Web Conferencing Software Solutions-converted
                     The Best 8 Free and Open Source Web Conferencing 
Software Solutions
When 7 out of 10 online meetings end terribly, the blame is always on 
the inefficient  back-end support system. There is a clear-cut demand for 
powerful web  conferencing software solutions.
In this age of electronic communications, the “nice to e-meet you” 
concept has  brought a revolutionary change in the communication and 
collaboration aspect. The  best web conferencing software and 
applications facilitate easy communication at  any time and anywhere. It 
minimizes the distance, time, and cost that are otherwise  incurred for a 
meeting.
In this article, we will focus on helping you understand the market growth 
of web  conferencing software, its key importance, and also discuss some 
of the best free  and open source web conferencing software solutions 
available today in the market.
Let us start with the evolution of web conferencing solutions.
Evolution of Conferencing and Collaboration
AT&T introduced the first video call in 1968 at the World’s Fair in New 
York. It has  been presented as a commercial solution involving 
PicturePhone technology.
Participants were made to sit down and communicate with the person on 
the other  end for 10 minutes at a time through a ‘video.’
In 1968, Stanford Research Institute introduced the technology of multi-
user video  conferencing. In 1976, the first official video conferencing 
was established between  2 nations, i.e., Tokyo and Alaska, by Nippon 
Telegraph and Telephone Company.
Then, Compression Labs launched its first commercial video 
conferencing plan in  1982 for $1,000/hour.
IBM introduced the best video conferencing software – PicTel in 1991. In 
the late  1990s, video conferencing was adopted widely with the 
introduction of low-cost &  high-capacity broadband and powerful 
processors & compression.
The year 2003 witnessed significant achievement in conferencing 
technology when  the service providers have made high-speed internet 
widely available at low cost. The  price of video capturing and displays 
decreased, making this facility easily  accessible to most users.
Furthermore, Lifesize introduced the first HD video conferencing system in 
2005, and  from 2010, the HD video conferencing spread among the 
professionals increasingly.  From 2013 onwards, the app, cloud, and 
web-based video conferencing open source  programs came in 
prevalence after the intuitive simplicity of the smartphones,  tablets, and 
other mobile devices.
Web Conferencing 
Today
Currently, mobile technologies are growing exponentially. The surging 
demand for  conferencing and communication solutions among the 
business sectors is
immensely driving the market forces. The global market size of web 
conferencing  software is expected to reach USD 16.60 billion by 2025. 
It will be a good rise at a  CAGR of 9.5% compared to the previous 
quarter’s results.
The new generation of communication and web conferencing solution is 
highly  embraced and extended by digitization and visual data-sharing 
technologies. These  technologies contribute significantly to the decline 
in the cost of the best video  conferencing for small business leading to 
its large-scale deployment across
different organizations that were not earlier possible due to higher 
installation cost.
This demand has eventually resulted in the development of high-end 
collaboration  applications like Skype Oovoo, etc. These applications form 
an essential part of the  collaborating workspaces and are projected to 
boost the market growth over the
next few years. The limited bandwidth and easy access has made them 
popular with  business users.
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) are becoming a huge hit among 
marketers.  They have enabled the organizations to collaborate many 
platforms by providing a  multi-channel experience to the customers. 
APIs have allowed users to access their  systems and work efficiently 
from remote locations as well. As the APIs are
integrated to both on-premise and cloud-based applications, they 
facilitate a  seamless communication process among the systems as 
well as the employees.
The trend of deploying the voice-based virtual team members is 
increasing among  the organizations to facilitate their employees in daily 
meetings and reporting. It
involves an important part of their professional efforts to ensure them 
of having a  comfortable workspace.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also become an integral part of their virtual 
 communication process involving the deployment of innovative team 
collaboration  software. Technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and 
Virtual Reality (VR) are  being increasingly used to develop the best 
video conferencing software.
The Smart Virtual Personal Assistants (SVPAs) and AI bots are now 
immensely  preferred by the organizations. They have emerged as a 
crucial tool to automate a  variety of tasks and improve workplace 
collaboration. Hence, it is positively working  to favour market growth. For 
web conferencing and team collaborations,  organizations are already 
using bots like scheduling meetings and taking notes.
