An overview of the best services for organizing and hosting webinars in 2024

The concept of "webinar" is a new direction in the development of education and business. What services are there for organizing and holding such events? What it is? How do they work? These and many other questions can be answered by reading the information provided in this article.

General idea

Webinars are classes (lessons) or meetings held online with a group of people, the number of which depends on the specifics of the event.

How this system works:

1. Collection of registration of participants on the landing page;
2. Newsletter with a reminder of the upcoming webinar;
3. Entering the webinar room, which is carried out by the user following the link provided in the email.

How to choose the right platform? The landing page of the upcoming meeting contains information from which the client decides for himself: what this webinar means for his professional or personal development.

It is important to know which service is broadcasting online. This is necessary for the preparatory stage before the conference: you must first install special software on your personal computer or you can only enlist the support of a working browser and an acceptable Internet speed.

Note. For organizing webinars, it is popular to use cloud systems that only require a network connection.

Server List

All server sites can be divided into subcategories according to the principle: payment, language barrier, number of participants, capabilities, purpose, etc. The presented review is divided into two categories: budget and paid platforms, which are considered to be among the best in the opinion of users this year. The main contingent of servers for webinars is inexpensive or free types, but the capabilities and quality of such platforms differ significantly from paid servers.

Skype

This platform is the most popular and familiar for almost every user. It allows you to use many different functions during the conversation, however, the use of any of them sets a limiting threshold for the number of willing participants.

The installation of the program and its management are quite simple. The service supports the Russian-language version, which makes the task easier. For this setup to work well, you must have:

• Internet speed from 1024 Kbps;
• Installing one of the programs on a PC: Mac, Windows version 7, 8 or 8.1 and Vista.

Specifications
Number of participants:	the minimum is 10, the maximum is 25.
Video call duration (one-time)	no more than 4 hours.
Purpose:	for small companies for the purpose of training or online events
Opportunities:	demonstration of presentations and videos,
	saving message history,
	share various kinds of information between participants,
	fold or unfold the general chat,
	invite or remove specific people from the conversation,
	the worker's demonstration became,
	sending location information or contacts

• In Russian;
• A lot of possibilities;
• Easy to install and operate;
• Pay per user;
• Unlimited audio chat.

• Lack of video recording of webinars;
• Viewing presentations and videos during an hour of conversation is not supported;
• Tests and polls are not provided;
• Internet speed and video broadcast time limits.

"Skype For Business"

Paid version for doing business. To start the process, you need to install Office 365 and then download the app. The platform provides two tariff plans for purchase: basic and premium. In the first option, limited capabilities, and in the second - advanced.

Specifications
Opportunities:	translator of voice messages (calls) + everything else as for regular skype
Purpose:	corporate meetings
Cost (in rubles for 1 month for 1 person):	premium - 781, basic - 312
Number of participants	250

• Compatible with Office 365;
• Russian-speaking;
• Choice;
• Extended social circle;
• The cost is reasonable;
• Interpreter.

• Lack of a test period;
• For corporate meetings rather than webinars;
• Functionality of the tariff plan (standard).

"YouTube live"

A world-renowned platform that is used by almost everyone. A huge plus of the service is that it is free. Use it to broadcast videos. The activities carried out are recorded and upon their completion, anyone who wants to get access to them.

Registration should be required and only possible with a Google account.

During the webinar, you can turn off the chat, embed a video on the site, make a record by link or open access, prohibit comments, and pre-adjust the broadcast delay.

Specifications
Number of students	unlimited
Broadcast delay	30-60 seconds
Compatibility:	Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android
Leading	up to 2
Tools and Features:	performance with camera and microphone,
	chatting,
	screen display,
	connecting another leader.

• Popularity;
• Free version;
• Event recording;
• The number of potential viewers;
• Subscription;
• New acquaintances.

• Slide show through the screen, but only with sound;
• A lot of advertising;
• Limited opportunities.

"MyOwnConference"

A server that works without Flash and registration. Has free and paid plans. Allows you to use a variety of tools on any of the packages. The price is set based on the number of participants who are involved in the webinar process.

