Conference Solutions - Free and Low Cost Tools

The number of conference solutions available out there can be overwhelming.  A large number of them are free or close enough that it can make deciding on a solution a difficult task.  Thus, we want to look at the well-known and well-supported solutions that fit our price range as well as the features we should look for in an application.  Even if you only need to use conference solutions a time or two a quarter, this list will help you find a platform that matches your needs.

Amazon Chime

Among the AWS services is a conference call solution called Chime.  This has a thirty-day free trial as well as a free option where all members pay call fees.  It is an excellent solution that provides desktop clients across a broad range of platforms.  We use this solution for our mentor sessions, and I have used it for consulting a large portion of the last few years.

Free Conference Call

As the name says, this is a free conference call solution and works well.  The desktop sharing tools and ability to give attendees a feel of this being a high-end solution are not what one would hope for.  However, the cost is hard to beat, and that makes this a perfect solution for an ad hoc call requirement.

Goto Meeting

This is arguably the best-known solution on the list.  Goto Meeting has been around for a long time and has developed some very high-quality tools for the desktop and web clients.  It is one of the more expensive solutions ($14/month or $29/mo to get record and transcripts).  However, it is a platform that will give your customers/callers a comfort level with the tool and your professional approach.

Skype For Business

Skype has been around for years and is a robust VOIP solution.  The "Skype For Business" product was created when Microsoft bought Skype and merged the legacy product with the Lync product.  The result is a pretty good and often used solution.  I have had a lot of headaches with this over the years, but they do seem to be getting fixes in regularly, and stability has improved.  At $2/per user per month, it is practically free and often bundled in with Office 365 subscriptions.

Zoom

The top conference solutions products often include Zoom in the list.  It is quick and easy to use along with some reasonable pricing (free or $15/mo to add recording).  The free option is another perfect one to use if you have to quickly set up a conference call and do not have a subscription with one of the other providers.

Webex

Much like Goto meeting, Webex has been around for a long time.  They have made good improvements over the years and created a solution you can trust.  I have not seen it used as much in recent years, but that may just be my experience and not a reflection of the tool itself.  It does the job and should be considered if you are going to step up above a free solution.  It runs $19 per month per user.

join.me

The name recognition of this product makes it another one you will likely run into for conference solutions.  The pricing and positioning make this a much better solution if you want high-quality communication and sharing for a small number of attendees to your calls.  It starts with $10 per month for up to 5 people on a call or you can step up to $20 to add recording and 50 participants per call.

Uberconference

I often run into this solution in situations similar to freeconferencecall.  It does provide for recording with a small number of users (free record and up to 10 attendees, $15/mo/user up to 100 attendees) and it scales up to a large number of attendees well.  It is a newer product, but I have no complaints in my experiences with it.