web Conference Software list, which ranks products for small businesses based on number of users, number of customers, and social presence.

According to its website, GoToMeeting is a widely used platform, with 18 million users per month worldwide and 76 million meetings per year.

GoToMeeting pricing

GoToMeeting offers a 14-day free trial for 50 attendees.

It also offers the following monthly pricing plans:

  • Starter: For up to 10 participants, priced at $19 per month when billed annually ($24 per month with monthly billing).

  • Pro: For up to 50 participants, priced at $29 per month when billed annually ($36 per month with monthly billing).

  • Plus: For up to 100 participants, priced at $49 per month when billed annually ($59 per month with monthly billing).

GoToMeeting comparisons

With GetApp users rating this solution with 4.3 out of five stars, GoToMeetings is one of the top-rated solutions in the conference meeting software category.

You can compare GoToMeeting to other small business conference meeting solutions by checking out GetApp's GoToMeeting alternatives.

Join.me

Caption: The user interface of join.me, which shows options for users to join or create a new meeting. Join.me has a unique interface that consists of a small widget, similar to a chat messenger app. (Source: GetApp)

Join.me is a cloud-based conference meeting collaboration tool that features a widget-like user interface to make creating or joining meetings simple.

Key features of the software include:

  • Audio and videoconferencing through VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) through optional toll-free numbers.

  • Conference calls, which can be created on desktop and mobile devices such as iOS and Android.

  • Screen sharing, including the ability to share PowerPoint presentations and notes to increase collaboration between meeting attendees.

  • Mobile Whiteboard (for iOS devices only) lets attendees share on-screen notes while conferencing.

What makes join.me unique?

Join.me claims to be popular among both startups and Fortune 500 companies, because of its ease of use. This is likely due to the simple widget-like design, which lets users create and join meetings, screen share, and swap between presenters.

The tool also features bank-level encryption with 256-bit Transport Layer Security (TLS), which means all data sent or received on join.me is secure, and your important information can't be breached.

In addition, the Business and Pro subscription plans of join.me allow users to share a customized private room link, which ensures that only invited attendees have access.

Join.me pricing

Join.me offers 14-day free trial of the Pro plan; when the trial expires, users have the option to continue using the Free plan or upgrade to a paid plan.

The solution is available in the following plans:

  • Free: For up to three participants, available for free download.

  • Pro: For up to 50 participants, priced at $20 per user per month (when billed annually). Receive a discount for more users, for example, for five users, the price is $16.99 per user per month.

  • Business: For up to 250 participants, priced at $30 per user per month (when billed annually).

For nonprofits, the Pro plan is $13 per user per month, and the Business plan is $20 per user per month.

Join.me comparisons

Compare join.me to other small business conference meeting solutions by checking out GetApp's join.me alternatives.

Zoho Meeting

Caption: Zoho Meeting's user interface dashboard hosted through a web browser. The solution allows users to screen share and invite participants through a unique link or email. (Source: GetApp)

Zoho Meeting is a browser-based web conferencing solution that lets you host online meetings to conference with team members across locations and host meetings with clients for marketing or sales purposes.

Key features of the solution include:

  • Screen sharing with multiple users

  • Multiple platform support, including desktop, mobile (iPhone only), and browser

  • Integrations with G Suite apps such as Google Calendar and other Google products

  • Instant messaging/chat

  • Ability to record audio or videoconference meetings and share the link

  • RSVP notifications

  • Meeting scheduling with multiple language and time zone support

What makes Zoho Meeting unique?

Zoho Meeting offers what it calls "smart collaboration," which integrates audio conferencing, live chat, and screen sharing to improve the collaborative meeting experience.

Zoho Meeting also provides multilanguage support and helps users automatically schedule meetings according to attendees' time zones.

The solution focuses on hosting meetings in a web browser with no downloads or plug-ins required. This sets it apart from other platforms, which are often offered as desktop applications.

Zoho Meeting pricing

The solution is available for a 30-day trial for any of the following five pricing plans:

  • Starter: For up to five participants, priced at $10 per host per month when billed annually ($12 per host per month with monthly billing).

  • Basic: For up to 10 participants, priced at $14 per host per month when billed annually ($18 per host per month with monthly billing).

