49 Webinar Software Options: The Tools You Need to Execute Webinars and Drive Leads

The technology behind your event can make or break it. No one wants to stick around for a webinar with poor sound quality or a blank screen. That’s why the webinar software you choose has to align with your overall webinar strategy and goals.

Webinar software requirements

Hosting software is the backbone of your webinar. When researching solutions, the main features to look for are:

Registration – What is the maximum number of live attendees allowed per webinar?
Ease of use for attendees – Can people join from their desktop computers and phones? Do they need to download software?
Ease of use for speakers – How easy is it for guest speakers to join? Can everyone control their own slides?
Webinar room features – Can you toggle Q&A, chat, surveys, and polls off and on? Can you set Q&A to private?
Broadcasting features – Is there built-in live streaming? Can you share a video or recording for part or all of the webinar?
Content sharing – Can you upload slides, videos, and share screens? Can attendees download slides?
Post-webinar elements – Will there be a recording you can download? Will the recording be emailed to registrants? Can you download your registrant list?

Here’s the exact list of criteria I looked at when researching each tool in this article. It can serve as a key to the feature lists I’ve compiled for each tool below.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Can attendees and speakers enter the webinar room without having to download and install additional software?
Slide upload – Can presenters and moderators upload slides to present during the event?
Video upload – Can hosts upload and play videos for attendees during the event?
Share screen – Can presenters, moderators, and hosts share their screens?
Speaker control of presentation – Can speakers control the presentation, like moving their own slides forward and playing videos, or does the moderator have to control slides? (The latter results in an awkward “next slide please” after every slide.)
Automated recording – Does the webinar software have an option to record every event?
Automated email share of recording – Is the software able to email recordings to every registrant automatically?
Ability to hide chat – Can moderators turn off the chat function?
Link blocking in chat – Can the hosts opt to block all links in chat, to cut down on spam?

Event logistics

Max live attendees – How many live attendees can the platform support?
Pre-recorded events – Are users able to upload a pre-recorded webinar to play during the event?
On-demand events – Can users switch their live webinars to on-demand events?
Multi-session with single registration – Can users file multiple sessions under a single login, such as in a conference?
Multi-track events – Can users group sessions by theme and set up different tracks for attendees?
Q&A – Is there a live Q&A feature?
Poll – Can users send out polls during the event?
Direct/Private chat – Is there an option to set chats to private or direct to speakers?
Breakout rooms – Are there breakout rooms attendees can hop into to speak with the event’s internal team?
External link pop-ups in session – Can users show clickable links on screen during the event?

Branding

Branded landing page – Can users adjust the landing page to reflect their logo, brand colors, and desired layout?
Registration form embed option – Can users embed the registration form on their websites?
Customized email notifications – Can users adjust the automated email notification copy and graphics?
Post-registration redirect – After someone registers, can users redirect them automatically to a thank you page on their websites?

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Can users see a breakdown of who registered, attended, asked a question, and other metrics?
Registrant export – Can users export all registrant info?
Attendee export – Can users export attendee info based on session?
Q&A export – Can users export the questions attendees asked?
Poll answer export – Can users export answers to the polls asked during the event?

49 Webinar software options

This is an evolving list of virtual event software, conference software, and webinar software that I’ve collected during my search for the perfect tool. I may eventually add descriptions and reviews to all of them, but I decided to publish fast and fix it later in case anyone desperately needs this list.

8×8

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No
Video upload – Yes, via YouTube
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No, but you can share recordings manually
Ability to hide chat – No
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Unlimited
Pre-recorded events – No
On-demand events – No
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes, via API
Customized email notifications – No, but you can integrate it with a Google and Microsoft Calendar to manage invitations
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Adobe Connect

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes, if browser access is enabled
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No, but you can share recordings manually
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Up to 300 depending on chosen tier (plus option to upgrade to a larger capacity license of up to 1,500 attendees)
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes, on the Premium or Enterprise plan
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – Yes, on the Premium or Enterprise plan
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Airmeet

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes, if they share their screen
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No, find it within your event dashboard
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No, but can block attendees
Day-of support – Yes

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 100,000 priced by registrants
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Via integrations
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – No, but can be found in analytics report after the event
Q&A export – No, but can be found in analytics report after the event
Poll answer export – No, but can be found in analytics report after the event

All In The Loop

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – They will provide the replay link, but you’ll need to create the email with third-party email marketing software
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – Yes

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Unlimited
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Polls – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – No
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – No
Post-registration redirect – No
External link pop-ups in session – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports (attendance rate, engagement rate) – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Banzai

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – Yes

Event logistics

Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes, by pasting the URL into a new event
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – No
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No, but here’s a workaround
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Bevy

Bevy excels at powering multi-day virtual summits with different tracks. Attendees can join whichever sessions they’re most interested in, connect with other participants, view an overall agenda, organize events by different stages (tracks), and meet with various brands in virtual “booths.”

