COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of personal and professional lives. In the workplace, nearly every company was forced to adopt some form of virtual communication, some switching solely to remote work. As professional procedures evolved, there has been a heavy reliance on video conferencing software. Most of the software is free and several different ones have increased in popularity.
Let’s check out the 5 most popular software for video conferencing.
- Google Meet
Anyone that has a Google Account can create a video meeting, where they can invite up to 100 participants. However, the time limit for group calls with 3 or more participants is now reduced to 60 minutes. It also allows people to share documents, share screens, and play videos in HD.
- Skype
Skype has been in the video conferencing community for a while. Currently, it’s the most popular video conferencing software, alongside Zoom. Skype has increased the limit for group calls from 50 to 100 participants. In addition, it also features several paid plans that can offer cheaper call rates than using a regular phone company for long-distance calls
- GoRemote
GoRemote is browser-based and has a mobile app so users don’t have to download any extra programs. It has end-to-end data encryption, which encrypts sender and receiver data to provide security. Like other video conferencing software, this one allows for chatting, screen sharing, and conferencing in audio and visual formats.
- Zoom
Viewed as more popular than Skype in some respects, Zoom is used by companies all over the world. It has a free plan as well as paid subscriptions. While individual meetings don’t have a time restriction, group meetings are limited to no more than 40 minutes. Once this limit is reached, all participants are excluded from the meeting. For those looking to have longer video calls, Zoom offers a Pro annual plan that starts at € 11.66 / month, bringing the meeting duration to 24 hours.
- RingCentral Meetings
This video conferencing software is very similar to how Zoom functions. It has the same face-to-face and group meetings time limits (or lack thereof), includes screen sharing and can play HD videos. Additionally, RingCentral Meetings has the ability to record meetings. Like most of the other software on this list, it’s available through a computer, smartphone, and tablet.
Final Thoughts
There are numerous other video conferencing software out there, some free and some not. However, these 5 software are the most popular, and for good reason. Their features and capabilities have satisfied the needs of individuals and businesses for all kinds of purposes. Since many companies still rely heavily on video conferencing, as well as having adapted to consistently using them, their implementation is likely to continue. They have become integral in the workplace to connect people of varying talents, experiences, and relationships that can subsequently improve the economy.