  • Standard: For up to 25 participants, priced at $19 per host per month when billed annually ($24 per host per month with monthly billing).

  • Premium: For up to 50 participants, priced at $28 per host per month when billed annually ($35 per host per month with monthly billing).

  • Enterprise: For up to 100 participants, priced at $39 per host per month when billed annually ($49 per host per month with monthly billing).

Zoho Meeting also offers a free plan for up to five participants with limited features and no downloads required.

Zoho Meeting comparison

If you are looking for a dedicated conference meeting solution that can be hosted on your web browser, then Zoho Meeting should be on your shortlist.

You can compare Zoho Meeting to other small business conference meeting solutions by checking out GetApp's Zoho Meeting alternatives.

Zoom

Caption: Videoconferencing interface of Zoom with options to screen share, chat, present, and more. (Source: Zoom.us)

Zoom is an enterprise videoconferencing and web conferencing solution that allows users to host meetings online in HD with high quality audio for up to 500 video participants.

Key features of the solution include:

  • Desktop screen sharing during videoconferences along with collaboration features such as chat.

  • Ability to record and store video meetings in MP4 and MP4A quality on the cloud with autogenerated transcripts.

  • Videoconferencing with co-annotation and whiteboarding.

  • Breakout rooms for videoconferencing with a dedicated URL that can be shared with other participants.

  • Attention indicator that alerts attendees while a participant is speaking.

What makes Zoom unique?

With a maximum participant limit of 500, Zoom hosts the highest number of participants in a conference compared to its competitors.

Zoom has also been named a Leader in Gartner's 2017 Magic Quadrant for Meeting Solutions, and it ranks third on Capterra's Top 20 Most Popular Web Conferencing Software list.

According to the solution's website more than 750,000 companies use Zoom, and it has a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 69, based on a third-party survey, which yielded the following findings:

  • Ninety-four percent indicate that the solution is easier to deploy and more user-friendly than competitors.

  • Ninety-two percent claim that Zoom offers higher video quality than its competitors.

  • Eighty-seven percent indicate that the solution is more reliable in terms of always connecting a videoconference.

  • Seventy-five percent state that Zoom helped increase their business productivity by approximately 40 percent.

Zoom pricing

Zoom offers the following pricing plans:

  • Basic: Free

  • Pro: Priced at $12.49 per month when billed annually ($14.99 per month per host with monthly billing).

  • Business: Priced at $19.99 per month per host for a minimum of 10 hosts and up to 100 participants (save $400 per year when billed annually).

  • Enterprise: Priced at $19.99 per month per host for a minimum of 100 hosts and up to 200 participants.

Additional participants (up to 500) can be added to the Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans for an additional fee.

Zoom also offers software-based comprehensive conference room solutions:

  • Zoom Rooms: Priced at $49 per month per room; offers audio integration, wireless sharing, remote participation, and more.

  • H.323 Room Connector (gateway for H.323 and SIP devices): $49 per month per room.

In addition, there is a video webinar service offered for $40 per month per host for up to 100 attendees.

You can also choose from add-ons such as Zoom's Audio plan, priced at $100 per month to reduce the cost of international calls, and the Cloud Recording Storage Plan for $0.4 per GB per month for additional storage space for recorded videos.

Zoom comparisons

You can compare Zoom to other conference meeting solutions by checking out Capterra's 20 Most Popular Web Conferencing Software and Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Meeting Solutions for 2017 (full report available to Gartner clients).

Let us help you make a decision

Save time and get even more information about these, and other conferencing meeting software solutions on GetApp.com. You can compare features, reviews, and pricing by using the following resources:

avatar
About the author

Abhishek Singh

Analyst Team Lead
Hey there, I’m Abhishek Singh. I’m a team lead at GetApp. I bring you insights about accounting and finance and manage a team of writers and content analysts. I studied at University of Delhi and have more than 10 years of experience in content writing, editing, and team management. Home base: New Delhi; 2 things about me: Love coffee, and enjoy watching and reading sci-fi movies and novels. The 3 tech trends I think you should keep an eye on: AI, blockchain, and the internet of things.
Visit author's page