In response to the announcement that it has formed a subsidiary to market financial goods, Jio Financial Services Ltd.’s stock increased by more than 1.6% in Friday’s early trades, August 16.
In a stock filing on August 15, JFSL shared the news that the company has formed a totally owned subsidiary called Jio Finance Platform and Service Limited on August 14, 2024.
This new enterprise, which will have its headquarters in Mumbai, will provide a comprehensive suite of banking and related services.
Jio Financial Services is going to put up INR 1 lakh to buy 10,000 equity shares, having a face value of INR 10.
The new subsidiary’s certificate of incorporation was received on August 15 from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Shares of Jio Financial Services started the day on the up at INR 324 on the NSE and continued to rise, reaching an intraday high of INR 325.5.
Company’s First AGM
The first annual general meeting (AGM) of z will be conducted on Friday, August 30, as announced on August 5, by the firm.
For the sake of convenience and accessibility, the conference will be held by Video Conferencing (“VC”) and other Audio-Visual Means (“OAVM”).
Compared to the same period last year, when it was INR 332 crore, Jio Financial Services’ consolidated net profit for Q1FY25 was INR 313 crore, a year-on-year fall of 5.7%.
In the reviewed period, total revenue rose to INR 418 crore from INR 414 crore in Q1FY24, a slight rise of 0.97%.
Decline on Total Interest Earned
The overall interest earned for the quarter fell at INR 162 crore, a 20% year-over-year and 42% sequential fall.
The net benefit from increases in fair value increased substantially, climbing by 25% annually and 101% quarterly, to INR 218 crore.
About JFSL
In July of 1999, JFSL was initially established as Reliance Strategic Investments Private Limited, which was originally constituted under the Companies Act of 1956. In July of 2023, Jio Financial Services Limited was officially established as a company.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has registered JFSL as an NBFC-ND-SI. The company is a holding company, and it will run its financial services business through its consumer-facing subsidiaries, which are Jio Finance Limited (JFL), Jio Insurance Broking Limited (JIBL), and Jio Payment Solutions Limited (JPSL), as well as through a joint venture that is called Jio Payments Bank Limited (JPBL).
In today’s fast-paced business world, keeping in touch with colleagues and clients is more important than ever. With more and more companies turning to remote work, video conferencing has become a vital tool for staying connected. According to a recent study by Grand View Research, the global video conferencing market is expected to reach $19.73 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 12.5% during the forecast period (2022–2030).
Video conferencing is the future of business communication. With the ability to connect with team members, clients, and partners from anywhere in the world, it has become an essential tool for companies of all sizes. Studies have shown that video conferencing leads to increased productivity, improved collaboration, and reduced travel costs.
This means that now is the perfect time for businesses to invest in good video conferencing software. With the right software, you can take your business to new heights of success.
Video conferencing software is an advanced technology that allows users to conduct real-time, online meetings, presentations, and video calls with one or more people via the Internet. This innovative tool has revolutionized the way businesses and organizations conduct meetings and presentations. It enables users to connect with others from anywhere in the world, regardless of their physical location, and share ideas and information in real time.
Video conferencing software provides a wide range of features and capabilities, such as screen sharing, document collaboration, and recording. These features allow users to share presentations, documents, and other multimedia content with their colleagues and clients. This makes it easier to collaborate and get things done.
One of the major benefits of video conferencing software is that they save time and money by eliminating the need for travel. Businesses and organizations can conduct virtual meetings and presentations, which can save thousands of dollars in travel expenses. This also allows employees to be more productive and efficient, as they can participate in meetings and training sessions from the comfort of their own homes or offices.
List of Best Video Conferencing Software
The following are the best video conferencing software for individuals and businesses in 2024:
Google Meet
Video Conferencing Software
Google Meet
Rating
4.5
Best For
User-friendly video conferencing
Website
meet.google.com
Google Meet – Best Video Conferencing Platform
Google Meet is a video conferencing tool developed by Google LLC. It allows users to conduct virtual meetings, webinars, and video chats with remote teams, clients, and partners. One can use this tool free of cost for up to 100 participants and a 60-minute meeting duration. It is highly secure and compliant with industry-standard security protocols. It is suitable for use by companies of all sizes and across all industries, whether they are small businesses or large enterprises.
One of the key features that set Google Meet apart from other video conferencing tools is its integration with the rest of Google’s suite of productivity tools, such as Gmail and Google Calendar. This makes it easy for users to schedule, join, and manage meetings directly from their inbox or calendar.
Features Offered by Google Meet:
Participants can share their screens with others during the meeting, making it easy to collaborate on documents and presentations.
It can be easily scheduled, joined, and managed directly from Gmail and Google Calendar.
Meetings can be recorded and saved to Google Drive for later viewing.
Up to 500 participants can join the meeting at a time when you opt for a paid plan.
Noise cancellation feature that reduces unwanted disturbing background noise.
Automatic captions are generated during the meeting, making it easy for people with hearing impairments.
Hosts get full control over who can enter the meeting.
Pros:
It can be used via mobile app or web browser on any device
Highly secured
Live caption
Easy to use
Screen sharing and recording
Comprehensive help articles
Also available for free
Cons:
Difficult to get live customer support
Pricing Plans of Google Meet:
Pricing details of each pricing plan of Google Meet are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Free
Free
Business starter
$6/user/month
Business Standard
$12/user/month
Business Plus
$18/user/month
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Note: It’s a Google workspace Pricing which also includes other products of Google at the same price.
Zoom
Video Conferencing Software
Zoom
Rating
4.5
Best For
Feature-Rich and High-Quality Virtual Meetings
Website
zoom.us
Zoom – Best Video Conferencing Platform
Zoom is a video conferencing platform by Zoom Video Communications, Inc. founded by Eric Yuan in 2011. Zoom has quickly grown in popularity since its launch and is now used by millions of people around the world, including businesses, schools, and government organizations. With its user-friendly interface and robust feature set, Zoom is quickly becoming the go-to choice for virtual meetings and collaborations.
It can host large meetings with up to 1000 participants. This makes it ideal for hosting webinars, conferences, and other events where a large number of people need to be connected at once. Another aspect that makes Zoom stand out is its ability to work seamlessly across devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. This makes it easy for people to join meetings from anywhere and on any device.
Features Offered by Zoom:
It provides the ability to create and customize virtual avatars to use at the meeting.
Several meeting templates are available that are fully customizable based on the type of meeting you’re conducting.
Threaded messages and reactions allow participants to chat in a threaded form and reply to comments, and also react to replies with emojis.
Leverage the Q&A feature to engage the participants throughout the meeting session.
It allows for meetings with up to 1000 participants, making it ideal for hosting webinars, conferences, and other large-scale events.
Users can share their screens with others during meetings which makes it easy to present documents, slides, and other materials.
Meetings can be recorded and saved for later playback, which is useful for training and review purposes.
It allows users to change their backgrounds during meetings, which is useful for hiding messy rooms or for adding fun backgrounds for meetings.
Pros:
Huge learning resources
Interactive dashboard
Accessible on any device
A free plan is available
App Marketplace with more than 2300 app integration
Virtual background
Excellent support with useful articles
Cons:
Limited features when you join via browser
Pricing Plans of Zoom:
Pricing details of each pricing plan of Zoom are given below:
Integrated video conferencing for collaborative teams
Website
microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/
Microsoft Teams – Best Video Conferencing Platform
Microsoft Teams is a collaboration and communication platform developed by Microsoft Corporation. It is designed to bring teams together in one place, allowing for seamless communication and collaboration on projects and tasks. It is available on various devices, including desktop and mobile, making it easy for teams to stay connected and productive while working remotely.
One of the key features that set Microsoft Teams apart from other similar tools is its integration with other Microsoft products such as Office 365. This allows users to easily access and share documents, schedule meetings, and collaborate on projects without leaving the Teams platform.
Features Offered by Microsoft Teams:
It offers a free plan in which up to 100 participants can join the group meeting for 60 minutes.
Features like guest access allow teams to collaborate easily with external partners, vendors, and clients.
You can create custom tabs, channels, and bots to streamline your workflow and improve collaboration.
It supports screen sharing and recording, making it easy to collaborate on projects and documents.
Built-in HD video and audio conferencing capabilities, allowing teams to hold virtual meetings and discussions.
Users can also share files, images, and videos within the chat.
A feature called Together mode uses AI to place participants in a shared virtual space, such as a conference room, making it feel more like an in-person meeting.
Provides breakout rooms that help the organizer of the meeting to divide attendees into smaller groups for more focused discussion.
Pros:
Single sign-on
30-day free trial on a paid plan
The free plan is available
User-friendly interface
Accessible on any device
integration with Microsoft products such as Office 365 and SharePoint
Learning resources are available
Cons:
Limited integration with non-Microsoft products
Difficult to get direct support
Pricing Plans of Microsoft Teams:
Pricing details of each pricing plan of Microsoft Teams are given below:
Plan for Home
Pricing
Microsoft Teams (free)
Free
Microsoft 365 Personal
$6.99/ month
Microsoft 365 Family
$9.99/ month
Plan for Business
Pricing
Microsoft Teams (free)
Free
Microsoft Teams Essentials
$4.00/user/month
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
$6.00/user/month
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
$12.50/user/month
Zoho Meeting
Video Conferencing Software
Zoho Meeting
Rating
4.5
Best For
Growing Teams and Webinars
Website
zoho.com/meeting
Zoho Meeting – Best Video Conferencing Platform
Zoho Meeting is a powerful and versatile web conferencing tool that allows businesses to easily conduct online meetings and collaborate with team members. It is developed by Zoho Corporation, a global software company that offers a wide range of products and services to help businesses of all sizes to streamline their operations and increase productivity.
It has the ability to integrate seamlessly with other Zoho products, such as Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects, and Zoho Mail. This allows users to easily schedule meetings and collaborate on projects with team members, directly from the platform. The platform is user-friendly and intuitive, making it easy for anyone to start a meeting or join one with minimal setup. It also offers a wide range of customization options that allow users to personalize their meetings and make them more engaging.
Features Offered by Zoho Meeting:
Provides insightful reports of webinar data such as engagement, polls, Q&A, attendees, and registration.
Lock meeting feature that doesn’t allow other participants to join the meeting even if they have a joining link, the host can allow and disallow the joining request.
Provides seamless integration with Zoho products and other useful tools like Slack and Gmail.
It helps you to conduct webinars with features such as live streaming, live chat, and Q&A sessions.
Empower users to personalize their meeting links with their own branding and logo.
Breakout rooms are available that empower users to split a large meeting into smaller groups.
Users can annotate and mark up shared screens in real-time which makes it easy to give feedback and make suggestions.
Pros:
2-factor authentication
Integration with other Zoho products
Intuitive interface
The mobile app is available
Excellent support
Learning resources
A free plan is available
Cons:
Limited integration with non-Zoho tools
Pricing Plans of Zoho Meeting:
Pricing details of each pricing plan of Zoho Meeting are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Free
Free
Standard
Starting at $1.00/ month
Professional
Starting at $3.00/month
Skype
Video Conferencing Software
Skype
Rating
4.3
Best For
Seamless Video Calling and Conferencing
Website
skype.com
Skype – Best Video Conferencing Platform
Skype is a communication tool that allows users to make voice and video calls, as well as send instant messages and share files. Developed by Microsoft, Skype uses advanced compression technology to ensure that calls are clear and lag-free, even when the internet connection is not the strongest.
Skype for video conferencing doesn’t charge any money and allows group calls with up to 100 people. This is a great option for businesses, as it allows team members to collaborate easily and stay connected with each other. The created link comes with no expiry which means you can use the link to pre-plan any meeting. You can even use this link anytime in the future to connect with the people with the joining link.
Features Offered by Skype:
It ensures that the calls and messages are encrypted, keeping your conversations private and secure.
Background blur feature to blur the background so that the next person doesn’t see the messy background.
It allows Easy pairing with visual studio live share extension which helps you to collaborate with your team and debug the code.
Skype offers a real-time translation feature in call and chat. This makes it easy for users to communicate with people who speak different languages.
Screen sharing feature during a call for presentations and remote collaboration.
Users can record their calls for later reference. This is a great feature for businesses, as it allows team members to easily review important conversations.
You can send instant messages to other Skype users. This feature is great for quick conversations and sending files or links.
