Alexey Kutsenko
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Sharing information via webinars has become extremely popular in the last decade. The webinar platform, along with webinar software, is a perfect solution for meetings, online learning, consultation, and discussions for businesses of all sizes.
It enables sharing information and getting instant feedback in real-time. The webinar software market is growing fast, and the covid pandemic has made this type of software a must-have.
Webinar software is also popular in sales and marketing. According to statistics, more than 70% of marketers find this tool vital for attracting new clients. A good webinar software tool should support large audiences, audio and video communication, instant messaging, recording, and more.
Below we would like to highlight the best webinar tools so that you can provide the best experience for your audience.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
What is Webinar Software?
Webinar or video conferencing software is a multifunctional platform capable of high-quality video and audio streaming. It’s also capable of two-way communication, and presentations to large audiences.
Often, this software can be used for hosting sales demos, webinars, conferences, educational events, presentations, or other types of online events. It can be browser-based, desktop-based, or both.
Each platform usually offers specific features that are considered comparative advantages, e.g. recording, polls, whiteboards, rooms, invitations, dashboards, etc.
But what are the Top 15 Webinar Software Platforms for 2022?
Microsoft Teams
The Microsoft Teams platform offers tremendous opportunities for workplace cooperation. The scope of its features is constantly increasing – webinars on Microsoft teams can be public (hosting up to 1000 people), or, conducted within a workplace.
The number of occupants can be increased to 20,000 people, but with this, the scope of features will be limited to view only.
The Microsoft Teams tool provides an easy-to-use interface and a basic set of features for webinars. These include screen sharing, downloading presentations (PDF, PPTX), sharing documents with participants, live polling, and recording. Alongside the basic functions, an administrator can customize the webinar registration page, manage and limit attendees’ access, and view the statistical report of a virtual event.
A great thing about webinars on Microsoft Teams is an automatic translation of presentations. These subtitles appear in a variety of languages in real-time – an indispensable feature for international teams.
Google Meet
Similar to every product developed by Google, Google Meets introduces the power of minimalism to its UI. A browser version is accessible via your Google account, so no additional registration is needed to open this software.
Main video conferencing features are available, and the tool is pretty quick and easy at its core. It allows you to invite from 100 to 250 webinar participants, depending on your workplace type.
This webinar tool is free, however, some features are available with premium access: recording, statistics, polls, noise cancellation, breakout rooms, a 24-hour call length, etc. In addition to the main website, a webinar in Google Meet can easily be created when adding an event to your Google Calendar.
Discord
Hosting webinars online is also possible with the Discord app. Available on
browser, desktop, iOS, and Android devices, Discord was initially built for gamers.
Despite this, it offers strong collaboration and organization features, such as voice, video, and text chats. That is why many businesses consider it the main software to use.
It supports streaming for up to 9 users at once, but on a free plan it can accept up to 5,000 voice participants. A priority speaker feature ensures that the meeting host is always heard by participants, no matter how many people are talking.
Discord also offers easy file sharing, but the file size is limited in the free version.
Zoom
Zoom is a dedicated webinar conference software. It can support video from a large number of users with unlimited duration, which makes it a great choice for large conferences or webinars.
The Zoom software can hold up to 100 people in its free version and integrates with your calendar and email applications. To invite any external party, it’s simply a one-click process, thus, making external meetings easy for everyone involved.
Zoom is one of the best webinar recording software with premium access – which you’d want to do if you require HD video quality.
GoToWebinar
GoTo Webinar is one of the pioneers in webinar software, with reliability and stability as its main advantages.
This tool covers all the basic features you would expect from webinar hosting software, whilst providing surveys and questionnaires. It can also collect insights about your audience, and allow you to mute and unmute participants.
GoTo Webinar has great reporting and analytics features so that the moderator is aware of audience attention, retention and questions asked. The drawbacks of this tool are its high price, quite outdated interface, and not very convenient built-in recording functionality…
Zoho Meeting
Zoho Meeting should be mentioned among other webinar solutions. Zoho is a conglomerate of 40+ various products such as CRM, email, recruitment software, financial software, file management, and so forth.
Basically, it is a one-stop solution with many tools – it’s convenient to use as a webinar software and integrate with other Zoho apps.
However, this comprehensive approach works as a drawback – the video quality and speed of the webinar tool leave a lot to be desired. Zoho makes up for this by providing a “Lock Meeting” security feature so that once the meeting starts, no one can interrupt or hack your meeting.
ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting conferencing is a browser-based webinar hosting platform. It brings together about 1,000 people for online conferences, meetings, or product demonstrations, with the price depending on the number of participants.
There is a 30-day free trial period, so you can test the software’s functionality before purchasing. Standard ClickMeeting webinar features include polling, screen sharing, embedded chat, waiting room with agenda, brainstorming board feature, recording, and customizable webinar rooms.
It also provides wide integration opportunities with Dropbox, Microsoft Office, Salesforce, and other third-party software apps. ClickMeeting also comes with open APIs, giving developers the access they need to create integrations with any in-house software or app.
