The app can also be used to make free international calls to many countries. Google Hangouts users claim the platform is easy to use and integrates quickly with the Google ecosystem. Google is now providing free access to Hangouts Meet through July 1, 2020. Hangouts Meet, the business version of Hangouts, can only be started by subscribers to G Suite, which starts at $6 a month. Google’s contribution to the videoconferencing market is always free, but requires a Google account.
Skype is easy to use if you’re participating in a conference, but users complain that setting up a conference and inviting people to join can be complicated and full of glitches. The app also features live subtitles and real-time translation, making it the perfect choice for conferences that include participants from around the world. You can also screen-share on the platform, record your conferences, blur your background and share all kinds of files of up to 300 MB through your call window. Skype lets you hold HD video conferences with up to 250 people. Skype for Business starts at $2 per user per month. Skype to Skype calls are free, but calls to landlines and mobile devices without Skype start at $2.99 a month. While Microsoft has let its plans to discontinue the app and replace it with Microsoft Teams slip out, Skype is still wildly popular, especially with businesses, throughout the world. Microsoft’s Skype introduced the concept of video calls to the world. The explosion of Zoom users during the pandemic has also led to the disturbing new trend of “Zoombombing.” In this 21st century equivalent of a prank call, online trolls disrupt public meetings and make a general nuisance of themselves. Many users don’t like the almost omniscient power Zoom gives the host of the conference, which can include checking to see if you’ve been focusing on the meeting you were virtually attending, or maybe Facebooking in another window. The app’s beautification feature helps you look your best on screen, and virtual backgrounds allow you to swap out the messy room behind you for fun screens, like the Milky Way or the interview area from “The Office.” Zoom also has lots of nifty features, making it especially popular with millennial’s. You can also choose to record a class, meeting or virtual party. It is easy to set up and offers high-quality videos and calls. Zoom’s exceptional popularity is likely thanks to its functionality. With the pandemic forcing millions of people to work or learn from home, Zoom is now offering free downloads until normal life resumes. The app is free for one-on-one users and pricing generally starts at $14.99 a month. The app was installed about 3.7 times more than Skype and 8.6 times more than Google Hangouts since the pandemic hit. 1, with close to 20 million downloads in just one week according to data provided by analytics firm Sensor Tower. In the third week of March, 2020, communication apps took the first spot as the most downloaded apps. While businesses across the country are bleeding money and struggling to make payroll since the coronavirus pandemic hit, the cloud-based video conferencing platform has been enjoying an unparalleled explosion in downloads. These apps have been around for a while, but now they’ve become an integral part of everyday life and a medium for sharing good times with friends - without the germs. Let’s take a look at three of the most popular video conferencing apps on the market. We’re talking video conferencing apps, of course.Īs Americans move indoors in an effort to comply with mandates for social distancing, lots of our everyday interactions have moved online, or more accurately, onto video conferencing. It’s where everything happens these days.