Doesn’t support browsers other than Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
Average support
Pricing Plans of Skype:
Skype-to-Skype calls are free anywhere in the world. You can use Skype on a computer, mobile phone, or tablet. If you are both using Skype, the call is completely free.
Users only need to pay when using premium features like voice mail, SMS texts, or making calls to a landline, cell, or outside of Skype.
Plan
Pricing
Unlimited North America
$7.99/month
Unlimited World
$13.99/month
Unlimited US & Canada
$2.99/month
Slack
Video Conferencing Software
Slack
Rating
4.5
Best For
Team Collaboration with Video Conferencing
Website
slack.com
Slack – Best Video Conferencing Platform
Slack is a powerful and versatile communication tool that is designed to help teams work more efficiently and effectively. Slack Technologies Inc. is the company behind the tool. Founded in 2009, Slack Technologies is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and has grown rapidly in recent years. It has attracted a large and loyal user base with more than 200,000 paying customers.
The most unique feature of this tool is its integration. Slack has a huge network of more than 2,500 apps that allow seamless integration. The robust API of this tool enables you to connect it with your favorite tool and fetch important data. The platform is designed to be easy to use, with a clean and simple layout. This makes it easy to find the information and tools that you need. Additionally, Slack offers a wide range of features, such as direct messaging, group chats, and video and voice calls.
Features Offered by Slack:
Hurdles and clips feature that helps in collaboration with short audio and video sharing, multi-screen sharing, link, notes, and much more.
Different visual controls are available such as dark and light modes, message display settings, and zoom level.
Customize the images and emojis to send a reaction on the chat.
Slack offers advanced security features to keep user data and communication safe and secure.
It is available on all major platforms, including web, desktop, and mobile.
You can customize your notification settings, so they are only notified of important messages and events. This helps you to stay focused on the task at hand and reduces distractions.
Powerful search functionality that helps users to find messages, files, and other information quickly and easily.
Users can invite other team members to join a group chat and can also share files and other information within the chat.
Pros:
A mobile app is available
A lot of integration options
User-friendly interface
Accessible on any device
A resource library to learn
Workflow builder
Cons:
Lack of live customer support
Pricing Plans of Slack:
Pricing details of each pricing plan of Slack are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Free
Free
Pro
₹218/user/month, when billed annually
Business+
₹375.20/user/month, when billed annually
Enterprise Grid
Contact Sales
BlueJeans
Video Conferencing Software
BlueJeans
Rating
4.3
Best For
Cloud-Based and Seamless Video Conferencing
Website
bluejeans.com
BlueJeans – Best Video Conferencing Platform
BlueJeans is a revolutionary video conferencing platform that allows users to connect easily with colleagues, clients, and partners from anywhere in the world. BlueJeans is developed and maintained by Verizon Communications, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world. With a reputation for quality and reliability, Verizon has been at the forefront of the video conferencing industry for many years.
Airtel has a partnership with Verizon to offer BlueJeans as a video conferencing solution to its enterprise customers. Airtel’s partnership with BlueJeans allows its enterprise customers to access the BlueJeans video conferencing platform and its features through Airtel’s network infrastructure. This partnership allows Airtel to expand its enterprise communication services portfolio. It also attracts more business customers who are looking for a reliable and advanced video conferencing solution.
Features Offered by BlueJeans:
It is compatible with a variety of devices and platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and web browsers.
It Uses advanced technology to provide high-definition video and audio quality for clear and seamless communication.
You can share your screens during a video call to facilitate collaboration and presentations.
Allows users to record their video calls and provides a transcription service that generates a text transcript of the conversation.
Integration feature that allows users to schedule and join video calls directly from their calendars.
Virtual backgrounds to video calls, help to reduce distractions and improve the overall video call experience.
Host control over the meeting, such as mute/unmute, lock/unlock, end meeting, etc.
Facility to create smaller groups of participants for a proper discussion on the topic.
Pros:
AES 256-bit encryption
A lot of integration options
A free trial is available
Virtual background
Meeting Highlights and Recordings
User-friendly interface
Accessible on any device
Cons:
A free plan is not available
Lack of file-sharing facility
Pricing Plans of BlueJeans:
Pricing details of each pricing plan of BlueJeans are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Pro
₹699/month, when billed annually
Enterprise
Contact Sales
GlobalMeet
Video Conferencing Software
GlobalMeet
Rating
4.2
Best For
Businesses and Professionals Needing Web Conferencing
Website
globalmeet.com
GlobalMeet – Best Video Conferencing Platform
GlobalMeet is a Video Conferencing platform for businesses and organizations looking to connect with their teams, clients, and partners from anywhere in the world. It supports large-scale high-definition video conferences with up to 1,000 participants. With the ability to share screens, documents, and other multimedia content, users can easily collaborate and share ideas. This makes it an ideal tool for creative brainstorming sessions or project meetings.
GlobalMeet Video Conferencing is highly secure, with end-to-end encryption and a range of security features to protect user data and communications. It offers a range of options for personalizing the platform to suit the specific needs of different teams. One can create custom meeting rooms, set up recurring meetings, and even schedule meetings in advance.
Features Offered by GlobalMeet:
It is a cloud-based platform, which means that users can access it from anywhere, at any time.
Participants can communicate with one another through instant messaging or chat, this makes it easy to ask questions or share information during the meeting.
Screen recording feature to record the screen and use it in the feature.
The host can split the screen into smaller groups for more focused discussions or tasks.
Users can record live sessions for future reference.
You can schedule meetings in advance, which makes it easy to coordinate with others and plan ahead.
It is highly customizable, with a range of customization options.
End-to-end encryption and a range of security features to protect data.
Pros:
Multi-lingual support
G-suite integration
Accessible on any device
Advanced reporting and analytics
Custom branding
Digital whiteboarding
Cons:
Price is not disclosed
Pricing Plans of GlobalMeet:
GlobalMeet offers three plans: Essential, Professional, and Enterprise. You need to contact their sales team to get details on the pricing of each plan.
Webex Meetings
Video Conferencing Software
Webex Meetings
Rating
4.2
Best For
Collaborative Video Conferencing Solutions
Website
webex.com
Webex Meetings – Best Video Conferencing Platform
Webex is a video-conferencing platform by Cisco that offers high-quality video and audio capabilities. The platform uses advanced technology to ensure clear and crisp video and audio, even in low-bandwidth environments. It uses encryption to protect your data and offers features such as password-protected meetings, waiting rooms, and the ability to lock or end meetings at any time.
One of the most highlighted features of this tool is its customization. You can customize meeting room layouts, choose from a range of background images and themes, and even create your own branded meeting rooms. It offers top-notch security to secure your valuable data. Features such as password-protected meetings, waiting rooms, and the ability to lock or end meetings at any time are available.
Features Offered by Webex Meetings:
Provides detailed insights into meeting attendance, engagement, and more. It allows users to make data-driven decisions about their meetings.
It has the ability to integrate with popular apps such as Outlook, Google Calendar, and Slack.
Hosts can create smaller, more intimate meetings within a larger meeting that allows more focused and productive conversations.
Users can join and participate in meetings from any device, including smartphones and tablets.
Meeting management tools such as screen sharing, recording, and polling help users effectively manage and lead meetings.
You can customize meeting room layouts, and choose from a range of background images and themes.
The advanced technology of Webex ensures clear and crisp video and audio, even in low-bandwidth environments.
Participants can easily schedule and join meetings from their calendars, share files and documents, and collaborate on projects.
Pros:
A free plan is available
Two-way Whiteboarding
Advanced search and filter
Third-party integration
Accessible on any device
User-friendly interface
Cons:
Complex to use
Lack of interaction feature between host and participants
Pricing Plans of Webex Meetings:
Pricing details of each pricing plan of Webex Meetings are given below:
GoTo Meeting is a web conferencing software by GoTo that is designed for businesses of all sizes. With its reliable performance and user-friendly interface, GoTo Meeting has become a go-to choice for virtual meetings, webinars, and online collaborations.
GoTo Meeting video conferencing platform is trusted by millions of people for real-time virtual communication and collaboration. It is an easy, fast, and reliable professional virtual meeting solution that allows individuals and businesses to meet face-to-face, and connect with colleagues through in-meeting chat, screen sharing, and more with just a click of a button.
Features Offered by GoToMeeting:
Customizable meeting templates to suit different types of meetings.
Easy scheduling and calendar integration for efficient meeting management.
Real-time screen sharing and presentation capabilities for seamless collaboration.
Integrated chat and Q&A features for interactive discussions.
Recording and playback options for future reference and training purposes.
Virtual backgrounds to customize the meeting environment.
Mobile apps for on-the-go participation in meetings from any device.
End-to-end encryption for secure and confidential meetings.
Pros:
User-friendly interface
Flexible pricing plans
Integrations with popular productivity tools
24/7 customer support
Cons:
Advanced features require additional subscriptions or add-ons
Pricing Plans of GoTo Meeting:
Pricing details of each pricing plan for GoTo Meeting are given below:
Plan
Pricing
Professional
$12/organizer/month, billed annually
Business
$16/organizer/month, billed annually
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Conclusion
Video conferencing is the future of communication. With these software platforms, you can easily connect with your team, clients, and partners from anywhere in the world.
The platforms are easy to use and provide a seamless experience for all users. This makes them the perfect solution for any business looking to improve its communication and collaboration. So choose the suitable software from the above-mentioned list and experience the power of video conferencing for yourself!
FAQs
What is video conferencing software?
Video conferencing software is an advanced technology that allows users to conduct real-time, online meetings, presentations, and video calls with one or more people via the Internet.
Which is the best video conferencing software?
The best video conferencing software includes the following:
Zoom
Zoho Meeting
Microsoft Teams
Google Teams
Skype
Slack
GlobalMeet
Who are Zoom’s top competitors?
The top competitors of Zoom are Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex Meetings, Skype, and Zoho Meetings.
When it comes to work, meetings play a crucial role in decision-making and collaboration. However, managing meetings can often be overwhelming, with the need to take notes, summarise discussions, and keep track of action items. This is where AI meeting assistant tools come in. These tools leverage artificial intelligence technology to automate various tasks, such as transcribing meetings, extracting key insights, and generating meeting summaries. In this article, we shall hover through the top AI meeting assistant tools that can help streamline your meeting process and boost productivity.
What to Consider When Choosing an AI Meeting Assistant
Before diving into the list of AI meeting assistant tools, it’s important to consider some key factors when choosing the right tool for your needs. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
Features
Does the tool include the must-have features and functionality that you require? Consider whether you need features like automatic meeting summarization, transcription, or integration with popular video conferencing platforms.
Expertise
Does the tool excel in a specific area or provide a wide range of features? Some tools may focus on transcription accuracy, while others offer advanced AI analytics and sentiment analysis.
Use
Can you use the tool for different types of meetings, or is it limited to internal meetings? Consider whether the tool can accommodate various meeting formats, such as one-on-one meetings, team meetings, or client meetings.
Integrations
Does the assistant tool work seamlessly with video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Webex, or Microsoft Teams? Also, check if it integrates with popular messaging apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams for easy collaboration and sharing.
User experience
Is the tool easy to learn and use? Look for a tool that offers a user-friendly interface and intuitive features to ensure a smooth meeting experience for all participants.
Pricing
Does the AI meeting assistant fit within your budget? Consider the pricing plans offered by each tool and evaluate the value it provides about its cost.
By considering these factors, you can narrow down your options and choose the AI meeting assistant tool that best aligns with your unique needs.
The Best AI Meeting Assistant Tools
Now that we have discussed the key considerations, let’s explore the top AI meeting assistant tools available in the market today.
ClickUp
RATING
4.5
Pricing
Free trial Available
Website
www.clickup.com
ClickUp – The Best AI Meeting Assistant Tools
ClickUp is a versatile project management platform that offers an AI-powered meeting assistant. With ClickUp AI, you can automate meeting summaries and create action items based on meeting discussions. The tool provides high-quality meeting summaries that cover key moments and decisions, helping you save time and keep your team accountable. ClickUp also offers an extensive library of templates to streamline your workflow and features like task management, document collaboration, and meeting agenda creation.
Pros
Instant, high-quality meeting summaries
Action item extraction from meetings, docs, and tasks
Airgram is an AI meeting assistant designed to handle the details of your meetings, allowing you to focus more on the discussion itself. The tool records meetings, transcribes the audio and provides easy sharing and collaboration features. Airgram’s AI capabilities enable you to extract key information from your meetings, turn audio and video footage into text transcriptions, and organize your meeting notes in one place. It also offers integrations with popular video conferencing platforms and provides multilanguage support.