Enhanced APIs and AR/VR technologies are adding more stars to them.
These enhancements have brought-in several add-on powers 
to the web  conferencing solutions available today in the 
market.
Key Finding from a Recent Research about Web 
Conferencing  Software
● The cloud-based software programs are expected to witness 
substantial  growth over the forecast period 2019 to 2025.
● The percentage of CAGR for the conferencing software segment 
over the
forecast period is expected to rise. Many corporate-giants are 
experiencing
increased deployment of conferencing solutions such as Cisco Jabber
, Adobe  Connect, Cisco Webex Meetings, and some of the 
best open source web  conferencing tools that are ultimately 
supplementing the segment growth.
● The healthcare sector is expected to secure the highest CAGR 
percentage  during the forecast period. The growth feature 
attributes significantly to
increase the need for close doctor-patient engagement and to share 
real-time  information with the patients.
● The key market players like IBM, Google Open Meetings, 
ClickMeeting,
Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Citrix Systems, Inc., 
and Cisco  Systems, Inc that have been deploying the network 
capabilities are seeing  better acceptance through the 
augmenting market growth, and so they are  staying ahead in 
the market.
So, it is well-evident from the findings discussed above that the demand 
for best  video conferencing for small business is rising, and the 
majority of businesses are  taking advantage of this technology for their 
absolute collaboration requirements.
Key Features of Video or Web 
Conferencing
Video or web conferencing is enabled by an integrated software 
program that  ensures you have a rich and quality experience. It lets you 
connect to different users.  Here are some critical features that are related 
to web-based and video conferencing  techniques. Let’s have a look at 
them:
How Web Conferencing Software 
Works?
Web conferencing allows an unlimited number of participants to 
collaborate and  exchange ideas.
These conferences are usually organized using Internet browsers. Virtual 
classes  and training rooms are an excellent example of such kinds of 
meetings. The virtual  class application is specially designed to hold 
webinars, web conferences, and other
Internet-based transmissions. Now, let us consider how Web 
Conferencing actually  proceeds.
1. The organizer of the meeting sends the notifications or invitations 
about the  conference to the participants of the meeting along with 
the guidelines for the  installation or signing up of the application.
2. There is always a plan or program behind every web conference. 
That  program should be sent to all the participants beforehand. It 
helps in making  them aware of the issues to be discussed in the 
meeting and their order of
discussion.
3. The conference begins with the acceptance of the invitation. The 
video pops  up, and the option of texting through a chat-box is also 
made available for the  participants.
Key Advantages Of Using The Best Web 
Conferencing Software
A web conference lets you to:
● Have real-time collaboration.
● Plan and invite other participants for the meeting.
● Get ‘a share-the-screen’ facility with all the participants.
● Have a whiteboard for visual demonstration as well as analyzing 
the ideas.
● Display web presentations.
● Co-browse web pages and different websites.
● Provide annotations and chat with other participants.
● Get the best of VoIP connection and video connection.
● Record the conference.
● Enjoy useful resources or tools for accumulating feedbacks.
Integration and Collaboration of the Web 
Conference Software
Making collaboration easier among the attendees is the primary 
purpose of a  conference call. It counts the ‘real-time’ co-operation 
and interaction.
Most premium or free web conferencing software programs offer 
audio and video  calling. You have to select a plan based on how you 
and your company collaborate
best and achieve the optimum result. Let us check how best you can 
integrate this  facility to the best of your professional usage.
● Although a face-to-face meeting is expensive, it is highly useful to 
have as it  brings optimum outcomes.
● Training and lectures typically work well with audio/visual 
conferencing.
● Audio conferencing provides you with an excellent middle ground 
for training  and collaborative meetings and is economical as well.
Web Conference Software Provides Ease of 
Use Facility
Software technologies always come with significant prominence. Web 
conferencing  service providers understand the importance of time for 
businesses. Hence, open  source web conferencing software is 
invented for many reasons, i.e., to bring an
ultimate technological solution to your meeting’s needs, to get you the 
freedom of  modifying the software as per your requirements, to 
minimize expenses, and to  provide ease of use.
