6 software for online meeting, best online conferencing

If you suddenly work at home or a remote location, you'll miss interacting with others. Video conferencing can help, by allowing you to talk face to face, through the screen.

Fortunately, there are many free online conferencing software you can use to connect.

Google Hangouts

Support : Maximum of 10 participants in unlimited time.

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If you have a Google account, you have access to Google Hangouts. For free Gmail and G Suite Basic customers, Google Hangouts allows up to 10 people to chat in a video call. The service also supports simultaneous voice chat and allows people to join the conference via email or shareable link.

In response to the Corona virus crisis, Google has relaxed some restrictions on all G Suite and G Suite for Education customers. Currently customers can hold online conferences with up to 250 participants until July 1, 2020.

Other enterprise-class features available to all G Suite customers include the ability to stream videos up to 100,000 viewers in a domain, record and save meetings directly to Google Drive.

You can use Google Hangouts in most web browsers or through the Google Hangouts app for iPhone and Android.

CISCO Webex Meetings

Support : Maximum 100 participants in unlimited time.

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CISCO is a name often associated with expensive enterprise products, beyond the capabilities of ordinary users. Webex is the company's online conferencing solution, comes with a powerful free option.

This app allows up to 100 people to participate in a call. There is no limit to the number of calls you can make and you get 1GB of cloud storage with a free account. There are also features like screen sharing, video recording and file sharing.

Webex allows users in up to 52 countries to use standard phones to join any conference. Participants who want to use their webcam can choose from websites, desktop apps or mobile apps for iPhone and Android.

Zoom Meetings

Support : Up to 100 participants in 40 minutes.

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Zoom is a complete set of online conferencing tools for business-class users, with attractive free options. Users with free accounts can hold online meetings for up to 100 participants, but meetings of 3 or more members are limited to 40 minutes.

You can upgrade to a paid plan to eliminate these restrictions or simply keep your meeting brief. There is no limit to the number of meetings you can hold, so you can hold a new call after the limit has been reached.

Zoom allows people to participate via the web, dedicated apps, browser extensions and mobile devices using iPhone and Android apps. Users can call by phone if they need it. Free users can also record video or audio locally and share screens with other participants.

Skype

Support : Maximum of 50 participants in unlimited time.

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Skype is a popular VoIP application that most users have heard of. It is suitable for conferencing between small groups of up to 50 people and is completely free. The company rolled out an expanded video calling feature in April 2019, improving the previous 25-member limit.

The main drawback to using Skype in this way is that each participant will need to register and download Skype (for desktop or mobile device).

Skype includes a useful cloud-based call recording feature that any member can activate. The app notifies other participants that the call is being recorded, and allows users to save and share the record for up to 30 days.

FreeConference

Support : Up to 5 video call participants and 1000 audio call participants in unlimited time.

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Contrary to what the name of the software suggests, FreeConference is not a free service. It is a premium service with a suitable free option, which can be helpful in some cases. For online conferencing, FreeConference only supports up to 5 participants in the free option.

However, what makes FreeConference shine is its ability to support up to 1,000 participants when making phone calls. The service also takes a software-free approach to video calling, allowing most users to connect only to the browser.

FreeConference also provides mobile applications for iPhone and Android. Unfortunately, no call recording is possible, unless you're ready to upgrade to a premium plan.

Jitsi

Support : An unlimited number of participants for an unlimited time.

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Jitsi is a 100% free and open source project with a great set of features. You can choose between using the Jitsi version hosted at meet.jit.si or downloading and hosting your own online conferencing solution for more flexible use.

Notably, the service is theoretically not limited to the number of participants. This service supports screen sharing and has mobile applications for iPhone, Android (plus F-Droid package).

To record the Jitsi conference, you can stream it to YouTube and then share it with everyone or just download the file to stay safe.

There are no advanced options for Jitsi.