Zoom is one of the most popular programs, but it doesn’t suit everyone today. In our article, you will learn about the alternatives to Zoom and be able to choose the most suitable option for you.
Proficonf
The Proficonf service has an advantage over Zoom in that it does not need to be downloaded and installed on a PC or smartphone. You can host or participate in a video conference directly in your browser on a mobile or stationary device. The organizer of the video conference simply goes to the Proficonf website, creates a conference with just one click, and distributes the link to it among the participants. They need to follow the link in their browser to join the video meeting. Registration on the resource is not required for participants.
Another advantage of Proficonf is that the free version allows you to hold sessions lasting up to 24 hours, while Zoom limits free calls to just 40 minutes.
Conferences in Proficonf are well protected. Security is provided by WebRTC technology, which works with the DTLS protocol. To explain without using specific terminology, it is technically impossible to intercept and forge a conference link. Another definite advantage of the service is that it remains stable even at low connection speeds – from 256 Kbps.
During a video conference, each participant can show their screen to others, open a presentation, send any file, show a video from YouTube, and so on. There is even a separate function for working with presentations: participants can use a virtual “whiteboard” and colored markers to illustrate their reports with graphs or images.
Proficonf has a special mode for educational events: the main speaker occupies the main screen, and up to 5 video icons with the most active participants can be placed on the right side of the program window. For scientific conferences and business meetings, there is a “tile” mode: up to 20 mini-icons are displayed on the screen at the same time, which change as participants become active.
iMind
iMind is a program for online meetings, webinars, and conferences. It helps companies organize interaction with employees who work remotely, as well as establish team communication. It is convenient because it can be used on a PC (desktop version), mobile device, or simply in a browser.
You can invite someone to a video meeting using a link generated by the organizer. Participants do not need to register with iMind—they just need to click on the link. If a user decides to register, they do not need to enter a password – a one-time code is issued each time they log in to the program and sent to their email address. When someone “knocks” to enter a session, the administrator receives a notification with a photo of the participant and can either allow or deny them entry.
Among the advantages of the program are high video resolution and the ability to have up to 100 people participate in a video session at the same time. Up to 12 users can be seen in one window. During a video call, each participant can turn the sound and video on and off as needed, chat, send files, share their screen, and record the call.
All broadcasts in iMind are securely protected by 256-bit encryption using the AES algorithm. In addition, to increase security, the company can install the program on its server.
Jitsi Meet
Jitsi Meet is an open source video conferencing application written in JavaScript. You can start using it without prior registration. It runs directly from your browser. To invite participants, all you need to do is give them a generated link to the conference. When working with Jitsi Meet on a personal computer, it is advisable to use the Chrome or Firefox browser, as problems may arise with others.
Among the advantages of the program are high-quality image and sound (VP8 and Opus), the ability to password-protect conferences, and no need to download and install software. Security and confidentiality are also well taken care of: face-to-face video meetings are protected by P2P mode with encryption via the DTLS-SRTP protocol. Users consider the inability to record video calls outside of Dropbox to be a disadvantage.
The program does not set limits on the number of participants in a video session. You will only be limited by the power of your own server and its bandwidth. If you are working on a computer that is not particularly powerful, it is not recommended to invite more than 50 participants (optimally, up to 20 people) to avoid lag.
Let’s sum up
There is probably no perfect replacement for Zoom, as each alternative program has its own advantages and disadvantages. So what should you choose? First of all, you need to determine what you will be using the service for and be guided by your requirements for it.