Over the past few years, video conferencing has become a great necessity. Following the coronavirus pandemic and the institution of remote work, more companies have had to rely on video conferencing for their meetings and different other sessions. Luckily, there was a growing trend of people ditching traditional meetup sessions in favor of online meetings.
The video conferencing market is expected to grow to $18.5 billion by 2030. As the world continues to evolve, it is more likely that video conferencing will continue to be a trend in both personal and professional life. And if you’re looking to join this bandwagon, here are some of the best tools you can use to get started:
Video conferencing has become a more critical part of daily life. Even unconventional industries like gambling have relied on video conferencing in some way or another. And even outside of work, people have taken advantage of this technology to socialize, enjoy casino games at IgnitionCasino.eu with friends, and stay connected with their family – whether through traditional video chat, together mode, or audio calls.
Zoom
Zoom was perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the shift toward video conferencing. The platform became a hit during the pandemic, and while its growth has slowed, it remains arguably the market leader in video conferencing.
Zoom is perfect for anyone who works remotely and needs to communicate with their team members. It is also especially popular among educators because it is easy to set up and has strong privacy features.
Pros
- Versatility: Zoom is great for everything – from seminars and company meetings to one-on-one sessions and more; it is as flexible as they come.
- Budget-friendly: For anyone who’s on a tight budget, Zoom also offers an impressive free option.
- Recording session: If you have an important meeting or conference you’d want people to be able to rewatch or catch up with later, Zoom provides easy recording.
Cons
- Limited collaboration: Outside of meetings, Zoom still doesn’t offer much in terms of collaboration tools.
- No link saving: Any links shared in Zoom aren’t available for later viewing. So, once the meeting ends, that’s pretty much it.
Google Meet
Another platform that got a much-needed COVID boost was Google Meet. Meet is especially great for companies and conferences since it easily connects to users’ Google accounts. Everyone has a Gmail account – so you can easily connect to Meet and set meetings.
Google Meet is flexible and reliable, providing optimal ease of use as well. Plus, with the ability to add hundreds to thousands of people, it is ideal for any conference, too.
Pros
- Ease of use: Finding a video conferencing platform that is as easy as Meet is challenging. Once you have a Gmail account, you’re pretty much good to go.
- Interactive tools: From the ability to type reactions to being able to raise your hand, Meet makes it easy to express and be heard.
- Collaboration: An integration with Google’s collaborative tools and entire suite makes Meet easy for anyone looking to ensure seamless collaboration.
Cons
- Privacy: Google Meet has yet to crack the privacy puzzle.
- Non-user access: If you don’t have a Gmail account, you won’t be able to use Meet at all.
- Data-intensive: Google Meet carries a significant data requirement that some people might find irksome. Any slight drop in bandwidth could make you out of the call entirely.
Skype
Skype used to be the market leader in video conferencing. But when the pandemic came along it seemed like everyone jumped to its competitors. This doesn’t mean that Skype isn’t great – it’s perfect for small teams, and its versatility across platforms makes it great for having on-the-go meetings.
Pros
- Cross-platform flexibility: Skype provides a seamless experience across platforms.
- Education: Skype has a specific tool called Skype for Education, specially designed for classroom and educational use.
Cons
- Audio quality: Skype has never necessarily been able to crack that audio quality issue. The platform’s audio quality depends significantly on bandwidth, so if you find your connection shaky or run on a low-speed internet service provider (ISP), your audio quality will be significantly affected.
- Data risk: All Skype calls occur over the internet. This means that there is a significant risk that your data can be intercepted. Thus, Skype doesn’t quite score so high on the privacy and security board.
Microsoft Teams
You would think that Microsoft would pour all of its resources into Zoom since it owns the latter. But, the Seattle-based company continues to push for Teams – its in-house video conferencing tool.
As the name suggests, Teams is more geared towards businesses and corporate use. The platform might not be as popular as the other three, but it has certain selling points.
Pros
- Capacity: Teams is especially notable for its capacity. Teams is a great tool to use if you have a seminar or a conference with over 250 attendees. You can include up to 10,000 participants at once, so no stress.
- External use: Teams also allow you to connect with and host anyone outside of your organisation. So, for external functionalities, it is beyond ideal.
- Teams within teams: The platform allows you to seamlessly break your meetings or seminars into groups, each operating autonomously and within each other. Think of them like dedicated conference rooms within an organisation.
Cons
- Permission restrictions: While Teams allows you to share files and other resources, you also don’t have permission to restrict certain people from accessing files, or be able to invite guest users to specific channels.