8 Free Video Conferencing Software for 2023: Detailed Reviews

If you’re a freelancer, employee, or entrepreneur, you need a free, reliable tool for hosting online meetings with coworkers or clients. Most comparisons of the best free video conferencing software actually focus on paid functionalities - so it’s way too much hassle for you to work out which platform suits your needs.

We've shortlisted the best free plans from eight different platforms, scrutinizing their user reviews and product demos to show you their top features and limitations. Plus, we’ve assigned a handy category to each one to simplify your decision-making.

The top 8 free web conferencing tools

Even free meeting software should let you host online video calls with superb quality. Here are eight platforms with a free plan that won’t disappoint:

• Livestorm
• Google Meet
• Microsoft Teams
• Zoom
• Zoho Meetings
• Webex
• Whereby
• Slack

Note: The “key features” mentioned for each platform are available with the free plan. These platforms also have more specialized functionalities as paid video conferencing tools. However, we chose not to include them, so you can easily see what’s included in the free versions.

For a more in-depth look at what each software can do, see our complete comparison of the best virtual meeting platforms.

1. Livestorm: Best all-in-one free video conferencing solution

Livestorm is a secure video conferencing tool that lets you host any type of event – from 1:1s to town halls or webinars with up to 3,000 attendees. The free plan has some limitations, but we must say, it’s pretty exceptional. It has no end date and you get to test top-notch features like automation for running events and webinars without a live speaker.

Livestorm’s key features

• Easy to use. Livestorm is browser-based, which means you can join calls without downloading an app or making an account.
• Calendar integrations. Set up your meetings directly from the Google or Outlook calendar and add the access information in one click.
• Detailed analytics dashboard. Review the performance of your meetings in the people dashboard. You can export your registrants' contact information, polls answers, chat history, and questions asked as comma-separated values (CSV), Excel sheet, or ODS (Big Data).
• Built-in engagement features. With these features, your meetings are never boring as people can interact using the in-app chat, create and answer polls, and add to the Q&A tab.
• Breakout rooms. Keep large meetings focused and efficient by introducing breakout rooms for small groups of attendees to collaborate synchronously.
• Automation features. Platforms with automation features usually gate this functionality for paid plans. With Livestorm, you get to automate webinars or events for up to 20 minutes for free.
• File sharing. You can easily share PDFs, files, and videos (even links directly from Youtube) in the meeting using the Handouts plugin. This is a great feature if you’re using video conferencing for education.

What can you use Livestorm for?

You can use Livestorm for any kind of virtual meeting – either live or on-demand. The free version is mostly used by people who want to host short 1:1s or daily standup meetings.

The paid version is more suited to growing businesses and larger companies that host bigger, longer live sessions with multiple hosts and attendees.

What can you get on Livestorm’s free plan?

The free-forever plan is ideal for forward-thinking small businesses looking to host interactive online events on a tight budget. Here’s a sneak peek of what you can access with Livestorm’s free plan:

• Webinar automation
• 30 active contacts in the integrated CMS
• Customizable registration page creation for live and on-demand events
• 25 multiple speakers
• Access to most integrations
• Access to all engagement features
• Meeting rooms available in English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and 19 other languages.
• Team-wide accounts
• Email reminders
• A free library of video conferencing backgrounds

Does Livestorm’s free plan have any limitations?

Livestorm’s free plan is limited in terms of active contacts and meeting length. You can host meetings and events for up to 20 minutes and 30 monthly active contacts. That said, there’s no end-date on the free plan, so you’ll keep access to it forever.

2 - Google Meet Best free video call software for team meetings

Meet (formerly Google Hangouts) is part of the Google Suite and it’s ideal for people who work exclusively with Gmail. Freelancers and small businesses wanting to host virtual meetings may also consider this platform.

Google Meet’s key features

• Fast access. If you want to create a new meeting on the spot, you just need to type “meet.new” in Chrome’s URL bar to get a new meeting number and access link.
• User-friendly platform. Google Meet is one of the most intuitive platforms out there. It’s easy to use, and has great quality video and audio.
• Google Calendar integration. You can schedule events directly from your calendar and add Meet links automatically as you invite someone to an event.

What can you use Google Meet for?

People who pay for Google Meet can use it to host any kind of online meeting. But, the free plan is mostly catered to small businesses and startups that want hour-long meetings with no need for virtual collaboration or engagement features.

What can you get on Google Meet’s free plan?

Google Meet’s free plan is one of the most complete in terms of meeting length and audience size. With the unpaid version, you get:

• Unlimited 60-minute calls with up to 100 participants.
• Engagement features such as emoji reactions, in-app chat, and interactive whiteboard.
• High-quality audio.