Here are certain services that will help make your conference call 
easier:
1. Usually, conference calling service providers offer free and public-
access  tutorials to the visitors on their website. So before buying it 
finally, you should  investigate about their service.
2. The conference moderator holds the access of an online control 
panel,
including the participant list. One can expel, mute, or invite a new 
person with  a click.
3. The conference callers assign the star commands for the 
functions like  locking or muting the conference or raising a 
hand.
4. It is always best to choose a web conferencing software that 
assures the  24/7 support facility. Technical difficulties should not 
let you postpone your  meetings, and thus, selecting the most 
appropriate system is advisable.
5. An ‘Operator’s Assistance’ is helpful to make sure everything is going 
 smoothly during the meeting. The meeting operator schedules the 
conference,  greets all attendees, handles the QA session, and 
brings you a worry-free
meeting at the end.
Free and Open Source Web Conferencing 
Software for a  Happier Video Experience
Open Source web conferencing tools are much preferred by businesses 
these days  as they can easily get modified to fit the client’s needs.
Though they are freely-distributed, open source software programs still 
require
maintenance, configuration, and ongoing support. These software 
packages come  with comprehensive cost benefits, freedom, security, 
and accountability that are  generally unsurpassed by the proprietary 
software solutions. Free and Open Source  Web 
Conferencing Software possesses long term viability and always 
remains on  the cutting-edge of the technology.
Other than the proprietary systems, open-source web conference 
software systems  enable enhancements as well as extensions from a 
developer who is familiar with  the source code. It saves the organization 
from ‘vendor lock-in’ by assuring long-term  viability.
These video conferencing solutions for small businesses are continuously 
reviewed  and supported by a community of developers. At every interval, 
new features are  added and contributed back to the community. If any 
security of technical loophole is
detected, it goes through quick fixation. Thus, it makes them more 
reliable even  without requiring them to pay additionally.
The Global Web Conferencing Market estimates reaching $20 billion in 
2024 at a  Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14%. The Real-
Time Communication
(RTC) systems demand that APIs should be open source, standardized, 
free, built  into the web browsers and much more efficient than the 
current technologies.
Let us check out some of the best free and open source web 
conferencing software  solutions that are successfully driving out the 
market.
All programs included in this video conferencing software list have some 
unique  features, and they are a bit different to one another on the basis 
of their design and  usability. But you can compare this through the 
comparison chart given below.
Now, let us discuss in detail what these software packages hold for the 
institutions,  businesses, and organizations and what their features are.
1. BigBlueButton
BigBlueButton is a leading free and open source web 
conferencing software system  that supports the online learning 
facility. This top conferencing software is based on  the GNU/Linux 
operating system and runs on Ubuntu 16.04. The stable version
2.0-RC11 of this Java-based software program holds a software license as 
per LGPL.
Highlights:
● BigBlueButton software offers tailor-made tools for teachers to 
share their  slides, audio, video, chat, and desktop with students.
● Live whiteboard is made available for presenters and groups with 
the ability to  zoom, highlight, draw, and write on presentations.
● No limit is set to share the number of webcams in a session. The 
limitation is  just in terms of bandwidth.
● The software works for the benefit of schools and aims at meeting 
WCAG 2.0  accessibility standards.
(Source: 
BigBlueButton)
2. 
OpenMeetings
OpenMeetings, the open source software, is used for online training, 
presenting, web  conferencing, document editing, user desktop sharing, 
and collaborative whiteboard  drawing. Its Red5 media server-based 
software works on HTML5 and Flash. This
MySQL supported, and Apache License 2.0 based software got its 
stable version  4.07, and is available in 31 languages.
Highlights:
● OpenMeetings software has been downloaded over 250,000 
times.
● It facilitates four options for audio/video functions: audio + video, 
audio-only,  video-only, and picture-only.
● It supports recording meeting sessions and downloading them as 
AVI/FLV  files.
● It provides a screen sharing facility as well.
● Advanced file explorer and the moderating system facilitate in 
all meeting  rooms.
