GoToWebinar Reviews

Pros
GoToWebinar is very easy to use in setting up webinar sessions, adding dial-in numbers for other countries, and downloading both reports (Q&A, attendance) and the webinar videos. Also, the cost is very competitive compared to other webinar services.

Cons
Since LogMeIn purchased GoToWebinar a couple of years ago, we've experienced a huge increase in technical snafus - the audio line for presenters dropping without notice, the recording of a live webinar suddenly stopping in mid-session with no warning, etc. Despite our ongoing requests for tech support to fix these issues, they continue happening. Also, the new tech support teams that came on when LogMeIn bought the company don't seem to know the GoToWebinar product well at all. We can hear them on our tech support calls flipping pages looking for answers, and in many cases we've had to help them by giving them answers to questions such as where to find the Past Events on our account screens. :( We were told by tech support today that, because GoToWebinar has gone completely web based, the company has only a 24-hour window to track and fix any tech problems with a webinar before the data files for that live session disappear forever. Overall, we've noticed a huge drop off in tech support quality for a company that was once the gold standard for webinars. :(

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 2/10

Pros
The most I like in GoToWebinar Tool is: 1. We can host webinars easily with a single click 2. We can also have automated templates which we can send it to all registrants 3. We can also send reminder emails to all registrants and attendees 4. We can track individual webinar analytics and can generate reports based on that 5. We can also do the practice (Dry run) before going live with the webinar so as to check the webinar goes smoothly 6. We can record the live webinar and can have a copy of it stored in webinar dashboard in this GoToWebinar Tool 7. We can re-record hosted webinar if in case there are any necessary changes that can be implemented

Cons
There are no cons about GoToWebinar Tool at present as I'm totally satisfied with it completely :)

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
The software was easy to learn and the user interface is intuitive. Features were easily accessible and icons were self explanatory to any person who grew up in the age of smart phones and the internet. I was able to launch the webinar without any prior training and hosted my very first webinar ever without a hitch. GoTo Webinar has the ability to keep track of attendees' engagement, record presentations, poll the audience, generate analytics, switch between presenters and speakers/ panelists seamlessly. The platform is also nice because attendees can join the webinar without downloading software, they just simply click on a link that can be emailed through an automated system or a traditional URL. We had attendees on mobile devices, tablets (ipads), etc. so it's a pretty versatile platform.

Cons
Some features can only be unlocked by increasing the membership tier. The basic subscription is already pretty pricey and does not have access to many of the "premium" features such as embedded videos and maximum number of attendees and available registration slots.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 7/10

Pros
There is one thing that really sets GoToWebinar apart from the competition in my opinion. First, if you subscribe to GoToWebinar Pro, you can pre-record and fully automate your webinars. If you run webinars in a timezone that's 12 hours behind or ahead of you, it's a HUGE lifesaver to be able to record a webinar a month in advance and have a fully-automated version of it run during the middle of the night when you're sleeping warm and happy at home. There's zero manual input required to run a recorded webinar which is amazing. Simply schedule the webinar, invite people to attend, and it's all done for you! Do see my note below regarding the one downside to recorded webinars with Goto. In general, GoToWebinar seems to have the largest number of native integrations (integrations that don't require you to cobble something together with a third-party API connector). From every other standpoint, I'd say GoToWebinar is on par with most solutions out there.

Cons
There are some quirks related to the setup of webinars that can be a bit frustrating and the customization of the webinar landing pages and emails is so minimal that it might as well be non-existent. Basically you slap your logo on the email and that's where the customization ends. For recorded webinars, there's one big downside. You need to have the recording of the webinar done at the time that you schedule the webinar. This means that if you are planning to record a webinar in a month, you'll have to schedule the recorded version at a later date. We get around this now by hosting the recorded webinars one month after the original, however it would be much better if you could simply create a standard webinar, and change it to a recorded one after it's already been created. A little pricey compared to some of the competition, but a LOT more affordable than others.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
- We can invite more people to join a live webinar before start the meeting. - It is vet easy to connect to webinar meeting. With a few simple clicks from an email we can connect to meeting without any interference and hurdles in between. - With the good speed of internet connection you can have a video with good call quality and clear vision. - You can record the session too for future use and train more people with the same recording without repeating those things twice. - Good software to conduct remote meetings with geographically distant colleagues. - We can share screen too, so that other people will get more idea about what we want them to understand. - You can transfer the rights of sharing of the screen too. - you can submit the feedback after end of meeting for better improvements.

