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Thus, if you live far away or do freelance- work, it can be difficult for you to do face-to-face interactions or have physical meetings. The Covid-19 pandemic affected everyone’s working patterns; some were stuck miles away from their families for a long time. Whereas life has almost become stable for everyone but still the after-effects of pandemic-19 exist and gave people a new way to think in a diversified form. If we talk about technology, still we have people around us who depend on video calls to keep in touch with work, colleagues, family, and friends. Even if you are on holiday and your boss wants you to deal with a substantial client, you can arrange a meeting via various online apps such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, and other video-conferences apps.
Hence, here we will discuss the 9 best applications for free video-calling which will make your daily tasks easy to communicate online. Some famous applications for text-chatting and social networks with video calling features are also listed below. But, which one is the perfect application for you? Since there are various best options available, it is not easy to choose which one will prove to be a good option for you.
So it’s important to read the article thoroughly till the end to figure it out? Afterward, you can try one of two to make a final decision.
Zoom:
Nowadays, Zoom is the most popular video calling application. When someone thinks of arranging a video conference, the first thought that comes to mind is Zoom. Before the pandemic, Zoom was the application commonly used for the corporate sector. Though, for individuals, it provides a free basic version. Of course, in the initial months of 2020, Zoom did not expect to become popular in a short period among non-business users. Initially, there were some problems regarding privacy and security, but the company looked into the matter by making and adding updated features to support the application.
The free version of Zoom allows a maximum of 100 participants at a time, but the users can conduct a meeting for only 40 minutes at max. The host of the meeting can share a screen and can also record the meeting. The person who starts the session can appoint any participants as hosts if needed. Zoom has a page for its new users that offers help and advice to provide a better understanding of using the app.
Skype
People have been using skype for long one-to-one conversations. Since its beta was released in 2003 with modern features to cater maximum needs of an individual. Whereas on the left side of the app there is a “Meet-now” option, after clicking on it, a maximum of 100 participants can do a video call for almost 24 hours. One-on-one meetings can also be conducted for the same time period. Skype participants can share the screen and record the meeting if they wish to do so. The appreciable thing is that you can create a free video meeting without signing up. For this purpose, Skype has a separate page that you can utilize. Undoubtedly, you can access more features more extensively only if you make a free account on Skype.
Google Meet
Google meet offers an easy and well-organized procedure to video chat with your colleagues, friends, family, and others. However, there is a compulsion for using the app, that all hosts and participants must have their Google accounts. Nowadays, Google is persuading people to use its video conferencing feature for meetings as Google Meet is more reliable and flexible to use. If you want to arrange a meeting via Google calendar, you can find the link to the meeting in the Gmail app.
Like Skype, Google Meet also allows a maximum of 100 participants to meet online at a time. A group meeting can be conducted for an hour, while one-on-one meetings can be conducted for 24 hours. Besides, you cannot record meetings, while using Google Meet but you can share the screen though.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams initially only used for businesses, introduced its free personal version of Teams A few years ago. Though, it was built to give competition to slack and is a good option for those workplaces which are widespread. Microsoft Teams allows you to chat, talk or organize video meetings. What you need is to create an account with Microsoft.
Moreover, the subscribers of Microsoft 365 can access video chat for 30 consecutive hours with a maximum of 300 people. On the other hand, the free version allows a maximum of 100 participants and a 60-minute long meeting. In contrast, one-on-one meetings can only be conducted for as long as 30 hours. The host can share the meeting, but it cannot be recorded.
Cisco Webex
Webex is an application for video calling, introduced in the late 90s. Cisco purchased its application in 2007. Though Cisco Webex is mainly a business application, which several companies are using nowadays. You need to check out its free version for a self-purpose. When the pandemic hit the world back in 2020, Cisco Webex introduced some new features. For example, increasing the limit of participants from 50 to 100, allowing one-to-one and group meetings for 50 minutes.
Furthermore, you can also create breakout rooms and share screens. At the same time, only the local device can record the meetings.
Google Duo
Apart from Google meet, Google also has its mobile app Duo, which was built for consumers. As Meet was only used for business purposes. Initially, Duo was only used on mobile for one-on-one conversations, but in the long run, it can replace Google Meet or can merge into it.
For this reason, Google Duo allows one-on-one and groups to conduct meetings for as much time as they want. Moreover, it allows a maximum of 100 participants, and the screen of mobile can only be shared. One cannot record meetings. As long as you have your Google account, you can use this mobile app for group meetings.
Zoho
Zoho provides various online daily applications like email, calendars, and notebooks to business and development, mostly in marketing, finance, and HR. Firstly, the free version of Zoho only allowed two participants, but currently, it allows a maximum number of 100 participants. On the other hand, its free version allows you to conduct webinars with a maximum of 100 attendees as well as one-on-one and group meetings, both for sixty minutes. Zoho free version users can share the screen but cannot record the meetings.
Jitsi Meet
The Jitsi Meet is another video-conferencing application that is pretty simple to use. To use the app, just go to the website of Jitsi Meet and click on the “start meeting” option. It caters to both, the features of sharing a screen and recording the meetings. There is no time restriction for both one-on-one and group meetings. However, Jitsi Meet allows a maximum of 100 participants.
Moreover, people love to use its web version because of its plenty of features like chat, temporary fake backgrounds, session recordings (to Dropbox), and even you can exclude disobedient participants. Besides that, the developers can build their conferencing apps via the Jitsi video bridge.
Starleaf
In case you do not have a company of your own, you must not be familiar with Starleaf. Hence it is a platform for companies, not for individuals. Moreover, Starleaf’s low-cost paid plan is suitable for small businesses starting from just one-to- nine licenses. It allows a maximum of 20 participants and you can share the screen while it doesn’t give a recording option
Therefore, there is no time limit for one-to-one meetings, but group meetings can only be held for 45 minutes. Besides, Starleaf offers a basic video and messaging product free of charge for those who wish to keep in touch with the people they met during the pandemic.
As most of the best apps for video calling in 2022 have free versions, therefore, if you want to use a video-calling app you need to note down all the features and accessibility that best suit your work. All of the video calling apps are designed to cater to everyone’s needs. And provides the best technological updated facility for businesses and individuals.