● Multi-Whiteboard and Chat facility is available with a full range of 
tools and  documents inside.
(Source: OpenMeetings)
3. ezTalks Cloud 
Meeting
The cloud-based video conferencing system ezTalks offers small & 
medium-sized  businesses and large enterprises an exceptional platform to 
communicate as well as  collaborate online. This best video conferencing 
software support Windows, Mac,
Android, iPhone, and iPad applications. It facilitates HD video 
conferencing with  different plans and packages.
Highlights:
● The ezTalks software provides free software hosting up to 100 
participants.
● The software incorporates HD video and audio, an innovative 
whiteboard, and  a cross-platform chatting system.
● It supports playback, recording, and scheduling features to allow 
the users to  share video and audio recordings and send them 
reminders about upcoming  meetings or webinars.
● An unlimited number of live webinars, multiple presenters, webinar 
cloud  storage, custom registration page, and screen sharing with 
co-annotation are  some additional features the software supports.
(Source: ezTalks Cloud 
Meeting)
4. Jitsi
The multi-platform video conferencing platform – Jitsi is 100% free and 
open source.  It supports web platforms, Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and 
Android platforms and  hosts Jitsi Meet and Jitsi Videobridge as its most 
aspiring video conferencing  projects.
Highlights:
● Jitsi software supports attended and blind call transfer facility.
● Auto re-connect, auto-answer, auto-forward call recording facility 
makes it  very usable software.
● The software provides instant messaging encryption with OTR, 
Direct media  connection establishment with the ICE protocol, File 
transfer for XMPP,
AIM/ICQ, Windows Live Messenger, YIM, IPv6 support for SIP and 
XMPP, and  many other features.
● Jitsi Videobridge provides group video support.
(Source: 
Jitsi)
5. 
Mconf
Mconf is an open-source and free web conferencing system that is an 
advanced and  more customized version of BigBlueButton. It holds GNU’s 
General Public Licensing
1.Mconf-Live, Mconf-Web, and Mconf-Mobile are the three most 
crucial  components of the Mconf project.
Highlights:
● Mconf supports a document sharing procedure where users are free 
to share  any document materials, and any member of the 
community can access  these documents.
● The users can also tag and version the documents so that one 
can easily  search for them later on.
● The software lets you create an account, join a meeting, share 
your meeting  session, customize the things, and access your 
meeting room.
● The software enables the users to download the presentation and 
copy the  chat to the clipboard.
● Here, users can share multiple cameras.
(Source: 
Mconf)
6. Jami
Jami is a free and open source web conferencing and instant messaging 
software
for individuals as well as the industries. This universal communication tool 
works on  Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, iOS, and Android platforms and 
holds GNU General  Public License.
Highlights:
● Jami software is SIP-compatible software with OpenDHT support.
● It facilitates instant messaging and an unlimited number of calls.
● It provides multi-channel audio support, ‘Flac’ and ‘Vorbis’ 
ringtone support,  multiple audio codecs support, TLS and SRTP 
support, and DTMF support.
● Locale settings are available in the following languages: 
French, English,  Russian, German, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, 
and Vietnamese.
● It offers end-to-end encryption used for chat, video, and voice 
facility.
(Source: 
Jami)
7. 
Linphone:
GNU (GPL) General Public Licensed - Linphone is a free voice over IP 
softphone
widely used for Voice over IP, instant messaging, video conferencing. 
Initially, Linux  was the base for developing Linphone, but now it also 
works on Microsoft Windows,  Mac OS X, and mobile phones running 
Windows Phone, iOS, or Android.
Highlights:
● Linphone software offers an easy-to-use graphical interface.
● It provides advanced calling features like HD video calls with video 
preview,  audio conference call, and call transfer & multi-call 
management (pause and  resume).
● The software facilitates enhanced audio and video quality.
● It provides an enhanced instant messaging experience.
● It assures absolute security with audio and video encryption and 
end-to-end  encryption for messaging.
(Source: 
Linphone)
8. Riot:
Riot is an open source and free instant messaging and a top conferencing 
software  relying on Matrix protocol. It is licensed as per Apache License 
2.0 and is available  as a web application and desktop apps for all the 
major operating systems and as a  mobile app for Android and iOS.
