Webinar, also known as online seminar and webcast, is the best way to conduct online events. Users can conduct team meetings, classes, sales events, customer training, online courses, employee onboarding, interviews, podcasts, and much more using online webinar platforms. Experts say that webinars increase the chances of getting new business opportunities. According to a recent report, 76% of the businesses achieved more leads through webinars.
Several free webinar platforms are now available online that can be used for organizing business-oriented large-scale events. In this article, we will discuss the top 5 free webinar software in 2021 that you can explore. But first, let’s discuss the pros and cons of using webinar software.
Table of Contents
What are the benefits of webinar software?
Following are the major benefits offered by the webinar software that entrepreneurs can take advantage of –
a. Convenience
Webinars can be easily organized using online platforms. It offers a hassle-free medium for bringing together large groups of people. It saves a lot of time, money, and effort that goes behind planning an offline event such as finalizing the venue, technical equipment, and social arrangements.
In the case of webinars, attendees can join the event from wherever they are. This saves them the time and costs to travel to the venue. Users also have an option of attending a specific talk or presentation of their interest instead of unnecessarily sitting through the whole conference.
b. Remote accessibility
Through webinar software, users can log in and join the webinar from any part of the world. Presenters can share presentations, photos, videos, files, and documents on a shared screen of their computer system or mobile device.
c. Cost-effective
The average cost of hosting a webinar is significantly lower than organizing an offline event or conference. The amenities of which users can save complete cost include venue budget, travel, catering, technical/electrical equipment, and required manpower for arrangements.
d. Scalable
With webinars, users can reach a wide range of audiences since there are no restrictions in terms of location. Users from different regions and even countries can come together for an event through a webinar platform or webinar app. In addition, there is no limit on the number of people who can attend webinars, unlike offline conferences that only allows limited seating.
e. Improved customer engagement
In recent years, webinars have become the best platform for digital marketing. Being a live online event, webinars promote direct consumer interaction that further leads to a better understanding of consumer needs. Businesses can make use of such data to optimize their marketing campaigns and make them more customer-specific.
In addition, attendees who are interested in the webinar content do not need to miss a thing. With smartphone-compatible webinar apps, they can be a part of the event even when they are on the go.
f. Enhanced brand value
Some of the webinar platforms allow host enterprises to add custom features on the webinar interface like company logo, brand name, company-specific background, colored themes, and more. This is called white labeling. It improves brand visibility for the attending audience, increases trust in the brand name, enhances brand authenticity, and helps in building long-lasting customer relationships.
What are the limitations of webinar software?
Although webinars offer a wide range of features working their favor, they also face a few limitations. Following are the major drawbacks of using webinar software –
a. High attrition rate
Webinars surely decrease the effort and input required from both the organizer and attendees but this also increases the number of participants who drop out. In addition, most webinars are recorded and are available for attendees to refer to later. This also reduces the viewer’s chances of attending the webinar live. This issue can however be fixed by introducing added advantages for live attendees. It may include Q&A sessions, gift vouchers, etc.
b. Technical issues
Since webinars are entirely dependent on internet-based software, there can be technical glitches that hinder smooth connection. Sometimes even system and software compatibility can become an issue. It is therefore advised to choose a suitable webinar software after proper research and testing. Attendees should also pre-check their system compatibility with the chosen webinar platform.
c. Less accountability
Remote accessibility is one of the major advantages of webinars, however, this also allows users to multi-task. So, they are likely to get distracted from the webinar and indulge in other activities simultaneously. Many participants do not show active participation in webinars because of this reason. One of the ways to tackle such a situation is to conduct on-spot tests as a part of webinars.
Top 5 free webinar software in 2021
Out of all the options available in the market today, the following are the top 5 free webinar software available for businesses in 2021.
1. ON24
ON24 is one of the best free webinar platforms. It offers multiple advanced features that can be used to enhance the webinar experience for users. It is extremely easy to use and access this platform, even from remote locations. The organizers of the webinars can create a direct link for all their attendees for hassle-free participation. Attendees can simply click on the link to join the webinar.
ON24 provides an interactive platform with better engagement rates than any other webinar software in business. Users; both presenters and attendees can directly use this platform on the web without having to download it in the system. It supports drag-and-drop functionality that allows presenters to drag and display desired files on the shared screen that can be viewed by all the attendees. ON24 has in-built tools for online data security that protects users’ digital assets from potential malware.
