THE BEST VIDEO MEETING APPS IN 2020
The global lockdown has challenged businesses to find new ways of working, and it’s no surprise that video collaboration apps have exploded in popularity.
There are so many choices—so which is the best video conferencing software for your business? The answer depends on how you work and who you work with.
Zoom
In the past few months, Zoom has probably gained the highest profile of all the video meeting platforms, with a massive surge in popularity. This growth was quickly followed by increasing concerns about its security, with many corporates choosing to restrict use of the app by their employees. Zoom claims to have addressed these security issues in its latest update. The free account has a 40-minute time limit, but schools can now apply to have this limit removed.
Teams
While Microsoft Teams is available as a free standalone app, its killer feature is integration with the Microsoft 365 suite, which allows you to share and collaborate on documents while you video conference with your colleagues. Full integration does require a paid 365 business subscription. For organisations that already have the MS Office suite embedded in their workflow, Teams makes good business sense.
Skype
The original video calling app with a vast number of users worldwide, Microsoft has positioned Skype as a tool for personal use; however, it does have the ability for conference calls of up to 50 people, as well as chat and file sharing features. Pre-installed on many laptops and PCs as part of Windows 10—Skype is a good option for connecting with users who may be less tech-savvy or reluctant to install new software.
Hangouts/Meet
While Google has a dominant influence in many of the internet’s essential services—it’s fair to say video collaboration is not one of them. Google actually has three overlapping services: Hangouts, Meet and Duo. Hangouts is predominantly a chat service with an option to make video calls up to groups of 25 people. Meet is Google’s business-oriented video meeting service, and it is more integrated into their G Suite range of apps. Duo is primarily for one-on-one video calls, although it does allow group calls (up to 12 people). Duo’s best feature is the ability to make video calls between iOS and Android devices.
Rooms
A little late to the party is Facebook, who will be rolling out their Messenger Rooms service soon. We can expect to see Rooms integrated into Messenger, Facebook, Instagram and even possibly WhatsApp. Facebook’s ability to leverage all their social media platforms and offer a single unified video meeting solution will make ‘Rooms’ one to watch in the near future.
Discord
Ultimately, the best video meeting app is the one that most of your audience is already using. For example, Discord has a strong following in the gaming community, with a predominantly younger user base. For a business such as a game developer wanting to reach out to customers and followers, using Discord helps establish credibility with your target market.
GoToMeeting
Most of the apps we’ve looked at so far have a focus on business or personal group meetings. GoToMeeting aims to provide companies with a complete communication service, including VoIP calling, Cloud PBX and call centre functions. They also offer webinar features that allow you to create a more structured presentation for training or education.
Slack
Slack has taken the approach of ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’. Their service allows you to connect with external video conferencing apps like Teams, Skype, Zoom and Hangouts, which broadens the options for collaboration. Slack is a good option for communication between companies, using shared channels to discuss specific topics.
BigBlueButton
If your organisation’s primary focus is online training and education, BigBlueButton is an open-source web conferencing system that includes video features. Originally a virtual classroom platform designed to integrate with Learning Management Systems (LMS), BigBlueButton is now a standalone server-based app. So companies seeking more control over their web conference data can effectively set up their own video conferencing service, with complete control.
Conclusion
There is no shortage of video meeting apps available in the marketplace, and each platform has its strengths and weaknesses. Before choosing one, we recommend you assess your needs and priorities. Are privacy and security paramount? Is cost a factor?
As a video production company, we suggest you look for an application that allows you to capture high-quality recording of important video meetings. These can be a valuable resource that you can use to create professional video content. Offing Media can advise you on the best options for recording live video and how you can incorporate it into your next professional video production.