Plan name	The first	Second	Third
payment (rubles, annual)	is free	1900	12692
number of rooms	1	1	several
number of participants	20	60	550
presenters (simultaneously)	2	10	10
subscribers	100	500	11000
disk capacity	500 MB	5 GB	unlimited
recording time	20 minutes	unlimited	unlimited
file recording format	SD / HD	SD / Full HD	SD / 4K

Opportunities: getting detailed statistics on the webinar, reminder.

Purpose: for training courses, organization of distance learning or methodological support.

• Saves records;
• No need to install additional programs;
• Reporting after the webinar;
• Integration with social networks and Google Analytics;
• With sending invitations;
• Great program;
• Russian interface;
• Technical support;
• mobile friendly by 100%;
• Works without Adobe Flash Player.

• Not identified.

ClickMeeting

A clear interface, thought out to the smallest detail. The Russified site makes it easier for the user. You can get remote training on how to create your own webinar. There are e-books and various resources for this, as well as a video guide.

A huge list of tools and tips allows you to save time on unnecessary actions.

What's available: toll-free numbers, reception, registration activation, design, webinar settings, inviting (and managing) attendees or speakers, reminders and meeting room layouts.

Depending on the number of purchased functions, the cost of the package changes. The most advantageous offer is considered the solution for large events "MyWebinars ^ tm Pro".

Specifications
Participants	50-500
Monthly cost until canceled	about 3000 rubles
Speaker	4 things
Video stream	4
Recording	6 o'clock
Accounts (multi-user)	3
Quality	HD
What are they used for:	conducting educational projects,
	e-learning courses for teachers,
	conferences

• Room - webinar + conference;
• There is a test period for a month for 25 participants;
• The chat is equipped with a simultaneous translation function;
• Webinars for 5000 participants are possible;
• With a planning calendar;
• Beautiful;
• Recording function which is very helpful after the meeting;
• In many cases, a webinar can replace a regular face-to-face meeting.

• Variable video quality (tariff affects);
• Sometimes slows down;
• There is no technical support by phone;
• You cannot copy text from displayed slides;
• No window size adjustment.

GoToMeeting

The English program is designed for small video conferencing. The program is launched using an application that can be installed both on a PC and on a smartphone.

Specifications
Number of participants:	from 25 to 250
average price	970 rubles
Opportunities:	creating or joining a conference,
	receiving notifications about an upcoming event,
	viewing general information,
	support for communication with specified users.

• Convenient chat;
• Trial period for a course for 25 people;
• Tools for creating a landing page;
• The webinar is transcribed automatically;
• Organization of meetings, almost without notification;
• Various tariffs;
• Simple registration;
• You can get started in two steps;
• Viewer Mode;
• Good communication.

• Service in English;
• Limit on the number of visitors to one session;
• Complex preliminary planning of meetings.

Zoom Meeting

A platform of this kind has a huge number of tools and capabilities in comparison with other sites. "Attractive moments" are:

• Integration with various servers;
• Holding meetings for up to 10 thousand guests, although this number of participants only allows you to view the webinar;
• “Call to mobile” function, which is carried out immediately before the start of the webinar.

For online meetings, you can attract 100 users at a free rate and get a 40-minute recording of the event.

Installation of the platform is convenient: on the official website, a program is downloaded that runs simultaneously with the antivirus (ensures data security), and for parting words or if you have questions during work, there are those. support.

Specifications
Last package installation weight	8.3 MB
Windows Compatibility:	XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10
Paid package by price	from 1000-1300 rubles
Leading:	100 pieces, for one at least 200 students
Number of webinar users	10 thous.
Purpose:	training, meetings, training and much more.
Opportunities:	submitting the meeting url,
	screen sharing,
	video recording and many other useful functions

• Offline transcription of online training and the ability to download it;
• Simultaneous broadcasting on the website and social platforms: Facebook or YouTube;
• Distribution of participants into groups;
• Browser version;
• Combining with calendars Outlook, Google;
• You can expand the number of users participating in the seminar;
• High security;
• Easy registration;
• Contact management.

• English interface.