Does Google Meet’s free plan have any limitations?

Google Meet’s free plan has some limitations in terms of features. Free Meet users don’t have access to polls, Q&A tab, breakout rooms, live streamings, recordings, and international dial-in numbers. Plus, event organizers must have a Gmail account.

3. Microsoft Teams: Best free video chat tool for growing business

Teams replaces Skype for Business as Microsoft’s instant video call and messaging app for corporations. It works best for medium-sized and large companies with a need for document collaboration. Teams lets you host 1:1 instant calls and planned events of up to 100 participants (on the free plan).

Teams’s key features

• Data encryption. Teams is a highly secure platform. All chat messages, meeting conversations, files, and calls are encrypted.
• Document collaboration. Share files with your team members through OneDrive and collaborate on them in real-time.
• In-app engagement features. Send GIFs and emoji reactions during calls, and add your custom virtual background.

What can you use Teams for?

You can use Teams for live collaboration, 1:1s, and group meetings. If you’re a small business (<100 employees), you can use Teams for company-wide calls – e.g. all-hands or town halls – of up to 60 minutes. Teams is a great option for scaling businesses as you can switch to a more premium plan as you grow.

What can you get on Teams’s free plan?

The free plan supports 100 attendees for video conferences of up to 60 minutes hosted in the app or web browser. You can use the instant messaging app for direct messaging, group chat, and in-call chat with meeting attendees.

Does Teams’s free plan have any limitations?

Using Teams for free solves your basic conferencing needs. However, the storage space in OneDrive is limited to 5GB and the security measures on the free plan aren’t enterprise-ready.

4. Zoom: Best free video call app for solopreneurs and small businesses

Everyone’s heard of Zoom. In fact, the name has become a synonym for video calls. But why? Zoom is a high-quality online meeting platform that grew in popularity because it offers 40-minute meetings for free. Zoom is now a full-service video conferencing tool for meetings and online events with a large number of participants.

Zoom’s key features

• In-app collaboration features. Zoom’s free plan lets you use private and public chat, breakout rooms, virtual backgrounds, screen sharing, and virtual whiteboards (up to 3).
• Live captions. All Zoom plans allow for real-time captioning in English for better meeting accessibility.
• Personal meeting room. This tool lets you create a personal meeting room URL and ID, so you can always host calls from the same room.

What can you use Zoom for?

You can use Zoom for hosting any kind of group video calls of up to 40 minutes from three to 100 attendees on the free plan. You can also use Zoom for webinars and big marketing events of up to 10,000 participants for a monthly price.

What can you get on Zoom’s free plan?

Zoom’s free plan offers:

• Meetings up to 100 participants
• Unlimited 1:1s
• Group meetings (3-100 attendees) of 40 minutes in length
• Zoom mail and internal calendar in Beta

Does Zoom’s free plan have any limitations?

Zoom’s free plan is limited in terms of features and access to other Zoom products. With the paid version, you can host webinars, build automation, or registration pages, and do live polling. If you want to test webinar hosting functionalities for free, you might be better off with a Zoom alternative like Livestorm.

5. Zoho Meetings: Best free online meeting tool for hour-long calls

The verdict on free video conferencing software

To put it simply, the best video conferencing software won’t necessarily come free. However, free plans are a great way to test video conferencing platforms before you commit.

If your business is looking to scale quickly, high-quality video conferencing software is a vital asset, not a luxury. To get the most out of your video conferencing platform, it’s worth considering a paid plan.

With a paid plan, you’ll have more features to play with as well as full support from a customer service team. If you’re not already set up for remote working, the right video engagement tool will show you how flexible you can afford to be.

Whether you choose a free or paid plan, your video conferencing software should be easy to use, interactive, and primed to help you achieve your vision.

Cisco Webex is a powerful tool for hosting corporate meetings. It integrates with in-person conference rooms to offer a seamless multinational teamwork experience.

Webex’s key features

• Interactive tools. Brainstorm using the interactive whiteboard and screen-sharing features.
• Browser-based platform. Webex is easy to set up and join calls as you don’t need to download an app.
• Move to mobile. Hybrid workers that take a call but need to jump in the car and drive up to a doctor’s appointment can move the meeting from their Mac laptops to their iPhones and connect their car’s audio system using CarPlay. This function is only available for Apple users.

What can you use Webex for?

You can use Webex for hosting 1:1s, department meetings, and company-wide events. You can also use it to host webinars and marketing events.

What can you get on Webex’s free plan?

