Here is our selection of the five best videoconferencing applications and tools to peacefully conduct your work meetings or virtual reunions with loved ones.
Whether you are looking for a video tool for your teleworking meetings or to stay in touch with your friends, it is important to equip yourself with the best tools. Here is our selection.
But which solution to choose? Between security, free, advanced features or ease of use, it’s not always easy to navigate the different platforms. Here are the top 5 videoconferencing services, compatible on all your devices, which will meet your needs both for your personal communications and for your professional meetings.
Google Meet: the free service by Google
Google Meet, formerly Hangouts Meet, is Google’s free video conferencing application, also replacing Google Duo. Available online and on mobile, it facilitates professional, educational and personal virtual meetings. Allowing individual or group calls for up to 250 participants, it offers screen sharing, instant messaging, live meeting video, as well as advanced features such as recording, live captions and visual effects for your background.
Integrated into the Google ecosystem, it offers premium features for businesses, including small group sessions, the ability to transcribe discussions, participant management, automatic translation, YouTube broadcasting, and participation tracking, among others. Accessible on all your devices and browsers, it requires a Google account for a personalized and secure experience.
Zoom: the benchmark for videoconferencing
Zoom is a video conferencing application offering secure audio and video meetings, screen sharing, and free messaging. With a complete ecosystem, it facilitates collaboration with features such as virtual meetings, chat, VoIP, whiteboard, and AI Companion included in the paid version of the software (an AI assistant that helps you in writing documents, in summary of your meetings, in data processing, etc.).
Virtual workspaces, the scheduler, the client for your emails, and the calendar also simplify the management of your meetings. Available on mobile and desktop, it allows you to participate in meetings on various devices. Free with paid subscriptions offering extended features, the service adapts to your needs, whether you are an individual simply looking to communicate with your family, or a professional looking for a complete communication tool to optimize your productivity.
Microsoft Teams: the complete Microsoft platform
Microsoft Teams, included in Microsoft 365, is collaborative software designed for teamwork. Free to download, it requires a Microsoft 365 subscription for professional features. It offers file sharing, messaging (written, audio, video), and project management, even on the go.
Features include chat, virtual meetings, screen sharing, and integration with Microsoft applications. Practical tools such as the “hand raise” function to speak, background blur, background change, and statistics for administrators are also integrated and optimize the user experience. Linked to Microsoft 365, it allows collaboration on Word, PowerPoint and Excel, and more than 250 supported applications.
Secure and encrypted, Teams can also be used in a family context, with specific features for daily management and video calls limited to 100 people and 60 minutes.
Jitsi Meet: the most interesting alternative
Jitsi Meet is a free, open source instant messaging and video conferencing application. Accessible from a web browser or downloaded on mobiles (Android, iOS) and computers (Windows, Mac, Linux), it allows written, audio and video exchanges. It is possible to create a videoconference room to invite participants or join a room with ease.
Like most video conferencing software, Jisti offers screen sharing and collaborative document features. Its main advantage: no restrictions on the number of users or connection time. The service offers secure and encrypted communication without requiring the creation of an account. In addition to personalization and privacy options, Jitsi Meet also offers advanced features such as conference recording, lock access, and live streaming on YouTube.
Telegram: end-to-end encrypted videoconferencing
If you are concerned about the privacy of your data, Telegram is certainly the service for you. It is best known for its secure instant messaging system, but you should know that it offers the possibility of making voice calls and taking advantage of a videoconferencing functionality. With its user-friendly interface, it allows the exchange of messages, multimedia files and documents.
The video conferencing feature allows virtual meetings for up to 1000 participants, with the ability to share screen and files. Security is a priority, with end-to-end encryption to ensure privacy. Telegram also offers a room system, discussion groups and above all, it is free and without advertising.
Note that there are many other video communication services such as WhatsApp (the most popular), Signal (the most secure), Discord (for gamers), FaceTime (for iOS) or even Skype. But not all of them offer screen sharing, do not integrate software for your PC or are simply not made for organizing a videoconference meeting. Our top 5 brings together practical, simple and functional software, suitable for all uses for videoconferencing with others, offering additional tools if necessary.