Pros
AI-powered data extraction from audio and video
Automatic recording of scheduled meetings
Centralized meeting note organization
Share meeting snippets and links with internal and external contacts
Cons
AI may struggle to differentiate between speakers
Transcriptions currently only available in English
Pricing
Free plan available
Plus plan: $18/month per user
Otter
RATING
4.2
Pricing
Free
Website
www.otter.ai
Otter – The Best AI Meeting Assistant Tools
Otter is an AI-powered meeting assistant that provides real-time transcription and voice meeting notes. With Otter, you can transcribe meetings, summarize discussions, and assign action items to participants. The tool offers collaborative notes and transcriptions, a live in-meeting summary feature, and the ability to generate meeting summaries automatically. Otter also allows you to add highlights and comments to meeting transcriptions, making it easy to capture and organize key information.
Pros
Real-time transcription and voice meeting notes
Collaborative note-taking and transcriptions
AI-powered search through past conversations
Automatic meeting summary generation
Cons
No prompt to end recording, may accidentally record sensitive information
Limited editing capabilities for audio files
Pricing
Free plan available
Pro plan: $10/month per user
Sembly
RATING
4.5
Pricing
Free and Paid Plans are Available
Website
sembly.ai
Sembly – The Best AI Meeting Assistant Tools
Sembly is an meeting note AI tool for meetings that offers note-taking, meeting summarization, and collaboration features. With Sembly, you can find and review previous meetings, add time-stamped notes and bookmarks, and use the built-in chat feature for quick answers and follow-up emails. The tool also allows you to send Sembly to meetings you can’t attend and review the call notes later. Sembly offers a user-friendly interface and a search function for easy access to past meetings.
Pros
Search function for finding previous meetings
Time-stamped notes and bookmarks
Built-in chat for quick answers and follow-up emails
Easy sharing of meeting notes with team members
Available only in English 48+ langugage.
Cons
Difficulty in adding Sembly to calls at the last minute
Pricing
Free plan available
Professional plan: $10/month for one user
Fathom
RATING
4.2
Pricing
Has a 30 days free trial with its price starting from $48 per month
Website
www.fathom.com
Fathom – The Best AI Meeting Assistant Tools
Fathom is a free AI tool for note-taking that can be used as an AI meeting assistant. The tool allows you to invite Fathom to join your video meetings, where it can record, transcribe, and summarize discussions. Fathom offers features like automatic meeting summarization, call note syncing to CRM systems, and easy copy-pasting of summaries and notes across platforms. It also supports multiple languages and provides a user-friendly interface for a seamless meeting experience.
Pros
Automated meeting summarization
Sync call notes to CRM systems
Copy summaries and notes across platforms
Supports multiple languages
Cons
AI may struggle to distinguish between voices in large meetings
No “light mode” version available
Pricing
Free plan available
Krisp
RATING
5
Pricing
Free and Paid Plans are Available
Website
krisp.com
Krisp is a botless AI meeting assistant that captures and summarizes meetings without requiring a virtual participant to join your calls. It works across all major conferencing platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, and also supports in-person meeting capture through its mobile app. Krisp delivers accurate real-time transcription, AI-generated notes, and action items, while built-in AI Chat allows you to ask questions directly from your transcripts.
Krisp has advanced audio features, including industry-leading noise cancellation and real-time accent conversion. Krisp also integrates directly with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce, and with Zapier you can connect it to thousands of other apps. Security is enterprise-grade, with SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS compliance, encrypted storage, and strict access controls.
Pros
Award-winning noise cancellation that removes background sounds
Accent conversion that transforms strong regional accents into a more neutral-sounding voice in real time
Botless by default with optional bot mode
In-person meeting capture with mobile app
Accurate transcription with multilingual support (16+ languages)
Built-in AI Chat for direct Q&A with transcripts
Direct CRM integrations plus Zapier support
Strong enterprise-grade security and compliance
Cons
Free plan has daily usage caps
Some advanced integrations are limited to Business and Enterprise
Pricing
Free plan available
Pro plan: $16 per user/month ($8 with yearly billing)
Business plan: $30 per user/month ($15 with yearly billing)
Enterprise plan: Custom pricing
Fireflies.ai
RATING
4.3
Pricing
Free
Website
www.fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai – The Best AI Meeting Assistant Tools
Fireflies.ai is an AI meeting assistant that specializes in automating meeting notes. The tool can transcribe conversations from video call apps, audio files, and dialers, making it easy to capture and retrieve important information. Fireflies.ai also offers an AI-powered search feature that allows you to filter through past conversations and analyze speaker talk time and sentiment. You can share meeting notes with others through collaboration apps like Slack, making it convenient for team collaboration.
Pros
Transcription of conversations from various sources
AI-powered search and analysis features
Collaboration and sharing capabilities
Integration with popular collaboration apps
Cons
Overwhelming amount of action item suggestions for some users
Limited to internal meetings only
Pricing
Free plan available
Pro plan: $10/month per user
Avoma
RATING
4.3
Pricing
Free and Paid Plans are Available
Website
www.avoma.com
Avoma – The Best AI Meeting Assistant Tools
Avoma is an end-to-end AI meeting assistant and revenue intelligence tool that streamlines the entire meeting process. The tool offers agenda templates, collaborative note-taking, automatic recording, live transcription, and AI-generated meeting notes. Avoma’s features include instant meeting summaries, analysis of speaker talk time and sentiment, and integration with popular meeting platforms. The tool is particularly useful for sales teams, providing insights and analytics to improve customer interactions.
Pros
Built-in agenda templates
AI-powered meeting summaries and analytics
Collaboration and note-taking features
Integration with popular meeting platforms
Cons
Listening to transcriptions at higher speeds may result in cut-out words
Joining last-minute meetings may take several minutes
Pricing
Free plan available
Starter plan: $19/month per user
Supernormal
RATING
4.1
Pricing
Free and Paid Plans are Available
Website
www.supernormal.com
Supernormal – The Best AI Meeting Assistant Tools
Supernormal is an AI tool for meetings that automates note-taking and offers features like meeting summaries, customizable templates, and collaborative notes. The tool automatically captures important details from meetings using AI note-taking, allowing you to customize your templates to match your note-taking style. Supernormal also enables you to create a searchable library of previous calls and meetings, making it easy to retrieve information. The tool is particularly useful for creating to-do lists and tracking action items.
Pros
AI-powered meeting summaries and note-taking
Customizable templates for meeting notes
Searchable library of previous calls and meetings
Action item creation and tracking
Cons
AI may struggle to distinguish between different voices
Pricing based on minutes recorded per month
Pricing
Free plan available
Pro plan starting at $24/month for 1,000 minutes per month
Rewatch
RATING
4.2
Pricing
Free
Website
www.rewatch.com
Rewatch – The Best AI Meeting Assistant Tools
Rewatch is an AI meeting assistant that focuses on creating a video wiki for your meetings. The tool automatically records and transcribes video meetings, allowing you to store all your video calls and screen recordings in one place. Rewatch offers collaboration features, such as sharing ideas, discussing feedback, and asking questions within the tool. The AI-powered search feature allows you to easily find and filter conversations based on keywords or speakers. Rewatch also provides support in more than 30 languages.
Pros
Automatic recording and transcription of video meetings
Collaboration features for sharing ideas and feedback
AI-powered search and filtering capabilities
Support for more than 30 languages
Cons
Difficulty in finding or filtering conversations based on speakers
Limited availability of video download on the web version
Pricing
Free plan available
Team plan: $19/month per user
Jamie
RATING
4.4
Pricing
Paid Plans Available
Website
www.jamie.com
Jamie – The Best AI Meeting Assistant Tools
Jamie is a new AI meeting assistant that focuses on creating meeting summaries. When invited to a call, Jamie listens to the audio recording and generates a summary of the discussion. The tool offers a simple and efficient way to capture important information and highlights from your meetings. Jamie can be used with any meeting software and allows you to choose between a simple or in-depth summary based on your preferences.
Pros
AI-powered meeting summaries
Can be used with any meeting software
Customisable summary options
Cons
Limited to creating meeting summaries only
Currently onboarding new users from a waitlist
Pricing
Starting from €24/month (Approx. $26/month)
Conclusion
AI meeting assistant tools have revolutionized the way we manage and optimize our meetings. These tools offer a range of features, from automatic transcription and meeting summaries to advanced analytics and collaboration capabilities. By leveraging AI technology, these tools help streamline the meeting process, save time, and improve productivity. When choosing an AI meeting assistant, consider the features, expertise, integrations, user experience, and pricing to find the best fit for your needs. With the right AI meeting assistant, you can enhance your meeting experience and make the most out of your discussions.
What are the best tools for AI Meeting Assistants?
Some of the best tools for AI meeting assistants are ClickUp, Airgram,Otter, Jamie etc.
What are AI meeting assistant tools?
AI meeting assistant tools leverage artificial intelligence technology to automate various tasks such as transcribing meetings, extracting key insights, and generating meeting summaries.
What are some free AI meeting assistant tools available in the market?
Some examples of free AI meeting assistant tools include Otter, Fireflies.ai, and Rewatch. These tools offer basic functionalities such as real-time transcription, meeting summarization, and action item tracking at no cost.
The born of a new work culture has led to the birth of a slightly modified way of working. Be it Remote Working, work from home, or online classes; video conferencing is the basic tool to operate all this. Although in-person communication can’t be replaced by anything video-conferencing is a substitute for it. It can be observed that visual impact remains the same. The main question is how to dress right for the video call and some video call tips can help you out!
Optimizing video chat setup: from what to wear for a video conference to the best lighting for the video call, to positioning the laptop for the video call, using the right mic for the video call, and just staying comfortable.
What you wear speaks VOLUMES about your personality!
“How to dress up for a video conference?” This is the most frequently asked question received this month. To break down the video conference dressing rules which will provide you with specific tips on what to wear for video conference calls. For the most important rule always be in your safest attire because bold colors over stripes and patterns might be too distressed and too distracting.
Choose an outfit that is for your work environment
Choose clothing that isn’t too tight, too oversized, or too revealing
Wear colors that flatter you
Patterns can be tricky and distracting wear bold colours
Consider accessories carefully which should be simple or medium-sized (if you are a woman)
Shirts/Blouses
If you want to create a professional yet simple impression, wearing light-colored shirts or blouses with modest necklines is advisable. Avoid wearing bold colors or patterns as it can detract from the overall sophistication and polished look. Instead, opt for solid colors or muted prints that work best in such settings. This approach not only creates an air of professionalism but also ensures that your attire is appropriate for any occasion.
Blazer
A blazer is a classic and versatile fashion item that can make a bold statement. With its ability to complement various tops, a blazer can help bring an outfit together seamlessly. Additionally, it adds a layer of sophistication to your attire, making it suitable for formal occasions.
T-shirts
While it may not be a conventional choice, wearing a t-shirt appropriate for modern-day meetings is essential. Select a shirt with formal colors, and ensure that it is in good condition. To achieve a clean and sharp appearance, it is recommended to iron the shirt before wearing it. This will help you create a professional image, leaving an excellent impression on those you meet.
Sweaters and Hoodies
During the colder seasons, it is recommended to wear pullover knits, cardigans, or hoodies as they provide a balance between order and comfort. These garments are designed to maintain a structured appearance while also allowing freedom of movement.
Wide-leg Trousers
When it comes to creating a professional look, it’s important to choose pants that coordinate well with your formal topwear. Instead of opting for the traditional slim-fit style, wide-legged or baggier fits provide greater flexibility in movement, allowing you to move around with ease while maintaining a polished appearance.
Dresses and Jumpsuits
For women who want to create a distinctive appearance, formal dresses or jumpsuits can be a great option. These one-piece garments are both stylish and functional, making them a practical choice for busy women who want to save time in their daily routines. Rather than wasting valuable time trying to match a top with the perfect bottom, women can simply slip on a dress or jumpsuit and focus their energy on more productive tasks. With a wide range of styles and designs available, women can easily find a formal dress or jumpsuit that suits their taste and complements their body type.
Complement Your Outfit
The full picture matters. Adding complementary accessories to your outfits can help tie in the overall look and send a non-verbal message. It makes an impression that you treated this as an important, professional engagement worth dedicating proper attention and effort to.
