5 Video Conferencing Software Picks That'll Actually Make Your Remote Meetings Worth Attending

Let's be real for a second: we've all been trapped in those soul-crushing video calls where the audio cuts out every three seconds, someone's frozen mid-sentence with the most unfortunate facial expression, and you're pretty sure half the team has just given up and is scrolling through Instagram instead.

The thing is, video conferencing doesn't have to suck.

The problem usually isn't your internet connection or your team's attention span—it's that you're using the wrong platform. With the global video conferencing market expected to grow to 19.73 billion by 2030, there's no shortage of options out there. But here's the catch: more choices doesn't always make decision-making easier.

I've spent way too many hours testing video conferencing platforms (seriously, my Zoom fatigue has Zoom fatigue), and I'm here to cut through the noise. This isn't another boring listicle that recommends the same five household names everyone already knows about. Instead, I'm sharing five video conferencing tools that actually deliver on their promises—including some underdogs that deserve way more attention than they're getting.

Whether you're running a scrappy startup, managing a distributed team, or just trying to make client calls less awkward, there's something here for you. Let's dive in.

Before we jump into the specific tools, let's talk about why this decision matters so much.

Video conferencing has become the backbone of how we work. It's not just about replicating in-person meetings—it's about creating genuine connections across distances, time zones, and circumstances. Reliable video conferencing software is no longer just a convenience — it's a cornerstone of modern business and communication.

The right platform can:

• Save you actual money (no more paying for separate webinar tools or phone systems)

• Boost productivity by making meetings feel less like chores and more like conversations

• Keep your team engaged with features that encourage participation instead of passive listening

• Protect sensitive information with proper security and encryption

On the flip side? The wrong platform will drain your budget, frustrate your team, and make you want to go back to carrier pigeons as your primary communication method.

Not all video platforms are created equal. Here's what separates the winners from the "why did we even bother" crowd:

This should be obvious, but you'd be surprised how many platforms still struggle with this. The most important thing for video conferencing is video quality. That goes beyond how the picture looks—the best quality in the world doesn't matter if people cut out or calls drop constantly.

Screen sharing and chat are the bare minimum. The really good platforms include things like:

• Breakout rooms for focused group discussions

• Whiteboarding tools for visual collaboration

• AI-powered transcription so you can actually remember what was decided

• Recording capabilities for people who couldn't make it

If your video platform doesn't play nice with your calendar, project management tools, or messaging apps, you're in for a world of friction. Look for a video conferencing platform that connects with the tools your team already uses. To keep everything connected, consider integrations with calendars, messaging and file-sharing apps, and project management software.

Many businesses need software that ensures meeting privacy and security. Choose a platform that offers end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, and host controls like password protection and waiting rooms.

Alright, let's get to the good stuff. Here are five platforms that impressed me enough to recommend them—and they're not all the usual suspects.

Whereby — Best for beginners to video conferencing, and honestly? That's selling it short.

Here's what I love about Whereby: zero friction. Seriously, no downloads, no apps, no creating yet another account. You get a personalized room link (like whereby.com/yourname), and anyone can click it and join instantly from their browser. That's it.

This is especially clutch when you're meeting with clients or external partners who don't want to install yet another piece of software on their computer. They just click, and boom—they're in your meeting.

• Browser-based meetings mean literally anyone can join without technical headaches

• Customizable room backgrounds to keep things on-brand

• Knock to enter feature that gives you control over who joins

• Screen sharing and recording built right in

• Integrations with Google Calendar and other popular tools

This is perfect for:

• Freelancers and consultants who meet with different clients regularly

• Small teams that value simplicity over feature overload

• Anyone who's tired of the "can you hear me?" dance at the start of every call

Whereby won't blow your mind with advanced features, and it's not designed for massive webinars. But for straightforward, hassle-free video calls? It's genuinely one of the best options out there.

Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start around $6.99/user per month

Dialpad Meetings brings AI front and center with real-time transcription, call summaries, and action item tracking. It's especially strong for sales and client-facing conversations.

Most platforms slap "AI-powered" on their marketing materials and call it a day. Dialpad actually uses AI in ways that make your life easier. Dialpad's video meeting solution, AI Meetings, has come a long way in recent years thanks to the company's research and development into artificial intelligence and natural language processing.

The real game-changer? The AI listens to your calls and automatically captures action items, sentiment, and key moments. No more frantic note-taking or wondering what you agreed to do after the meeting ends.

• Real-time transcription that's scary accurate

• Automatic action item detection (seriously, this is magic)

• Call sentiment analysis to gauge how meetings are actually going

• Voice intelligence that suggests responses and highlights customer signals

• Dialpad leverages AI to adjust video resolution based on the available bandwidth. This means that even if some participants don't have a great internet connection, their videos won't freeze up

This is ideal for:

• Sales teams who need to review calls and improve their pitch

• Customer success managers tracking client sentiment

• Remote managers who want insights into team communication patterns

• Anyone who hates taking meeting notes

Dialpad does offer a free version of its video conferencing platform, but it is limited in participant capacity, duration, and features. For companies that rely on consistent video communication, it's worth it to splurge for the paid plan.

Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $15/user per month

GoTo Meeting has been a staple in the video conferencing world for years. It is known for its reliability and simplicity, especially for businesses that need a no-frills, dependable meeting solution.

In a world obsessed with shiny new features, GoTo Meeting focuses on doing the basics exceptionally well. One of the first things I noticed was how lightweight and fast the platform is. Unlike some video conferencing tools that can feel heavy and sluggish, GoTo Meeting runs smoothly even on lower-end devices, which makes it great for team members who might not have the latest hardware.

• Smart Assistant and AI meeting summaries, you no longer need to worry about missing an important action item or meeting detail. One of my favorite GoTo Meeting features is Commuter Mode, which offers a color-coded interface and a distraction-free environment for participating in meetings from your phone

• Drawing tools for visual collaboration

• Unlimited video meetings on paid plans

• End-to-end encryption

for security-conscious teams

• Mobile-optimized experience that actually works

This platform is perfect for:

• Professional services firms that need reliability above all

• Companies with remote workers on varying hardware quality

• Teams running regular training sessions or webinars

• Organizations that value stability and consistent performance

GoToMeeting allows 10 to 250 participants, depending on the type of plan purchased. However, the free version allows a maximum of three participants, versus up to 100 on other platforms. So if you need free tier access for larger groups, this might not be your best bet.

Pricing: Starts at $14/organizer per month (billed annually)

Zoho Meeting offers affordable, straightforward video conferencing with both meeting and webinar modes. It's especially attractive for small businesses that already use other Zoho tools.

Look, not everyone has enterprise budgets. If you're a small business or startup watching every dollar, Zoho Meeting delivers seriously impressive value without making you feel like you're using the bargain-bin option. Zoho Meeting offers many features included in previously mentioned plans, but at a lower enterprise price point. Although Zoho is a smaller player in the video conferencing market, it is a well-known provider of business tools and aims to outshine the competition with its compelling features.

• Both meeting AND webinar capabilities in one platform

• Cloud recording so you can review calls later

• Screen sharing with remote control options

• Polls and Q&A features for engagement

• Integration with the entire Zoho ecosystem (CRM, Projects, etc.)

This is ideal for:

• Small businesses and startups on tight budgets

• Companies already using Zoho products (the integration is seamless)

• Teams hosting both meetings and webinars regularly

• Organizations looking to consolidate tools and reduce software costs

Free plan includes up to 100 participants for ~60 minutes. Paid editions allow 150–250 participants, with recording storage (5 GB/host in some tiers). You won't get all the fancy AI features of pricier platforms, but for core video conferencing needs, Zoho punches well above its weight class.

Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at around $8/host per month

RingCentral is a UCaaS and CCaaS provider known for its highly secure, feature-rich platforms. RingCentral includes video conferencing in all of its unified communications (RingEx) plans, but it can also be purchased as a standalone product.

Here's the thing about RingCentral: it's not just video conferencing. It's your entire communication system rolled into one. The first thing I noticed about RingCentral's video conferencing platform was the crystal clear video and audio quality. RingCentral includes HD video and AI-powered noise cancellation in all plans.

• HD video with AI-powered noise cancellation (your barking dog will thank you)

• Virtual backgrounds including animated ones for personality

• Team messaging integrated right into the platform

• Phone system included (yes, actual phone calls!)

• A vast number of features, and many of them are included in the free version, making it the most robust free video conferencing platform on my list

RingCentral's greatest feature is its integration of Slack, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365. This means users can schedule and begin calls directly from these 3rd party platforms. Users are also able to integrate their calendar with the RingCentral platform, and easily visualize their schedule for the day.

This platform is perfect for:

• Growing companies that need room to scale

• Teams wanting to consolidate communication tools (video, phone, messaging)

• Organizations with distributed teams across time zones

• Companies that value integration capabilities

Because RingCentral is such a comprehensive platform, there's a bit more of a learning curve than simpler tools. But if you're looking to replace multiple communication tools with one unified system, the efficiency gains are worth it.

Pricing: Free version available; paid plans start at $20/user per month

Okay, so you've seen five solid options. Now what? Here's how to make the call (pun absolutely intended):

Don't get distracted by fancy features you'll never use. Ask yourself:

• How many people typically join your calls?

• Do you need webinar capabilities or just meetings?

• Are most calls internal team discussions or client-facing?

• Do you need recording and transcription regularly?

Pretty much every platform on this list offers a free tier or trial. Use them. Nothing beats actually experiencing how a tool works in your workflow.

If your team lives in Google Workspace, a platform that integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar and Drive makes life infinitely easier. Same goes for Microsoft 365 users.

One of the features that sets GoToMeetings apart is its mobile friendliness - you can set up and start a conference from your smartphone, something some big brand software would struggle to do. If your team is often on the go, this matters more than you might think.

If you're in healthcare, finance, legal, or any other industry with strict compliance requirements, look for platforms that offer video meetings that comply with HIPAA and BAA regulations and provide proper encryption.

Just because everyone knows a platform doesn't mean it's the best fit for your needs. The market leaders are popular for good reasons, but smaller platforms often provide better value or more specialized features.

A video platform that doesn't integrate with your other tools creates friction. Every extra click, every separate login, every manual copy-paste—it all adds up to wasted time and frustrated team members.

Sound and video quality are the most important aspects of video meetings. Have your team test calls from their actual home offices before committing. What works great on your gigabit office connection might struggle on someone's rural DSL.

Your developers might love the desktop experience, but if your sales team can't join calls easily from their phones while traveling, you've got a problem.

Here's the truth: the "best" video conferencing software is the one your team will actually use consistently and without complaint.

You could spend months analyzing features, pricing tiers, and integration capabilities. Or you could pick one of these five platforms, test it for a couple weeks, and see how it feels in real-world use.

My honest recommendations:

• For ultimate simplicity: Go with Whereby

• For AI-powered insights: Try Dialpad

• For rock-solid reliability: Choose GoTo Meeting

• For budget-conscious teams: Test Zoho Meeting

• For all-in-one communication: Explore RingCentral

The video conferencing landscape has matured way beyond the "can everyone see my screen?" chaos of the early 2020s. These platforms prove that virtual meetings can be productive, engaging, and dare I say it—even enjoyable.

So stop settling for video calls that make you want to fake a bad connection and drop off. Choose a platform that actually works for your team's needs, set it up properly, and watch your remote collaboration transform from necessary evil to genuine competitive advantage.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a video call to join—and for once, I'm actually looking forward to it.