Cons
- This platform stuck and freeze more often compare to other remote meeting tools. - If you do not have an accurate internet connection, then there is no use of this tool. - The incident had happened to us that we were around 10 people in a meeting and not a single person was able to hear another person’s voice. Even after login and logout several times in tool. At last we had to switch that meets on another tool. - We have to wait outside the main meeting page if the organizer is late.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
GoToWebinar was useful for conducting training webinars for large groups because of the ability to easily invite participants prior to the event, with the option to remind invitees of the event from an internal feature of the program. Following the webinar it was valuable to be able to access the roster of those who attended, along with their contact information. This was aided me in providing incentives to attendees and to follow up on the event. While conducting the webinar, the features within GoToWebinar allowed me to track who had their GoToWebinar window at the forefront of their screen (who was perhaps fully paying attention!), monitor and answer questions that came in through the question window, administer survey questions, and provide participants with downloads of PDF and Word documents.

Cons
As opposed to GoToMeeting, I did not like that (although it was easy to invite participants) each attendee had to register for the webinar rather than simply click on a link to access it. Many people did not receive a confirmation for this as the email was sent to their spam rather than to their inbox, causing a breakdown in communication.

Rating breakdown

Pros
GoToWebinar is a fantastic service if you're looking to present to a large group of people. You have the ability for your clients to interact with the seminar in the event that you want to make sure your employees attend the meeting. I have never had a GoToWebinar disconnect from the internet, even very poor connections can handle GoToWebinar. I have setup and hosted many different seminars and GoToWebinar has to be at the top of my list.

Cons
My cons come from troubleshooting GoToWebinars inside a restricted network. More than likely you'll have to make sure all your users can run GoToWebinar on their computers/laptops. This can raise questions if you're monitoring what sites are whitelisted on your network. There was also a big limitation on users accessing GoToWebinar with Group Policy restrictions. The launcher will more than likely trigger your policy if you limit the programs your employees are allowed to run. This only applies to users who run the software while on the domain. Otherwise GoToWebinar is a fantastic service.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
GoToWebinar is a fantastic tool to host online webinars. It is pretty straightforward to get started. You can sign up in the software very quickly and begin organising great webinars. The best feature which I liked the most about GoToWebinar is that we can send live questionnaire about the concept or theme of the webinar or we can directly talk to them about any issue faced during that time. In this manner, we get complete control over the webinar. There are cases when someone is not able to attend a webinar due to some reason. In GoToWebinar, we can have a recorded copy of the webinar directly stored in our dashboard and then, we can also share the link with the participants of the webinar who were not present at the time it was being broadcasted. They can watch them through that link. It automatically sends the webinar reminder to all the attendees just a few minutes before the webinar starts.

Cons
One thing which I would like to mention is to keep the chats scrolling automatically just like in the case of YouTube. Sometimes, when I am taking coding cases, I would like to see the code on the webinar attendee's screen to correct or debug the code. So, I would love to see a video conferencing type feature to be added.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
What I liked most about GoToWebinar's software is that when we were putting together a presentation, it allowed us to invite hundreds of people. We were presenting to various sister hotels and knew we would have a large group that would exceed that of GoToMeeting's capacity, and I believe GoToWebinar had a limit of 1000 attendees at the time, which was more than we needed, but great to know we had the flexibility to invite more. It was also super helpful that attendees had to register to attend, allowing us to see exactly how many people were actually opening their invitations and interested in attending. Once we saw a general estimate of how many people would attend, we could tailor our presentation to make it more generic vs specific in order to address a larger group. The reporting functionality is by far the best feature for us as a sales team. We could see who came, who did the polls, how interested the attendees were, and poll results. It was eye opening for us to see that although we had a large turnout, the interest wasn't as great as we had expected. From that experience, we were able to analyze and re-evaluate the content of our next presentation based off of feedback we received.

Cons
I was a sales manager using the software so this didn't apply to me, but I do know that the GM did not like how expensive it was. He would often complain about the cost, but it wasn't enough for us to get rid of the software because we valued the information we gathered while using it.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
As a HubSpot user, the integration with our CRM is one of the best things about GoTo. Generating new leads and tracking them throughout the sales cycle is key to tracking ROI and this duo is great for that. It also allows us to connect to forms and lead capture popups so it's even easier to generate leads for webinars. The platform itself also gives you a decent amount of analytics and insights into webinar engagement, easy access to recordings, etc.