"WebinarJam"

The peculiarity of this platform is the involvement of any number of participants in the seminar; specializing in selling their own reports and books, although they can be accessed for free with a subscription. Payment for the program is annual, however, it is possible to split the invoice into several payments.

A web hosting that supports live streaming, video streaming and webinar options.

Specifications
Speeches	6 presenters at one time
Purpose:	video sessions for employees of medium and small businesses, giving lessons "master class" and more
Testing:	2 months for 70 rubles
Cost per month	about 3000 rubles
Number of finished slides for presentation	100+

• WYSIWYG editor properties;
• Screen sharing;
• A set of possibilities;
• Built-in chat;
• Advanced schedule management, answering machine and reminders;
• Playback control;
• Ease of use;
• Analytics;
• Supports integrations with third party CRM solutions;
• SMS and voice messages;
• Fast.

• Dear;
• English language interface;
• Poor navigation on the site page.

"Livestorm"

The developed startup operates without flash. Expensive to maintain, but has tools for sending and inviting users, integration with many servers and the necessary chips.

Service with an English version, if you get acquainted with the platform online, the page will automatically translate into Russian.

Specifications
Rates:	test for 10 people with webinars up to 20 minutes long;
	paid: for 100 participants - 6,800 rubles, 1 thousand users - 20,600 rubles. Unlimited recording time + 6 video streams is given.
Compatibility:	Web
Platform goal:	help increase sales, customer education and content marketing
Using:	product demonstration to customers, videoconferencing sessions and online courses
Support:	Support: FAQ, knowledge base, chat and online mode.

• Training webinars that help you understand the specifics of the platform (training);
• Automatic sending of messages to all participants;
• Landing page tools;
• Creation of online surveys;
• Interviewing;
• Collecting feedback on past lessons;
• Audience analysis;
• Does not lag;
• Trial period for 30 days;
• Data export to CSV files;
• Customer segmentation.

• Lack of free plans.

Criterias of choice

What to look for when choosing a service for hosting or creating webinars? For this you need:

• Clearly formulate a goal and task for yourself;
• Study the functionality of the platform;
• View the price segment;
• Analyze customer reviews;
• Make a rating of quality webinars for yourself.

Application of platforms:

1. For a serious business and constant online conferences in business, it is better to take popular models that have a monthly fee and a lot of tools and capabilities.
2. For educational purposes, it is worth looking for services that provide the ability to create tests. This will help improve student knowledge.
3. For ordinary negotiations, for example, with employees, you can use free tariffs or those that give 1-2 months of test testing.

Note. You need to pay attention to the terms of payment: some sites ask for an annual amount (there is an option to break it into parts), but most indicate a monthly price tag.

How much a particular service costs depends on some factors (the number of students, mostly), but the average price per month varies up to 2,000 rubles.

In order not to make mistakes when choosing, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons, and then purchase a webinar.Since there are sites that do not allow you to quickly switch from this tariff plan to another (from high to low payment, for example). And this is the loss of your own funds, which the chosen program does not justify.

The review contains the best manufacturers of webinar platforms, so who should be decided by the user.

Note. For business or teaching, the numeric parameters of students and facilitators must satisfy the organizer's consumer request.

How to technically organize a webinar? To do this, you need to stick to the plan:

1. Choosing a webinar platform;
2. Gathering an audience;
3. Webinar planning.

The modern concept of online training is simple and will not pose problems even for beginners in this business. And the support service and a bunch of useful articles or videos will help you make your webinar.

Output

A brief description of each service will allow the client to quickly determine the desired traffic and platform.

The rating was compiled by the popular platforms of this year for hosting webinars. Regardless of the cost of the tariff or the type of service, all sites have similar parameters: a common goal, there is correspondence, a presentation is presented and there is technical support. Distinctive features - additional opportunities and variations of online meetings.

Webinars are designed in such a way that the interface is as understandable as possible for users, it does not matter whether it is a Russian version or a foreign language.

According to buyers, the most popular versions are those that are compatible with many other systems, have russification and many possibilities.

For novice users, it is advisable to use free plans or versions with a trial period, as well as, if possible, work with a platform that comes without installation.

Which one is better to buy a package of offers depends on the client's goals and their achievement.