Video conferencing platforms are essential to online business communication and collaboration. There are several benefits to using a video conferencing solution, including reduced travel, increased collaboration, more engaged employees, and more. The best video conferencing software can positively impact your business and your employees.
I have spent months researching these conferencing platforms to help you make the best choice for your business. In this article, I will compare the features of Zoom and Webex so you can choose the right video conferencing platform for your business.
Table Of Contents
Quick Summary
Video conferencing is an innovation that receives and transmits high-quality audio and video in real time. - Zoom is a well-known video conferencing solution for video meetings. They provide consistent services such as video webinars, Zoom Rooms, and group messaging.
- Webex is a conferencing tool that allows businesses to hold meetings and conferences online. They allow you to organize events, webinars, business meetings, and more.
What Is Video Conferencing?
Video conferencing is a technological innovation that receives and transmits high-quality audio and full-motion video in real time. Video conferencing solutions make communicating with people in different geographical areas easy [1].
What Is Zoom?
Zoom is a well-known video conferencing solution for online video meetings. They provide consistent services such as video webinars, Zoom-locked personal room meetings, group messaging, and more [2].
It is an ideal video conferencing tool for business meetings and is very affordable. The platform is designed to offer seamless services and a user-friendly, intuitive interface.
What Is Webex?
Webex is another great video conferencing tool for holding meetings and conferences online. The software allows you to organize events, webinars, business communications, and video conferences [3].
They have been in business since 1995, and their video conferencing features are dependable and cost-effective.
Zoom Vs. Webex Comparison
Here we will compare some key features of Zoom and Webex.
Cisco Webex Voice Calling
Webex’s cloud-based VOIP system includes virtual phone numbers for every user with options for local, toll-free, and vanity numbers worldwide.
Webex supports unlimited domestic calls to VOIP or landlines; international calls are billed per minute. The following are some key features of Webex Calling:
Call Management: Call forwarding to users, voicemail, call hold, call waiting, call merge or transfer, and do not disturb features.- Call Parking: Park a call where other agents can retrieve it
- Visual Voicemail: A virtual menu that logs all voicemails.
- Elevate To Meeting: During a live call, send a notification inviting them to join a video call.
- Monitor, whisper, barge, takeover: A manager can listen in on a call, offer private guidance, join the conversation, or take it over entirely.
- Custom Auto Attendant: Customize a self-service phone system routing menu based on business schedules. Choose custom greeting messages, design menus, and route to any user or voicemail.
Zoom Phone
Zoom Phone is a standalone feature or part of Zoom’s Business Plus plan. The system provides pay-by-the-minute or unlimited calling within the United States and Canada, plus international calling to over 45 countries.
They offer toll-free, local, and vanity numbers, number porting, and more [4].
Zoom Phone integrates with other Zoom channels. Users can make HD voice calls on any device. Call queueing, and multi-level IVR functionality can make it a more capable call center software. The following are some key features of Zoom Phone:
Automatic Call Distribution Groups: Group agents together to share inbound call answering. - Visual voicemail with voicemail transcription
- Unlimited multi-level IVRs
- Barge/monitor/whisper/takeover
- 3-way conference calls
- Call recording
- Business hours routing
- Call handoff between devices
- Call Parking
Cisco Webex Messaging
Cisco Webex offers a user-friendly messaging tab that can navigate between 1 on 1 chat conversations and collaborative chats. The All tab allows you to combine 1 on 1 and group chats in one display.
You can also add internal or external users by email address, pin messages, or mark messages unread.
The following are some key features of Webex Messaging:
- Document Sharing And Co-editing: Anyone can share or edit files within Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote.
- Video Playback: Shared videos are formatted for simple playback and switching between normal and full-screen viewing.
- Meeting Scheduling: Participants can create, customize, and host video meetings, invite participants, and schedule online meetings.
- Communication Tools: Share files, react with an emoji, adjust the font size, share screens, send gifs, tag teammates, share contacts, and send images.
- One-click Change To Video: The Meet button allows users to jump into a meeting anytime.
- AI-generated Summaries: When a video meeting is organized, meeting summaries, with recording and transcript, are posted afterward.
- Whiteboarding: Participants can share and collaborate on whiteboards within chats and channels.
Zoom Messaging
With Zoom’s Team Chat, you can create 1 on 1 or group conversations called channels. With channels, users can create and contribute to chat threads, manage or view users’ statuses, collaborate on files, and more.
The following are some key features of Zoom Messaging:
- Search: Search all messages, chats, and files by keyword or user.
- File Sharing: Create and edit documents within a chat. Create folders to store and organize documents relevant to channels.
- Interoperability: Using Zoom’s Mio app, you can connect with third-party chat apps like Microsoft Teams, Webex, and Slack.
- Workflow:: Use Zoom’s API to integrate apps and workflow functionality directly into chats and channels
- Whiteboarding
- One-click transfer to video
Webex Video Conferencing
Webex video meetings last 40 minutes for 100 users on the free plan and up to 24 hours for 1000 users on an Enterprise plan. All plans include recording, live captions, and collaboration features [5].
They also offer the ability to translate the meeting transcript into 4 languages, choose other hosts, and control participant options fully. The following are some of Webex features of Webex Meetings:
- Live Streaming: Stream meetings to YouTube and Facebook Live.
- Automatic Content Sharing: Webex optimizes screen-shared content and images’ quality, audio, and frame rate.
- Custom Layouts: Zoom in or out of the participant grid view and change the number of on-screen panels.
- Customize View: Drag and drop participants onto a personal stage to display specific users.
