Web conferencing software comes in a variety of different shapes and sizes, and each solution has its own specialty. That’s certainly true of GoToWebinar and Zoom. As its name suggests, GoToWebinar is specialized webinar software – ideal for presentations and workshops where users broadcast online to an audience of thousands. Meanwhile, Zoom is aimed at smaller, more intimate online meetings with greater emphasis on discussion and interactivity. So while both of these qualify as types of online conferencing software, they both have very different capabilities. It’s therefore important do your research to find out which one is right for you.
When it comes to broadcasting to large audiences, GoToWebinar is one of the best in the business. Made by Boston’s LogMeIn, GoToWebinar is part of the GoTo series of products. GoToWebinar takes advantage of this by linking you to GoToStage, giving you a platform to host recorded webinars and share them with the world. With GoToWebinar, your live webinars can be presented to an audience of up to 3,000. Although the video quality isn’t quite up to the standard of Zoom, GoToWebinar still gives a high definition image for up to 25 cameras at once. You can also boost audience participation with live polls and Q&A sessions. Like the rest of the GoTo series, GoToWebinar is incredibly easy to use and allows users to start a webinar instantly. GoToWebinar has desktop apps for macOS and Windows, which are functional, although they could use a cosmetic facelift. There are apps for Android and iOS too, but they do have some limitations like not allowing you to start a webinar, which can only be done on desktop.
The GoToWebinar website is full of excellent guides and video tutorials to help you make the most of your webinars. Of course, you can’t compare the price of webinar software to web conferencing software: webinar software handles audiences of thousands and tends to be more expensive, so naturally GoToWebinar is more expensive than Zoom. However, when you compare GoToWebinar to other webinar solutions, it is reasonably priced for the service it provides. Still, GoToWebinar is a big commitment to make without trying out the software first. Luckily, potential customers can test drive it by taking advantage of the 7-day free trial.
As one of the most well-known web conferencing solutions in the world, Zoom needs little introduction. Since 2011, California-based Zoom has been a popular service for any user’s conferencing needs. Although Zoom’s initial meeting limit of 300 can’t match GoToWebinar for audience size, you are able purchase add-ons that allow you to host meetings for up to 1,000 participants. Recording times are unlimited as long as you have enough cloud or physical storage space. We particularly like the breakout rooms feature, which allows hosts to split the meeting into smaller rooms – a great collaboration tool. Zoom is a powerful platform too, displaying streams of up to 1080p and with the ability to have 49 different video feeds on the screen at one time. Zoom boasts advanced apps for mobiles that contain all the features you’ll find on the macOS and Windows versions. This means that Android and iOS users will be able to host their own conferences and have the added ability to import contacts from their phone’s address book.
Zoom offers 24/7 support with urgent issues receiving responses within an hour. The Zoom website hosts one-minute video introductions, ensuring that learning all of Zoom’s features is an easy process. Zoom doesn’t provide customers with a free trial, but it goes one step further by offering a completely free version which allows for 40-minute group meetings with up to 100 participants.
It’s difficult to compare GoToWebinar and Zoom, as we’re looking at two very different approaches to web conferencing. Webinar software like GoToWebinar is ideal for those looking at hosting seminars for large audiences worldwide. The ability to immediately publish and share the webinar afterwards is a huge plus. However, if you’re looking for smaller, more interactive web conferences, look no further than Zoom. Excellent for smaller audiences, Zoom offers fantastic picture quality and a large number of extra features that cover just about everything you need, from breakout rooms to virtual backgrounds. Both GoToWebinar and Zoom are powerful and reliable solutions, so regardless of what you need them for, they won’t let you down.
Best Reviews may receive compensation for its content through paid collaborations and/or affiliate links. Learn more about how we sustain our work and review products.
©2012-2024 Best Reviews, a clovio brand –
All rights
reserved
Privacy
policy
·
Cookie
policy
·
Terms
of use
·
Partnerships
· Contact
us