Jewelry/Accessories
If you decide to wear jewelry or other accessories, remember that minimalism is key. Steer clear of big, distracting bits and keep it basic. These include micro pattern scarves, simple rings and earrings, and delicate necklaces or chains. Choose high-end materials like pearls, silver, gold, or semi-precious stones for a polished look. Costume jewelry should be avoided since it can look gaudy or cheap on camera.
Hairstyle
In the virtual world, grooming is still as important as it is in the real world. Make sure your hair is presentable. Women can opt for hairstyles like a half-up, loose waves, or a tidy braid or ponytail. Stay clear of untidy buns and face-obscuring hairstyles. Control flyaway hair and add a touch of style with a solid-colored headband. Men should have regular haircuts to keep their hair from becoming unruly, as well as trim their facial hair regularly to give it a clean appearance.
Makeup
When wearing makeup, choose the elements that enhance your natural features and make you feel confident. A thin eyeliner and mascara can make your eyes appear brighter and more awake. Consider your outfit before you make your choices. If your outfit is bold, keep the makeup neutral, and vice versa.
Posture
During virtual meetings, having good posture is essential to present confidence to your audience and feel confident in yourself. Additionally, it conveys your degree of interest in the conference. The most appropriate one is to sit upright with a small inclination towards the camera. To avoid slouching, you can also pick a chair that is comfortable and provides adequate back support. Good posture influences not only your physical appearance but also your emotions, energy levels, and overall well-being.
Screen Background
In an online meeting, the background you choose can convey a lot about your demeanor and level of professionalism. A plain, neutral-colored wall is a safe and professional option. Stay clear of bright colors or busy designs that clash with your face. A softly blurred background can conceal distracting elements without appearing exaggerated. If you don’t have a designated workspace and work from home, this is a fantastic alternative. Choose a virtual background that is suitable for your job and presents a professional appearance.
How to look good on video call?
A well-researched fact says that people judge you within milliseconds of seeing you, so it’s a lie if someone says that I don’t judge someone based on looks or what they wear. As if, they are going to offer a street-side rag picker the job of product manager, obviously no. DRESS TO IMPRESS.
A nice outfit can help you boost your confidence, help you make an amazing first impression, get the respect you deserve, show your employer that you pay attention to small details, and therefore give you a billion-dollar look.
How to Dress Up For a Video Conference?
What’s Important is Dressing Appropriately For Your Audience
Big business? You’ll probably want to dress to impress. Wear a collared shirt (nothing says “I mean business” more than a crisp collar!) and consider wearing a jacket and tie as well.
IT company? Consider wearing a simple button-down shirt and a pair of trousers.
You’re part of a creative team? You might consider dressing up more fashionably to connect with the artistic crowd.
How about a small startup? A plain, solid-colored T-shirt and long pants might be more suitable. (you don’t have to look Richy-rich!)
Overhead lighting is the worst quiet lighting for video conferences, as a result, it makes shadows underneath your eyes. Sadly, that’s what most of the people have by default. You’ll not care about the lighting if you’re doing a fast snow-day arrival with the team you’ve worked with for four years, except for high-stakes things (like job interviews), once you have to be compelled to look your best. We recommend you 3 natural, soft lightweight sources: 2 behind your digital camera (one on the left, one on the right) and one right behind you.
2. Watch Out Your Angle
Watch out Your Angle
If you are employing a digital camera clipped to the highest of your monitor then the likelihood is that it’s not capturing you from the best perspective. If it’s angular down an excessive amount of, you’ll place your fellow meeting-goers within the position of soaring over you. you would like the lens to be right at eye level. A stand will get you there and hold the camera steady. If you’re exploiting the constitutional camera on your portable computer, it’s going to be too low–and trying up your nose. Whereas it’s not ideal, you’ll place hardcover books underneath your portable computer till the angle’s right. you would like the camera to capture a constellation of your forehead to your left shoulder and right jostle the frame.
3. Look Respectable
Look Respectable on a Video Call
Even if solely your face and shoulders area unit is within the frame, you ne’er grasp if you’ll have to be compelled to rise for a few reasons. Therefore look good from head to toe; Place some ingratiating, solid colors close to your face, similar to what newscast anchors do. Check your teeth for remnants of lunch. Check that the temperature is specified so you won’t be sweating, and won’t have to be compelled to begin popping out layers, that are displeasing for all looks.
4. Look Behind You
The individuals you’re interacting with are treated to the reading no matter what is behind you throughout the whole meeting. Junk and muddle area units are dangerous enough to distress everyone. Your bed with dirty linen thereon is amateurish. Or worse, you’ll have one thing sitting there that’s a part of the scenery to you however jarring to everybody else. We recommend you use “seamless paper” or a clear blank wall, you’ll be doing a great deal of digital interaction.
5. Minimize Distractions
First impressions count once it involves video conferencing. If you’re acting at home and therefore the individuals you’re involved with or concerning people, should know that there should be a minimum of noise. Even Pets can make a great deal out of it because a barking dog or cat running on your table can be a lot of fun with embarrassing moments.
6. Focus On Substance, Than Appearance
What you can bring to the table is more important than your appearance. People might be insecure about how their makeup look or their double chin but do not forget that the outline and goals of the meeting are written well down. A desk organizer can help you out with a great deal. Always know what this conference is going to achieve so, Review, and review, and review… And do it again!
7. Be Ready
Video is nearer to a face-to-face meeting than it is to a phone call, however, most people treat it as a sort of a phone call. Therefore they’re attempting to look at their notes, or area units closed on their laptop screens. this can be very like holding a chunk of paper before your face in a very lively meeting. You bump into not listening so, grasp your details and appearance up, therefore you’ll move commonly and score the advantages of seeing individuals and being seen.
These simple video call tips with the essence of dressing up as a whole individual canboost your charisma.
Many of us might cringe as soon as we hear of video conferencing, or we might fall victim to anxiety, awkwardness, or apathy. But, there’s no need to worry as soon as you’re backed up with our million-dollar tips.
We promise that these tips are worth giving your time to learn exactly how to ace your video conferencing. Video calls are much easier than you think!
What kind of dress is appropriate when attending a video conference?
Dress your best- Choose solid, light colours. Simple jewelry is best. Ladies, avoid earrings that dangle or any accessory that makes noise when you move. For most conference calls, you can wear whatever you want from the waist down – unless you think you might need to stand up for some reason.
What is the best color to wear for video conference?
Wear colours that flatter you. This should probably go without saying, but avoid colours that tend to wash you out or don’t flatter your skin tone. Also, avoid colours that are pale or close to your natural skin tone, as they can wash you out on camera, and you run the risk of looking nekkid.
When attending a video conference what kind of dressing is appropriate?
While it’s not necessary to dress quite as well as you usually do, try not to take it down more than one level from your normal office attire. “If you’re a person who just wears a button-up shirt, you can wear a casual T-shirt kind of thing.” If you’re wearing a tank top, you’ve gone too far and need to dressup a bit.
It is nearly impossible to communicate ideas and have important discussions face-to-face always, owing to one’s busy schedule. Advanced communication technology can help this situation smartly. Webinar means conducting an online seminar, meetings, and conferences online, using the internet facility. Webinar software can be defined as video conferencing software that helps host or broadcast training, workshop, meeting, lectures, etc. on the web.
The best webinar software makes recording, sharing, and engaging your prospects. Plus, it should have super high-quality video and audio quality, allow multiple presenters, and even have email marketing capabilities to ensure everyone shows up for your webinar. Most webinar software also comes with features like built-in surveys, polls, live chat, automated webinar sequences, live streaming, and more. These automated webinar sequences are excellent for hosting evergreen content like online courses, podcast interviews, or employee onboarding videos.
Best Webinar Software Tools in 2023
This list of the 12 best webinar software tools will help you figure out which tool is best for your business marketing needs.
Zoom comes with a range of cloud video conferencing capabilities, including HD voice and video functionality, dual streams for dual screens, the ability to join as a view-only attendee, as well as by Zoom Rooms and telephone dial-in. It also has accessibility features, which allow employees with physical disabilities to schedule, attend, and participate in Zoom meetings and webinars.
The group collaboration feature of Zoom allows simultaneous screen sharing, group messaging, whiteboarding, annotation, and co-annotation, iOS mirroring on iPhone or iPad, and the ability to share documents, photos, and videos. Zoom includes unlimited VOIP with toll-free options in more than 60 countries available. You can also integrate any third-party teleconferencing service. Zoom lets you create a personal meeting ID and URL name to share with participants when you schedule your meetings. The security features enable you to give role-based control and include SSL encryption plus HTTPS access.
Zoom works across all platforms and will record the entire event, including questions asked by viewers. It also offers screen sharing and annotations and allows you to broadcast to Facebook Live or YouTube. It is also one of the only major webinar platforms that offer a free plan. If your webinar is under forty minutes and your attendees are under 100, you can use its basic features for free.
Pros and Cons of Zoom webinar software are listed below:
Pros:
Interactive features like screen sharing, hand-raising, virtual background options, and live chat.
Easy to use.
Marketing tools to nurture contacts.
Ability to back up meetings in the cloud.
Allows meetings with a large number of participants.
Cons:
The free version of Zoom has a relatively low limit of 40 minutes.
Zoom has faced security and privacy concerns in the past.
Pricing Plans of Zoom:
Free
100 participants (40-minute limit)
Pro
$14.99/month
Business
$19.99/month
Webinar
$79/month
Event
$99/month
A free personal meeting plan is available with some restrictions. Paid plans start at $14.99/month, with Business and Enterprise plans starting from $19.99/month available as well. Also, Zoom charges per host. If you go with the basic paid plan at $14.99 per month but use two hosts, you’ll pay $14.99 x 2 or $29.98 per month.
Top 10 Best Video Conferencing Tools for Businesses
Webex
Launched in
2000
Rating
4.2/5
Mobile App
Yes
Starting Price
Free
Webex – webinar platform
Webex is more than a webinar platform, combining a wider range of features for holding online meetings, events, training sessions, interactive presentations and team collaboration. This sets it apart from the tools we’ve looked at so far, although the pricing is very similar. So you get a lot of features for your money compared to GoToWebinar and a completely different set of features to EverWebinar.
It provides some impressive features, such as a host room along with HD video and audio services that can be accessed on multiple devices. It allows its users a high degree of customization so that the host environment can be tailor-made to suit business requirements. Through Webex webinars, you can hold meetings throughout your organization, offer online and offline training sessions, and provide remote support. The key USPs of Webex include mobility, user-friendliness, and compatibility with all devices and browsers.
Setting Up a Webinar via Cisco Webex Events
Pros and Cons of Webex webinar tool are listed below:
Pros:
Offers a free plan for up to 100 attendees.
Built-in Q&A sessions, surveys, and polls for audience engagement.
Translates live webinar to more than 100 languages.
Live polling.
Cons:
Must contact sales to get started.
Real-time translation costs extra.
Third party devices can be a problem.
Pricing Plans of Webex:
Basic
Free
Business
$25/month
Enterprise
Custom Plan
Webex webinars pricing plan includes Free Basic plan for up to 1oo participants. Its Business plan cost for $25 per month up to 2oo participants, and Enterprise is a custom plan for up to 1oo0 participants.
GoToWebinar is by the folks at GoToMeeting, the popular meeting and screen-sharing application/service. GoToWebinar software is designed to cater to your webinar and web conferencing needs. The tool comes featured with functionalities that facilitate retain customers and also generate leads. Reminder emails and notifications help to stay well-prepared and not miss important deadlines.
You can easily measure participants’ level of engagement with this tool by using engagement metrics. Pre-recorded webinars are available with this webinar platform. The software also allows customization, so your webinar materials can be designed with your company’s logo easily. You can share at ease videos and demos while holding web conferences or during broadcasting events. It is compatible with mobile.
Some of the biggest benefits of GoToWebinar include a handy video-sharing feature, breakout rooms to split up your audience, and a few mobile apps that can be used for webinar management. As such, it offers some of the best webinar tools on the market. It also features advanced lead management and reporting tools which allow you to integrate with your existing CRM. By doing so, you can handle lead generation and event creation all in one place.
Pros and Cons of GoToWebinar software are listed below:
Pros:
Audience engagement by conducting online seminars, polls and surveys.
Options available for custom branding and registration pages
Lead management and reporting tools.
Allows for large numbers of participants.
Cons:
Software feels a bit outdated.
Relatively expensive compared to other web conferencing and online seminar platforms.
Technical issues were reported by some users.
