StartupStash

The world's biggest online directory of resources and tools for startups and the most upvoted product on ProductHunt History.

23 Zoom Alternatives For Remote Meetings And Video Calls

In the last few weeks, I found myself getting into more video calls than ever before. From having face-to-face meetings in the office, I'm now working from home during the Coronavirus quarantine. Because most of these calls usually involve more than five people, Zoom has become the leading solution for medium-to-large meetings.

Zoom is a remote conferencing service that combines video conferencing, online meetings, chat, and mobile collaboration. It gained popularity over the last few months because it permits up to 100 participants in a video call. This large limit is perfect as people can use it for large team video calls. That people worldwide are working from home and humans like to stay connected shows how essential this technology is.

All of these reasons have made Zoom grow insanely over the last few months.

Zoom alternatives like Whatsapp, for example, only lets you add four people in a video call. Skype allows up to 50 participants. So, Zoom became a perfect choice for large business meetings and online studies.

There's some coverage recently that Zoom doesn't have standard end-to-end encryption, and the service itself can access unencrypted video and audio from meetings.

Like many of you, I have also been using Zoom as a solution, but recently l became aware of Zoom's privacy issues and the fact that hackers are taking advantage of the whole situation.

Consequently, I decided to explore Zoom alternatives for remote meetings and video calls. One of our goals at StartupStash is to give a stage for more startup tools and cool projects, so I gathered a list of 23 Zoom alternatives. Some of those tools are very popular, some you might never have heard of before.

This list is for individuals looking for a solution to connect with their team, people who work remotely, and friends and family who happen to be in-home quarantine and want to catch up.

Note: Some of the Zoom alternatives in this list might be less secure than Zoom. However, as they aren't as popular, their security concerns haven't been publicized. Perhaps cyber experts didn't check them as carefully as they are checked Zoom.

Task management, business chat, and video calls are easier with Hibox.

With it, you can start a video conference call with your team with one simple click, without hassle.

However, Hibox is not only a Zoom alternative, as it does a fantastic job when it comes to teamwork and collaboration, allowing you to keep track of all the projects your team is working on and also increase productivity.

It comes with powerful features and capabilities like the AI assistant and the possibility to set up integrations with popular apps like Gmail and Google Drive, which makes it an excellent solution for keeping all the information in one single place.

Platform: Desktop, Android, and iOS

Pricing: Free, $4/user/month, $8/user/month

Google Duo is a video chat mobile app. Even if Google developed it, I first heard about Duo while researching the alternatives for this article.

However, it turns out that Google Duo is designed for smaller group video calls, as it allows up to 12 participants, which might be a considerable downside for bigger teams.

Even so, compared to Google Meet, there are some significant differences that make Google Duo a powerful solution.

The most important one is its stability, as it works amazingly even when there’s a lower quality network connection, also being able to switch between WiFi and mobile data without dropping the call.

The other important feature is about its security, as the video calls in Google Duo are end to end encrypted while the Google Meet ones are not. (You can read more about it here).

Platform: Web, Android, iOS

Pricing: Free for everyone, forever

Discord is another Zoom alternative that makes it easier to communicate with your team over voice, video, and text.

For a long time, I thought Discord is only for gamers (as a gamer, myself). However, I recently discovered that the video call option is being used by millions of people worldwide.

When digging about it, I found out that there is a difference between the live chat and the video calls when it comes to limitations on Discord.

Their live chat option is more oriented to webinars, CEO announcements, class teaching, etc., while video calls are for everyone.

Even so, there’s a limitation when it comes to the group size, as it allows you to add only up to 10 participants in a video call.

Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web

Pricing: Free or $4.99/month for Discord Nitro

Riot is another excellent alternative for secure calls that allows you to organize rooms around your team, friends, or community.

With Riot, you can chat, share files, add widgets, make video or voice calls, and also hold conferences.

One of the main reasons I like Riot is the fact it’s open-source and built on Matrix, which allows anyone to audit and customize it.

Additionally, as a user, you have the freedom to own your data by hosting your server.

Platform: Web, Desktop, Android, iOS, F-Droid

Pricing: Free for everyone, forever

Join.me is another useful tool for screen sharing, online meetings, and team collaboration.

What makes it unique is the fact that it shares your screen once you start a call, which can be extremely useful when you need to discuss with your teammates on a specific subject.

