With the arrival of the coronavirus and the confinement in our home, teleworking has become the most used method by some companies to keep the work of their employees from home. Video conferences , or video calls, have been a great solution to maximize work time and to hold meetings comfortably through the Internet.
Video calls make working from home easier, making it more productive, since having visual contact with other users makes the conversation more meaningful so that we can understand and communicate more easily. In this way we will be able to concentrate and keep our attention to the problems to be solved and create a dynamic of rapid and frequent exchange of ideas.
In many programs and web applications for video calls we will have the opportunity to invite a large number of people, making it the easiest way to gather a certain number of people in one place.
Therefore, today we are going to talk about the best websites and programs with which to make video calls.
Skype
Without a doubt, Skype is one of the tools for making video calls most used worldwide, both for personal and professional purposes. Developed by Microsoft, with it we can make audio and video calls in high definition, as well as record calls to capture special moments, and make group video calls with up to 50 people .
With this tool we can not only make video conferences from the computer, but also from the mobile or the tablet, since it is multiplatform and has a version for mobiles and tablets, both on Android and iOS. It offers great quality of both HD video and sound during video calls, and these are highly secure.
Using Skype is free and we can download it from its official website . With the free version we can make video calls with up to 10 people at a time.
Jitsi
This is another web application with which you can make video conferences. It stands out for having options such as sharing our calendar, it has a split screen view, as well as a side chat with which we can exchange messages. It is a multi-system service so we can access it from a Windows, Linux or Mac OS computer and on Android or iOS mobile devices.
We also have the possibility of sharing documents with the contacts we want and even streaming from YTube. Another of their strengths is privacy, since they are responsible for encrypting video calls point by point
Jitsi is an open source and free application, so to start using it you only need to access its website .
ooVoo
Another messaging and chat application with which we can carry out live video call sessions with up to 8 people and up to 12 in chat. It is cross-platform, since it can be used both on Windows and Mac OS computers and with mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS.
It has a user-friendly interface and great quality and stability of both audio and sound, allowing you to record calls in real time, as well as configure the headphones and speakers of the system. It also offers the ability to make calls without video, text messages, and file transfers.
Using ooVoo is completely free and you only have to download it from its official website .
Hangouts
This is Google’s messaging service, with which we can start conversations with one or several contacts at the same time through videoconferences with groups of up to 10 people .
It stands out for the synchronization of calls since it allows us to start a conversation on the computer and be able to end on a mobile or tablet. Every time one of the participants begins to speak, the Hangouts window changes to the user who is speaking.
The Hangouts web version allows us to use the application for free without installing plugins. You can start a video call with Hangouts by accessing their website , and accessing each participant with their Gmail account.
Zoom Meeting
It is a very popular application for making group video calls, as well as voice calls and chat. It has HD image quality up to 720p , record sessions for later viewing and synchronize them with the calendar. It is compatible with computers running Windows or Mac OS, as well as Android and iOS mobile devices.
Zoom allows video conferencing with up to 500 participants . Group chats have a searchable history, file sharing and storage for 10 years, making it an excellent choice for large companies. It also has the possibility of establishing individual meetings, as well as screen sharing with large groups so that they can see what we see.
You can use Zoom Meeting for free by accessing its website. This free version is limited to 40 minute sessions and does not allow recording options. It also has different payment options from $ 14.99 a month.
GoToMeeting
With this application we can immediately join, organize and manage a video or audio meeting from a computer or mobile device, with the possibility of screen sharing, in a room with up to 250 people , being compatible with high-definition video.
Meetings with GoToMeeting can be customized so it never changes, so we can easily schedule and attend meetings. It has single sign-on (SSO) as well as the ability to lock meetings so that no one else can access.
GoToMeeting can be tested for free for 14 days by accessing its platform. In case you want to access all its functions, we must pay a monthly fee of 12 dollars.
FreeConferenceCall
It is a free tool for online conferencing and collaborations, offering high-definition audio and online meetings for screen and video sharing to reach 1,000 meeting participants .
Each account on FreeConferenceCall includes unlimited conference calls, screen sharing, video calling, recording and security features, calendar integrations, and mobile app compatibility.