Webex free plan offers:

• Meetings up to 40 minutes
• 100 participants per conference call
• Meetings on-the-go (using Apple’s CarPlay integration)
• Local meeting recordings

Does Webex’s free plan have any limitations?

Webex's free plan is limited as you can only have one host per meeting and don’t have cloud storage space for saving meeting recordings. Plus, with the free version, you don’t get access to live captioning, file transferring, or polling.

7. Whereby: Best free video conferencing platform for hybrid teams

Whereby is a browser-based video conferencing app that lets you connect with team members in a hybrid work environment thanks to the co-location feature (more on that below!). That way, everyone can feel like they’re in the same room together. Whereby comes with two products: Meetings and Embedded (for online events).

Whereby for Meetings’s key features

• Collaboration tools. Using Whereby’s free plan, you can interact with your teammates on a Google Doc, Trello, or Miro board.
• High-quality audio. Due to its noise reduction effect and co-location feature, Whereby meetings usually have a nice audio output.
• Breakout rooms. This tool lets you separate attendees into smaller groups for team collaboration or dissect topics of discussion.

What can you use Whereby for Meetings?

You can use Whereby for hosting 1:1s, group meetings, and online events. Whereby is mostly catered to hybrid teams as it can segment people by location and recognize the louder speaker in each one of those places.

What can you get on Whereby for Meetings’s free plan?

On Whereby’s free meetings plan, you get access to:

• One unique meeting room
• One host per account
• Meetings up to 45 minutes
• 100 participants
• 12 people on screen at the same time

Does Whereby for Meetings’s free plan have any limitations?

Whereby’s free plan limits the number of rooms you can create. Plus, with the free version, you can’t record the sessions or customize your room to brand it.

8. Slack: Best instant messaging app for spontaneous 1:1 video calls

Slack is a powerful chat app that lets users break teams into channels and dissect conversation topics. You can also use it to jump in spontaneous video calls with your teammates.

Slack’s key features

• Asynchronous video communication. Slack lets you send videos and audio messages to your team so you can use it as a video meeting substitute.
• One-click calls. With Slack, you can change text to video conversations easily as you can hop in a huddle with one click.
• Dual screen sharing. Slack huddle room lets you share two screens at once, so both you and your manager, for example, could be sharing their screens at the same time.

What can you use Slack for?

People mostly use Slack for text instant messaging. It’s a great place to build communities and host corporate conversations. You can also use it for hosting ad hoc, more informal video conversations.

What can you get on Slack’s free plan?

With Slack’s free-forever plan, you get access to a secure instant messaging platform and unlimited 1:1 calls.

Does Slack’s free plan have any limitations?

The biggest limitation of the Slack free plan as a video conferencing platform is that you can’t meet with multiple people at the same time.

Paid vs. free video conferencing software

All video conferencing software free plans will be limited, but that doesn’t mean you need to pay for a tool right away. Here’s how to choose a free or paid online meeting tool if you’re hosting

• Instant, short virtual meetings
• Live events and webinars
• A wide variety of online events

Instant, short virtual meetings

If all you need is the power to set up a video meeting with a few attendees and a short duration, opt for a free plan. It will allow you to host smaller calls while maintaining access to important features like screen sharing, chat, Q&A, and recording.

Live events and webinars

If you’re interested in web conferencing, with longer event times and larger audiences, you’ll be best supported by a mid-tier or premium paid plan. Look out for plans that include multiple speakers at each event so you can book a strong line-up.

A wide variety of online events

Some video conferencing platforms offer usage-based plans for enterprises. If you’re growing rapidly and are hosting multiple types of events (e.g. meetings, webinars, demo calls, and conferences), you need a multipurpose platform that comes under one single bill. In this case, a free plan probably won’t cut it.

Pro tip: With Livestorm’s free-forever plan, you can access all our video conferencing features for meetings and events of up to 20 minutes. That way, you can play around and get to know the platform before you choose a paid plan.

What are the must-have features of video conferencing software?

We invite you to evaluate each video app as a whole. That way, if you ever want to upgrade your plan, you get access to all of these features:

• Browser-based access
• Media-sharing
• Breakout rooms
• Team-wide accounts
• Digital whiteboards
• Calendar integrations
• Recurring events

Browser-based access

Make it easy for people to join your event without the need for extra downloads or installations. Plus, you’re not making any external stakeholder download an app for one-time use. Livestorm was natively built on a browser, so all features work at peak performance.

Media-sharing

There are all kinds of desirable web conference tools, but at the very least you need screen-sharing and media-sharing capabilities. Your video conferences will also be more dynamic if you can present slides and play video clips without awkward pauses or technical issues.