Livestorm
Livestorm is a little-known webinar app. It has customizable settings, a fairly attractive free plan, and an easy-to-use interface.
It can be useful for conducting any kind of online meeting and conference, without the need to download software. It also greatly speeds up processing, making it easier to access events. The user will have speaker, content, and participant management, as well as live and recorded webinars.
This tool is worth trying for hosting webinars online – it solves the problem of instant connectivity, and is easy to use for non-tech-savvy clients. It also provides all the tools for audience feedback analysis.
EasyWebinar
EasyWebinar is a webinar tool with auto webinar and live streaming functions. This software can also be used for live streaming on Youtube.
In addition, there is an instant translation and various engagement features such as polls, suggestions, questions, and answers. Suggestions are a good marketing option, allowing a large call-to-action button with a countdown above the webinar chat window.
There is a 14-day free trial period to find out if this tool is good enough to achieve your business goals. The UI/UX design may look rather dated, but any technical issues are unlikely to arise during your event.
WebinarJam
WebinarJam is an amazing webinar program that hosts up to 5,000 participants. It provides a webinar room where attendees can come once they have registered, offering chats, polls, and suggestions. A customizable workspace, easy setup, automatic email reminders, custom registration pages, recording, and analytics are included too.
In addition, it is possible to invite up to 6 co-representers to the event, with opportunities to integrate third-party software.
One key advantage is the high-quality display of presentations and videos. Without the need for screen sharing, this has a positive impact on the quality of the content presented. There are also ample opportunities to segment and personalize emails to improve your webinar conversions.
Webex
Webex is a webinar online software, with a number of features for business collaboration. Developed by Cisco Systems, this software has features such as automatic transcription, video recording via cloud storage, and secure file sharing.
It’s known as a cloud-based calling platform, with a business messenger solution. The price? Well, that depends on the number of participants and features used. The free plan allows webinars of 50 minutes duration, with up to 100 participants and limited web conferencing capabilities.
It’s worth noting that Webex does not support any third-party integrations.
Crowdcast
Crowdcast offers an alternative way of hosting webinars that has a lot in common with social media. The registration page is similar to a social media website, where you can start a chat before the event even begins.
Demio
Demio is an interactive webinar platform for live and automated events, known for its good user experience and minimalist interface. It has many powerful audience engagements features not available in other tools, making Demio an expert marketing and sales tool.
For example, you can automatically redirect participants to any site at the end of a webinar. In most other tools, users simply leave the chat and webinar window at the end of the event.
Another great feature of Demio is the built-in system check before the broadcast begins. This is to make sure that all your physical assets are running correctly.
Webinar Ninja
Webinar Ninja is another software of all webinar providers that impresses many. Setting up a webinar, for example, takes about a minute. Webinar Ninja offers different types of events: live, automated, hybrid, and webinar series. Each is valuable for different business purposes.
Benefits of Webinar Ninja include easy customization, out-of-the-box templates, and affordable pricing. It is also possible to integrate Youtube and play any video during the webinar. A separate field for questions so they don’t get lost in the chat is also a good option for the event host. Each plan comes with a 14-day trial.
ON24
ON24 is one of the oldest webinar systems in the industry, designed for web conferencing, webinars, and online meetings. Generally, it has more limited interaction with viewers, which, for some businesses, can be a disadvantage.
On the flip side, ON24 webinar software is highly scalable, as it can cover 1000 participants at a time. As one of the first tools in the field of web conferencing software, ON24 does not deliver the same good UX as other tools, but this is partially offset by the outstanding stability that the software provides.
The pricing policy offers a pay-per-view option.
How to Choose a Webinar Software For Your Business?
Here are some criteria you can focus on when choosing the best webinar tool for your business:
- Price.
- Registration. How easy is it to register for the event?
- Trial period. How long can you test the tool and see if it’s right for you?
- The number of speakers. How many people can speak at the same time?
- The number of attendees. How many people can you reach at one time?
- Screen sharing. Are there opportunities to share a desktop, presentation materials, video, whiteboard, etc.?
- Surveys and Q&A. If you need these features, check to see if the platform provides them.
- Public and private messaging. How convenient is the chat and is it possible to switch to private messaging in addition to the group chat?
- Webinar recording. What is the maximum length of the event recording and is the recording available for download?
- Statistics. Does the tool provide statistics and analytics such as the number of participants, the average duration of visit, messaging activity, etc.?
- Compatibility with mobile devices. Is the platform compatible with iOS and Android?
- Notifications. Check if there is an option to send reminders to the audience before the event starts.
- Support. How quickly and thoroughly does technical support respond?
- Personalization and branding. Can you customize the registration page or webinar room design by adding your branding elements?
Final thoughts
Choosing the right webinar software can be a challenge. It’s not easy to which is the best option for you, as well as which tool will meet your unique business needs.
Each tool has its pros and cons. No one platform is 100% bulletproof. To find the best fit, try several webinar programs, take advantage of their free trials, and choose what you need.
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Michelle Payne
WordPress.com