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes, when sharing their screen
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes, but you would have to add the link
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – No stated limitations (at least 45,000 according to customer support)
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes, you can upload your recording to a video hosting site and embed it in a Bevy booth
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – No
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Links can be added to the chat and pinned

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – No

BigMarker

Note: I used BigMarker when I ran the second annual Discoverr conference for Deliverr, which you can read about here. I selected this platform for its robust features (everything I was looking for) and responsive customer support.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 500,000
Pre-recorded events – No, but you can pre-upload a video
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Bizzabo

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Largest event had more than 1 million live attendees
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Brandlive

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – Yes

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 25,000 registrants, priced by registration. Max up to 2 million registrations
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes, for small plan and above
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

ClickMeeting

ClickMeeting is an easy-to-use webinar platform that comes with tools for organizing, running, and analyzing events. Its three plans are customizable to different needs. However, it lacks phone support and allows only a limited number of presenters.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No, but you can moderate chat and only display approved messages

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 10,000 people
Pre-recorded events – No
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes, through permanent rooms
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Contrast

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes, but only on Enterprise plans
Link blocking in chat – No, but you can delete messages or ban people

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Unlimited
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Crowdcast

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes, via YouTube, Wistia, or Vimeo
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – No, but they can ban people from engaging in the chat
Link blocking in chat –No, but they can ban people from engaging in the chat

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Ranges from 100 to 1000+ depending on your chosen plan
Pre-recorded events – Yes, but you will need to go live to share pre-recorded content
On-demand events – No
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – No, but speakers have a “backstage chat” that is hidden from attendees
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Cvent

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No, but you can delete messages

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 500
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes, through exhibitor booths

Branding

Branded landing page – No
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Demio

Demio is a hassle-free webinar tool that allows you to host multi-session events, on-demand webinars, customize email notifications, brand your registration pages, and more. It comes with easy onboarding and features built on the foresight of their marketing-focused founders.

I’ve used Demio and Livestorm previously and found them easy to use. Both are browser-based with robust features, so I recommend either of them if you’re looking to incorporate webinars into your overall growth strategy and make it easy for registrants to attend.

Note: Demio is a former client.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – No, but can set to private
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 3000
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Through event series
Multi-track events – Only through event series
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Easywebinar

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Unlimited
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

EventBuilder

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes, but they recommend sharing screen instead
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 2,500
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

eWebinar

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide / video upload – The webinars are pre-recorded, so you won’t need to upload anything
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes—but there are no live speakers.
Automated recording – All events are pre-recorded
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – No
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Unlimited (all sessions are pre-recorded)
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – No, but you can install widgets
Customized email notifications – Copy and logo only
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Goldcast

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide / video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Unlimited
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Through their HubSpot integration
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

GoTo Webinar (Formerly GoToWebinar)

GoTo Webinar is an all-in-one webinar tool with features like invitations, videos, polls, sharing, data, and automatic invites and follow-up emails. Note that GoTo Webinar is not as customizable as other platforms, which may make it unsuitable for larger brands.

Tip: If you track your leads and deal stages in HubSpot, GoTo Webinar has an excellent HubSpot integration.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 1000 participants
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes, if you integrate with Leadpages
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – No
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – No

InEvent

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes (networking)
External link pop-ups in session – Can we show clickable links on screen during the event?

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Livestorm

Livestorm is a browser-based webinar tool with a great UI and easy registration page setup. This is the software I chose for Discoverr 2020, as it allowed for a thousand live attendees with unlimited registrants. I’ve used them for hundreds of eCommerce webinars thanks to how easy it is for speakers and attendees to join.

