What Is the Best Web Conference Program for You?

In 2015, PC Magazine ranked the 10 best video conferencing services. Among those honored were: 1. ClickMeeting. Editor's Choice. Rating 4/5 2. Join.Me. Rating 4/5 3. Adobe Connect. Rating 3.5/5 4. Cisco WebEx. Rating 3.5/5 5. Citrix GoToMeeting. Rating 3.5/5 6. eVoice. Rating 3.5/5 7. Skype for Business. Rating 3.5/5 8. Onstream Media. Rating 3/5 9. StartMeeting. Rating 3/5 10. Intercall. Rating 2/5 According to PC Magazine, almost all of the services include neat features such as whiteboard tools, screen sharing, in-app chat, and audio recordings. Five out of 10 are web-based tools including ClickMeeting, eVoice, Onstream, StartMeeting, and Intercall. The other half are software programs users must download and install. Mobile users can rejoice as all of the web conferencing services have dedicated smartphone and tablet apps. There is a web conferencing service to suit every budget. Customers can pay as little as $2 per month per user on Skype for Business or as much as $500 a month for Adobe Connect. Pricing for a majority of the services falls between $20 and $50 each month, and most plans include a 14- to 30-day free trial. For those looking to save more, Join.Me, Cisco WebEx, Citrix GoToMeeting, Skype, and StartMeeting all have a free limited-feature plan, which gives users a reliable video conferencing tool without the frills. For small- to medium-sized businesses, all of the services offer plans that support up to 25 conference participants. For larger meetings, Adobe Connect, Cisco WebEx, Citrix GoToMeeting, and StartMeeting have premium plan tiers that allow you to host up to 100 attendees. Intercall supports up to 125 participants, Skype for Business can host 250, and ClickMeeting's premium ClickWebinar package allows you to organize a web conference for up to 1,000 attendees. Companies that expect to regularly host online events for thousands of people at a time can contact any of the major web conferencing providers for a custom solution. Fortunately, if users run into technical issues at any time they can turn to their provider's customer support hub for help. Most web conferencing companies provide an extensive knowledge base and active user forum. For more specific questions, they also offer email, phone, social media, and live chat support. By taking the proper steps before, during, and after your next web conference, you mitigate the risk of miscommunication and conference downtime. With the right tools and platform, you can host web conferences your guests may actually prefer over in-person meetings. And you won't have to spend a fortune on technology or premium customer support.