Cons
The presenter control panel is a little archaic and not super intuitive but you get used to it over time. It would also be great if the Q&A section in this panel was also a little more user-friendly. It's not uncommon we have more than one person on the back end typing answers to questions/helping the presenter moderate so having a way to 'claim' or 'assign' an inbound question during a webinar would be very useful.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 7/10

Pros
I have worked as a Administrative Coordinator for quite some time and I am familiar with the GoToWebinar platform. I was scheduling online and video conferences for my company's managers and our customers. This platform it's very user-friendly, can be learned in an instance, it's easy to manage and does not require IT support or expertise, it is simple to enter a webinar without worrying about any system requirements. The process of signing up and getting started with the platform was very quick and easy. The webinars can also be recorded and watched later. GoToWebinar it's a wonderful tool for spreading knowledge.

Cons
I can't think of anything that I immediately wish was different. I've never experienced any glitches while using GoToWebinar and overall have had a positive experience.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I love the functionality within the webinar. How you can chat one on one or send it to all the viewers. I like how multiple people can come on as hosts and respond to questions. Love how you can put out handouts and the recording sets to the cloud upon starting.

Cons
I don't love the new layout. It was much easier for me to use it based on the old view, which I still use. I also wish it wouldn't attach a recording automatically to the registration page and you have to manually pull it off.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
I like how easy it is to send out meeting invitations to invitees. This software has made it much easier for us to have conference calls with our clients, especially being able to share screens and change presenters.

Cons
Some features are confusing and feel a bit antiquated. For example, I am the admin and I usually set up the meetings for the agency partners. Every time they have a meeting scheduled, I get the invite on my computer to start the meeting, in order for them to sign in. Perhaps user error, but I haven't found a help button on how to automatically start the meeting at the scheduled time.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
From a business perspective, GoToWebinar works - with about 3-4 webinars per week, we rarely had a problem. It's a solid platform, and it just works. I also like that people can call into the webinar.

Cons
It's pretty ugly. It's one of those platforms where I have to spend a few days training a client how to use it. There's so many buttons and features tucked away. Competitors It's also pretty expensive for most users, especially with alternatives like Facebook Live, Google Hangouts, etc.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 7/10

Pros
What don't I like is a better question. The software is flexible, user friendly, and it seems the engineers thought of everything. It takes some practice to get the hang of it, especially if you are the host and/or co-host and plan to change hosting roles in the middle of a meeting; nevertheless it is one of the best tools of its kind I've worked with and well worth the money. There are so many features from how you schedule meetings through video versus audio only, recording options, sharing screens or documents and even creating documents in the presentation. It's a fabulous tool to support business. Also customer service is amazing - I had an emergency 5 minutes before a meeting was about to start and called for help. The rep was able to get me up and running in time for the meeting.

Cons
The cost can be prohibitive for non-profits, which is what I mostly consult with, however, they have (at least in the past) priced for non-profits and/or you can typically find discounts through other sources.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
1. Our company uses GotoWebinar for hosting quarterly update calls and all hands meetings 2. It is a slick application that has useful features such as muting or unmuting all or few. 3. Attendees can virtually raise hands in the app by pressing a button when they are muted by organizer and when they want to speak. 4. Users can send private messages to one another or can send group messages or broadcast messages to everyone. 5. It has screen sharing and Video camera option too. 6. It has lot of toll free and local numbers from almost all of the countries to dial in 7. Phone app is equally great to dial in and has a calling ability as well. 8. No need of hosting this software in local premises. It is available as a software service.

Cons
I have no complaints about this software.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
We have used a lot of web conferencing tools at my company and GoToWebinar/GoToMeeting is the best of the bunch. It's by far the easiest to use. Setting up a webinar is a breeze, adding panelist and organizers is easy and the few features such as playing recorded webinars makes my team's job much, much easier.

Cons
Like all web conferencing software, connectivity can be an issue. We have experienced dropped calls, people being unable to log in, loaded videos not playing. This can be frustrating; however, GoToWebinar has far less issues than any of the other products we've used (On24, Webex, Teams).