Note: The only time I’ve ever had an issue was when we first started using it and a webinar room became so full it kicked out one of the speakers.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes, as PDFs
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 1,000
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – No
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes, but not layout
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes, but no graphics
Post-registration redirect – Yes with custom code

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – No

LiveWebinar

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 1000 attendees
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – No
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Maestro

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – No
Speaker control of presentation – No
Automated recording – Yes, only for use within Maestro and not when using third party video player
Automated email share of recording – No
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – Yes

Event logistics

Max live attendees – No published maximum, 8 hour time limit on livestreams
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes, as replays
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – No
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – No
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – No
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – No
Poll answer export – No

MyOwnConference

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – Yes, through pre-moderation mode

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 10,000 attendees
Pre-recorded events – Yes, through YouTube Links, Vimeo, or mp4 files
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – No

On24

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 2500 as a base, can accommodate more on request
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes, via engagement hub
Multi-track events – Yes, via engagement hub
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes on screen or via resources tool

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

RingCentral Webinar

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No, you’d have to share your screen
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No, but you can share recordings manually
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No, but you can delete chat messages

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Up to 10,000 depending on your chosen plan
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – No
Multi-session with single registration – No, but they hope to support this feature in the future
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Riverside

Riverside is a bit unique in that their base plan only includes livestreaming within their platform and recording. Initially, we used this to record podcasts, which I suspect was their original use case.

The way we made this tool work on their entry-level plan is we built the webinar landing page on our website, embedded a HubSpot registration form, and automatically sent the audience link to anyone who signed up via email.

Please note my experience was from their standard plan.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No, you’d have to share your screen
Video upload – No
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No
Ability to hide chat – No
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Up to 8 guests, unspecified audience members
Pre-recorded events –No
On-demand events – No
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No, but they allow simultaneous streams in the same studio grouping
Q&A – No
Poll – No
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – No
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – NA
Post-registration redirect – NA

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – NA
Registrant export – NA
Attendee export – NA
Q&A export – Yes (for chat)
Poll answer export – NA

Sequel.io

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No, but you can delete messages or block participants

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Two million
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Sessions

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No, but they will have automatic access via their Sessions account
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Up to 3,000 depending on chosen plan
Pre-recorded events – No, but they’re planning to release this feature
On-demand events – No, but they’re planning to release this feature
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Socio

*Note: Socio was recently acquired and is now part of Webex by Cisco.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes, if you integrate Slido
Video upload – Yes, with Socio Streaming (an add-on feature)
Share screen – Yes, but on with Socio Streaming (an add-on feature)
Speaker control of presentation – Yes, as long as they’re sharing their screen
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No, you would have to do this through your CRM
Ability to hide chat Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 50,000
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – No
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes, via video rooms
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

SpotMe

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes, through a Chrome extension
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – No
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 10,000
Pre-recorded events – Yes, through OBS
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Stova

Formerly Aventri, Stova comes with 24/7 live support and a robust training portal.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Over 65,000
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

streamGo

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 5000+
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes, attendees can choose which sessions they want to go to and add it to their agenda tab
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – No, but they have banners within the virtual event environment and add links to the chat

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

StreamYard

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes, if they’re set up as a co-host
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No, but you can share recordings manually
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Up to 100,000 viewers depending on your chosen plan
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes, if you enable the “available on-demand” setting
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – No
Poll – No, but you can use a third-party app, like Kahoot, to do this
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – No, but you can pin chat messages with links

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – No
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes, but the features are limited
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – No
Poll answer export – No

TwentyThree

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No, but links are not clickable in chat

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 3000 on the highest plan, “Unlimited” mentioned on their pricing page
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – No (on roadmap)
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – No
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Univid

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Unlimited
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes, but there isn’t a private chat feature
Breakout rooms – Yes, but only on a Custom plan
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – No, but it will feature your brand images and colors
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

vFairs

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No
Video upload – No
Share screen – Yes, through Zoom
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes, per booth
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – No published limit
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes, when integrated with Zoom
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – You can see them but it’s unclear if you can download them
Poll answer export – You can see them but it’s unclear if you can download them

Vimeo

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes, but only through Google Chrome
Speaker control of presentation – Team admins can control streams
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes, with a Chrome extension
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Premium users can have unlimited viewers
Pre-recorded events – No
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Vimeo Premium and Enterprise allow up to three concurrent events
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes, but only for Vimeo Enterprise accounts
Registration form embed option – Yes, but only for Vimeo Enterprise accounts
Customized email notifications – No
Post-registration redirect – Yes, but only for Vimeo Enterprise accounts