Settings like virtual layouts, domain names, template designs, and widget settings of each webinar are customizable. Users are allowed to test, analyze, adjust, and optimize the software’s functionality based on their needs and customer responses. The added advantage of using ON24 is that no license is required for using this software.
The key features of ON24 include –
- Live chats
- Screen sharing
- Social sharing
- Reminders
- Voting polls
- Multi-presenter functionality
- Automated webinar
- Q&A
- Automated webinar
- On-demand webinars
- Attendee management
- Customizable template design
- Flexible registration
- Conversion tools
- Third-party integrations
- Actionable analytics and reporting
Technical attributes
| Customer support | Online customer support available during business hours |
| API integration | NA |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud |
| Scalability | Suitable for large enterprises, medium enterprises, and small businesses |
| SW score | 92% |
| Alternatives | Zoom, GoToWebinar, ClickMeeting |
Pricing
ON24 offers a free trial for its subscription plans. Users can also register for a live demo to understand its functionality. Pricing details of the subscription plans are made available on request.
2. Zoho Meeting
Zoho Meeting is a powerful web conferencing tool. It offers a complete platform that can be used for both conducting online meetings and organizing webinars. It allows users to organize grand-scale live webinars. It enhances organizer-consumer interaction and also boosts customer engagement rate with the brand.
Marketing officials use this platform for product launching, conferences, presentations, and promotional events. Users can directly operate this software on the web without having to download it on the system. It also comes with additional tools for generating in-built reports, reminders, RSVP scheduling, etc. There is also an option for the organizers to record the live webinar, save and share it with the attendees for future reference.
Zoho Meeting is an affordable webinar tool with advanced features for organizing business collaborations as well. Users can share audio files, videos, photos, documents, more on their screen that are simultaneously visible to all the participants. It can be very well be utilized by big enterprises with a distributed workforce to get real-time feedback on projects. It also comes with in-built tools that provide effective data security against potential cyber threats.
The key features of Zoho Meeting as a webinar software include –
- Automatic invites
- Analytics and reports
- Zoho CRM integration
- Live chat
- Voting polls
- Screen sharing
- Attendee management
- Q&A
- On-demand webinars
- Multi-presenter functionality
- Reminders
- Mobile phones compatibility
- VoIP sharing
- Webinar registration widget
- Customized registration form
- Advanced moderator controls
- Email customization
Technical attributes
| Customer support | 24X7 online customer support |
| API integration | Yes |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud, Mobile phones- Android and iOS |
| Scalability | Best fit for freelancers, large enterprises, medium enterprises, and small businesses |
| SW score | 92% |
| Alternatives | Webinar Jam, GoToWebinar, ReadyTalk Webinar |
Pricing
Zoho meeting offers a freemium plan with limited features for users to try. They do not charge any fee for their freemium plan. They also offer a free trial on all their subscription plans. Pricing for subscription plans starts at $2.50/month
3. Zoom
Zoom is the most popular webinar software for automated marketing. It is a cloud-based VoIP best suited for video conferencing and business collaborations. It offers a range of advanced in-built tools with HD audio and video functionality, telephone dial-in support, dual-screen compatibility, and more.
Zoom supports group messaging, whiteboarding, and co-annotations for improved user experience. The customizable webinar interface of Zoom also increases brand visibility and customer engagement that can lead to new business opportunities. This software can be used directly on the web without having to download it in the system. It is also compatible with mobile phones; both iOS and Android operating systems.
Zoom allows presenters to share files, photos, videos, and audio on the shared screen that can be viewed by all the participants in real-time. It also works well with third-party integrations like teleconferencing for audio-based webinars. Organizers can generate and share direct URL links with all the participants. Attendees can simply click on the link to join the webinar without any hassle. Zoom provides SSL encryption-based security to the users’ data. It protects their digital assets from potential malware.
The key features of Zoom as a webinar software include –
- Audio conferencing
- Company branding
- Domain management
- Webinar recording feature
- Mobile phones compatibility
- Multi-presenter functionality
- Third-party integration
- Attendee management
- Q&A
- Live chat
- Analytics and reports
- Cloud storage
- Premier support
- Voice and HD screening
Technical attributes
| Customer support | 24X7 online customer support |
| API integration | NA |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud, Mobile phones- Android and iOS, Windows, Mac |
| Scalability | Best fit for large enterprises, medium enterprises, and small businesses |
| SW score | 98% |
| Alternatives | Whereby, BlueJeans, join.me |
Pricing
Zoom offers a free version with limited features that users can either access on the web or install on their computer systems and mobile phones. It also offers paid subscription plans that start at $149.90/year.
