While most webinar platforms offer similar features what often separates them is the number of participants allowed per webinar and the marketing lead generation and automation features available.
We’ve researched the best webinar platforms on the market automated advanced marketing features integration with other software and more based on ease of use cost attendee experience and more to help you find the right platform for your needs. This is our top pick.
-WebinarJam
WebinarJam was created by Genesis Digital in 2013 and has become one of the most popular webinar platforms on the market. It’s cloud-based which means no software downloads are required and offers an easy-to-use interface for beginners. what makes Our top picks for WebinarJam are its ease of use and marketing features. It automatically records webinars so you can share them with those who can’t attend. You can also schedule one-time or recurring webinars or create an “always-on” room to be online anytime Notice. WebinarJam also allows you to schedule reminders and follow-ups via email and text. The platform has all the features you’d want in a webinar including HD video live chat private messaging virtual whiteboard voting multiple presenters Powerpoint and Keynote integration and YouTube and Facebook Live Streaming function. WebinarJam also integrates directly with major email providers and many other applications via Zapier. On the marketing side WebinarJam offers customizable sign-up landing pages split-testing and real-time analytics allowing you to measure Engagement and dollar value for each attendee. You can even use a pop-up CTA at any point in the webinar so attendees can click directly on your product. WebinarJam Pricing Starter Plan $39 per month 1 Presenter 100 Attendees Limit 1 hour 14 days per webinar $1 Trial Basic Plan $79 per month 2 Presenters 500 Participants 2-hour limit per webinar 14-day $1 trial Professional plan $229 per month 4 speakers 2000 participants 3-hour limit per webinar Panic button 14-day trial $379 per month Enterprise plan 6 Speakers 5000 Participants Limit 4 Hours per Webinar 24/7 Live Room Panic Button Webinar Controls Center 14-Day $1 Trial
-EverWebinar
While EverWebinar doesn’t allow you to host live webinars it’s our second choice due to its strong marketing capabilities. WebinarJam EverWebinar’s sister product lets you play pre-recorded webinars that look and feel like live broadcasts. this Seems like a strong marketing tactic as the exclusivity of the webinar might bring you more serious leads who have actually signed up to watch your event at a specific time. EverWebinar lets you play pre-recorded WebinarJam sessions. when it runs you Interact with your audience via chat to increase engagement. You can schedule pre-recorded webinars on a regular basis with a specific schedule to match your audience’s time zone. If you don’t want to use WebinarJam you can import pre-recorded video webinars from YouTube Vimeo Pro Amazon S3 and similar services. Like WebinarJam EverWebinar offers HD video polls and surveys automatic reminders and follow-up emails and text direct email provider integrations as well as integrations with customer relationship management (CRM) platforms and other applications via Zapier. according to Marketing EverWebinar offers the same customizable sign-up landing page that can be split-tested with real-time analytics and pop-up product CTAs. EverWebinar’s $99 monthly cost is a bit high. You can also pay $34 per month for two years.
– Zoom
As the most widely used virtual meeting platform for businesses Zoom can also be used to run short free webinars. We chose this platform as the best free solution because it offers a true free plan not just a free trial with a reasonable amount Attendees and enough webinar features to get you started. Zoom offers a lot of what you’d want in a webinar platform including HD video and audio screen sharing mobile viewing private and public chat polls Q&A closed captioning and recording and downloading of your webinar to your webinar’s ability computer. While Zoom is entirely cloud-based participants will need a mobile or desktop app to view your webinar. While Zoom’s marketing capabilities are more limited than other webinar platforms it integrates with Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook for easy scheduling Meetings and sending emails. You can also broadcast your webinars to Facebook and YouTube Live or monetize your webinars through the PayPal integration. Zoom PricingZoom offers four basic packages that also allow you to add additional attendees for an additional monthly fee and offer features with Unspecified monthly rate. Basic plan Free 1 license 100 attendees 40 minutes per webinar Professional plan $14.99 per license per month Up to 9 licenses 100 attendees per webinar 30 hours limit Business plan each License $19.99 per month Up to 99 licenses 300 attendees 30 hours per webinar Enterprise Plans $19.99 per month per license 50+ licenses 500-1000 attendees Limited to 30 hours per webinar
-Demio
Demio was created in 2014 by two marketers frustrated with outdated and clunky webinar platforms that still forced users to download software. We chose this platform as the best choice for attendee experience because of its modern intuitive and uncluttered interface Webinar hosts and attendees love it. In addition to being a cloud-based platform with no software downloads Demio creates a superior attendee experience with lag-free live streaming and live chat with a response time of just four minutes. Its clear interface Demio Don’t skimp on details. Features include HD streaming automatic session recording on all browsers and devices powerful tracking and analytics and automatic email notifications before and after webinars. You also get many webinar platform standards such as private and public chat interactive polls and multiple presenters. Demio also has many advanced webinar features including one-click webinar registration customizable brand registration forms product pop-ups shareable handouts and direct integrations with email marketing platforms and many other integrations through Zapier. like most The excellent webinar software Demio lets you run live webinars pre-recorded live chat webinars and on-demand webinars that you can view instantly at any time. You can also create one-time registrations for ongoing automation webinar series. Demio PricingDemio also offers three plans including Premium plans for up to 1000 attendees but you’ll need to contact a representative for pricing. Starter Plan $34 per month One host 50 attendees Limit 3 hours per webinar 14-day free trial Growth Plan $69 per month Up to 5 hosts 150 attendees Limit 8 per webinar Hours 14-Day Free Trial Premium Plan Contact Quote Unlimited hosts 500 or 1000 attendees 10 hour limit per webinar Priority support
-ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting is one of the most affordable full-featured platforms we’ve reviewed making it the choice for small and medium businesses. Originally created in 2011 by email marketing provider GetResponse ClickMeeting it has quickly grown into a Independent company in 2016. Compared to free webinar platforms ClickMeeting supports more than enough presenters and attendees with its basic plan if you are serious about using webinars in your marketing. ClickMeeting provides HD video whiteboard recording and cloud storage of polls and surveys public chat Host Q&A and private chat Multiple presenter registration page analysis and document sharing. Premium features include Google Translate custom invitation emails for chat conversations Live streaming to Facebook and YouTube product popups and PayPal integration for paid webinars. pair With a large number of attendees and speakers ClickMeeting gives you the best of the platform we’ve reviewed here. ClickMeetings also offers direct integration with social media and popular CRM tools analytical marketing calendar and documentation software and other software through Zapier. exist In addition to live webinars you can run automated webinar series and on-demand webinars that you can view anytime. ClickMeetings Pricing Free Trial 30-Day Trial 1 Speaker Up to 25 Attendees 30 Minutes. Recording limit 500 MB file storage Onsite plan $25 per month 1 presenter Up to 50 attendees 6 hours Recording Limit 1 GB File Storage Automation Plan $40 per month1 Presenter Up to 50 Attendees 10 Hours Recording Limit 2 GB File Storage Enterprise Plan Phone Quote4 Presenter Up to 10000 Attendees 10 Hours Webinar Limit 2 GB File Storage In addition to the standard plans listed below you can add Participant limit and recording space with paid addons. Enterprise pricing is only available by speaking with a representative. The prices below will vary based on how many people you choose to attend the webinar.
-BigMarker
BigMarker is designed for businesses looking for an end-to-end webinar and video marketing platform. Originally developed in 2010 for web conferencing the platform quickly evolved into a full-featured web conferencing service and live event platform. We chose it as the best all-in-one solution because it combines top webinar features with great video marketing support. Like most top webinar software BigMarker is cloud-based and available on all browsers and devices. It offers standard webinar platform features including HD audio and video chat Polls Q&A Shareable Handouts Webinars Recording Automatic Email Invitations and Reminders Custom Registration Pages and Tracking and Analytics. For advanced features BigMarker offers product pop-ups custom URLs Automatic pre-recorded webinars “always open” webinar rooms for insertion Subscribeable webinar series and on-demand webinars accessible anytime. BigMarker also connects with e-commerce and payment processors like PayPal and Stripe. However the platform’s real strength lies in its video marketing capabilities. You can stream webinars to Facebook and YouTube Live to edit your webinar videos and embed a branded video player on your website. You also get branded channels for all webinars with interactive discussion tools to help you engage your audience between sessions. BigMarker Pricing In addition to the plans listed below you can Request white label pricing support up to 100,000 attendees and provide you with enterprise setup and support dedicated account manager-branded microsites toll-free dial-in numbers and more. Each 7-day free trial includes all the features of the plan but is limited to 10 attendees. Starter plan $99 per person One host license per month 100 participants 7-day free trial Elite plan $199 per month Two host licenses 500 participants Automated webinars 7-day free trial Premium plan $499 per month Three host licenses 1000 Participants Automation Webinar Series Webinar Series 7-Day Free Trial
Most Years in Business GoToWebinar Developed in 2006 as an offshoot of the popular virtual meeting software GoToMeeting to accommodate a larger audience GoToWebinar has been around since webinars began. While not necessarily the best webinar platform right now it’s still The most popular option with over 2.8 million webinars per year. GoToWebinar offers many of the standard features of a cloud-based webinar platform including HD video automatic recording live chat polls and surveys live Q&A file sharing pre-recorded events automatic invitations and follow-up emails and Powerful reporting and analysis. You also get unlimited cloud storage accept payments through Stripe and integrations with Zapier and popular CRM and marketing platforms. GoToWebinar does a great job of keeping up with the times by allowing you to set up one-off live events Webinar series or on-demand webinars. You also get a customizable brand registration page a brand channel page to store your webinars and the option to put your webinars in front of nearly a million viewers on the GoToStage Knowledge Portal. GoToWebinar PricingLite plan $49 per month License 100 attendees per webinar Unlimited duration 7-day free trial Standard plan $99 per month one license 250 attendees per webinar Unlimited duration 7-day free trial Professional plan $199 per month License 500 attendees Unlimited duration per webinar 7-day free trial Enterprise plan $399 per month for one license up Up to 3000 attendees Unlimited 7-day free trial per webinar
What is a webinar platform?
