Emergence of Zoom:
Contrary to the popular belief that the adoption of Zoom, as its onomatopoeic name suggests, zoomed during the Pandemic, and had already been dominating the video communications market since 2018.
Its meteoric rise was propelled further by the fact that, at that time there were no good Zoom alternatives plus Zoom was easy to use (frictionless as stated in its mission), faster than its counterparts and its free features are more advanced than the features of its rival virtual meeting tools.
There are some seriously good alternatives to Zoom and you would be surprised to know that Zoom does not always fit in all situations.
Zoom features worth mentioning:
- Zoom has a more modern, chic look and was the first to offer features like call recording, screen sharing, etc., without the need to install any third-party plugins.
- Unlike its competitors, Zoom’s free version provides all the features required for an efficient meeting. The 100+ user meetings, time restricted to 40 minutes with all the new must-have features, are long enough for the user to appreciate the ‘awesomeness’ of the platform but also short enough to persuade the user to buy the premium version.
- The versatility of the platform – Zoom is used for both personal and business meetings alike – not only expanded its user base but also increased its adoption.
- Zoom was named a Leader in Gartner’s magic quadrant 2021 for the sixth consecutive year.
Human beings are children of habit. Users who were comfortable with Zoom in their social setting had no qualms using the same tool for formal jobs, and the same is also true vice versa. But for others, you can always find decent Zoom alternatives now.
Why people need Zoom alternatives?
Zoom is the jack of all trades. It serves well for personal as well as professional meetings. However, of late, rather than offering a generic meeting platform, businesses are developing virtual meeting tools that focus on a specific niche to provide tailored features for a powerful experience.
And the good news is, you can always integrate these tools to other popular platforms: For example:
So without further ado, let’s checkout the following best Zoom alternatives:
Zoom alternative for Formal Business Generic Meetings:
Formal business meetings focus more on productivity, collaboration, and decision-making. Advanced video and audio platforms coupled with data security are needed in such a setting. Data organization and scheduling are now inseparable requirements of such meetings.
Microsoft Teams
In terms of video communication, Zoom has a slight edge over Microsoft teams. However, Teams can be thought of as a hub for your organization.
It is not just a video communication tool. Its integration with Microsoft Office coupled with user-intuitive scheduling, whiteboards, seamless file transfers, ease of use and data organization wins the battle against Zoom.
Cisco Webex
It has one of the cleanest meeting interfaces. Webex offers more cloud storage and is known for its stellar video security.
It does not offer as many features and integration similar to Zoom but is still popular in organizations where security is paramount.
For in-depth analysis, read Webex vs Zoom.
Google Meet
Most easy to use Zoom alternative tool you would come across if you use Gmail. Google Meet is known for ease to use but is definitely is NO for people who don’t use Gmail.
It was meant as a replacement for Google Hangouts and Google Chat.
For in-depth analysis, read Google Meet vs Zoom.
Ringcentral
Ring Central offers an integrated voice, video and messaging service that is hosted on the cloud.
There are several products under the RingCentral brand, such as RingCentral Meetings, RingCentral Office, Glip etc.
For in-depth analysis, read Ringcentral vs Zoom.
Zoom alternative for Vertical specific smart meetings:
As opposed to generic business meetings, vertical-specific meetings are more focused on a result. In such meetings understanding the user perspective and behavior for taking decisions is principal. Meeting tools serving such a niche are emerging in the sales and education domain.
Goodmeetings
Goodmeetings boasts of an integrated AI-powered video platform for sales with advanced analytics for the sales domain.
Bolstered with the power of conversational intelligence, Goodmeetings can increase your productivity manifold in a virtually effortless meeting.
Its AI nudges based on customer attentiveness, speech and conversation text help the salesman in delivering the right pitch to the right customer taking the lead conversion rates to a new high.
Incognito sales coaching, AI-powered note-taking and annotated transcribing reinforce the capability of Goodmeetings to make your sales process a breeze.
Zoom alternative for personal use: (Less features, no analytics):
This is video communication in its most elementary form. You talk to your family almost every day. You don’t need too many features here. This is plain, simple talking coupled with the joy of seeing your loved one’s face or probably something new that they bought and want to show you. You don’t need any analytics or fun features here.
WhatsApp is ubiquitous. Everyone has it and it is easy to use. You can video call your contacts on WhatsApp with the click of a button.
You can easily switch from voice call to video call. You don’t need any advanced hardware devices to use it.
It is free.
WhatsApp is one of the most convenient tools for one-to-one or one-to-few everyday video calling.
Google Duo
Google Duo comes to your rescue when your internet connection is not great.
Duo has a very lightweight platform and enables good enough video calling even if you are located in a remote jungle with only a hint of internet connectivity.
Another interesting feature of Duo is that you get to see the video of the person calling you even before you answer the call.
Check best Zoom apps to enhance your video meetings.
Zoom alternative for Game nights and Parties:
These are informal meetings that are high on energy, don’t happen every day and need a lot more entertainment value than just a virtual meeting. Such a meeting could be a game night with your friends, a virtual birthday party or even a wedding ceremony.
Discord
Designed around the gaming community, Discord is the best tool for organizing a party power-packed with games, song sharing, virtual dancing, ordering fake food, custom emojis.
No free tool comes close to Discord in offering the most energy-packed virtual party experience.
But is discord better than zoom, checkout here Zoom vs Discord.
Bunch App
Bunch is designed for hosting a lively party, do video chat for games and mostly focusses on the entertainment value.
It allows no more than 7 participants in a room. Bunch is free and has in-built games, trivia and other such fun features for a seamless metaverse.
Final Words:
Zoom is indisputably the market leader. However, no one size fits all. Choose the tool that best suits your needs. Most of the tools out there in the market are free to use. Often, a hybrid solution involving a free tool along with a paid premium version of another tool should be an answer for all your requirements.
