The spread of the coronavirus has forced millions of people to start working from home and rely on online meeting apps.
Online meetings apps allow you to still have those meetings we all dread so much but are a part of our everyday work lives. Actually, they may just be more important than ever considering how much we all now depend on communicating with our co-workers as much as possible.
With that in mind, here are some of the best online meeting apps of 2020.
Zoom
We’ve talked about Zoom in a breakdown of the best remote worker apps, but it’s worth mentioning again. Actually, you can argue that Zoom is just one of the absolute best online meeting apps available today.
Zoom is all about accessibility, quality, and features. It makes it easy to start or join a meeting with just a few taps. It boasts, and delivers, some of the best audio and video quality of any app of this kind. It delivers an array of features from easier hands-off use to smart visual sharing which greatly enhance online meeting possibilities.
Zoom is so good that you might start using it even when physical meetings are an option. It should be your first step on this journey, and it might be the last one that you’ll ever need
GoToMeeting
As one of the “older” online meeting apps (relatively speaking), you may be tempted to replace GoToMeeting with a newer option. However, you’d be overlooking some of the things that this app does so very well.
First off, this service’s age means that it’s been refined over the years. That much is obvious just by exploring its friendly interface and smart user features. Second, GoToMeeting offers some of the most reliable connections of any similar service. That reliability often makes all of the difference when you’re talking about overall quality.
Mostly, though, you’re using GoToMeeting because of its features. From easy full-screen sharing to commuter options and seamless individual chat options, GoToMeeting offers a nearly complete suite of exciting capabilities.
FaceTime
FaceTime is probably installed on your iPhone or iPad. We’re willing to bet, though, that you don’t think about it as one of the best online meeting apps. You probably just use it to chat with friends and family.
Yet, FaceTime is actually more versatile than that. It lacks some of the more advanced features that you get with dedicated alternatives, but it makes up for it with usability and accessibility. FaceTime is easy to use and most people already have it. If you’ve just gotta have a chat with someone you work with, it’s a largely pain-free way to do just that.
We can’t really recommend FaceTime as an option for larger business meetings. You’d be shocked how well it works in a pinch, though.
Google Hangouts
Speaking of working in a pinch, we come to Google Hangouts. Much like FaceTime, we can’t really recommend this as one of the best full-service online meeting apps. We understand that’s a bit strange to say given the premise of this list.
Yet, Google Hangouts is one of those options that makes too much sense to not recommend. As part of the larger suite of Google programs, it’s for most people to easily gain access to it. Even better, it’s likely tied to other Google programs that most people would need to access during a meeting. That makes it one of the best options for more “impromptu” arrangements.
Actually, with its ability to easily support multiple users, Google Hangouts is not a bad overall option for smaller meetings and similar conversations.
Slack
You probably already know Slack as the app that your office uses to type messages and send GIFs to each other. It’s certainly one of the best apps for that purpose and one of our favorite apps for iPhone and iPad regardless of function.
What you may not know is that Slack is also one of the better overall online meeting apps. It offers some fairly expansive video call options that many users never properly explore. Much like the rest of Slack, it’s especially good at supporting conversations between multiple people.
Mostly, though, we recommend Slack because, as we said, your team is likely already using it. That means that everyone can turn a regular Slack session into a full meeting with relative ease. Video calls aside, Slack is also great for simply communicating with your team members in a way that hopefully ensures you can avoid having so many meetings in the first place.
Skype
We’re going to look at yet another app that we don’t necessarily recommend as the go-to option for those who need to host larger meetings fairly regularly. Again, we understand that’s probably a strange warning given why you probably decided to look for online meeting apps in the first place.
Yet, Skype is one of the ultimate examples of working with what you’ve got. Many PCs have Skype installed as a default communication option, and there are many people who know how to use it. That makes it a fantastic way to start a meeting with someone without having to go through an extensive set-up process that involves downloading new technology.
We imagine your average workplace will find better options than Skype. For what it offers, though, it actually serves as a fairly fantastic alternative to more involved options.
Cisco WebEx
Professionalism is often important in meetings, and it’s also important in online meeting apps. The best such apps should not only be professional in their looks and feel but should offer an array of professional features designed to help you host and participate in meetings with ease.
That’s where Cisco WebEx distinguishes itself. It’s been clearly designed by professionals for professionals to host the smoothest web meetings possible. The pursuit of that ambitious goal includes everything from fantastic connection speeds, easy file sharing, and wonderful options which allow you to easily schedule meetings within the app.
With features like custom video layouts, Cisco certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of style. Yet, we tend to recommend it most to those looking for something clean, reliable, and yes, professional.
BlueJeans
You might think that there’s not much new under the sun when it comes to online meetings apps. That’s not entirely the case, but there is some truth to that. There are many apps out there which offer exceptional service, but they honestly also offer rather similar services.
BlueJeans is one of the rare options that offer something a little different. Along with one of the most extensive in-app scheduling modes that you’ll ever find, it features such smart options as low bandwith support. It also sports incredible touch screen interface and can support up to 25 people at once (and up to 100 via the premium option).
What you’ve got here, then, is an overall great app that happens to offer certain features that we’d love to see become standard. Whether or not this is the best overall app is a matter of debate, but it’s certainly one of the most interesting.
Join.Me
One of the biggest problems with online meetings is the relative lack of shared resources. In a real meeting, you can all look at the same board, the same screen, or the same piece of paper. This makes communicating the same ideas that much easier. In a virtual meeting, such options are usually much more limited.
That’s where Join.Me comes into play. With features such as a virtual whiteboard, presenter swaps, and even screen sharing capabilities, it offers one of the most impressive arrays of physical media alternatives that you’ll find. It’s never been easier to share such materials with a large group of people digitally as it is here.
