There’s a common misconception that webinar platforms and web conferencing software are the same. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The former is designed for hosts who are going to present something for a wide audience, while the latter focuses on interactive online meetings. This way, while Zoom and Demio might seem similar on the surface, they’re very different from each other. Likewise, only one will answer your needs, depending on what you’re looking for.
Zoom
There’s a couple of reasons why Zoom is one of the most popular web conferencing software providers on the market. It offers a comprehensive list of features and a free subscription that you can take advantage of forever. There have been some issues concerning security, though. For example, in March 2020 the company was called out for not providing end-to-end encryption as advertised. Although this is concerning, we do need to give it up to Zoom for responding to its problems so quickly and efficiently.
In addition to the basic features found in the majority of web conferencing platforms, Zoom provides some advanced tools as well. An example of that is the ability to co-annotate by sharing the whiteboard with the other participants. Moreover, by providing breakout rooms, Zoom offers the ability to allocate participants to smaller meetings – perfect when it’s necessary to have smaller groups working separately before rejoining the main session. There are even virtual backgrounds, and a ‘touch up my appearance’ tool.
Since the free subscription limits the length of group meetings to 40 minutes, as well as some of its features, upgrading to a paid subscription is worthwhile. The lowest price you can get Zoom for is $14.99 per month, but there’s also a Business subscription for $19.99 per month that adds cloud recording transcripts, dedicated phone support, vanity URLs, and customized branding.
Demio
Demio was launched by two marketers that frequently hosted webinars and, more often than not, faced technical issues. Due to this, they decided to develop a platform where hosting these types of sessions was a piece of cake. Consequently, one of Demio’s main attributes is its intuitive interface. However, there’s a second advantage to using Demio – the customer support. On average, it takes around five minutes for the customer support team to address any technical issue, including when you’re in the middle of a webinar.
Demio supports up to 1,000 attendees, up to three cameras being shared simultaneously, and unlimited active microphones. In addition to live webinars, Demio also offers the ability to run pre-recorded sessions as well as plan recurring webinars to go off during a certain period of time – perfect for running online courses. Regardless of the type of webinars being hosted, you can always ask for payment by integrating the software with Zapier.
You can try Demio through its 7-day free trial, but after that, a paid subscription is required. There are three different tiers, where the cheapest one costs $34 per month, and offers all the essential tools to run live webinars. In order to take advantage of on-demand webinars, it’s necessary to upgrade your account to the Growth subscription, costing $69 per month.
Conclusion
Both Zoom and Demio are great pieces of software. However, they both cater to a different target audience and, therefore, are completely different. Zoom is a comprehensive web conferencing solution that provides all the essential tools to run interactive online meetings and then some. Demio, on the other hand, is a webinar platform that is extremely simple to use. Basically, there isn’t a best or worst when comparing Zoom and Demio. Instead, the one you should use depends on your needs. If you’re looking for software that enables you to run productive web meetings, then Zoom is the go-to platform. If you’re looking to address a larger audience to showcase a product, lecture online, or anything else, Demio is the software you want.
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