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – No

Webex by Cisco

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – No
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes for Webex Events (Classic) and Webex Events (New) Webcast Mode, No for Webex Events (New) Webinar Mode
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes for Webex Events (New) Webinar Mode, No for Webex Events (Classic) and Webex Events (New) Webcast Mode
Registration form embed option – Yes but you need to have some coding knowledge
Customized email notifications – Yes for Webex Events (Classic), No for Webex Events (New) Webinar Mode and Webcast Mode
Post-registration redirect – No, you would have to configure this on your own

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

WebinarGeek

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No, but you can disable chat or block specific people

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 4000
Pre-recorded events – Yes, through video injection
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – No
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – Yes, through the call to action feature

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – No
Poll answer export – Yes

WebinarNinja

WebinarNinja is useful because you can hold multi-session webinars. They’re an excellent option if you’d like to put on a series of webinars with different speakers, but only require one registration from attendees. They’ll send out a welcome email with unique links to each webinar in that series upon registration, which attendees can click on to access each session.

They also have excellent customer support, so you don’t have to worry about their team going dark if something goes wrong during your event.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 1000
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No (but you can customize the thank you page)

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

WebinarJam

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 5000 attendees
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – No
Poll answer export – No

WebinarKit

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No, but you can share recordings manually
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – Yes, by using the chat blocklist to prevent certain words (e.g., “.com”) being used

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Unlimited
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Welcome

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No, you’d have to share screen
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Number of attendees depends on your chosen plan
Pre-recorded events – Yes, but you’ll need to go live to share pre-recorded content
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Wistia

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – No
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No, but you can share recordings manually
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No, but you can silence participants

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Up to 2,500 depending on chosen tier
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – No
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

WorkCast

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes, but with a plugin
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – They are blocked by default, as per the support team

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 5,000
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes, using data usher
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Zoho Meeting

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No, but you can share recordings manually
Ability to hide chat – No
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 5,000
Pre-recorded events – No
On-demand events – No
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – No, but you can integrate Zoho Meeting into your landing page
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Zoom

This webinar tool has become a household name over the past few months, but its capabilities extend beyond the virtual family quiz night. Zoom Video Webinar provides HD webinars with on-demand viewing, analytics, host controls, interactivity features, and event assistance. However, be aware that it requires a strong bandwidth to perform adequately.

If you’re just starting out, Zoom has a fairly generous free plan that includes up to 100 participants and a 40-minute limit (as of this writing).

Ease of use

Browser-based access – No
Slide upload – No, but you can set a presentation as your virtual background. Alternatively, you can also screen share the window that contains your presentation.
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes (only hosts, co-hosts, and panelists)
Speaker control of presentation – As long as the host provides panelist access, yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 10,000+
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – No
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – No
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Zuddl

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Yes
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – No
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No, but they can moderate chat messages for approval

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Up to 25,000 depending on chosen plan
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – No, but they do offer a workaround solution
Multi-session with single registration – Yes, by using the add-ons feature
Multi-track events – Yes, by using the add-ons feature
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

7 Community and experience management tools

If you want to take your webinars and virtual events even further, incorporate them into an overall community-building strategy. This is a great way to repurpose your content in a way that continues to generate value and leads for your company. Plenty of tools out there are designed around the event community, and the online brand-building experience of conferences and summits, rather than the actual webinar hosting. Here are a few of those options that stand out.

Heartbeat

Heartbeat is an online community and course platform that lets you host virtual events and encourage discussion to bring people together. Although it isn’t a conferencing tool, you can use Heartbeat to run events by integrating with a webinar tool like Zoom.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – No, but you can upload slides to the platform
Video upload – No, but you can upload videos to the platform
Share screen – Yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes, if you’re a host
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes, if using Zoom
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – Unlimited
Pre-recorded events – Yes, if using Zoom
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – No
Q&A – Yes, if using Zoom
Poll – Yes, if using Zoom
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes, if using Zoom
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes, if you use a custom event link for a conferencing tool that lets you redirect

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes, if using Zoom
Poll answer export – Yes, if using Zoom

