The best webinar software platforms in 2020
Webinars are nothing new: They have been on the Internet for quite some time. However, 2020 ushered in a new era for webinars. The new acute and severe coronavirus pandemic of acute respiratory syndrome-2019 is shaking our world. And this disease, Covid-19 or simply Coronavirus, is changing the way we live and work.
Most companies worldwide are allowing key employees to work from home whenever possible. The Internet makes it possible. This is because the Covid-19 contagion is known to spread rapidly.
One of the resources that enables companies to allow work from home for employees while minimizing the impact of locks, self-isolation and social distancing are the best webinar programs and platforms that are available for free or for a reasonable cost.
The best webinar software platforms for 2020
The list I provide consists of free and paid software for webinars. Therefore, you can select the one that best suits your needs and pockets. Prices may vary depending on your location. Therefore, the prices I mention are purely indicative and are taken from the official websites of these software companies.
1. Facebook workplace
In my opinion, Workplace by Facebook is the one of my best webinar platform for any organization. Major companies such as Walmart, Heineken, Air Asia, Domino’s Pizza and Starbucks, among others, are using Workplace by Facebook.
Workplace by Facebook allows you to communicate in up to 46 different languages, share graphics, charts, conduct online trainings and seminars (webinars), among other features.
Pricing: The “Essential” kit is free and available with a simple registration. The “Advanced” package for large companies costs just $ 4 per person per month, with a free 30-day trial. The “Enterprise” solution for complex organizations costs $ 8 per month per person, and also offers a free 30-day trial.
2. Google Duo
Google Duo is a great free resource for webinars, especially for smaller teams or for a sales presentation to one or more customers, presentations and training. However, the only downside to Google Duo is that a maximum of eight people can connect at any time
Google Duo also allows you to conduct seminars or trainings online, but it doesn’t come with advanced features like file sharing or machine translations. This is best for individual trainers, financial advisors, and smaller teams working remotely.
Prices: free. However, performance depends on the speed of the Internet connection with each user.
3. Living storm
Live storm allows you to easily conduct live, on-demand, or automated webinars from any browser. This makes it ideal for companies that have remote teams, with some members using different software.
For online sales webinars, training sessions, presentations, complex file sharing, and video conferencing, Live storm is among the best resources. Another additional advantage with Live storm is the logistics function. This allows you to send mass emails or conduct online promotions to increase sales.
Pricing: The Webinar & Meet Basic plan is free and covers up to eight users. Meet Premium is for eight users as well, but offers additional features like file sharing, sales presentation, online training, and emails for $ 31 per month per user. The Webinar Enterprise plan is ideal for conducting online training sessions and costs $ 99 per month for unlimited users.
However, the plan is valid for only four hours. Live storm also has an Enterprise Webinar package that is available upon request. The prices of the Enterprise solution depend on your needs.
4. Webinar Ninja
Webinar Ninja is a bit of an expensive resource from any point of view. However, the high price has a reason. It enables crystal-clear video and audio reception, even at slower Internet speeds. You can conduct active screen sharing, file sharing, live chat and training sessions, as well as sales presentations with product demos.
You can integrate more than 1,000 different applications with Webinar Ninja. This is very simple and easy to use webinar software. Webinar Ninja also comes with a data analysis dashboard and interface to send emails to clients, students, or your team.
Pricing: The initial plan starts at $ 39 per user per month and allows up to 100 viewers. The Pro plan costs $ 79 per month for 200 viewers, the Plus plan for 400 viewers costs $ 129 per month, and the Power plan for up to 1,000 viewers is priced at $ 199 per month.
5. WebEx
WebEx comes from Cisco and offers high definition audio and video for webinars. Plus, it incorporates several other standout features, like easy integration with sales and marketing tools and online training resources.
WebEx is also popular with e-learning websites for its high reliability and ease of use: the software can be accessed from anywhere in the world from any browser on any device. Another important advantage that WebEx offers is the ability to buy a customized package that suits the needs of your company.
Price: base price of $ 13.9 per month for the first 50 viewers with annual subscription only. The higher versions of WebEx can accommodate up to 1,000 viewers and are useful for international webinars.
6. Ever Webinar
Ever Webinar is ideal for companies that will use webinars to generate sales. This resource allows you to present recorded videos as a live presentation. And if you’re so inclined, it’s also possible to increase the number of viewers on your webinar without having that many.
This resource allows you to create real-time conditions, exchange emails and other information live, and train people who use various resources. You can also easily connect with users of other webinar platforms using Ever Webinar.
Pricing: The entire Ever Webinar package costs $ 41 per month. The flip side is that you must purchase an annual package that is fully billed at the time of subscription.
