Teachers and other education professionals, besides imparting lessons, have to track attendance and engagement, address learner concerns, and conduct assessments while managing several other tasks simultaneously. When conducting classes or tutorials online, they need a solution that offers a virtual space where students and educators can connect synchronously.
Investing in a web conferencing solution can help you do just that. With real-time chat, screen sharing, session recording, and active knowledge-sharing, web conferencing software enhances the learning experience.
To find the right tool, this article highlights the five top web conferencing software for educational institutes based on user reviews, sorted in alphabetical order. For each web conferencing tool, we include overall user ratings along with the highest-rated parameter, review excerpts from industry professionals, and product pricing.
1. Google Meet
To present the most up-to-date information, the product information below shows the latest real-time ratings, which may differ from the ratings values at the time this report's analysis was conducted, since new reviews may have been left in the meantime.
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Commonly used by
Starting price
Billing cycle
Device compatibility
Here are some review excerpts from education professionals who have used Google Meet:
"During the pandemic when the Schools were shut down, I use Google Meet to conduct virtual classes, it has everything that I needed to conduct meetings online, the most amazing feature which I like in Google meet is the presentation streaming features which enables you to share your screen and show images, videos, presentation and other documents to the participants."
"Google Meet for me is an essential tool because I transformed my way to teach with the gmeet support. I'm giving classes, full courses and attending all synchronous needs of different students here because the software is very intuitive and easy to use and provides all basic tools for teachers like me."
"Google Meets is one of better free videoconferencing software. It's very easy to use and one can set up a meeting quite quickly. It seems to be suitable for small teams or classes, in my opinion.”
Read all Google Meet reviews here.
2. Slack
To present the most up-to-date information, the product information below shows the latest real-time ratings, which may differ from the ratings values at the time this report's analysis was conducted, since new reviews may have been left in the meantime.
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Commonly used by
Starting price
Billing cycle
Device compatibility
Here are some review excerpts from education professionals who have used Slack:
"In my opinion, Slack is a great communication tool, in my case I only use it for work conferences. The quality of the calls and the shared screen are very good, especially since I usually call clients and colleagues who are in different locations. The features it offers are amazing, especially bots and channels."
"The product gives a great way to stay connected with colleagues. We mainly use it for our research lab communication. The channel feature works great as you can have separate channels with separate people for all of your different projects. It makes communication easier."
"I like that Slack provides a fun, welcoming digital work environment while also making their software accessible and easy to use."
3. TeamViewer
To present the most up-to-date information, the product information below shows the latest real-time ratings, which may differ from the ratings values at the time this report's analysis was conducted, since new reviews may have been left in the meantime.
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Commonly used by
Starting price
Billing cycle
Device compatibility
Here are some review excerpts from education professionals who have used TeamViewer:
"Using this software we experienced a great boom in our work as its various features like remote connection, and help center software allows us to interact with the client in a more fun way and so our company grows."
"The best feature is that you can actually share your screen, which makes it far easier for the customer to show you what they are seeing. Overall I would recommend it to anyone needing to access a computer remotely.”
"TeamViewer is easy to use yet full of advanced settings for IT professionals. I particularly like the intuitive interface for "conferencing" with the customer, and the file transfer capabilities. Casual users will be happy to know that the software is free for personal use every now and then, with almost the same capabilities as the paid version."
Read all TeamViewer reviews here.
4. Webex
To present the most up-to-date information, the product information below shows the latest real-time ratings, which may differ from the ratings values at the time this report's analysis was conducted, since new reviews may have been left in the meantime.
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Commonly used by
Starting price
Billing cycle
Device compatibility
Here are some review excerpts from education professionals who have used Webex:
"This software provides an ultimate platform for meeting and webinar. All the required features needed for a meeting is available with this software. Its real time screen sharing and audibility is completely fine."
"Cisco WebEx is incredibly user-friendly and was essential during remote working throughout COVID. It allowed me to still see my co-workers and team members and it was also great for me to run meetings as a host. It is a pretty easy to learn software and I feel like most people will be able to catch on quickly."
"Webex was one of the first video conferencing tools and video meeting software vendors I had encountered in my early IT career and continues to be a solid product offering to this day. It is relatively easy to use (when things work, more on that shortly) and when set up works like a champ."
5. Zoom Meetings
To present the most up-to-date information, the product information below shows the latest real-time ratings, which may differ from the ratings values at the time this report's analysis was conducted, since new reviews may have been left in the meantime.
Trial/Free Version
- Free Trial
- Free Version
Highest-rated parameter
Commonly used by
Starting price
Billing cycle
Device compatibility
Here are some review excerpts from education professionals who have used Zoom Meetings:
"I found myself in love with zoom, and all the neat features that come with it. The software is very easy to use, and it allows for great protected meetings. With the security code feature, personalized meeting pins, and proctored attendee it makes for the perfect online meeting software."
"Fantastic.The absolute best online meeting software around. For any person or organization searching for a top of the line remote meeting product that is intuitively quick and extremely easy, Zoom would be for you!"
"I really enjoy how Zoom supports conferences or meetings with a large number of participants without much interference or technical issues. I also like the option that Zoom provides with calling into a meeting, which is good for users who do not have a strong internet connection."
Read all Zoom Meetings reviews here.
What features does web conferencing software offer?
The core web conferencing software features are:
Presentation streaming: | Broadcast live presentations and learning sessions to remote participants and learners over the internet. The presenter can share multimedia content during the live stream, including videos, audio clips, and other interactive elements. |
Screen sharing: | Share the entire computer screen or specific applications with other participants during a virtual meeting or collaboration. Participants can view live and dynamic displays of the presenter’s computer screen. This includes documents, presentations, software interfaces, websites, and other content displayed on the screen. |
Video conference: | Conduct face-to-face meetings, discussions, and presentations on a video call. The feature allows connecting with a single or multiple learners in one go. |
All products listed in this report include the features mentioned above. Besides these core features, web conferencing tools also commonly tend to offer:
Automatic transcription
Brand management
Electronic hand raising
Host controls
Private chat
Real-time chat
Recording
Two-way audio and video
How to choose the right web conferencing software for your institute?
Here are some key considerations to help you find the best web conferencing software for your institute.
Check for the availability of recording and playback options in the software. This feature is valuable for students and participants who may need to review lectures or for those who couldn't attend live sessions. Ensure that playback is user-friendly and accessible to participants at all times via a user portal.
Check if the web conferencing platform supports breakout rooms. This feature is crucial for organizing small group discussions, collaborative activities, or project work within a more extensive session.
Check for the availability of engagement elements. Web conferencing tools should ideally integrate with learning management and collaboration platforms or offer built-in options to conduct interactive quizzes and assessments. This helps in evaluating participant comprehension and engagement.
Common questions to ask software vendors before purchase
These are some common questions you can ask vendors when assessing web conferencing tool options for your institute’s needs:
Does the software integrate with third-party tools?
Chances are, you already use third-party platforms, such as a learning management system (LMS) and document management platforms. An ideal web conferencing tool will integrate with such platforms to facilitate sharing of documents, presentations, and other collaborative materials in online classes.
Does your software have live chat and Q&A features?
Live chat and Q&A sessions promote real-time interaction between learners and educators, fostering a more engaging virtual classroom environment.
Does the software provide adaptive bandwidth usage?
Consider platforms that offer adaptive bandwidth usage, allowing users to adjust video quality based on their internet connection. This is important for accommodating varying levels of internet access among students.