Webinar platforms once used to be one of the most underrated online services which have recently risen into immense popularity due to the frequent lockdowns and quarantine lifestyle.
Simply put, webinars are online seminars and conferences where it creates a virtual physical environment that connects a number of people from all around the world.
Nowadays webinars have taken over most blogs, vlogs and even podcasts as the features and specifications of most of the webinar platforms are too good. Available in both free and paid versions, this top-notch webinar software are a great solution.
So no time to waste, let’s take a look at some of the best webinar software platforms which ideally suits the needs of 2020 for free.
1. Google Hangouts:
One of the oldest and easy to use Professional webinar platforms from the master, Google inc. Google Hangouts is available in all the major platforms, and also serves as a great messenger.
Compared to other free platforms, Google Hangouts may seem like an amateur. But it’s way too easy to handle and the servers are really strong (we are talking about Google).
A professional integration with other Google applications and software like Gsuite, Google Drive, Google Calendar, etc is a major advantage that Google Hangouts possess over its alternatives. No other platform has this much assistance from a single profile which makes it more attractive.
In the basic, free version the host can have up to 25 members in the live streaming session. It also comes with an upgrade, which can add up to 50 members in the live streaming session at a plan of $5.00 per month.
Overall it’s a great platform for quick and simple seminars with fewer participants.
2. ezTalks:
It is as easy as it sounds. ezTalks is a Gen Z platform with all the essential features and specs that you need to host a big webinar session, totally free of cost. An unbelievable set of features that are available in the free version is the biggest highlight of ezTalks.
ezTalks can take 100 hosts at the same time, which is comparatively really huge and 10,000 members can join the session as an audience.
The numbers literally blow the mind, which is really impressive and on top of that, the additional services provided by ezTalks make it more attractive.
The screen can be used by the host as a board, the host can share his screen with the viewers, which is highly advantageous for students attending online lectures. There’s also a chat window where the audience can post their concerns, doubts, queries, feedback, suggestions, and everything privately.
There’s also a premium version of the software available, which costs $12.99 per month which comes with a more cool and helpful set of features.
3. Join.me:
A wonderful free webinar platform, built for small and moderate live streaming sessions. One of the most notable things about Join.me is the user interface. Even though the number of participants who can join is limited, the user interface is a really attractive one which is also highly user friendly.
The features are striking including a live background recording of the webinar session. The maximum number of participants who can join at a time is limited to 50. There’s also a premium version available with a more advanced set of features.
The plan starts at $20 per month which also assists in creating a schedule with other professional applications and software conveniently.
4. GoToMeeting:
From the house of gotomeeting.com, they provide us with two professional software, GoToMeeting and GoToWebinars. Both of them are customized in a great way so that the client can opt for the right one.
Let’s begin with GoToWebinar, which allows us to record the whole webinar session and also provides advanced features like scheduling, assistance with sending emails, etc. The total number of participants is limited to 10, which may sound less but the premium version which is available at $99 per month will increase the maximum attendance in numbers.
It also provides a free trial of 7 days where the user can experience it fully.
Now with GoToMeeting, which is an easier version having similar features and an extended maximum number of participants and trial period.
The maximum number of participants here is limited to 50 and the trial version of the premium software can be used up to 14 days.
Both these platforms vary a lot in the pricing pattern too. For GoToMeeting, a month of premium version starts at $14 with all basic features and setups.
5. Zoom:
Zoom was among the most popular Webinar platforms in the year of 2020, especially during the beginning phase of lockdown and quarantine. One of the major reasons behind its popularity was the ease of usage, user-friendly interface, and availability.
Even the free version came with a lot of features that enabled face to face interaction among the participants, apart from the host. At a time, 500 members can participate in the webinar and the numbers are pretty impressive for free software.
The premium version of the Zoom is an even better option with its striking set of features. 10,000 participants can attend the webinar session at a time and 100 members can host at the same time. It can also be shared with Facebook Live and YouTube Live with shared links. Moreover, the price of the premium version is set at $54.99 per month, seems to be an affordable one, compared to its alternatives and features provided.
6. YouTube Live:
The most popular, most widely used video streaming platform, YouTube which is a part of Google, is another free software for hosting webinar sessions.
As you know, YouTube is an elite platform, where millions of videos get uploaded everyday. The user interface is quite simple and highly familiar to most of the internet users. So it provides all the essential basic setups for hosting a webinar.
There is a premium version of YouTube available too but you can make the most out of the free version of YouTube itself. It is highly compatible with all kinds of devices and the servers are one of the finest.
The platform limits only one host at a time but the number of participants can be infinite.
7. Facebook Live:
Again, one of the most popular social media platforms is ruling the internet for over a decade. Facebook Live is not essentially a webinar platform, just like YouTube Live but it can be converted into a webinar platform quite easily.
Limiting the entry of participants through private links and enabling a complete set-up of webinar sessions, Facebook Live qualifies as a viable webinar platform solution that is totally free of cost.
The hosts are limited but the range of participants is unlimited. Anyone can join using their Facebook application or through their browser easily. So similar to YouTube Live, Facebook Live is also a great option for hosting webinars free of cost and to reach a huge number of participants.
8. Anymeeting:
Anymeeting is a professional platform to host webinars. It is not essentially a free platform but the members can make the complete use of it in the free trial and the basic version.
The biggest advantage here about Anymeeting is the duration can be unlimited. Yes, the webinar session can go on without interruption for a longer time. Also, it has other features like an on-screen chat window, screen sharing including the PPTs and private sessions.
It is best for long webinar sessions which involve the active participation of the users too, which can go on par at a fixed time.
9. Skype:
Similar to most of the other Social Media applications, Skype is a well-known video calling platform that has always impressed us with its professional touch.
A prominent video calling and messenger platform is now a reliable option for hosting free webinar sessions.
Even though the bar for the maximum number of participants is set quite low, which is 25, the other features outperform this limitation to a greater extent.
Since it is a messaging platform too, the host can interact with the clients even after the session, and keep in touch.
10. Zoho Meeting:
Zoho is a limited free professional software for hosting talk sessions and webinars. It is more of a meeting platform in the free version, which limits the number of participants to 5 in the free version and the number of hosts to 2.
But it is way more affordable than any of its alternatives when it comes to hosting webinars as the premium version is available at a much cheaper price of $10 per month.
It also has a private chatbox, even features to take polls, live screen sharing, etc.
Conclusion
All the free webinar platforms we discussed here vary a lot in the case of their user interfaces, the number of maximum hosts and participants, duration, ease of usage, other features, etc.
You can pick the right one that suits you the most and host webinar sessions for your audience during this quarantine.