HeySummit

I’m a big fan of the registration flows you can build on HeySummit. I collected some in my landing page lookbook.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Since HeySummit isn’t a webinar app, this depends on the webinar app your choose (e.g. Zoom, Teams, etc)
Video upload – No, but you can screen share depending on the webinar app you choose
Share screen – Again, this will depend on your webinar app—but generally, yes
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – This will depend on your webinar app
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No, but you can remove messages and ban users

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 5000 registrations
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes, but only if your webinar app allows it
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes, but only for Business Plan
Customized email notifications – No, but here’s a workaround
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – This will depend on your webinar tool
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – No

Hubilo

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes
Video upload – Can hosts upload and play videos for attendees during the event?
Share screen – Since Hubilo is a hub, this will depend on your webinar app integration
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – Yes

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 1000 registrants
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes through Virtual Booths. You can also pin links to the chat panel so that your offer stays on top

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Customized email notifications – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes

LoudSwarm

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide / video upload / screenshare / speaker controls – This will depend on your integration because LoudSwarm hosts streams from other webinar apps
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – No, LoudSwarm doesn’t have a chat feature
Link blocking in chat – No, LoudSwarm doesn’t have a chat feature

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 100,000
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes, through Slido
Poll – Yes, through Slido
Direct/private chat – No, but you can integrate Slack or Discord with LoudSwarm
Breakout rooms – No, but you can integrate meeting tools to allow your audience to chat with speakers face-to-face after their session
External link pop-ups in session – No

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Through Slido
Poll answer export – Through Slido

Slido

Slido is not a conferencing tool—it’s an add-on to your existing conferencing tool for more features.

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Yes, if you integrate Slido with Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint (Slido allows you to add polls, quizzes, and Q&A to both apps) or with Slido Switcher
Video upload – No
Share screen – Yes, depending on your webinar hosting application
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – This depends on your webinar app
Ability to hide chat – No
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 5000
Pre-recorded events – Slido isn’t a webinar application, so this will depend on your CRM
On-demand events – Slido isn’t a webinar application, so this will depend on your CRM
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – No
Breakout rooms – Yes
External link pop-ups in session – Yes

Branding

Branded landing page – No
Registration form embed option – No
Customized email notifications – No
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – No
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – Yes
Poll answer export – Yes

Virtual Summits Software

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – Virtual Summits Software doesn’t have native livestream software, so this will depend on your webinar app
Video upload – Yes, through a YouTube, Vimeo, or Dailymotion URL or an embed code
Share screen – Virtual Summits Software doesn’t have native livestream software, so this will depend on your webinar app
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – This will depend on the webinar app you choose
Automated email share of recording – No
Ability to hide chat – No
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – This will depend on your webinar software
Pre-recorded events – Yes, through a YouTube, Vimeo, or Dailymotion URL or an embed code
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – No
Poll – No
Direct/private chat – No
Breakout rooms – This will depend on your webinar software
External link pop-ups in session – You can add presentation lead magnets that will appear below your presentation

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – No

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – No
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes
Q&A export – No
Poll answer export – No

Whova

Ease of use

Browser-based access – Yes
Slide upload – This depends on your livestream service
Video upload – This depends on your livestream service
Share screen – This depends on your livestream service
Speaker control of presentation – Yes
Automated recording – Yes
Automated email share of recording – Yes
Ability to hide chat – Yes
Link blocking in chat – No

Event logistics

Max live attendees – 20,000+
Pre-recorded events – Yes
On-demand events – Yes
Multi-session with single registration – Yes
Multi-track events – Yes
Q&A – Yes
Poll – Yes
Direct/private chat – Yes
Breakout rooms – Yes, and they also have a Speed Networking feature that works in a similar way
External link pop-ups in session – No, but you can place sponsor ad banners in the virtual event space, add sponsor links to particular sessions, and sponsors can add links and videos to their virtual booths and digital exhibit halls

Branding

Branded landing page – Yes
Registration form embed option – Yes
Customized email notifications – Yes
Post-registration redirect – Yes

Internal and partner use

Audience reports – Yes
Registrant export – Yes
Attendee export – Yes

Wrapping up – Top webinar software solutions

Your webinar software is the enabler of your events. Getting the right technology in place and selecting the best fit for your goals is key to putting on a successful event. Choose wisely, and don’t be afraid to test out different options.

Published: May 10, 2021
Updated: April 29, 2024
Updated: November 11, 2024