Highlights:
● Riot software's design associates with the Matrix React SDK, i.e., a
React-based software development kit for easy and secure 
development of  the Matrix client.
● It facilitates custom communication that is more than just a 
simple chat.
● It lets the users configure servers quickly, and they are 
extendable with  advanced features like anti-virus and custom 
behaviour.
● The ability of the software of bridging up other communications 
into the app  through the Matrix, such as IRC, Slack, and Telegram, 
etc., is excellent.
● The Google Play Downloads record of the app is over 100,000 
times.
(Source: Riot)
ClickMeeting, Join.me, Gotowebinar, Bigmarker, HighFive, 
MyOwnConference,  UberConferences, Dead Simple 
Screen Sharing, and Readytalk are other popular  video and web 
conferencing software programs that are highly attracting the web  and 
video users for their personal and business usage. You can also go 
through the  complete video conferencing software list for more options. 
Users are required to
investigate about the best software program and utilize it to meet their 
purpose.
If you are not satisfied with the free software options you have, you try the 
 commercial ones for more advanced features and usability. Zoom is one 
of the most  recognized commercial software solutions that meet a 
business’s web conferencing  requirements to the best. Now, let us 
explore more about it.
Zoom
Founded in 2011, Zoom is one of the most sought after video conferencing 
portals  that focuses on flawless video, clear audio, and instant sharing. 
Here you get the  options for both i.e., to join a meeting or host a meeting 
with video on/off and screen  sharing facility. Zoom conferencing solutions 
include HD video, collaboration for  chats, meetings, and video webinars.
(Source: Zoom)
Features:
● Zoom software system is capable of hosting video conferences 
with up to  100 video participants.
● It is a cloud-hosted and open-API based software that 
supports Mac,  web-based, Android, and iPhone/iPad 
devices.
● The stable version 2.5 of the software is available for free with basic 
features,  and the premium version can be obtained with some 
extended features.
● The software allows the developers to create their own stack 
solutions using  voice, video, and screen sharing APIs.
● 323/SIP Connectors allows the users to communicate with their 
tablets,  mobiles, and desktop devices with a single touch.
If you are already using one from the software listed above, you can freely 
share your
reviews here.
Conclusion:
With the arrival of 2021, video traffic will lock around 82% of the total 
internet traffic.  It is the time of live video sharing, and it will soon account 
for 13% of the entire video  traffic.
The emergence of web conference technology and its usage has been 
enabling the  most uncomplicated production of webinars and meetings. 
Being online, they are  much easier to attend as well. Network, speed, 
and browsers are important players  of this game.
The companies these days are highly inclined towards hosting webinars 
for training  or sales. A new webinar is being hosted online every 1.5 
weeks. Focus and  engagement have become the most centric part, and 
so an average of 25 to 30
minutes webinar is proved to be sufficient as per recent research.
A significant change is also quite vigilant in the arena of job interviews. 
66% of job  candidates have opted for the video-enabled-interviews 
instead of wasting their time  to visit the interviewer personally to attend 
the interview meetings.
Web conferencing has proved to make a conference call more interactive 
and added  an option to enhance productivity. Live meetings and live 
training sessions with a  PowerPoint presentation, an Excel spreadsheet, or 
something else has transformed  with the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 
Machine Learning (ML) principles. Highly  sophisticated 4K resolution 
cameras, machine vision, virtual assistance, and facial  recognition 
increase the effectiveness of meetings today. AI enables us to determine  
the optimum length of the meeting session, the ideal number of meeting  
participants, and the best time of the day to schedule the meeting to 
improve  productivity.
Companies have now become more interested in hiring remote teams 
than hiring  remote employees. Leveraging more on 
web-conferencing software solutions is  saving cost, time, and 
resource. Virtual chat tools and video conferencing solutions
for small businesses have made it easier for remote workers to feel as a 
part of the  team.
The meeting is ideally organized to reach an outcome, and it better 
proves through  what an expert once said, “With cuts to budgets, 
every trip needs to be justifiable.  This time, it is a video 
conference: safe and budgeted”.