Top 13 Alternatives for Zoom to Teach Online
Shivani Manohar
August 23, 2024
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5 min read
The video-conferencing software, Zoom, has sky-rocketed in popularity. In the month of March 2020, Zoom saw a 225% increase in user connections and a whopping 877% increase in data usage, according to a paper by Wandera—all thanks to the pandemic pushing all sorts of meetings online.
However, based on your unique, individual requirements, you might be on the lookout for an alternative video-conference software to carry out your online classes and/or meetings. And finding the right fit from the multitude of options available out there might not be an easy task. Worry not, we’ve got you covered! Here are some other applications like Zoom that you could use to conduct virtual meetings:
This versatile, collaborative video conferencing platform provides an easy way to teach—one-on-one or in a group—online. It provides a ton of great tools like video conferencing, text chat, whiteboards, document editors, and even code. The starter pack, priced at $29/month, includes 30 hours of video calls and 50GB of storage space. You can have a 14-day free trial simply by creating an account. Class management softwares like Classcard also provide direct Lessonspace integrations for educators.
Designed specifically for laptops, Around uses its auto-zoom and noise-cancelling features to focus on the speaker’s face and voice. Up to 15 participants can be a part of one meeting, even when seated close to one another, without any echo or interference noise. Access to the platform is invite-only, requiring users to sign up to participate in meetings.
Whereby is a browser-based tool to conduct online video classes, that emphasizes ease of use. It requires no downloads for guest users; you only need to login using your email address or a one-time code. The free version can house up to 4 users at a time.
Hangouts is a simple but effective online platform that allows up to 10 participants in a video call and up to 150 participants in a voice call. It doesn’t offer a wide array of features like most other platforms, but you can share your screen and access a chat box. It’s a quick and easy way to conduct online classes.
Join.me is perfect for smaller classes or educators with a tighter budget. Free audio-only meetings with screen sharing are available for up to 3 participants. Paid plans start at $10 per host per month and allow up to five participants with no time limit. Naturally, higher-tier plans unlock additional features. Video conferencing, unfortunately, isn’t available for the lower-tier plans.
Facebook has introduced ‘Messenger Rooms’, a free video conference feature that its users can employ for group chats and meetings. Each room allows 50 people with a limitless call duration and without the need for a Facebook account.
Microsoft Teams is an in-built video-conference platform in Office 365, but anyone can sign up for free using their email address. The free version allows up to 300 members, guest access, one-on-one and group video/audio calls, screen sharing, and shared files up to 10GB per team. The business plans, naturally, offer more in terms of additional storage, security, management tools and support for webinars and online training sessions.
Webex by Cisco has been around as a business application for a while and continues to focus on serving companies, but it has a neat free version that’s pretty useful for conducting online classes. With Webex, you can host up to 100 participants, with no time limits on the duration of the meeting and also, added call-in abilities.
A great platform for professional online classes and seamless collaboration on-the-go, GoToMeeting, the web conferencing service from LogMein, allows audio and video sessions, screen sharing, and also has a mobile app for both Android and iOS users. The standard version accommodates up to 150 participants and is priced at $14/month or $12/month if purchased annually. Getting started is simple—just sign up to begin.
Another popular product by Microsoft, Skype allows up to 50 participants for an unlimited time for free, which makes it ideal for smaller classes. It has an in-built call recording feature that any member can use and allows users to save and share the meeting recordings for up to a month. However, it is necessary for every user to download the application and create an account.
Jitsi Meet is an open-source platform that allows you to start meeting easily—simply by navigating to the site and clicking ‘Go’. You can have up to 75 participants in one meeting, with public or private chat, and requires no payment or log-in. Jitsi Meet also integrates with software like Slack, Google Calendar and Office 365.
StarLeaf aims to bring people together for better work and improved collaboration. It is useful for quick and easy video meetings for up to 20 participants. Its basic features are available to users free of charge, provided they download the app and sign-up.
For anyone looking to switch over from Zoom to another platform for their online meeting requirements—be it for education or for work, these 13 alternatives will provide you with a convenient and easy-to-use interface, and help you conduct your digital conferences seamlessly.
If you are an educator looking to conduct your classes efficiently and effortlessly, Classcard is here to make your journey easier! Our intuitive and easy-to-use software allows you to schedule classes, manage bookings, track attendance and payments, share resources, communicate with staff and students, and much more. We also allow you to seamlessly integrate with video conferencing apps to teach online.