By Eva Williams 23 days ago, Apps and Software
As a cloud-based resource with powerful collaboration & communication tools, Cisco Webex has won the hearts of millions of users with its ability to unify voice calls, hold video conferences, create group chats, explore analytics reports, share files, and more in one place, whether it be a desktop or smartphone app.
However, many people cannot afford this product and it fails sometimes, so companies are increasingly choosing the best Webex alternatives, which I will discuss in detail in this article.
In this list of programs similar to Webex, you can find both paid and free products, as well as those available for use both in the browser and as such a desktop application. I’ve taken a detailed look at their user-friendliness, speed, and all the features available, including screen sharing, presentation, and whiteboarding.
Verdict: As an excellent web-based video conferencing product, Adobe Connect includes audio and video calls, screen and file sharing, creation of training modules and materials, presentation development, as well as chats and polls in its arsenal of basic functions. What’s more, the product offers the creation, customization and saving of meeting rooms settings, which makes it a worthy Webex alternative.
I like that the developers have paid special attention to interactivity, allowing users to create multiple chat modules, meeting rooms, add polls, quizzes, and so on. Due to Abode Flash integration, you can fully customize the program to your needs using the available addons. Try different extensions to connect Closed Captioning, Word Cloud, or even an MP3 player that will break up the atmosphere of your video conference with pleasant, unobtrusive music. The program costs from €46/mo, but you can test the functionality for free for 30 days before purchasing.
Verdict: Like all best Webex alternatives, Zoom allows for managing your conversation through messaging, groups, and channels. At the same time, its small business plan covers as many as 300 participants, unlike Webex with its 150 participants in the initial plan. Amazing user experience, connecting people, improved collaboration in conference rooms, and more are the benefits of this video conferencing software.
I love that here I can explore auto-generated real-time voice transcripts stored in cloud storage after the conversation ends. Users appreciate being able to integrate the product with their favorite platforms like Zendesk or Google Calendar, which greatly boost the efficiency of the entire team. You can use Zoom for free or buy the premium version with more features from $149.90/year.
Verdict: Among all programs similar to Webex, Microsoft Teams stands out for its versatility for most users and ease of setup. This product is the perfect combination of powerful video meetings and collaboration tools. Conducting video conferences, sharing files using SharePoint, joining chats, or launching your own chat – all this and more is available to you with this instant messaging software.
I love that Teams doesn’t restrict you from using your favorite, familiar tools, but rather allows you to integrate them. This includes Trello and preferred cloud storage like Google Drive. What’s more, with Teams you can forget about the boring routine actions, entrusting them to a bot and saving valuable time for something more important. Whether you add existing bots or create your own to suit your needs, the choice is yours. You can use Teams for free or pay from $4.00/mo for advanced features.
Verdict: This Webex alternative offers users incredible ease of use and administration. The big advantage is the integration with the entire Google product family – from Gmail to Forms, from Chat to Google Meet, from Drive to Docs, and so on. Your entire huge team can collaborate effectively on the same project using Google Docs and Slides while communicating effectively through Google Jamboards and digital whiteboard from Workspace.
I also like that here, as an administrator, I can benefit from Work Insights by customizing it to my team’s need to access reports and team performance data, and collaborate with other teams to improve overall productivity. You can also share your own calendars within your team and with clients to choose meeting times that suit everyone even faster. The cost of using this product starts from $6/mo.
Verdict: Being one of the best Webex alternatives and even surpassing it, BlueJeans combines all the most important features of the modern user – voice and video conferencing, online meetings, and powerful collaboration features. This cloud-based platform is perfect for connecting users who use a computer, smartphone, or conference system for a joint conversation. By installing BlueJeans, you benefit from efficient and productive online meetings from anywhere in the world and on any device.
The advantages of the product are conference recording of up to 5 hours, extensive video chat functionality, such as Dolby audio technologies, transcription, and artificial intelligence to analyze and support your meetings. For even more effective collaboration, BlueJeans offers you options such as screen sharing and commenting, and unlimited whiteboards where you can take notes with a rich arsenal of customization tools, all in a conversation with up to 25 participants. All these features are available to you from $9.99/mo.
Verdict: This Webex alternative has everything you need for a great user experience – real-time screen-sharing tools, online conferencing, and decent sound technology. What’s more, it offers call forwarding to internal and external phone numbers, voicemail boxes, group meetings, and access from both a computer, whether Windows or Mac, or a smartphone, whether Android or iOS.
Creation of custom call flows, mapping out the incoming caller's self-service path, is available via the visual plan editor. I like that here you can automate the redirection of clients to the right person or service by combining auto attendants or voice mail with a meeting planner and password request. The developers have also provided a quick and easy switch to switch from a chat to a group or individual meeting. Enjoy the functionality of the program from $14/mo.
Verdict: If your goal is reaching the target audience and retaining customers, then ClickMeeting is what you need. This webinar software integrates with popular video platforms like Facebook Live and YouTube Live. What’s more, you can benefit from PayPal integration by making sure your customers have access to paid content. I especially like that you can have up to 1000 participants in a video conversation here, which is not the case with most programs similar to Webex.
Thanks to the interactive whiteboard and all sorts of polls, you can get accurate data about the impressions of your audience, which then the program will help to analyze in order to conduct your business even more efficiently. By launching an on-demand webinar, showcasing a new product or service, and the brand in general, to potential or regular customers, becomes a no-brainer task. You can try the program for free before purchasing from $25/mo.
Verdict: This Webex alternative is a great way to gather all your communication formats. Thanks to integrations with the most popular products like Zoom, Asana, Outlook, various cloud storage platforms, archiving capabilities, and online communication, you get an even better user experience.
I love that this online collaboration software is incredibly flexible and allows for working from anywhere and anytime. Chatting, sending audio and video content, participating in conferences – all this and more is available to you online. What’s more, you can view old messages right after joining a chat. This is useful for teams that can follow the discussion of a common project, as well as find answers to previously asked questions using a search. You can use the product for free or unlock the premium features the cost of which starts from $7.25/mo.
Verdict: If you own a small business and are looking for a decent online video meeting product, then AnyMeeting could very well be your choice among the best Webex alternatives. With the handy screen-sharing feature, any webinars, meetings, and conferences become a pleasant and easy task.
Now, broadcasting promotional videos to your clients or training and informing your team from anywhere in the world will not cause any difficulties. What’s more, the product comes with powerful analytics and reporting capabilities to help you increase the productivity of your teams and campaigns. You can try this solution for free or subscribe from $9.99/mo.
Webex is known for its advanced features, including end-to-end conference transcription and recording, hand gesture recognition, online polls, collaborative whiteboards, meeting rooms, and more. At the same time, the program is already obsolete, since today’s best Webex alternatives offer advanced group calling functions, analytical and reporting capabilities, various AI-based functions in addition to the basic functionality.
The free Webex package only offers 40 minutes per meeting. To increase this time, you need to purchase a plan that costs more than similar ones with the same feature set. The Meeting plan will cost you $14.50/mo, the Calling plan costs $17.00/mo, and Webinars can be purchased for $275.00/mo. If you want to enjoy all these benefits, you will have to buy all of these plans. This is an expensive product, but the developers have provided a free trial version with reduced functionality. This will be enough to understand if you should buy any or all plans.
