Best Video Conferencing For Small Businesses - Free & Paid

Meetings have always been an integral part of the work week. Still, with the growth of technology, rising demand for remote roles, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, video conferencing has all but replaced face-to-face. In fact, by April of 2020, early in the pandemic, interest in video conferencing software had already rocketed by 500% compared with pre-COVID-19 figures.

What’s more, this sector is only expected to grow further, with more users and more incredible innovation, at an estimated rate (CAGR) of 11.4% between 2021 to 2028. This is no surprise considering the numerous benefits that good video conferencing software can bring to small businesses and other organizations.

The only problem is, with such a wealth of options available, which one should you choose for your business? Which is the most reliable, has the most features and functions? Which is the easiest to use? Well, to help you choose, here we explore what the benefits of video conferencing are before breaking down the best video conferencing options for small businesses, both free and paid.

What Are the Benefits of Video Conferencing

Even though video conferencing may have been the only option over recent months, it has numerous benefits compared with traditional meetings. These include:

The Best Video Conferencing Apps for Small Business

The best video conferencing app for small businesses should ensure that an enterprise enjoys all the above benefits, so let’s look at some of the solutions that we think fit these criteria. Different companies have different needs and budgets, so we’ve taken into account both free and paid options.

Spike

Spike offers incredible free and paid video conferencing tools along with a whole host of other productivity features. This means a small business’s tools are all in a single app to keep projects on track, meetings focused, and productivity soaring.

In addition to free video and voice conferencing and audio/video calls for members, Spike also offers features like online Notes, To-Do Lists, an integrated Calendar, Conversational Email, Tasks, Groups, and more. All the tools an SMB would need are wrapped in a single, modern app.

Pros:

• Free video and voice conferencing without the need to sign up make Spike potentially the best free video conferencing tool for small businesses
• No limits on time or people, whether calling from desktop or mobile, so everyone can connect wherever they are
• Advanced video and voice calls directly to groups or contacts for Spike users (which only requires an email to sign up)
• Super secure with SRTP encryption, no ads and no private data collected
• Present work on video calls with built-in screen sharing and collaborate with Spike’s other tools such as Notes for teams or shared To-Do Lists
• All small businesses’ communication channels in a single place as Spike offers video, audio, email, chat, and more in a single, easy-to-use app

Cons:

• The “Send Later” function is not currently available on Spike’s iOS application

Price:

• Free – Spike is free to sign up and use for video and voice calls and all the other great features it offers. What’s more, Spike even offers video conferencing to everyone without even needing to enter an email
• Solo Business accounts – $12/month, paid annually
• Businesses with 2+ accounts – $8/month/user, paid annually
• Businesses with 20+ users – $16/account/month, paid annually

Slack

Slack is primarily a piece of chat software but now also offers built-in voice and video calls, enabling small businesses to organize video conferencing for their teams. That said, for more robust video conferencing, Slack pushes its integrations with external platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Pros:

• Simple video and voice calls already built-in for existing Slack users
• Screen sharing available for collaborative working
• Able to integrate an existing video conferencing tool into Slack if needed

Cons:

• Not available in group chats without a paid plan
• Screen sharing only on paid plans
• For more significant functions, an external platform is required, which means signing up for and managing multiple apps

Price:

• Free (limited features) – $0
• Pro – $6.67/user/month, paid annually
• Business plus – $12.50/user/month, paid annually
• Enterprise – Custom pricing

Google Meet

Google Meet is one-half of Google Hangouts, the other being Google Chat, and allows users to video conference on the web, Android and iOS. It is available for free with limited features, more unlocked for users of Google’s paid Workspace accounts.