- Webex Assistant: An AI-support tool that gathers recordings, transcripts, action items, and highlights from meetings.
- Screen Sharing: On desktop or mobile, with one-click pause and resume.
- Active Speaker View: Locks the speaker into view.
- Fullscreen Video: Displays a 4-participant grid with maximum detail.
- Interactive whiteboarding
- Chat
- Hand-raising
- Live polls
- Breakout rooms
- Virtual backgrounds
Zoom Video Conferencing
Zoom Meetings comes with every Zoom plan and support up to 1000 users for 30 hours. Schedule, customize, and invite users to unlimited meetings on any device [6]. The following are some key features of Zoom Meetings:
- Live Transcription: Transcripts are saved and accessible afterward.
- Live Streaming: Streaming to YouTube, Facebook Live, Twitch, and custom live streaming services.
- Screen Sharing: Screen sharing with full video and audio transmission optimizes shared content volume on participant devices. Also, control screen sharing permissions.
- Virtual Backgrounds: Virtual backgrounds include the option to use slides.
- In-meeting Chat: Share text, files, images, screen captures, snippets of code, voice messages, GIFs, and emojis.
- Host Controls: Assign a co-host, start or stop closed captions, start live streaming, mute participants, pin participants, start breakout rooms, record meetings, initiate polls, and more.
- Personal Meeting ID: Users can create personal meeting rooms for password-enforced meeting connections.
- Multi-share: Multiple participants can share screens at once.
- Calendar Linking: Sync scheduled Zoom meetings with third-party calendar apps, such as Gmail and Outlook.
- Filters: Masks and video manipulation for engagement.
- Whiteboarding: Collaborative whiteboards include markers, highlighters, text, geometric shapes, and more.
- Co-annotation: Use colorful markers and highlighters to draw over shared content.
- Waiting Room: Send users to a virtual waiting room when they first join a meeting. Hosts are notified when users enter a waiting room, can message waiting room participants, and choose when to let them into the meeting.
- Language Interpretations: AI transcribes meetings into multiple languages. Participants can select an audio channel and hear the discussion in their preferred language.
- Breakout rooms
Overall, video-conferencing or conferencing, in general, is growing in this country.
– Yves Laliberte, MIE Expert And Trainer, CSPNE
Webex vs. Zoom: Pricing
Webex offers three plans. The Free plan includes a 40-minute video meeting with up to 100 attendees, unlimited calling, and unlimited chat. The Business plan includes 200 attendees with 24-hour meetings and unlimited calling and is 14.50 per license a month.
The Enterprise plan allows 1000 attendees, call queues, call recording, and call barging. The Enterprise plan pricing is customized, so you will have to contact Webex for pricing.
Zoom offers several plans. The Free Zoom plan includes team chat, a 100-participant meeting with a 40-minute time limit, whiteboards, and breakout rooms.
The Pro plan features a 30-hour meeting limit plus live captions for $149 a year. The Business Plus plan adds VOIP calling, and the Enterprise plan allows up to 1000 attendees at $250 a year.
Benefits Of Using Video Conferencing
There are several benefits of using video conferencing, including:
1. Improved Communication
Forbes has found that humans process visual stimuli faster and better than text or audio [7]. Also, 62 percent of executives agree that video conferencing drastically improves the quality of communication.
2. Relationship Building
Video conferencing can bridge the gap of having to travel to meet face-to-face. Face-to-face meetings allow you to make a personal connection.
We will continue to see opportunities to lean into video conferencing and messaging to stay face to face to the people who matter the most to our success.
– Ethan Beute, Author, Rehumanize Your Business
3. Money Saving
Giving your team a way to meet face-to-face reduces costs. It means no airfare or travel costs for training and other meetings. Virtual meetings can reduce training costs as well.
4. Time Saving
Due to the fact that you can meet anywhere and the ability to conduct conferences online, you can save time using video conferencing. Hosting a meeting virtually eliminates the disruption of messages and reduces confusion versus sharing information over email.
5. Improves Efficiency
Clear communication using real-time collaboration, chat features, screen sharing, and the ability to join from anywhere is a more efficient use of everyone’s time.
6. Increased Productivity
Video conferencing makes it simple to collaborate in real time without email chains and lost messages which can lead to confusion. Real time collaboration ensures everyone has a voice, feedback is incorporated, and all questions are answered.
7. Easier Scheduling
If any of your team members travel, scheduling meetings can be difficult. However, with video conferencing, where you can join from anywhere on almost any device, scheduling meetings is much easier.
FAQs
Do You Need An Account With Zoom To Join Meetings?
No, you don’t need an account to join Zoom meetings The person that invites you to the meeting will need an account, but participants don’t need to sign up for an account.
How Can I Make My Video Conferencing More Secure?
You can make your video conferencing more secure by creating unique meeting passwords and IDs, allowing attendees into the meeting and restricting who can send meeting invitations, and limiting on-screen access to documents when using screen sharing.
Can You See Who Is In A Webex Meeting Before You Join?
Yes, when using the Webex App, you can see who has joined the meeting regardless of how they joined. You can also see who is muted and sharing their screen during the meeting.
Choose The Best Conferencing Tool
Choosing the best conferencing tool can be a challenging task. Webex and Zoom are both great conferencing software for your business. However, the one you ultimately choose depends on your business needs from the video conferencing platform.
Choosing the best virtual conference platform makes it simple to schedule meetings, enjoy advanced features, virtual background feature options, integration with Google calendar, excellent video quality, and more.
