Where have we gone wrong? No matter how often Zoom increases its prices and how little it improves over the years, some consumers may never switch. If they are serious about finally dumping this behemoth, though, there are some fantastic alternatives to Zoom that they should think about. During the pandemic, Zoom was the go-to platform for online meetings and webinars among government agencies and private companies, which is why it was featured in most news stories.
Millions of users’ security concerns were quickly brought to light. The “Zoom bombing” must have made headlines for some of you. To rub salt in the wound, in April of 2020, over half a million Zoom accounts were sold on the Dark Web for pennies each, adding insult to injury. You now have an argument in favour of using one of the alternatives to Zoom down below.
Reasons to look for a Zoom alternative
- Despite being free, Zoom can rack up significant costs when utilised for professional endeavours.
- One more thing: zoombombing. When an unauthorised individual or group abruptly ends a running Zoom meeting, it is essentially a type of cyber-harassment.
- Zoom has a lot of users who have said it’s hard to utilise professionally.
- Inconsistent and frequently subpar video quality is the norm.
- There are several security holes in the platform as well.
- Customer service may also use some improvement.
Cisco Webex
Cisco Webex is an online platform for collaboration that facilitates communication, sharing, and teamwork. It’s hardly shocking that forty thousand US software companies utilise it. Among the many services offered by the platform are online meetings, video conferencing, chat, and file sharing. Public webinars, training programmes, and solutions for internal/enterprise communication are all part of the package.
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are two robust encryption technologies that it employs to safeguard all communication. Additionally, two-factor authentication is an optional security measure that users can use to avoid phishing attempts. In addition to sharing calendars and meeting requests, users may also create meetings on the site.
GoTo Meeting
You may host online meetings with up to ten participants using GoTo Meeting, a web conferencing application that is available in more than 190 countries. Audio isn’t the only thing GoTo users can do; they can also share presentations, remotely control their meetings, and watch and share multimedia. According to the business, their software doesn’t require any special training or knowledge of computers to operate.
GoTo is an enterprise-level app that businesses can use for a variety of training purposes, including but not limited to: sales presentations, customer support, recruiting, onboarding, and one-on-one collaboration. On top of that, GoToMeeting works with desktop, iOS, and Android devices. Web conferences, virtual events, and private meetings are all made much easier with this technology. 
Google Meet
For quick and easy video conferencing with coworkers or recruiters, use Google Meet. You can have virtual meetings with friends, clients, and coworkers on this platform. Connecting with people is a breeze thanks to its user-friendly interface and ease of usage. Google Meet works with any computer running Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or 7 as well as any Mac running Mac OS X v10.3 or later.
Plus, there’s no need to worry about OS compatibility because it’s a browser-based tool. Ten minutes of webcam bandwidth and an infinite number of participants are included. Also, it’s highly adaptable, so teams can do things like search meeting archives, add notes, and share documents and webpages.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is an ideal platform for team collaboration because it is chat-based. You can stay productive regardless of your location because to its array of capabilities, which include chat, video conferencing, and file sharing. Any device running Windows 7 or later, or Mac OS X v10.7 or later, can use Microsoft Teams.
Every user has access to the app through Outlook or their company’s account, depending on whether they’re on the Enterprise or Business plan of Office 365. You can simply upload, share, and access documents from within the app using its cloud-based storage. Get in touch with your colleagues over chat, video, or audio calls, and work together effectively.
Jitsi Meet
One free web conferencing tool that lets users host online meetings with linked participants is Jitsi Meet. Like Google Hangouts and Skype, the UI lets you see into everyone’s cameras, lets you add or remove members instantly, and gives you many of ways to join and exit the meeting.
You can also allow two-way video calling within the browser and with other users on the platform by using the Jitsi Meet client software, which is accessible as a browser plug-in. Rest assured that your business or personal communication is protected by the meeting tool’s encryption. You can concentrate on what truly matters. Among its many strengths are the Etherpad, Custom URLs, and Integrated Chat functions.
Skype
Skype has an expected overall user base of around one billion by the end of 2024, with around 66,000 organisations using it for commercial communication in the US alone. Skype, developed by Microsoft, is a programme that facilitates audio and video conferencing via the Internet. Additionally, the client software allows for two-way video calling both within the window and with other Skype users. It is accessible as a browser plugin.
When it first came out in 2003, Skype was a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service. In addition, Internet Explorer was the initial platform for the introduction of its client software in November 2003. A new free video calling function is available on Skype, allowing you to communicate with clients globally.
Conclusion
A great number of benefits and drawbacks are associated with Zoom. Once you have reached the point where you believe the drawbacks are far more substantial than the benefits, it may be time to make a change. While you are doing that, you should check to see if the new option has all of the capabilities that you require in an application for video calling or conferencing.