Pricing Plans of GoToWebinar:
Free
7 days
Starter
$89/month
Pro
$199/month
Plus
$429/month
After a free 7 days trial, prices start at $89/month billed annually. GoToWebinar also offers a Pro Plan for $199/month and an Enterprise plan at $429/month.
EverWebinar is a powerful webinar automation tool that aims to help you build email marketing lists. With EverWebinar, you can schedule and automate your webinar footage to play at set intervals and the software aims to recreate the live experience for users. The goal is to increase engagement and attendance by telling users the next webinar is about to begin, even if they choose to replay it a dozen times per day.
Like evergreen content, evergreen webinars are existing webinars that are re-broadcasted over time. The idea is that some webinars contain topics and content that stays relevant and can be replayed to new attendees (and new potential customers). With EverWebinar, you have three options:
Show the webinar live.
Show a hybrid – a pre-recorded video with live chat enabled.
Show a fully automated video – no work or interaction from you required.
EverWebinar is the best webinar platform for you if you want to automate screenings of your pre recorded webinars and turn them into a highly effective lead generation strategy. This is a truly unique platform.
Pros and Cons of EverWebinar webinar automation tool are listed below:
Pros:
EverWebinar has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users to schedule and host webinars.
EverWebinar allows users to create automated webinars, which means that the webinar can be run without the need for the host to be present.
It allows users to customize the look and feel of their webinars, including the ability to add logos, branding, and custom graphics.
It can be integrated with other tools, such as email marketing software and CRM systems, which can help users to manage and track their webinars more effectively.
Cons:
EverWebinar is a paid webinar software.
EverWebinar does not offer some of the advanced features that are available in other webinar software, such as the ability to conduct polls or surveys during the webinar.
As with any webinar software, there is a risk of technical issues occurring during the webinar, such as connectivity problems or audio/video issues.
Pricing Plans of EverWebinar:
Free
Not Available
Installment Plan
$199×3 yearly
Annual Plan
$499/yearly
Biennial Plan
$799/2 years
There are a few options in EverWebinar pricing plans. You can pay in 3 installments of $199 or pay $499 annually but most importantly, you can try it out and get a feel for it first with a 14 day trial. There is also a Biennial Plan (799$/ 2 years).
EverWebinar pricing
MyOwnConference
Launched in
2014
Rating
4.3/5
Mobile App
No
Starting Price
Free
MyOwnConference – web-based webinar software
MyOwnConference is a robust, web-based webinar software. It provides easy access to the webinar room from any popular browser without the installation of additional software. It offers a wide range of features, including Q&A, chat, screen sharing, recording, quizzes, whiteboard, and much more. This makes MyOwnConference useful for different types of events: webinars, video conferencing, business meetings, training sessions, remote work, e.t.c.
Pros and Cons of MyOwnConference web based webinar software are listed below:
Pros:
MyOwnConference allows users to host online meetings and webinars with up to 1000 participants.
MyOwnConference offers a range of features, including screen sharing, audio and video conferencing, and chat, which can be useful for various types of online meetings and webinars.
Records webinars in HD.
The interface supports sixteen different languages. This enables you to engage with a multilingual audience.
Cons:
UI isn’t that user-friendly.
The platform only supports a maximum of 10 different speakers. This may cause problems if you have a lot of expert presenters lined up.
Pricing Plans of MyOwnConference:
Free
20 attendees for lifetime
One Time Plan
$12/day
Monthly Plan
$36/month for 60 attendees
Annual Plan
$348
MyOwnConference offers a free plan for 20 attendees for lifelong use. As for paid plans, it provides 3 types of tariffs: one-time, annual, and monthly. A one-time plan starts at $12/day and includes all available features. The monthly price starts at $36/month for 60 attendees. The annual plan will cost you $348 with 20% discounts.
ClickMeeting is a webinar management tool for businesses who want to increase their digital reach by hosting branded webinars. All features are intuitive and straightforward to use and come in handy while dealing with international speakers and audiences. It is easy to personalize the webinar room and every associated element with just a few clicks while managing all sorts of webinars such as paid webinars, automated webinars, etc.
Webinar hosting is free from the hassle of device and operating system incompatibility. Types of content that can be hosted include Facebook and YouTube Live, Presentations, Whiteboard, Polls, Surveys, and more. With analytical capabilities, users can derive useful predictions and trends and strengthen their relationships with webinar attendees with regular engagement. With a dedicated webinar tool, it is easier to move prospects through the sales funnel, attract a larger and targeted user base, deliver knowledge-oriented sessions, and measure the progress.
How to Create and Deliver an Exciting and Impactful Webinar on ClickMeeting
Pros and Cons of ClickMeeting webinar management tool are listed below:
Pros:
You can stream webinar live on YouTube or Facebook.
A user-friendly interface makes it easier to use and manage.
ClickMeeting offers a range of features, including screen sharing, audio and video conferencing, and chat, which can be useful for various types of online meetings and webinars.
Engage your audience with live chat and Q&A sessions
Unlimited webinar landing pages.
Cons:
Can’t schedule recurring meetings.
It does not have a phone support hotline.
The storage capacity is limited to 10-hour maximum.
Pricing Plans of ClickMeeting:
Free
30 Days Trial
Live
$25/month
Automated
$40/month
The price is reasonable, but the number of attendees allowed is a little low. The rates start at $25 per month (billed annually) for 25 attendees, $40 (billed annually) per month for up to 50 viewers. There is also an option for custom-pricing that’s best suited for enterprise customers.
WebinarJam is developed by the same team as EverWebinar but the focus is on screening live webinars this time. WebinarJam is more like a traditional online seminar platforms, designed for live events so there’s no automation or scheduling with this tool. However, it syncs perfectly with EverWebinar to provide a platform combination that caters to all of your webinar needs – more capable and cheaper than most of the competition.
It has all the table stakes features like HD video, multiple presenters, slick customer-facing interface and an easy presenter dashboard. It also has features like- live broadcast to YouTube, live chat in webinar, ability to moderate and highlight comments, private messages between moderators, popups for selling your product during your webinar, the ability to poll your audience, or share a video or whiteboard annotation mid-webinar and a super robust analytics dashboard.
Pros and Cons of WebinarJam webinar platform are listed below:
Pros:
Enterprise plan allows for up to six presenters and 5,000 live attendees
One-click webinar registration.
User-friendly and quick to set up.
Support multiple languages.
Interactive and engaging features
Cons:
.Customer support isn’t always friendly.
Can’t stream directly from your website.
Pricing Plans of WebinarJam:
Starter
$39/month
Basic
$79/month
Professional
$229/month
Enterprise
$379/month
Webinarjam pricing plans starts at $39/month (when paid annually). There are also other options like Basic ($79/month), Professional ($229/month) and Enterprise ($379/month).
Webinarjam Pricing
Livestorm
Launched in
2016
Rating
4.4/5
Mobile App
No
Starting Price
Free
Livestorm
Livestorm is a webinar software that facilitates hosting eye-catching presentation and demonstration of products/services. With this tool you can improve your customer training process, by creating live sessions to answer queries and give tips.
This webinar software helps creating and sharing online live courses for your targeted masses. You can craft attractive landing pages without a landing page builder software, and emails without any need to opt for email automation software. Livestorm facilitates hosting webinars quickly,without any requirement to download anything. It can easily be accessed from any device, including PCs, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. Their webinar software also works on any browser without any restrictions for attendees.
An area where it stands out is the email logistics where you can send promotional emails, automate those emails, check email status, and add a touch of personalization. This webinar tool also takes your data security very seriously and is 100% GDPR-compliant. Livestorm is also focused on customer engagement with activities like polling, Q&A sessions, and the use of up-votes.
Pros and Cons of Livestorm webinar software tool are listed below:
Pros:
Run live, on-demand, or fully automated webinars.
Livestorm is easy to use and set up.
Intuitive landing pages.
Engage attendees with features like polling, Q&A sessions, and upvoting.
Perfect tool when handling interviews and testing candidates.
Cons:
As browser software, video quality can be affected by the host’s internet connection.
It does not have a slideshows upload feature in the webinar.
Webinar duration must be 20 minutes or less for its free plan.
Pricing Plans of Livestorm:
Free
Up to 30 active contacts/month
Pro
$88/month
Business
Custom Plan
Enterprise
Custom Plan
Livestorm offers four pricing plans Free, Pro, Business and Enterprise. Free plan allow Up to 30 active contacts/month, Pro plan cost $88/month, billed annually, Business and Enterprise are custom plans with unlimited active contacts and other attractive features. Get a personalized quote as per your requirements.
Demio is one of the best webinar software platforms available out there. It’s super easy to record your webinar automatically in the cloud. When it comes to visual aesthetics, it delivers real-time, HD streaming, and great looking platform design. The software has powerful tracking options. Retargeting, tracking, or conversion pixels may be freely added on the registration page, thank you page, or in the webinar room.
Also, demio offers automation rules, such as sending the webinar recording to those who joined only after the 30-minute mark. With these rules, it is easy to segment the audience in real-time based on the actions that people take. Finally, demio is a very simple tool. It usually takes just several minutes to schedule the first event and even less time to setup the recurring webinars.
Pros and Cons of Demio webinar software platform are listed below:
Pros:
Webinar pages are highly customizable.
Includes engagement features like live chat, document handouts, and CTA pop-ups
You don’t have to download any additional software to run webinars.
14-day free trial available.
Cons:
There is no general link available instead, there’s a separate link for each attendee.
Webinar replays don’t display annotations, chats, and polls.
You only got to share the entire screen. Thats so painful in a webinar.
Pricing Plans of Demio:
Free
14 Days Trial
Starter
$34/month
Growth
$69/month
Premium
$250/month
Demio provides a 14-day free trial, which allows you to test out all its features. The Starter plan starts at $34 per month for a 50-person webinar room, Growth plan of $69 for a 150-person room, and Premium Plan of $250 per month for a 500-3000 person room. These monthly rates are valid on annual subscriptions.
GetResponse is all-in-the-box solution incorporates not only a webinar platform, but also different marketing tools, including autoresponders, custom emails, list segmentation feature etc. With this, it is possible to have the email database and webinar tool under the same roof. As a result, the account holder may schedule webinar campaigns for the subscribers, send the reminders to them; share the event on social media.
Like the others on this list, it includes features like polling, desktop sharing, integrated whiteboard, and access to detailed reports. It is also possible to use the registration feature to collect new emails and to send automatic thank-you messages to the registrants.
Pros and Cons of GetResponse webinar platform are listed below:
Pros:
Lots of templates to choose from, making building almost anything on the platform possible
Nothing is left to the imagination – you can view your marketing automation workflows and funnels in a visual manner.
Retarget visitors to your webinar page.
Comparatively good at split test.
Third-party tool integration.
Cons:
No free plan for webinars.
Complex email automation structure.
Complete automation is not available at the basic plan.
Pricing Plans of GetResponse:
Basic
$15/month
Plus
$49/month
Professional
$99/month
Max
Custom Plan
GetResponse Basic plans starts from $15 per month. Plus plan cost for $49 per month, Professional plan cost for $99 per month and Max is a custom plan.
DaCast may be a great choice for companies and individuals who are just trying their hand in webinar conducting. While the majority of webinar platforms are subscription based, this pricing format may not be ideal for those who only hold live events from time to time.
Dacast is the live streaming platform with a unique approach to pricing. The customers may pay on an event by event basis. Prepaid bandwidth may be used when the client needs it during the following 12 months. However, there are also subscription-based plans for those who hold webinars regularly. With Dacast, it is possible to stream from your website over social networks including Facebook, or any other way.
While it lacks a few of the more advanced features of other webinar platforms, it offers a good variety of functionality across all plans, including: Quality Streaming, No Viewer Limits, Unlimited Channels, Watermarking, Play on Facebook, Playlist, Third-Party Integration, Multi-Bitrate, Secure Delivery, Analytics, Mobile Device Support, and Video Paywall.
Pros and Cons of Dacast webinar management tool are listed below:
Pros:
Monetization features like price groups, promo codes, and subscriptions available.
Customize your paywall.
Free trial for 14 days available.
Interactive video on demand.
Private streaming.
Cons:
Plans have a bandwidth limit. If you go over, you have to pay $0.25 per GB.
Not many customization options.