Breakout rooms

Group meetings can easily become boring and one-sided. Look for platforms that have this feature available on their free or paid plans so you can invite your team to interact in smaller groups.

Team-wide accounts

If you lead a team, they’ll need to be able to set up events too. Ensure the free plan includes multiple accounts so that you can delegate tasks and encourage collaboration. Plus, if you’re using Livestorm, you can assign roles and invite them to help moderate or assist with an event you’re hosting.

Digital whiteboards

People tend to think it’s best to meet face-to-face for brainstorming sessions. That’s an erroneous misconception. Virtual meeting tools are your vehicle to shorten that gap with interactive and easy-to-use virtual whiteboards – and mimic in-person meetings.

Calendar integrations

It’s important that you and the meeting’s attendees are able to add a video conference call directly to your preferred calendar. This simplifies event creation and makes it easier for everyone to join the call on time. With Livestorm, you can create events directly from a Google or Outlook calendar.

Recurring events

Meetings, while helpful for collaboration, are already time-consuming and limit you from working on other tasks. You don’t need even more adding to your to-do list, so choose software that can create recurring events and save you a bit of time.

What’s the best free video conferencing software for you?

The best video conferencing software won’t necessarily come for free. However, free plans are a great way to have short video calls without needing to commit to a paid plan.

• If you’re an individual or solopreneur, you might enjoy using Zoom or Webex’s free plan for hosting intros, 1:1 sessions, or status meetings with clients for up to 40-minutes.
• If you’re working in a hybrid company, Whereby’s free plan might be your best bet. You can hold meetings for up to 45 minutes and use the co-location feature – it captures the voice of the louder speaker in the room for better audio quality.
• If you want to test a full-service video conferencing tool, Livestorm is the right solution. The free version is limited in terms of meeting size and length, but not in performance and access to premium quality features.

With Livestorm, you can host meetings and events (live, automated, or on-demand), build registration pages, customize your room, and access every engagement feature - all in the free version. And, when you’re ready for our paid plan, you’ll have even more features to play with as well as full support from a customer service team.

Frequently asked questions about free video conferencing software

Is there free video conferencing software?

There are many free video conferencing software available. They’re usually limited either in terms of meeting size and length or accessible features. The best free video conferencing software are:

• Livestorm
• Webex
• Zoho Meetings

What is a free Zoom alternative?

A free Zoom alternative to try is Livestorm. The free plan allows for 20-minute meetings with full access to our engagement features. Plus, there’s no trial period so you can keep trying it out as long as you like.

Can you still use Zoom for free?

You can use Zoom for free with some limitations:

• Meetings up to 40 minutes and 100 participants
• Limited features (i.e. access to three virtual whiteboards, live polling)
• Access to essential apps (integrations) is only available on the paid plan

What are common mistakes when picking a free video-conferencing platform?

Common mistakes when choosing a free video-conferencing platform are:

• Choosing meeting length over features. Meeting length is important for sure, but if you have a tool with no engagement features, you might be able to host a boring hour-long call that defeats its purpose.
• Picking a free platform without recording capabilities. Almost everyone is working in a remote or hybrid environment, you need to record meetings so the people that couldn’t join are able to catch up.

When should you start video conferencing?

You should start video conferencing as soon as you read this. Video conferencing is vital for all modern businesses because it’s flexible, instantaneous, and can connect people over any distance.

Video conferencing is a great sales engagement tool, as customers prefer the convenience of meeting virtually rather than face-to-face. Plus, you’ll be able to make live events more dynamic with screen-sharing, presentation slides, and shared media.

Will free video conferencing software work for webinars and online events?

Free video conferencing software can be used for webinars and online events, especially if you’re just getting started or expect small attendee lists. However, most free plans will have restrictions on things like the number of live attendees and event length.

If you’re looking for a tool that lets you do it all, you should try Livestorm. This platform lets you host live, on-demand, and automated events of up to 20 minutes for free.

What are the limitations of a free video-conferencing plan?

The limitations of a free video-conferencing plan are mostly related to time limits and the number of participants. These plans might also expire after a certain period and limit your access to user engagement features like file sharing.

Which video conferencing options are worth paying for?

The video conferencing options that are worth paying for are the ones that:

• Let you include multiple hosts and speakers
• Have CSM integrations
• Come with a training hub and give you access to resources that will help you deliver impactful video conferences
• Allow you to record and save meetings in the cloud

Livestorm is a great platform to pay for as it lets you host all kinds of events – from 1:1s to sales calls, all-hands meetings, and large webinars – in one place.