Pros:

• Integration with Google Calendar and Google Contacts is helpful for those already in the Google ecosystem
• Good screen-sharing capabilities
• Real-time closed captioning based on speech recognition (paid)

Cons:

• Need a Gmail account
• Switching between apps is required for different tools (such as email)
• Only offers video conferencing
• Advanced tools for paid accounts only

Price:

• Free – $0 for limited features
• Business Starter – $6/user/month, paid annually
• Business Standard – $12/user/month, paid annually
• Business Plus – $18/user/month, paid annually
• Enterprise – Custom pricing

Skype

Skype once dominated the video conferencing industry, having launched back in 2003. Since then, it has faced many competitors but remains a robust video conferencing solution for small businesses.

Pros:

• Good integration for those in the Microsoft ecosystem
• The ability to pay for international calls through the same platform can make it the only telecommunications service needed

Cons:

• Single-use app as it offers no other small business tools such as note collaboration or email
• Dedicated app and account required to make or receive Skype-to-Skype calls
• It is less directed towards small business video conferencing than other products from Microsoft

Price:

• Skype operates on a freemium model, meaning Skype-to-Skype calls are free with an account, but calls to numbers come at a cost. This can be on a per-minute basis, through subscriptions, or a mix.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is part of the Office 365 suite and offers video and voice conferencing, chat, calendar, and file sharing. As might be expected, Teams is highly integrated with other Microsoft products such as Office, Outlook, and more – which could be a pro or a con depending on your needs.

Pros:

• Video conferencing is front-and-center making it a reliable tool
• Ability to upgrade for live webinar events (with Business packages)
• An integrated calendar means meetings can be booked and taken in the same app

Cons:

• Lacks other small business tools such as email or voice messages
• Requires an account to start a meeting
• Syncing Teams with external calendars (such as Google) is a nightmare

Price:

• Free with limited features
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic – $5.00/user/month
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard – $12.50/user/month

Zoho Meeting

Zoho Meeting is part of the broader Zoho suite of small business tools, each of which is a separate application. It offers online video conferencing and webinars with a tiered pricing structure for when a business scales.

Pros:

• Highly integrated with other Zoho tools
• Dedicated Zoho Meeting iOS and Android apps as well as web access for cross-device access
• Screen sharing for team collaboration

Cons:

• The free version only allows for two attendees
• Lacks other features that a small business needs
• Requires signing up for an account to host any meeting

Price (for meeting only):

• Free – only 2 participants, not really a viable option for small businesses
• 10 participants – $3/host/month
• 25 participants – $6/host/month
• 50 participants – $9/host/month
• 100 participants – $12/host/month

Zoom

Zoom is a dedicated video communications app first launched in 2012. It offers one-on-one and group calls with the ability to record or broadcast meetings with the paid packages. In addition, there is a free option available, but this limits group calls to only 40 minutes.

Pros:

• Compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, and Linux
• Wide usage means onboarding clients and staff is straightforward
• Screen sharing and breakout rooms for more advanced meetings

Cons:

• 40-minute time restriction for Free plans
• It is only used for video conferencing, no other useful small business tools
• Add-ons can make the price quickly stack up

Price:

• Free – $0
• Pro – $14.99/month/license
• Business – $19.99/month/license

UberConference

UberConference is a video conferencing and calling solution from Dialpad that really has businesses in mind. With features such as custom hold music, outward dialing for meetings, and HD video, it is one of the best business-only video conferencing tools.

Pros:

• Task automation and meeting transcription using “Voice Intelligence”
• Custom hold music
• Screen sharing for team collaboration

Cons:

• Only 10 participants for Free plans
• Maximum of 45 minutes for Free plans
• Exclusively a video conferencing solution meaning every tool needs a new app, from your email to your task list

Price:

• Free – $0 with limited features
• Business – $15/user/month, paid annually

GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting by LogMeIn is an online meeting and video conferencing software package that was first released in 2004. Since then, it has gone through many changes but retains its focus on business tools, such as analytics and security. In addition, it added, it offers conference calls, video conferencing, screen sharing, and more.