Pricing Plans of Dacast:
Starter
$39/month
Event
$63/month
Scale
$188/month
Custom
Available
Free trial for 14 days available. Starter plan is available for small audiences for $39/month billed annually, Event plan (One time or occasional events) for $63/month billed annually, Scale plan is available for Business & organizational video for $188/month billed annually. There is one quote-based custom plan as well that allows you to cherry-pick the features you require.
DaCast pricing
Conclusion
Due to the popularity of webinars, there’s no shortage of platforms to choose from. There are some great webinar platforms on this list and a few outside bets that cater to more specialist needs. The above is by no means an exhaustive list, but it does highlight some of the biggest platforms with the best features, pros and cons and pricing details . The right webinar platform for you, depends on your specific needs, of course. However, I can fully recommend taking a closer look at the options we’ve covered today by trying out a few free trials. Do you know of some other webinar tool? Feel free to drop it in the comments section below.
FAQs
What is Webinar Software?
Webinar software can be defined as video conferencing software that helps to host or broadcast training, workshop, meeting, lectures, and other virtual events on the web.
Which are the best webinar software platforms?
Best webinar software platforms are:
Zoom
GoToWebinar
EverWebinar
MyOwnConference
ClickMeeting
WebinarJam
Livestorm
Demio
GetResponse
Webex
DaCast
What is the main purpose of webinar?
The main objective of conducting a webinar is to instruct, demonstrate, or educate your targeted audience.
Are webinars live or recorded?
It can be both, either live or recorded.
Is Zoom, a good webinar software?
Zoom Video Webinar is the best virtual platform for hosting meetings, webinars, conferences, etc.
Are webinars still effective?
Yes, webinars are still effective, and they should be a part of your marketing strategy.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved byWebkonf.
The outbreak of the global pandemic has upended the traditional ways of doing things. Many things got different solutions to them due to pandemics. One such thing was about conducting office meets and business calls. Pandemic made each and everyone physically far from each other. However, the working pattern was in need of everyone’s coordination. At such times, technology gave way for the world to move on. With the introduction of virtual meetings, the concept soon found a way to acknowledgment due to the need for hours.
Virtual meetings were able to fill up the space formed in communication and physical presence during a pandemic. Hence, they found an easy path to success. Till now, the tradition of virtual meetings has been accepted by a mass of companies. The platform, Webkonf provides a real-time and constantly evolving method of connecting with different business associates for the work to go on. Webkonf meeting platform itself was developed as the product researched during Lockdown by the startup firm located in Hyderabad.
Webkonf is a video-conferencing platform that connects people through video, voice, chat, and content sharing. It is a web-based Audio, Video & Screen Sharing solution for meetings and conferences. They use open source systems and oracle cloud for security and scalability. Webkonf introduces background blur and noise cancellation features.
Webkonf Meetings Private Limited is a non-government, Private project incorporated on 26 May 2020. Webkonf is classified under the section of the non-government company with its registration done at the registrar of companies in Hyderabad. The company is authorized with the share capital of Rs. 10,00,000 and paid-up capital of Rs. 1,00,000. Webkonf is not just limited to creating a communication space, it also provides other basic computer-related activities such as maintenance of websites created for some other firms along with the creation of multimedia presentations for different firms, etc.
The product Webkonf meeting was the result of research done in by the Hyderabad Startup in Lockdown.
It was developed as an outcome of lockdown research done by the startup located in Hyderabad.
Last year’s global web conference market size was US $2.5 billion and is expected to be US $5 billion by 2025. Indian market share is expected to be between 500 million and 750 million by 2025, as stated by Ram Malay.
Ram Malay has done his BTech from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Electronics and Communications. Presently, he is also the CEO of Soniks Consulting, which is a firm with latest & innovative domains /technology entries which can help companies bridge gaps in current operations. Mr. Malay is also a Founder at SuperBigStore.com, which aims to be India’s #1 online store for Diapers, Wipes and Sanitary Napkins.
Their growth trajectory has been quite impressive. It has grown from employing just three individuals to over 100 individuals currently. Today, the company’s talented employees handle multiple industry verticals across the world. The company is bootstrapped for the time being.
The idea to launch Webkonf clocked my mind just before the COVID-19 lockdown when I and my team realized the need for an effective communication and collaboration tool. We felt that such a platform could lead to better connectivity and make our work more productive. With this realization, we commenced to work on building such a platform, and hence, Webkonf was born.
Webkonf is a video-conferencing tool, used for virtual meetings with its special features.
The name Webkonf somehow resembles its purpose of web conferencing.
The Webkonf logo is made up of two different colors, i.e Blue and green. The logo consists of the “c” shaped half circle made up of blue and green colors with the term “Webkonf” written from within it. The letter “W” of webkonf is also written in two colors, the first half is blue, and the part below blue is written in green color.
Webkonf- Vision and Mission
With a vision to create innovative products with the customer at their heart and a mission to deliver outstanding technology-based experiences to users, Hyderabad based Soniks Consulting’s Webkonf Meetings is India’s first simple, secured, and protected web video conferencing and screen sharing platform. This application, without any data breaches for data privacy, enables Local hosting end to end encryption. It signifies that Webkonf never collects any data which is irrelevant for Webkonf operations like the majority of other applications which collect users’ browse history.
Webkonf Meetings is their most significant innovation ever. They’re confident that the platform will grow bigger and is definitely more impactful. It is India’s first extremely simple, secured, and protected video conferencing platform. It enables Local hosting end-to-end encryption without breaching any data.
Unlike other applications, Webkonf does not collect the data or browser history of users. Webkonf is potential enough to be adopted by almost 10 million people in a brief period. We are planning for a paid version of Webkonf Meetings once new features and enhancements are released. We are planning for a virtual launch of a commercial version of the Webkon, as explained by Mr. Ram Malay.
Businesses are facing a tough time in contemporary India. While the verticals of traditional business have slowed down, digital space such as apps and webs or e-commerce grew by 300%. Webkonf usage has grown rapidly. Projects of digital, apps, and web are growing alongside fresh acquisitions. Hence, they are expanding mobile and web teams for satisfying user needs. They plan to add AI capabilities and machine learning to their platform which will be a long-term roadmap in progress. Oracle for Cloud needs and expansion has been our partner to produce superior performance and overall experience for the end-users.
Video conferencing has gained much acknowledgment during and after the pandemic. Earlier these platforms were not much used and known by everyone. However, after the pandemic, few already existing platforms started giving special attention to their online services and on other hand, many new startups were known to develop such platforms. Hence we can estimate that Webkonf might be getting its share of competition from many similar platforms, Some of the most common are:
Webkonf is the most significant innovation at a time like this where it’s all virtual meetings. It is India’s first video conferencing platform which is simple, secured, and protected. It will have a deeper impact and will grow humongously over the years making it one of a kind than its contenders.
They are looking forward to getting a paid version of Webkonf Meetings in the near future. But it’s possible only after new features and enhancements are released. They are planning for a virtual launch of a commercial version of their product at the earliest. Adding, AI capabilities and machine learning to their platform is their future plan. It can be considered as a long-term roadmap that is already started with its progress. Over the next five years, they envision their startup to grow into one of the most powerful, influential and innovative startup brands and scale across regions globally.
Webkonf provides a secure environment for the purpose of online communication and video conferencing through its medium. Webkonf was developed by Ram Malay, the CEO of Soniks Consulting. Webkonnf gives a tough competition to other already developed platforms like Zoom and Google meet. The best feature provided by Webkonf is its background noise cancellation with the policy of collecting no-user data through its medium.
FAQs
When was Webkonf introduced to the crowd?
Webkonf was introduced on 26 May 2020 by the CEO of Soniks Consulting “Ram Malay”.
The biggest competitors of WEebkonf are?
Webkonf gets its competition from popular platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Jio Meet, etc.
What is the mission of Webkonf?
The mission of Webkonf is to deliver outstanding technology-based user experiences.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Zoom.
The global video conferencing market size is expected to reach USD 10.92 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 9.7% during the forecast period. Zoom Video Communications, Inc. incorporated on April 04, 2011, is a provider of video-first communication platform and Web conferencing services. In recent times, Zoom became a global phenomenon as businesses had to revert to working from home.
The Company offers cloud-native platform, which unifies cloud video conferencing, online meetings, group messaging and a software-based conference room system, which enables users to easily experience Zoom Meetings in their physical meeting spaces.
With the coronavirus pandemic hitting the whole world at large, face-to-face business activities had to take a plunge. That’s when this company became a savior for every online meeting that took place. We are talking about the Zoom cloud meeting which was founded by Eric S. Yuan in 2011.
Zoom is an American company offering remote conferencing services. It is headquartered in San Jose, California. Zoom also has offices in Europe, Asia, and Australia. It primarily provides a remote conferencing service that combines other tertiary services like video conferencing, online meetings, chat, and mobile collaboration to facilitate conducting business virtually. It is one of the online meeting platforms which paved its way for success.
Zoom success during pandemic was unexpected and it was a turning point in their organization. Read on to know more about the Zoom success story below.
Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (or simply Zoom) is an American communications technology company headquartered in San Jose, California. It provides videotelephony and online chat services through a cloud-based peer-to-peer software platform and is used for teleconferencing, telecommuting, distance education, and social relations.
The company develops a people-centric cloud service that transforms real-time collaboration experience. The Company offers unified meeting experience, a cloud service that provides a 3-in-1 meeting platform with HD video conferencing, mobility, and web meetings. The company’s cloud-native platform enables face-to-face video and connects users across various devices and locations in a single meeting. Zoom, which was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in San Jose, California, serves companies of all sizes from all industries around the world.
Zoom Cloud meetings offer a free video-conferencing facility for up to 100 participants. It offers a communications platform that connects people through video, voice, chat, and content sharing. Zoom is compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, and Linux. Originally, it came with a 40-minute time limit but now due to coronavirus lockdown, this limit has been removed. If the companies want to add more participants and avail of more advanced features, paid subscriptions are available with the Zoom meeting app. Zoom’s closed source software is claimed to be compliant with FedRAMP, HIPAA, PIPEDA and PHIPA, and the GDPR.
Initially, when Zoom was launched, it could host video conferences with only 15 participants which got increased to 25, two years after its inception. From there, it directly jumped to a participation limit of 100 in 2015 followed by 1000 for business customers.
Users can hold one-on-one meetings or conduct video conferences with up to 500 participants. Screen sharing allows meeting participants to better coordinate within meetings and distribute information.
The company has an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, collaboration, chat, and webinars across mobile devices, desktops, telephones, and room systems.
The worldwide adoption of Zoom is powered by its two core products: Zoom Meetings and Chat as well as Zoom Rooms and Workspaces. Zoom Meetings can be attended and held via a web browser, or desktop and mobile applications. The Chat works as an extension to the Meeting product where users can interact through a chat with each other, share files, or create groups.
Rooms and Workspaces, on the other hand, allows businesses to utilize hardware such as a computer, tablet, camera, microphone, and more to hold virtual meetings. The product is specifically aimed at larger-scale organizations, which need to hold meetings across different offices. To make integration with the hardware easier, Zoom even offers its own set of hardware that they developed in collaboration with other manufacturers.
Zoom – Impact of COVID19
COVID-19 really boosted the success story of Zoom. This is when the Zoom Success strategy worked out really well. We’ve outlined its impact below!
With the pandemic intensifying, lockdowns were announced in almost all the affected countries which took Zoom to an altogether new level.
Be it companies, schools, or colleges, all started using Zoom Video Communications to conduct business meetings and deliver lectures.
Zoom offered its services to K–12 schools free of charge in many countries.
Zoom also released a paid education plan which allows unlimited meetings for up to 300 people. Not just that, these meetings are graced with the options of recording, transcription, and various other administrative controls.
These activities contributed to a sharp rise in Zoom usage and contributed to Zoom success during pandemic. For example, in just a day, the Zoom application was downloaded 3,43,000 times.
The company gained over 2.22 million users in the initial months of 2020. This number exceeded the number of users and Zoom had amassed entirely in 2019.
Consequently, by March 2020, the Zoom share price increased to US$160.98 per share. This drafted an increase of about 263% as compared to its initial share prices when it came out with an IPO.
Zoom also became the go-to social platform for the Millennials. During this pandemic when they couldn’t step out, they used Zoom for blind dates and recess and many more fun activities that could turn their boredom into delight.
The founder, Yuan, added $20 Million to his net worth in just one day. This took his total net worth to $5.6 Billion!
Zoom – Founder
The Founder of Zoom is Eric S. Yuan.