4. GoToWebinar
GoToWebinar is an integrated platform for marketing automation. It comes with an in-built CRM support that helps in managing customer relations. Users can conduct live webinar events on this platform for large audiences which offers better engagement rates than conventional marketing videos.
GoToWebinar supports high-quality audio and video streaming for the best user experience. It also supports live chats and has a slide-in questions feature that allows attendees to interact with the presenter in real-time and have their queries attended. Users can customize the webinar interface for better brand visibility. They can add brand-specific colors, logos, images and more, to make it more brand-specific.
On the GoToWebinar platform, organizers can share presentations, photos, and videos on a shared screen that can be viewed by all the attendees in real-time. It provides a secure platform for users’ data. It has in-built data security tools that protect the digital assets of the users from potential malware. GoToWebinar also supports video recording of live webinars that can be stored and shared with the participants for future reference.
The key features of GoToWebinar include –
- Audio conferencing
- Customizable interface
- Online payment
- Webinar recording feature
- On-demand webinars
- Mobile phones compatibility
- Reminders
- Multi-presenter functionality
- Third-party integration
- Attendee management
- Q&A
- Live chat
- Social sharing
- Voting polls
- Analytics and reports
- Cloud storage
- Full-service registrations
- Custom branding
- Automated Emails
- VoIP support
Technical attributes
| Customer support | 24X7 live online customer support |
| API integration | Yes |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud, Mobile phones- Android and iOS, Windows, Mac |
| Scalability | Suitable for freelancers, large enterprises, medium enterprises, and small businesses |
| SW score | 98% |
| Alternatives | Zoom Video Webinar, Livestorm, Webinar Jam |
Pricing
GoToWebinar offers a 7-day free trial on all its subscription plans that supports up to 100 attendees. Their paid plans start at $89/year. You can also get discounts of up to 20% if you choose the yearly billing cycle.
5. ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting is best for organizing corporate or branded webinars for a large group of digital audiences. It can be used as a platform for improving customer engagements and generate new business leads. Users can personalize the webinar interface as per their requirements. They can also customize the features to make the webinar more brand-specific. Users can add logos, use brand-specific colors, and more to increase brand visibility in the events.
ClickMeeting is compatible with both computer systems and mobile devices. It supports Android and iOS operating systems in mobile devices and Windows and Mac in the computer systems. Organizers can generate a direct URL link and share it with all the attendees. Participants can simply click on the link to join the event on the web without the hassle of downloading it into their system.
ClickMeeting also possesses social media integration tools that allow users to conduct YouTube and Facebook Live events. In addition, users can also perform polls, surveys, Whiteboard, and more through this platform. ClickMeeting software performs regular analytics and generates reports that help enterprises optimize their operations and campaigns for establishing better customer relations.
The key features of ClickMeeting include –
- Attendee management
- Q&A
- On-demand webinars
- Online payments
- Reminders
- Voting polls
- Screen sharing
- Email invites
- Multi-presenter functionality
- Live chat
- Audio and video feeds
Technical attributes
| Customer support | Online customer support |
| API integration | Yes |
| Deployment | Web/Cloud, Mobile phones- Android and iOS, Windows, Mac |
| Scalability | Suitable for large enterprises, medium enterprises, and small businesses |
| SW score | 97% |
| Alternatives | Cisco Webex Events, Livestorm, Webinar Jam |
Pricing
ClickMeeting offers a free trial on all its subscription plans that start at $25/month. It also offers a free plan for 30 days that supports up to 25 attendees, 5 audio feeds, and 4 video feeds.
Conclusion
Webinar software is a must-have platform for businesses of all sizes. In recent years, digital marketing is at its peak and webinar are the best way to do it. Free webinar software is now available for users to try without any charges. These platforms increase customer interaction and engagement with the brand and it also helps in establishing long-term customer relations.
In this article, we have listed the top 5 free webinar software for businesses in 2021. If you are a beginner, you must explore these platforms for understanding the application and feasibility of webinar software in business. And if you wish to explore more, you may visit us at SaaSworthy.
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