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
We moved to GoToWebinar from GoToMeeting to save on costs. Though we've lost some features such as ability to draw on whiteboards, remaining set of features was sufficient for us. A pleasant surprise for me was ability to make surveys during the webinar as well as useful statistics available at the end (such as number of participants and survey results).

Cons
I had a few cases when the app hanged at the end of webinar so I was unable to save the recording. Also sometimes we needed to make some other attendees as presenter so he/she can share files and that was impossible.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
- Easy to create events and inviting people - Options for muting everyone to reduce background noise and only presenters can speak - option for users to provide individual feedback after the session - Webinar recording quality is commendable - Desktop and phone app are pretty stable

Cons
- Need to run desktop version instead of web to get full experience otherwise user is limited with options - Sometimes i have experienced sharing and audio issues

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
It's incredibly reliable. There's no other webinar software on the market that is as reliable as GoToWebinar. Visit a webinar from your computer, and the GTW app installs. There's a GTW app for those on mobile devices and you can dial in. I also love their cloud recording.

Cons
At least 2% of our visitors ALWAYS have audio or video problems. I know it has to do with their set-up, but it's a hiccup. (Note - with other webinar software, it's significantly waaay higher). There's just also too many freakin' buttons when you're a host. We had to spend a few days training our clients how to use it before we let them loose. I hate that a user has to sign up to watch a webinar replay. I wish that GTW had a 'stream to browser' mode, like Twitch or Youtube.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 6/10

Pros
What I enjoy more from this platform is that it is extremely easy to use and set up. It allows you to broadcast trainings/webinars with external parties or internal teams in different locations. The quality of the sessions is usually very good and the platform is not buggy and does not freeze often. During webinars it is difficult to keep the attention of the attendees, but this tool offers your options to keep the attention of your public during the whole session. You can implement pools and quizzes during your lecture and also get an idea of the level of knowledge or profiling your crowd during trainings.

Cons
Price is definitely a pain point as is high, quality for this features remains the best do far. The issue is that lately many other platforms are implementing the same extras then gotowebinar for lower price and I have not seen any new impressive feature from this platform to keep justifying to use it instead of competitors. Hope to see some extras that worth the price soon.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
The best thing about GoToWebinar is that I am able to participate in webinars from all over the country. As an educator, I'm always looking for the best information and how I can apply that knowledge to my specific work. The information and resources I have access to locally doesn't compare with what's available on a national level. GoToWebinar allows me to gain information way cheaper through webinars verses flying out of state to attend a conference. It saves a lot of money, time, and resources. Not only does it expand my scope as a participant but as a presenter it allows my information to penetrate much further than a conference room or auditorium!

Cons
This software is very conducive to PowerPoint presentations and slides with a presenter but is harder to navigate for a presentation where you want more interaction and collaboration. There is a chat feature but I don't find that to be a very effective tool for activities such as brainstorming.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
We conduct about 2-3 webinars per month, soliciting both customers and prospects to our online events. We've run into some issues and difficulties, specifically around capturing, encoding, and accessing video but have enjoyed a positive experience overall. I love the fact we can capture registrations through our marketing automation platform and pass the registration details on to GoToWebinar via a simple application connector. The ease of use around integration makes for very easy setup, execution, and follow-up. The reporting features have gotten much better over the years, with the ability to glean helpful insights regarding things like attendee engagement much easier than they used to be.

Cons
The ability to brand your webinars is somewhat limited, with only a single template and limited information that can be provided for items like the opening screen attendees see while on hold. Similarly, the branding associated with reminder and follow-up emails is very limited, forcing us to use our our platform for promotion and follow-up.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
This is a great webinar tool if you’re conducting regular run-of-the-mill webinars and do not need sophisticated features or the ability to integrate with other technologies

Cons
Customer support and their sales model went through some changes recently after they merged, and I’ve been disappointed with the results. Customer support Is not that great and will usually end up referring you to your account management team and sales. team who spent most of the time trying to sell other products and not a lot of time actually solving the problem at hand.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 5/10

Pros
GoToWebinar makes it so simple to setup all of our webinars for current customers and new customer we're onboarding. They've recently updated their design to a fresh new look that's even more intuitive to use. They have lots of powerful reports and allow you to create surveys and easily run polls.

Cons
Their Help Center was a bit lacking with a few questions I had, however when I called their support team I got a pretty quick answer and they were able to answer all of my questions easily.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10