Eric S. Yuan, Founder, Zoom
Educational qualification
Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in applied mathematics and computer science from the Shandong University of Science and Technology.
Early life
Yuan was working with WebEx, which was acquired by Cisco Systems and that’s when he became vice president of engineering. After that, he went on to launch Zoom Video Communications.
Zoom – Startup Story
Eric Yuan is a former corporate vice president for Cisco WebEx. He left Cisco in April 2011 with 40 engineers to start a new company, originally named Saasbee, Inc. Prior to starting Zoom, Yuan spent 14 years leading engineering teams – first at WebEx, then at Cisco after its acquisition of WebEx in 2007.
At Cisco, he often saw how frustrated the company’s customers were with their inability to listen to their demands and the slow product iteration process.
The company had trouble finding investors because many people thought the video telephony market was already saturated. In June 2011, the company raised $3 million of seed money from WebEx founder Subrah Iyar, former Cisco SVP and General Counsel Dan Scheinman, and venture capitalists Matt Ocko, TSVC, and Bill Tai.
In May 2012, the company changed its name to Zoom, influenced by Thacher Hurd’s children’s book Zoom City. In September 2012, Zoom launched a beta version that could host conferences with up to 15 video participants. In November 2012, the company signed Stanford University as its first customer.
The service was launched in January 2013 after the company raised a $6 million Series A round from Qualcomm Ventures, Yahoo! founder Jerry Yang, WebEx founder Subrah Iyar, and former Cisco SVP and General Counsel Dan Scheinman. Zoom launched version 1.0 of the program allowing the maximum number of participants per conference to be 25. By the end of its first month, Zoom had 400,000 users and by May 2013 it had 1 million users. In the recent COVID times, Zoom rose to worldwide prominence as many companies use it to conduct meetings and organize their work processes.
Zoom – Customer Acquisition
Zoom’s Business Customers growth
Within just one year of inception, Zoom recorded participation of 1 million user base. In its first year, Zoom established partnerships with multiple B2B collaboration software providers which included Redbooth (then Teambox), and together created a program that was named “Works with Zoom“. This, in turn, worked for Zoom in establishing more superior partnerships with hardware and software vendors like Logitech, Vaddio, and InFocus.
Zoom in 2014
Zoom had already reached 10 million users by 2014. And this number skyrocketed in 2015 when it went on to 40 million individuals with 65,000 organizations subscribed to the Zoom Video Conferencing Services. By 2015, Zoom had already hosted a total of 1 billion meeting minutes since its inception.
Zoom in 2017
Zoom hosted Zoomtopia 2017 in the year that was Zoom’s first-ever annual user conference. During this conference, they announced a dynamic series of new products and partnerships, which also included Zoom’s Partnership with Meta. This partnership was envisioned to integrate Zoom with Augmented Reality, more popularly known as AR. Also, Zoom announced its native support for Skype for Business and its futile integration with Slack, Workplace by Facebook, and its initial steps towards artificial intelligence (AI) speech-to-text converter.
Zoom – Mission
Zoom’s mission statement says, “Our mission is to develop a people-centric cloud service that unifies your meeting experience and improves the quality and effectiveness of communications forever.“
Zoom – Business Model
The business model of Zoom is built on charging businesses a reoccurring subscription fee for the various products the company offers. On top of that, Zoom makes money from the promotion of hardware products.
Zoom – Revenue and Growth
Zoom’s Revenue Growth
Zoom has recorded annual revenue of $953 Million in 2021.
Zoom Video Communications’ revenue for the quarter ending October 31, 2020 was $0.777B, a 366.52% increase year-over-year. Zoom Video Communications revenue for the twelve months ending October 31, 2020 was $1.957B, a 262.29% increase year-over-year.
Zoom has 504,900 business customers.
Zoom – Mergers and Acquisitions
Zoom extended its communication network and service through mergers and acquisition as listed below.
In 2015, Zoom announced the integration of Zoom video conferencing with Salesforce’s customer relationship management platform. This collaboration allowed the sales team to initiate such conferences with their sales leads without leaving the application.
In 2017, Zoom went on to launch Telehealth. This platform is a scalable product in the telehealth category which allows doctors to remotely visit their patients through video communications for consultation.
In 2017, Zoom Video Communications announced a partnership with Polycom. This partnership integrated Zoom’s video meetings into the partnered company, Polycom’s conferencing systems and enabled a wide array of features that included multiple screens and device meetings, HD and wireless screen sharing, and calendar integration with Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, and iCal.
In March 2020, NextTech AR Solutions acquired a software company named Jolokia. Through this acquisition, it intends to integrate Zoom into Jolokia’s Inferno platform. The highlight is that this integration will allow Zoom Video meetings to support up to 100,000 participants. Not just that, with added and advanced features like “real-time Q&A Plus immersive AR.” and additional features like the ability to start a Zoom meeting from the Inferno platform and the incorporation of closed captioning in 64 languages to meeting recordings.
Very recently, in May 2020, Zoom acquired Keybase. Keybase offers end-to-end encrypted chat, file-sharing, and code-hosting all based on a cryptographic platform.
Zoom has acquired German startupKarlsruhe Information Technology Solutions (KITES) on June 30, 2021. The company’s acquisition would bring in the knowledge of language translation via machine learning and is deemed to be a step forward to break the language barriers and speed up the work across the organizations the world over.
Zoom – Funding and Investors
Zoom has raised a total of $276 Million in funding over 8 rounds. Their latest funding was raised in January 2017 from a Series D round.
Here is a list of all the funding rounds of Zoom:
Date
Stage
Amount
Investors
November 2021
Post IPO Equity
$130 Million
ARK Investment Management
January 2017
Series D
$100 million
Sequoia Capital, Emergence Capital Partners
February 2015
Series C
$30 million
Emergence Capital Partners, Horizons Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures
September 2013
Series B
$6.5 million
Horizons Ventures, Jerry Yang, Patrick Soon-Shiong
With all this extra attention, Zoom is now facing a huge privacy and security backlash as security experts, privacy advocates, lawmakers, and even the FBI warn that Zoom’s default settings aren’t secure enough. Zoom now risks becoming a victim of its own success.
Zoom has battled security and privacy concerns before. Apple was forced to step in and silently remove Zoom software from Macs last year after a serious security vulnerability let websites hijack Mac cameras. In recent weeks, scrutiny over Zoom’s security practices has intensified, with a lot of the concern focused on its default settings and the mechanisms that make the app so easy to use.
Each Zoom call has a randomly generated ID number between 9 and 11 digits long that’s used by participants to gain access to a meeting. Researchers have found that these meeting IDs are easy to guess, allowing anyone to get into meetings.
While Zoom still states on its website that you can “secure a meeting with end-to-end encryption,” the company was forced to admit it’s actually misleading people. “It is not possible to enable E2E encryption for Zoom video meetings,” said a Zoom spokesperson in a statement.
Zoom – Future Plans
During the vision keynote of Zoomtopia 2020, Zoom Video Communications, Inc. unveiled major developments to its platform that evolve the future of communications.
OnZoom: A one-of-a-kind online event platform for Zoom users to create and host free, paid, and fundraising events. Hosts can grow their businesses, expand their reach into new audiences, and give back through native donation integration. Zoom users can discover these events and sign up for new experiences with additional functionality like gifting tickets and an attendee dashboard to keep tabs on favorite events and brands.
New end-to-end encryption (E2EE) offering: This optional feature will be generally available in technical preview to free and paid Zoom users next week. It can be enabled at the account, group, and user level, and, depending on how the account admin sets up the feature, can be toggled on and off by the host on a by-meeting basis. When enabled, Zoom’s E2EE ensures that communication between meeting participants using Zoom applications is encrypted using cryptographic keys known only to the devices of those participants.
Customizable SDK: Zoom is adding new enhancements to its SDKs, enabling developers and companies to enrich their own custom video-based applications with Zoom’s platform, available now on Android, iOS, and web. Developers can take advantage of a customizable UI and session control, making it easier for them to bring high-quality video, audio, and instant chat to their applications.
Zapps: Zapps enable developers to create apps that power workflows before, during, and after the meeting. Zoom has brought first and third-party developed apps into the meeting experience for real-time adoption. Zapps are designed to give developers a fast and flexible web view canvas to create apps, viral distribution, and IT deployment and manageability.
FAQs
Is Zoom free?
The basic plan for Zoom is free for all with no trial period.
Who is the owner of Zoom?
Eric S. Yuan is the owner of Zoom. He founded Zoom in 2011 in San Jose, California, United States.
Who’s the CEO of Zoom?
Eric Yuan is the CEO of Zoom.
How does Zoom make money?
The business model of Zoom is built on charging businesses a reoccurring subscription fee for the various products the company offers. On top of that, Zoom makes money from the promotion of hardware products.
This pandemic has completely changed the way we communicate, work, and attend college. Some of it was for the better, while others, not so much. Work from home has become the new norm, and online classes have taken over the traditional classroom teaching. Even meeting friends and distant family has been reduced to video calling them, at best. Video conferencing in online classes, as well as professional meetings has served as a viable replacement for traditional meetings.
While there are many platforms for online video conferencing, some more popular than others, Skype and Zoom definitely bag the title of ‘two of the most recognized video conferencing applications‘. There have been a lot of debates and arguments regarding which is the better conferencing application among them. Here we present to you a comprehensive analysis to compare each of their aspects, features, and pricing plans, to find the one more suited to you.
Skype
Skype Video Conferencing Application
Skype is one of the more powerful and popular Video Conferencing Applications, and allows you to video call your friends and family even if you haven’t signed up. With a plethora of features, you can either download Skype directly from the official website, or you can use it directly on your browser as SaaS. In the wake of this pandemic, use cases of Skype have skyrocketed, and it is the preferred platform for Online interviews for professionals, as well as virtual family reunions.
Zoom
Zoom Video Calling
Zoom is a video conferencing application, mostly known for conducting online classes and conference rooms. It allows for online meeting rooms and chat, virtual webinars for marketing events, conference rooms, and even managing a marketplace with the help of some required integrations. Zoom is more popular for conducting online classes, as major institutions use it for the purpose, while Microsoft has come up with another platform for virtual classes.
Meet Now is a features offered by Skype which allows you to schedule a meeting without any sign ins or even installing the application. You can invite up to 99 people, and all you need is just a browser.
Skype Manager helps users manage groups. It comes in quite handy when allocating credits and managing features business and family groups.
Alexa calling via Skype is also made available for users, where all you need to do is say, ‘Alexa, call… on Skype’; and the call is forwarded via Skype to the concerned person or group.
Content Creators can integrate Skype calls to their podcasts, live streams, and vlogs by going to the advanced settings and allowing ‘NDI usage’.
Skype for Business can also be used as a communication tool with the professional meeting solution. Microsoft also offers Teams platform for more formal meetings and even online classes.
Zoom
Meetings and Chat can be initiated and partaken any where on any platform and from any device. It lets you experience HD video call, audio call, collaboration, and chat.
Rooms and Workspaces such as conference rooms make it easy for users with a one touch joining option. Wireless shares and meeting security are other features of Zoom workspaces, which make it all the more viable.
The Cloud Phone Solution offers users premium features by streamlining communication, enhanced centralized management, along with secure and reliable calls.
Webinars allow you to host online events with up to 100 active participants with custom branding, easy set up, and CRM integrations.
App Marketplace can be used to find applications which help make your Zoom meetings and calls even more efficient. The applications can be found via category, and easily downloaded and integrated.
Skype vs Zoom: Pricing comparison
Skype
Skype has most of its services free of cost and users can benefit from these free services. This also gives Skype an edge over Zoom. However, Skype does offer subscription based calling plan for direct Skype calling.
Other than this, users can enjoy premium Skype features with Microsoft 365 plans which offers a suite of tools and services including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, and other Microsoft services. The personal suite of features in Microsoft 365 comes at a cost of Rs 4199, while the Family suite costs around Rs 5299 with user limit of 6 members.
Zoom
Zoom comes with a range of products and services and varying costs and plans. This includes Zoom Meetings, Phone, Video Webinars, and Zoom Rooms. While the purpose is pretty much the same, features vary according to the use cases. Here we discuss the pricing plans of Zoom Meetings.