Webinar platforms allow you to host live online presentations essentially giving your prospects something of value and giving you the opportunity to engage with them when it matters. By building trust with your audience you can sell better Paid products or services are built on your webinar. The difference each platform offers comes down to how big a webinar you can host. Free plans or platforms are typically limited to 10 to 20 participants while larger plans and platforms Scalable to thousands. The best webinar platforms also allow you to automate many functions including sending email invitations and follow-up scheduling of webinars or webinar series and gathering attendee contact information and insights. How does a webinar platform help with participation? 2019 needs Gen Report shows that 77% of marketers use webinars to generate leads. Respondents found that the right webinar platform can deliver higher-quality leads leading to better customer insights and higher conversion rates. What’s more 75% of B2B buyers say the webinar informed their purchase decision making. 1 More specifically webinars allow you to pitch your product or service or build your authority in front of hundreds of potential customers at once. The best webinar software allows you to Q&A and downloadable handouts hosted by attendees using live public and private chat. Webinars have the benefit of perceived exclusivity because prospects need to be invited and present at a specific time. This means those who take the time and effort to watch and interact with your webinar Often more qualified leads. How does a webinar platform integrate with marketing efforts? The best way to choose a webinar platform is based on your existing marketing needs. In other words don’t choose a platform with features you’re not ready to take advantage of. Webinars can be a very A valuable element of your sales funnel especially when you offer more expensive or complex products and services. Attendees can “test drive” your service to learn about solutions to problems your company can solve and ask any questions they want during the presentation. A good webinar platform It also provides you with valuable analytics about your attendees and can automatically send follow-up emails to target audiences who leave your presentation early or stay throughout the session. You can even use polls to gather data about what your prospects really want. Finally the best webinar platforms with Applications you already use such as CRM software email marketing providers and analytics tools to enhance your existing marketing programs. What is the expected cost of a webinar platform? Our research shows that you can expect to pay anywhere between $25 and $300 per month for a host Webinars with 15 to 1000 attendees can be supported. Most offer free trials ranging from 7 to 14 days. Due to the competitiveness of the market most basic plans still have robust features including: HD video and audio webinar recording live chat reporting and analytics automatic email invitations and Follow up with more advanced plans with more automated features such as webinar series scheduling on-demand webinars where customers can watch or mix webinars anytime using pre-recorded videos paired with live engagement features to simulate live webinars. These premium plans also support live streaming Go to Facebook and YouTube Live for better engagement one-click registration and social sharing. Is a free webinar platform worth it? While some of the platforms we reviewed offer free plans they tend to only be useful for small businesses trying out webinars or wanting to use them for Internal training instead of marketing. Most completely free platforms limit you to 10 to 15 attendees per webinar making them poor tools for reaching a broad enough audience. If you’re not ready to spend money on a webinar platform we recommend choosing one of our options Reviewed has the features you want and also offers a free starter plan. This allows you to try running small webinars and familiarize yourself with the software’s capabilities before making an investment. How We Choose the Best Webinar Platform in Our Process Choosing the best webinar platforms we looked for software that was easy to use for both web hosts and attendees scaled to large numbers of attendees at an affordable price and offered a variety of webinar options (hybrid on-demand scheduled in real time etc.) . We also looked at the following platforms Integrating with popular CRM and email marketing platforms the valuable customer data collected can monetize or promote products during presentations and support the scheduling and reuse of existing webinars to create passive marketing opportunities.