FreeConferenceCall is a completely free web application, so you only need to access and register to take advantage of all its advantages.
Gruveo
If you want to make secure and anonymous calls from your web browser, Gruveo is a great option for this, since it does not require registration or download applications. It is compatible with Windows and Mac OS computers, as well as mobile devices such as Android and iOS.
This application has a split screen function and allows us to exchange messages using a chat from within calls. In addition, it has group calls, the possibility of recording in HD, as well as queuing calls.
You can try Gruveo for free the first 45 days by accessing its official website. Subsequently to continue using the application it is necessary to pay $ 29 per month, being possible to cancel the subscription at any time.
Adobe connect
It is a web conferencing program with which we can organize online meetings , e-learning and webinars. This application provides various ways to attend remote sessions either from a Windows or Mac OS computer, or from Android and iOS mobile devices.
During video conferencing sessions in the meeting room, participants can share their team’s screen or files, as well as chat, stream video and audio, or participate in online activities interactively.
Adobe Connect is available on the author’s website , both for Windows and in any operating system.
Microsoft Team
We are facing a unified communication and collaboration platform that combines video meetings, chat, file storage and application integration. Originally, Microsoft Team was focused on companies, although it is also announced to be connected with family and friends.
Among its features it stands out for offering video calls with audio and HD video , with functions to mention and draw attention to other colleagues in the room, allowing you to save conversations and personalize notifications. It has a complete chat finder, business-level security and organizational tools to create task lists and assign them to other members.
It is possible to subscribe to Microsoft Team for free through its official page for home use and we can only use it on mobile devices. To use the business version we must be enrolled in the Office 365 Business Premium package that costs 10.50 euros per month, or Office 365 Business Essentials, for 4.20 euros per month.
Anymeeting
This web application is a web conferencing service provider suitable for small businesses. Through it we can organize and attend conferences and meetings based on the web, so that we can share your desktop screen with other users through your website.
If Anymeeting stands out for anything, it is possible to connect up to 200 people in real time in HD quality at 720p, along with a wide variety of available utilities. Being web-based, you don’t need to download any type of software, making it ideal for employee meetings or serving clients anywhere in the world.
Making video calls with Anymeeting is completely free, so we only need to access its official website and register. In the free version it has some limitations such as only allowing four participants. You also have payment options starting at $ 9.99 a month.
WizIQ
It is a platform oriented for teachers since it includes personalized tools and allows video conferences via the web. In this way, it allows several people to meet in the same space on the web for their meeting.
This application offers a whiteboard so that it can be used by the teacher or the students, and it has other useful tools such as chat, audio or video. All sessions can be recorded to be consulted later. Facing the business world, WizIQ can be used to have a learning portal for its own employees with features such as a virtual classroom, course generator or generator of tests and evaluations.
WizIQ has a free trial version that we can access from its website. The paid version to enjoy all its features is priced at $ 25 a month.
GoToWebinar
It is an application designed to make online video calls or videoconferences, to be able to teach classes over the Internet, allowing you to interact with the people who are listening to us and answer questions at all times. It is also used for Marketing presentations and internal communications to hold meetings with the entire team.
With GoToWebinar we will be able to hold a good webinar, since the maximum number of participants is up to 1,000 , which increases the chances of selling a product or teaching a class, saving the costs of giving a face-to-face conference.
You can try GoToWebinar for free for 7 days with a maximum of 100 attendees. The product license can be purchased from $ 89 per month, with annual billing, with your Starter plan. For large companies it has the Plus plan in which up to 1000 participants can participate, at a cost of 429 euros per month, with annual billing.
Discord
It is a social application intended for games dedicated to communicating with teams through the Internet in different cooperative games. It has a version for PC, web browser, as well as for mobile devices. On the server of this program we can create different voice channels with various levels of access to group different users.
It has many features such as making video calls with a maximum of 9 people through rooms to organize teams and groups. It also has low-latency voice chat privately, something very important for users in different parts of the world. Also, when installing Discord, we will have an overlay in some games. This will allow us to modify audio levels and make other applications from the same screen.
Discord is a completely free application, and we can access it from its official website .