Basic Version
Pro Version
Business Version
Enterprise Version
Free of cost and used for personal meetings
Can be used for small teams, and costs Rs 13200 per year per license
Can be used by SMEs and costs Rs 17700 per year per license
Used by bigger enterprises and costs Rs 21200 per year per license
Allows you to host up to 100 participants
Allows you to host up to 100 participants
Allows you to host up to 300 participants with single sign on
Allows you to host up to 500 participants with unlimited cloud storage
Allows for up to 40 minutes of meetings
Allows for group meetings for up to 30 hours
Offers recording transcripts and managed domains
Offers recording transcripts and and dedicated customer success manager
Offers unlimited one-on-one meetings
Offers up to 1GB cloud recording per license
Offers an option add-on of India Audio Premium Toll
Offers an option add-on of India Audio Premium Toll
Skype vs Zoom: Features Offered
Skype
Skype offers its users Audio and HD video calling experience with both group calls as well as individual calls along with call reactions.
On call features include smart messages and mentions, call recording and live subtitles along with screen sharing and end to end data encryption.
One click meeting creation without the need to sign in make it really easy and productive. You can interview anyone, from anywhere in the world.
You can use Skype Credit to call any landline phone at low call costs, and you can also choose a subscription based program for the same.
Skype numbers, available in 25 countries can be used for unlimited calling with a subscription based plan including SMS.
Zoom
Zoom offers Video communication services for hybrid classrooms and has temporarily suspended the 40 minute limit on video conferencing as a need of the hour.
Zoom offers HIPAA/FERPA compliance to meet the security standards, and also offers a 256 bit encryption for data security.
Offers integration with various software and services such as Moodle, Canvas, and Blackboard for seamless usage.
Zoom also offers Cloud Conference Room Connectors, along with Emergency Preparedness and system notifications for important announcements.
You can also incorporate hardware for a better teaching and learning experience along with any technical needs.
Skype vs Zoom: Languages Used
Skype
Skype is one of the best online video communication tools when it comes to remote working with a plethora of supported languages. Among the languages that it supports are French, Greek, Hindi, Indonesian, Arabic, Chinese, Turkish and others. You can choose any of them as the default language and enjoy working with your native language. The list of languages supported by Skype can be viewed on the official website.
Zoom
Zoom has a relatively smaller bandwidth when it comes to supported languages, but a diverse range nevertheless. These languages include English, German, French, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish among other. Other languages supported by Zoom are available on the official website.
Skype vs Zoom: Pros and Cons
Skype Pros
Skype offers an easy to use interface with single click meetings, without the 40 minute meeting limitations.
The video calling is great, specially the one-on-one calls.
The international calling feature is quite affordable compared to standard rates.
Skype offers excellent team collaboration features including Q&A, polls and others.
Skype Cons
A high speed internet connection is required to make video calls, specially high quality calls.
Owing to its popularity, Skype can be a target for hackers to steal private information.
Some users claim that the support is not up to the mark.
Zoom Pros
Offers solutions and products ranging from education and healthcare to government and finance.
User experience is simple, intuitive, and efficient.
Customer support is quite decent with email and phone call.
Supports various third party integrations including Google services such as Drive, Dropbox, and Salesforce.
Zoom Cons
Zoom group video calls are sometimes blurry and of poor quality, hence not up to the standards.
Security and user privacy are some other concerns for Zoom users.
Zoom can be a bit expensive for larger teams, and since most Skype features are free of cost, it has an edge over Zoom in this area.
A virtual office is a service that enables employees and business owners to work remotely by providing a range of business functions accessible through the internet. The virtual office concept has become a popular workspace solution for freelancers and entrepreneurs who work from home but want a professional-sounding business address for their company. It gives business owners all the benefits of a physical office without the expense of renting an actual office. A virtual business address can help to add credibility to a business, which makes it easier to successfully attract clients.
A virtual office or virtual company refers to a company that may not have a fixed location yet functions as a unit to provide products and services to customers. It relies on the Internet heavily. Internet is used for document exchange, video conferencing for meetings and cell phones so employees can keep in touch. The office’s employees might work at home or in different cites and countries i.e. it involves working remotely.
Essentially, a virtual office is a service which provides a business owner with an office address and telephone number, communication and administration services, and access to meeting rooms, all without the need for physical office space.
Virtual Office Concept
A virtual office is part of the flexible workspace industry that provides businesses with any combination of services, space or technology, without those businesses having the capital expenses of owning or leasing a traditional physical office.
Due to the digital revolution, traditional working environment will never be the same. In many cases, work is no longer the place you go to, but rather the tools, skills, and devices you need to have to complete a task, no matter where your location is. Many startups, small firms, and solopreneurs(entrepreneur who works and runs their business alone) are discovering the benefits of virtual offices. For instance, it enables organisations to create and maintain a presence in a desirable location without the need to pay rent for an actual space.
A virtual office can be defined as various work environments that can be accessed with the help of Internet and computer technology. Technically, you and your team can work from any corner of the world as long as you have an Internet connection, an app or a collaboration or conference tool needed for your work, that gives the same ultimate result as any physical office.
The virtual office concept has a great scope in future. For instance, Covid-19 has made many employees unintentionally get used to work from home. This will give a great boost to the virtual offices in coming future.
History of Virtual Office
The virtual office concept has existed since the early 1980’s and has changed over the decades with technology. For example, a 1980’s virtual office included a fax service, now this has been replaced with a scan to email service, in which physical mail is scanned and emailed to the client. Even though virtual offices have been growing in popularity over the last few years, the idea has actually been around for several decades. There’s been an ongoing debate about who coined the term virtual office.
According to an article published in 1982 in Infoworlds, John Markoff, a journalist, first mentioned the term ‘virtual office. In the article, Markoff wrote that a virtual office would be built around a portable personal computer and local area network that would expand working horizons dramatically.Markoff also stated that in the future virtual offices, employees will no longer be constrained by computer equipment or geographic location. They would be free to travel or to interact with others while communicating information with right tools. The physical offices would not have the central importance it does today.
The first virtual offices were accurately installed in 1989 by Ralph Gregory in Boulder, Colorado. Ralph founded ‘The Virtual Office Inc’ because is first child was born and he wanted to be able to work from home and spend time with her.
Also in 1989, after taking a business trip to Belgium, English billionaire businessman Mark Dixon founded his company Regus that provided clients with executive suites at affordable prices. Though the company went bankrupt in 2003, it was able to turn things around in less a year after receiving financing from a business parent. It is now a huge global company, listed on the American stock market.
In 1990, the first Internet search engine was developed by McGill University. In 1991, the World Wide Web was released to the public. Also in the same year, the first webcam was developed at Cambridge University. In 1992, “Virtual Office” became a registered trademark for the first time when Richard Nissen registered the term with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office.
The first Symbian phone, the touchscreen Ericsson R380 Smartphone was released in 2000. It combined a PDA with a mobile phone. In 2003, Skype was released to the public as conferencing tool that allowed free IP-based communications using microphone, webcam and instant messaging to individual consumers. Thus, the virtual offices started actually after this.
In the last decade, trend of Virtual Office has increased due to Internet
How Virtual Office works?
If your work involves traveling to client locations or other places away from your home base, you should probably consider buying a laptop computer rather than a desktop system. With a laptop one can always have their files, documents with them. Instead of laptop, one can also use tablets, iPad, etc. as these are many lightweight models out there that are very powerful. Just make sure you get a good carrying case that has a shoulder strap and room for your hard copy documents. Similarly, printer, fax machine, scanner, and other necessary peripherals to make a while system.
These Virtual offices operate as one unit to serve customers though do not exist physically. This type of set up is getting popular especially with startups and small businesses. The creation of web-based office productivity software and services, such as videoconferencing has helped drive the growth in virtual offices.
A virtual office concept can also lead to greater productivity, as its services free workers from administrative tasks, as well as travel. Each employee can work from the location that is most convenient, and the business is not restricted to hiring employees who live locally.
First of all, it saves the cost needed for the office space. The monthly cost of a virtual office is far less than that of a traditional physical office. After all, it has none of the maintenance and staff costs. A virtual office solution saves on overheads, as there is no need to rent physical space, buy equipment and furniture, or hire a receptionist.
With a virtual office solution, business owners get an address within a reputable area code that is equivalent to a physical office so this reassures clients that the business is legitimate. A virtual office can also be secured via a month-to-month lease, so there is greater flexibility if a user’s business changes.
As virtual office provides a mailing address, telephone answering, and videoconferencing services. Therefore, even small business can appear larger than it is. This is the reason why, it is so useful for startups and small scale businesses. It requires less management than the physical offices.
Working from home while using a virtual office address saves time and money that would otherwise be spent on a daily travel. It helps employees save their energy which is wasted in travelling. This helps them focus on work with more creativity.
Teams working virtually typically have the benefit of flexibility of working. So employees get more free time and flexibility. This helps maintain work-life balance in a better way.
Disadvantages of a Virtual Office
Virtual connections lack the social interactivity of face-to-face contact. Some believe that a disadvantage to working from a virtual office is the lack of social interaction between employees. Because many nonverbal cues can be missed in emails, phone conversations and video conferences and also messages can easily be misinterpreted.
Coordinating meetings may prove difficult especially if employees are residing in different countries. So the scheduling a meeting might create a problem due to differences across several time zones. Finally, collaborations will lack spontaneity because they have to be planned precisely to coordinate schedules and time zones.
On the downside, a virtual office means no physical office space is available to work from on a daily basis. The service package you will get from a virtual office space may be a limited one. For example, many packages come with limited use of conference rooms or limited teleconferencing and videoconferencing services.
Another disadvantage of working from a from a virtual office is the distractions and sometimes lack of motivation. These can sometimes cause morale and productivity to decline. Hence, a person needs to have self-discipline and work best independently with little supervision.
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the market and economies of all the countries. This pandemic has now become a problem for all types of businesses. Growth outlooks for many economic sectors have been slashed due to this COVID-19 pandemic. The present situation is such that the petroleum, chemical, and gas industry are one of those who have seen losses and negative response during this pandemic. Many experts are also predicting that, there might be end of the airline industry post pandemic. The pandemic has banned the travel due to global lockdown. This has limited the reach of the enterprises in the foreign market and this has now leading to the adoption of video conferencing software. Companies are now adopting an alternative for the recruitment process by engaging on video conferences. Let us see the complete report on the rise of video conferencing platforms during COVID-19.
Present scenario of video conferencing platform
The business conferencing apps are having their best time as they are now experiencing record growth in terms of downloads and their usage. This has now resulted as a biggest hit in the week of March. The stats says that these apps has topped with around 62 million downloads during the week of March 14-21 which was the initial period of global lockdown.
The statistics also reflects the rise of video conferencing platforms during COVID-19 and this shows the jump in business conferencing app downloads to about 62 million across IOS’s App Store and Google’s Play Store earlier in March was up 45% from just the prior week. It was also the highest growth among any category across the app stores that week, the report said. And it was up 90% from the weekly average of business app downloads in 2019.
The rise of video conferencing platforms during COVID-19 in the category is due to the global lockdown due to which, the companies have now shifted on the video conferencing platforms like Zoom Cloud Meetings, Google’s Hangouts Meet and Microsoft’s Teams. Zoom app has topped the charts, having the maximum engagement worldwide in the month of February and March, and till now getting the highest engagement with maximum numbers of downloads. These countries include U.S., U.K. and some in Europe.
Due to video conferencing platforms there is no need to travel for any meeting with the colleagues or clients. This can also help in setting virtual office anywhere in the whole world. The video conferencing platforms helps you to connect quickly with the colleagues with the help of a internet connection. This helps the user to connect seamlessly with individuals situated in different time zones outside of standard work hours, while doing so from the comfort of their homes.
2) Saving time and money
Travel use to be the ultimate source of a good business relationships but, the travel can consume large chunks from your time and budget which can have a bad effect on your savings. Now, the video conferencing platform has provided an alternative of making relations by travelling. This can help you to gain the time and budget which use to get used as a travelling expense. So, the video conferencing platform can provide you the benefit of extra time, attention and investment.
3) Recording tools
The video conferencing platforms provides you the facility of recording. Example:- Zoom, allow for meetings to be recorded. Recordings can help to catch all the important points of your, which you missed while attending. This feature can also work as a proof for any type of mistake done in the meeting so that, it can be rectified in the future itself.
According to Fortune Business Insights, the global video conferencing market reached $3.02 billion in 2018. Now, it is projected to double by 2026 with an estimated projection of $6.37 billion. That would exhibit a compound annual growth rate of 9.8% during the forecast period. This statistics shows the upcoming rise in video conferencing platform in the upcoming period of time.