However, that’s not all. Join.me can also act as TeamViewer and let other team members control your mouse and keyboard.

I find Join.me one of the most useful tools when it comes to working remotely and communicating with my team members. It feels like a combination of Skype and TeamViewer.

The best part about it is that you don’t even have to install Join.me on your computer to get into a call. However, that’s not applicable when you’re the one who starts the conversation.

Platform: Desktop, Android, iOS

Pricing: Lite $10, Pro 20$, Business $30

GoToMeeting is a powerful online meeting, desktop sharing, and video conferencing tool that enables you to meet with other users, customers, clients, or colleagues in real-time.

Compared to other online meeting tools mentioned above, GoToMeeting feels a lot more business-oriented.

Their main goal is to help teams work remotely and enable people to create and host webinars.

GoToMeeting’s free version comes with a few limitations like a time limit of 40 minutes/call and a maximum of up to 3 participants.

However, it’s still a fantastic tool for communication and collaboration, and you can remove those limits and create group video calls of up to 3,000 participants at a reasonable price.

Platform: Desktop

Pricing: Professional $12, Business $16, Enterprise Personalized Offer

BlueJeans is a great cloud video conferencing tool that enables you to quickly and securely hold live video calls, webinars, conference calls, and online meetings.

I first heard of BlueJeans while creating this Zoom alternatives list, but apparently, it’s a top-rated tool.

However, BlueJeans is not a free video communication tool, but somehow this sentence they wrote “You would never buy a car without test-driving it, and the same should be true for your video meetings platform.” convinced me to give it a try.

Digging deeper into their service plans, I noticed that even their cheaper one that allows you to host up to 50 participants comes with powerful features like unlimited 1:1 and group meetings, recordings, support, and more.

Platform: Desktop

Pricing: Standard $9.99, Pro $13.99, Enterprise Personalized Offer

Here’s a one-stop solution for online meetings, video conferencing, and webinars.

From a first look, Zoho seemed to focus on webinars and presentations. However, after taking a closer look at its features, I noticed that it could do much more. 

One of the best things is that, even if they have a desktop app, you don’t have to download it so that you can join meetings directly from your browser with just a few clicks. And that’s not all. You can also download the Zoho app on your Android or iOS device or use their extension from Chrome and Firefox browsers. (I know, so many options!) 

Zoho Meeting also comes with RSVP and reminders, private meetings, admin control,  meeting scheduling & calendar syncing, analytics, and more. It even has the “raise hand” and “allow to talk” features. 

Overall, Zoho Meeting can easily compete with Zoom in terms of features and capabilities. 

However, it might not be an excellent fit for companies that want to create a group video conference of more than 250 participants, since that’s the maximum limit allowed. 

Platform: Desktop, Android, iOS

Pricing: Meeting up to 100 $10, Webinar 25 $19, Webinar 50 $29, Webinar 100 $39, Webinar 250 $79

Webex is an online meeting tool that allows you to virtually meet with other people, without leaving your home or office.

What I love about Webex is the way they treat their community during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

They opened a whole new section on their website dedicated to remotely working teams. Also, They extended their free package with some cool modifications allowing you to add up to 100 (usually up to 50) participants in each meeting, meet as long as you want (there used to be a 40 min time-limit), and also call-in for audio (in addition to the VoIP capabilities). 

Platform: Desktop, Android, iOS

Pricing: Free, Starter $13.50, Plus $17.95, Business $26.95

Tox is an entirely free alternative for online communication. What makes it different is its security. Since Tox uses open-source encryption and has no central servers, nobody can get access to your messages and data. 

Its main features are voice and video calling, screen sharing, file sharing, and the possibility of creating groups. Also, there’s no limit to how many people you can add in your group conversation. 

Overall, Tox is a great solution for those concerned about their privacy. Secure, fast, free, and with zero advertising – I honestly think that this looks too good to be true. 

Platform: Windows, Linux, OS X, Android, iOS, FreeBSD, OpenIndiana, Sailfish OS

Pricing: Free forever

Google Meet is another communication software developed by Google I think we all heard about. 

Google Meet is as simple as they come, and I’m using it for most of my online business meetings. However, there are some limitations to its free plan, including a 1-hour maximum length for calls and a maximum of 100 participants. 