Pros:

• Access via desktop as well as mobile apps for iPad, iPhone, and Android
• Smart Meeting Assistant integrates notes, action items, and highlights
• Multi-monitor support

Cons:

• Single-purpose product, with other apps needed for email, calendar, etc.
• Advanced tools such as transcription, notes, etc., require at least a business account, which becomes costly for large teams
• No free option for small businesses/freelancers

Price:

• Free trial of only 14 days
• Professional – $14 /organizer/month, paid annually
• Business – $19 /organizer/month, paid annually

Intermedia AnyMeeting

Intermedia AnyMeeting is a video conferencing solution for businesses, both small and large. It offers HD video calls, the ability to join from a computer or phone, screen sharing, remote control, and other advanced video conferencing features.

Pros:

• Screen sharing and annotations
• Custom branding for Pro plans
• Integrated notes available for Pro plans

Cons:

• Only 4 participants in video conferences under the Free plan
• Single-purpose product means extra apps for other small business tools
• Webinar features are offered separately to the meeting package

Price:

• Free – $0 with limited features
• Lite (10 callers) – $9.99 /user/month
• Pro (100 callers) – $12.99/user/month
• Enterprise (200 callers) – $17.99/user/month

Jitsi Meet

Jitsi Meet is a free, open-source video conferencing solution for businesses and individuals. It is encrypted and requires no account for increased security and privacy while offering similar features to proprietary platforms such as screen sharing, chat, and collaborative integrations. As a result, Jitsi Meet is the best open-source video conferencing solution for small businesses.

Pros:

• Open-source software for greater security and freedom of use
• No account needed
• Screen sharing for collaborative work

Cons:

• Lack of support due to it being open-source software
• Exclusively a video calling software which means alternative apps are needed for other small business tools
• No simple sign-up for pro tools since Jitsi as a service is provided by multiple companies

Price:

• Free – as open-source software, Jitsi Meet can be downloaded and deployed to your own server completely free of charge. Jitsi Meet also allows for free online calls through their site with up to 100 participants.
• Jitsi as a service – if a small business wants a hosted solution or to integrate Jitsi into their system, this will come at a cost that can vary massively.

Jiminny

Jiminny is a popular tool for sales teams looking to improve their communications with their customers and projects. Jiminy works in your browser to record meetings and funnels data directly to your CRM, saving a sales rep an average 90 minutes each week. 

Jiminny automatically transcribes and analyzes all customer conversations so that leaders can collaborate, coach, and grow effortlessly. 

Pros

• Works in your browser
• Includes integrations with all popular tools like Zoom, Salesforce, Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, etc. 

Cons

• Potential privacy concerns from customers who haven’t consented to the recording
• Potential concerns of losing context in conversations when only using transcriptions

Price

• $75 per user per month when billed annually
• Monthly pricing is $95 per user per month and accounts include CRM integration, a dedicated account rep, and more 

So What is The Best Video Conferencing for Small Businesses? A Summary

With video calls on the rise, there are many strong contenders for the best video conferencing application for small businesses, whether free or paid. That said, many of those listed here are single-purpose apps, meaning your business will need a suite of different software to get everything done. Some, such as Spike, are more integrated, which can provide a smoother path to productivity.

What’s more, many of the applications listed here do offer free services, and if a small business is willing to take a hit on certain features, there are plenty of options. Some basics, such as HD video, voice, and screen sharing, come pretty much as standard, with other integrations such as collaborative Notes setting software apart from the crowd.

While small businesses should have video conferencing software on hand, and video meetings can be beneficial, it is essential to remember that balance is necessary. Constantly scheduling video calls can give rise to an always-on mentality, which at the end of the day is damaging to both individual team members and small businesses as a whole. In addition to occasionally using video calls, think about also having fewer meetings or even having “meetings without meetings” through asynchronous collaboration in the form of collaborative notes, shared documents and drives, or snoozable messages.

The right video conferencing tool will depend on your individual needs, so look carefully at all your requirements before deciding to ensure you’re not building your productivity suite piecemeal. If you’re looking for more tips for small businesses, stay tuned to the Spike blog, or let us know how video conferencing affected your company by tweeting us @SpikeNowHQ.

Updated on 9/23/2021