Virtual meeting platforms have become one of the most important software solutions in modern history. Both remote and hybrid teams rely on them to communicate with colleagues, clients, customers, and other stakeholders around the world.
They have broad use cases that cut across all kinds of operations within organizations, including hiring and onboarding, strategy and planning, client relations, events, and project management.
And with the pandemic causing travel restrictions and increasing the adoption of remote work, more individuals and organizations are recognizing the benefits of virtual meeting platforms.
But every online meeting platform has unique features that make it better suited to different teams. So, you want to make sure that the platform you select is right for your team and its needs.
In this article, we will help make your selection easier by highlighting:
Let’s dive in!
Even though what you need in a virtual meeting platform might vary depending on your team's needs, structure, and operations, the following are basic things to look for:
The following are the top virtual meeting platforms:
Zoom is one of the best-known cloud-based video conferencing services. With an estimated 300 million daily meeting participants, Zoom helps teams all over the world host various activities, including meetings, webinars, and events.
Zoom ticks all the boxes on all the key features of a virtual meeting platform. It also has additional features that distinguish it as a best-in-class virtual meeting software, including its meeting recording and captioning options for users.
But these services have limitations, such as accurately transcribing some accents and the quality of the live recordings. So, using a third-party meeting management software like Airgram, which offers these functions and more, is advisable.
Zoom also has live streaming options that allow you to broadcast your video on Youtube Live and Facebook Live so that you can reach a larger audience.
It also has breakout rooms that make splitting participants in a meeting into smaller groups possible. This is often used for virtual events to facilitate group discussions, panel sessions, and networking.
In addition to its more serious features, Zoom has fun features like virtual backgrounds and “Touch Up My Appearance” that offer you quick fixes when you need them.
Zoom’s main selling points are its wide feature set and inclusive pricing structure that makes it suitable for a broad range of teams and video conferencing needs.
Free - $240 annually.
Microsoft Teams is a part of the Microsoft 365 line of products designed to help individuals and teams collaborate and work better.
It has an impressive collection of features including a dashboard, calendar, messaging, contact sync, and file sharing that makes it function as both a video conferencing platform and a workspace.
You can invite participants to meetings by copying and sharing the invite link on any messaging platform of your choice or by sending an invite via Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, or email.
Meetings are equipped with screen sharing, noise minimization, transcription, privacy, control-sharing, and reporting features to deliver high-quality meetings. Its whiteboard functions are also better than most other alternative apps. This makes collaborating and brainstorming for remote and hybrid teams more efficient.
Another noteworthy function is the Together Mode which allows users to view all participants side-by-side as if they’re in the same place. There are different backgrounds you can choose from. It’s a cool feature that makes the meeting more engaging.
Microsoft Teams stands out for its easy access and visualization features, such as joining as a guest without signing up on the platform, spotlighting important participants and the together mode.
Free - $150 annually
Google Meet is another well-known video conferencing platform. It is Google’s solution for remote and hybrid teams.
Google Meet does not require users to go through a special sign-up process once they have a Gmail account. You can simply start a meeting by creating one on your Gmail account or Google Calendar. You can invite participants with an automated email or share the unique meeting link with them via any messaging platform.
Like Zoom, Google Meet also has video recording and live transcription tools. But it too isn’t always adequate and requires a third-party meeting management tool.
Overall, Google Meet is a great video conferencing platform for businesses of different sizes.
Google Meet has one of the most useful feature sets among competitors on its free plan and does not require a special sign-up process.
Another major selling point is the impressive background noise filter function on its paid plans.
Free to custom pricing
Skype has one of the most diverse feature sets of all the platforms reviewed in this article. It might be inaccurate to regard it simply as a video conferencing platform because it is more than that.
Skype supports multi-channel communication for individuals and teams with its video conferencing, messaging, and call functions across different devices - including landlines.
Its interface is clear and intuitive. This makes the entire process of signing up and starting meetings easier. However, you can still start a meeting and add participants without signing up.
Skype meetings allow up to 100 participants on a call - making it a better fit for small and medium organizations and teams.
Skype is quite different from most video conferencing platforms because it was designed originally for personal calls. So, while many of its unique functions reflect this, they are also quite useful for businesses and teams.
Subscription varies across regions
Zoho Meeting is one of the best meeting and web conferencing platforms for businesses.
It combines audio and video conferencing, screen sharing, and chat functions to help teams communicate and collaborate easily. It also has a basic in-app note-taking feature and template that can help make your note-taking more efficient.
Zoho caters to the needs of organizations of different sizes and can accommodate up to 3,000 participants. Its pricing tiers also ensure that teams can both pay for the participant volume they have and scale when they need to.
Zoho Meeting helps you keep your webinars and meetings secure with its admission permission and lock meeting functions. But this control does not exclusively have to be one person’s responsibility. The host can give control to another participant during the meeting.
Zoho Meeting main stand-out feature is its simple and enjoyable interface.
Free - $196 annually for 25 attendees.
You will be required to pay $3,600 annually to host up to 3000 attendees, which is the maximum attendee number.
Webex has some things in common with Microsoft Teams. Like Microsoft Teams, it is a part of a line of products designed for teams.
It has a dashboard and messaging function. It also has a Teams feature that allows you directly message team members or create spaces to manage your team communication and work.
Webex meetings have added functions for collaboration within teams such as breakout rooms, whiteboards, and control sharing and guarantee high-quality meetings including low bandwidth requirements and HD video display.
Webex's commitment to diversity and inclusion is noteworthy. With the real-time translation add-on, you can enable live translation by selecting one of the 13 spoken languages for your meeting or webinar to be translated into more than 100 other languages in closed captions.
You also have an array of skin tones to select from for your animated reaction emojis. This is both fun and considerate of different racial identities.
Webex distinguishes itself from close alternatives with its advanced security features and customizable attendee figure.
Free to custom pricing
As important as selecting the right meeting platform is to having high-quality and productive meetings, what happens during the meeting is more important.
You need to pay attention to structuring your meetings using the right meeting template, highlighting important talk points, staying on course, keeping participants engaged, and leaving with clarity on the next steps.
Meeting productivity software like Airgram can help make achieving this easier.
You also need to ask the right questions to get the conversation started and keep it on what is important. The questions you ask might be determined by the type of meeting, how familiar you are with the participants, or what you hope to achieve at the end of the meeting.
These articles offer great examples of questions you can ask and when they are appropriate:
50 Ice Breaker Questions for Virtual Meetings
94 Important One-on-One Meeting Questions for Managers and Employees
Virtual meeting platforms are video applications and software that serve as a point of convergence for individuals and teams to discuss online.
Most people agree that Zoom is the overall best virtual meeting platform.
It ticks all the boxes of what you should look for in a virtual meeting platform and edges out close competitors with its price point, consistent performance across all devices, feature set, and scalability.
The most important thing to consider when you should consider is what you and your team needs. This will guide you on what features you should prioritize when making your selection.