The best part is that if you are already using the G Suite Essentials, you already have more features unlocked like 150 participants/call, a maximum meeting length of 300 hours, and 24/7 support. 

Also, to create a video meeting, you’ll need to be signed in to a Google Account. This does not apply when joining one, as anyone inside or outside your organization can join with a link.  

Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux

Pricing: Free or as part of the G Suite

FortKnoxster is another communication platform that uses end-to-end encryption to make sure your data is safe and secure. Also, if you’re concerned about your privacy, you’ll be happy to hear that FortKnoxter’s encryption is military-grade. 

Now that we clarified how powerful its encryption is let’s jump to its features. 

FortKnoxster is free for use and has zero-advertising. With it, you can chat in real-time, send text or voice messages to your team or business partners, make video calls, start group conferences, share your screen, and more. Everything without having to worry about your privacy! 

Platform: iOS, Android

Pricing: Free

TrueConf Server is a self-hosted video conferencing software that works on all popular operating systems. Its premium plan allows you to add up to 36 speakers and 800 participants to a video conference. 

For smaller teams, it’s free version might do the trick, since it allows group video calls of up to 12 speakers and participants. And that’s not all, as it’s free plan comes with Skype for Business integration and UltraHD video conferencing.

Additionally, TrueConf comes with some interesting features like the possibility of integrating it with surveillance systems, VoIP devices, and PBXs, reliable video communication (even works with an internet speed of 32kbps), and multiple collaboration tools. 

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, WebRTC

Pricing: Free, The premium version starts at $240 a year

Talky was initially created as a Skype alternative, and it’s a simple and free video conferencing solution that allows you to add up to 6 people in one conference call. 

The process is so easy that you don’t even need to download any plugins or software. All you have to do is choose a room name and share the generated link with your friends or team. 

The best part about it is that you don’t have to create an account or download it, as Talky uses the generated URLs to create a group video call. 

Also, when it comes to features and capabilities, Talky comes with screen sharing, support, and an option to lock your room for extra privacy. 

Platform: Web

Pricing: Free

Telegram is a popular, secure chat app that allows you to send text, audio, and video messages. The app is cloud-based so that you can access your files on multiple devices. It has an open API for everyone. 

The reason I find Telegram a convenient alternative to the most popular video conferencing tools is that it has end-to-end encryption and allows you to send files up to 1.5 GB. Also, the desktop version is just simply great.

I decided to add Telegram to this list mainly because I’ve been using it for a while, and the video messages are pretty useful as well.

Note: Telegram doesn’t have video calls yet. However, they are working on developing a secure group video calling feature that is supposed to come later this year. 

Platform: Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux

Pricing: Free

Viber is another secure choice when it comes to online communication solutions. However, the bad news is that it’s not as popular as it’s supposed to be, so if you want to communicate with your friends and family via Viber, you’ll have to convince them to join.

When it comes to security features, I think Viber is delivering a great deal, as it comes with end-to-end encryption by default, the possibility to verify the identity of the person you’re talking to, hidden chats, and a self-destruct timer for your messages. 

With it, you can send text, voice, and video messages, make HD-quality calls, create communities, or, if you’re at a lack of words, communicate via gifs and stickers without having to worry about your privacy. 

Viber-to-Viber communication is free. However, if you didn’t manage to convince your contacts to join, you can still use Viber to make domestic and international calls at a low cost.

Platform: Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux

Pricing: Free, In-app purchases for stickers

Jitsi is a bit different from the tools mentioned in this article, as it’s a set of open-source projects that allows you to build and deploy video conferencing solutions. Its popular projects are Jitsi Meet and Jitsi Videobridge, but we’re only going to talk about Jitsi Meet since this is the one that comes with the features we are looking for. 

Jitsi Meet is completely free and lets you stay in touch with your team. It has no user limit, is fully encrypted, does not require an account, and allows you to join a meeting without having to download the app. 

With it, you can also share your screen, send text messages while you video conference, and even control the access to your rooms by using a password. 

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Pricing: Free

Even if it looks more like a Skype alternative, WeChat has its place on this list, and it comes with exciting features like payments, message translation, QR codes scan, and more. 

When it comes to its basic features, you can create group chats with up to 500 participants, make group video calls of up to 9 people, or communicate via text messages and stickers. 