7. Skype for Business
Skype for Business comes from Microsoft and is therefore compatible with any computer or smartphone. It has an excellent feature, Skype Meeting Broadcast.
Skype for Business is a comprehensive platform that allows you to remotely manage teams and conduct online training. It is also possible to create different meeting broadcast times to suit different time zones.
Another great feature of Skype Meeting Broadcast is its ability to share videos without showing who is online. This means that a business owner can watch the webinar without making their presence felt.
Pricing: The basic package starts at $ 5 per month per user for Skype for Business. There are no free trials. The premium package starts at $ 9 per month per user, while the Enterprise solution costs $ 14 per month per user.
8. Google Hangouts
If you need a complex webinar solution, go to Google Hangouts. This allows multiple users to share their screenshots, documents, spreadsheets, and charts, as well as a host of other documents.
Google Hangouts works well on computers and smartphones. The package also includes Google forms, Google presentations and cloud storage in Google Drive for all users to save their material or content.
Pricing: The basic plan costs $ 5 per user per month. The business plan costs $ 10 per person per month and is useful for large corporations. The Enterprise plan costs $ 20 per user per month and is best suited for companies that have operations in multiple locations and need to manage multiple staff members simultaneously.
9. WhatsApp
In case you don’t know, WhatsApp also has a feature that allows you to conduct basic webinars using its video conferencing feature. To do so, you will need to form a WhatsApp group and make sure that all members are online at that time. There are no recording facilities available.
In fact, several asset management companies (AMCs) and financial institutions are now turning to WhatsApp for investor education webinars. A maximum of 32 people can have video conferences through WhatsApp. And there are also basic functions like file sharing available.
WhatsApp comes from Facebook. Regarded as one of the world’s most popular instant messaging, voice calling and video applications, with more than 1.5 billion users spread across the globe. The advantage of WhatsApp is that people can access a webinar from a smartphone or computer using WhatsApp Web. It also works on mobile data and the Internet at home or office.
Prices: no cost.
10. DeMaio
Repeating webinars when needed or on demand is one of DeMaio’s most desirable features. It integrates well with Mailchimp and many other business software needed for webinars and customer support. DeMaio also comes with a feature that allows you to add more or more co-hosts or interviewers or co-presenters seamlessly in the same webinar.
The ability to stream webinars allows you to reach a broader audience, based on time zone and differences. You can schedule your webinars for automatic start with DeMaio. And you can allow multiple presenters in multiple countries for this feature, if needed.
Price: The basic package costs $ 49 per month for 30 users, billed annually. The Pro package is priced at $ 99 and allows up to 75 users. You can also get custom packages for your needs.
11. Get Response
Get Response is excellent webinar software for online marketing. It allows easy customer access and the ability to connect with customers at their convenience. Allows clients to replay a webinar if necessary.
It’s easy to share product information or company data through Get Response without fear of piracy or your data falling into the wrong hands. Your clients don’t need to download Get Response simply for their webinar – they can access their webinar from their browser using a link you submit.
Pricing: The basic plan to reach up to 1,000 email and video customers costs $ 15 per month. It also has Plus, Professional, and Enterprise packages that cost $ 49, $ 99, and $ 1,999 respectively.
12. Zoho Meeting
Webinar registration, webinar fee collection, attendance registrations, and many other features are included in Zoho Meeting. This is one of the most popular resources for businesses and small businesses to do anything from staff training sessions to large international conferences for any purpose. Zoho Meeting is also very easy to operate.
You can organize any live webinar with Zoho Meeting. This means that you can allow an attendee to ask a question or conduct a live panel discussion with Zoho Meeting. A presenter can also display the computer screen with their own image in another smaller side window.
Pricing: The basic plan known as Webinar-25 costs $ 49 per month for the host. The most expensive is for 250 attendees and costs $ 199 per month for the host. It also has the Webinar-50 and Webinar 100 plans, as well as Zoho Meeting-300.
Special mention of other webinar platforms.
There is another great resource for webinars that companies around the world use regularly. However, I mention it especially for reasons that I will explain further.
13. Zoom
For several years Zoom was almost an undisputed leader of the webinar. It offers great features like creating and sending unique email links. Zoom also does not require people to download the software. It can be easily used from any good browser on the computer or mobile phone.
This webinar platform also allows you to change the background image, record and store audios as videos, and share them online through social media.
However, hackers around the world found significant Zoom vulnerabilities in March 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, conferences and webinars from various reputable companies were interrupted or hacked for confidential information.
The owners of Zoom admitted that there are flaws and promised to fix it. However, the problem remains unresolved as of this writing.
Final thoughts
As you can see from my list above, there are wonderful webinar programs and resources available to meet every need, from training to sales and marketing, customer retention, and