WeChat is available on almost any platform, can be downloaded on both iOS and Android devices, and, if you don’t have the time or space to download it, you can always use the web version. 

Overall, it’s an easy to use app that works for both professional and personal purposes. 

Platform: Web, Android, iOS, Windows, macOS

Pricing: Free

Microsoft Team is probably the most popular video conferencing app used by huge companies. I recently participated in a meeting created with Microsoft Team, and it went extremely smoothly. 

Since it’s a part of  Microsoft 365, Teams is fully integrated with Office 365, which is a big plus if you’re already using them for your business. 

The best part about it is that the participants don’t have to download it. All they need to do is click on the link and join the conversation. 

When it comes to pricing, Teams is enabled by default for those organizations that are using Microsoft 365. Also, it allows you to add up to 250 participants in a single meeting. 

Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web

Pricing: Part of Microsoft 365 Suite

Imo is a popular app in countries with a weaker internet infrastructure because it allows you to make calls over 2G and 3G networks. 

Imo is available for iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS, and provides high-quality video and voice calls for free. 

When it comes to features, Imo lets you create real-time group video calls of up to 20 members, share files and documents without limitation, create conference calls, or just casually talk with your teammates via text messages. 

Platform: IOS, Android, and Windows Phones

Pricing: Free

Compared to the other platforms mentioned above, Spike makes email communication easier by transforming the old threads into conversations. No threads, no headers, and no signatures, just an easy to follow the discussion. 

The reason we added it on this list is that it has another product called Spike Video Chat, which is meant to make team communication and collaboration easier. Just like Jitsi Meet, Spike has no limitations, so you can add as many participants as you want, for free, and talk as much as you like. 

Also, you don’t have to download it to use it, as it works on the most popular browsers (both desktop and mobile). 

However, Spike does not have all the features you can find on the most popular tools like admin control, recordings, text messages, or backgrounds. 

Platform: Desktop (Chrome, Firebox, and Safari), iOS (Safari), Android (Chrome)

Pricing: Free

Meetquo is a relatively new video chat app that allows you to hold asynchronous meetings, so if you’re looking for a real-time app, this might not be the one for you.

However, asynchronous meetings come with a lot of benefits, as you won’t have to worry about finding the right time, so anyone can participate,  delaying your meeting because some urgent matters appeared or search for a better internet connection. 

All you have to do is create the meeting, invite the attendees. Then, all the participants can create videos and send their feedback asynchronously. This way, everyone will be able to share their opinions. 

Also, Meetquo comes with some interesting features like the possibility to sign the meeting document and a repository of all the meeting outcomes. 

Platform: Web

Pricing: Free, $4/user/month

Proficonf’s cutting edge technology makes sure that your video calls will be high-quality and go smoothly. 

This video chat app comes with three pricing plans (free, pro, and premium), but its free one is quite limited since it only allows up to 2 participants. If you’re only planning to hold only one on one meetings, this might work for you.  

The paid plans, however, allows you to add up to 100 (pro) and 250 (premium) participants and come with additional features like recording, rooms, and admin management. 

Also, when it comes to security, Proficonf uses the TSL and WebRTC protocols, so you won’t have to worry about your privacy and data safety.  

Platform: Web

Pricing: Free, $12/month, $25/month

StartupStash

The world's biggest online directory of resources and tools for startups and the most upvoted product on ProductHunt History.

More Alternatives tools

19 Discord Alternatives That You Should Try in 2021

Team Communication Software

Discord is a popular team communication choice, especially for gamers. The mobile and desktop app lets you send messages on public servers as well as join voice and video chats. However, this cool app has some limitations, especially when it comes...

Discord alternatives

GoToMeeting Alternatives: Great Tools To Enhance Team Communication

Team Communication Software

GoToMeeting is a video conferencing tool for people across fields. You can host an online event with up to 25 or 100 attendees and work with other members of your team to remotely design and develop eLearning deliverables. GoToMeeting involves...

GoToMeeting alternatives

10 of the Best Canva Alternatives for Creating Killer Visuals

Design

When it comes to creating amazing designs for social media or marketing campaigns, Canva is the first tool that goes through many marketers' minds. Canva is extremely powerful and comes with a library of layouts that can satisfy some of...

Canva alternatives