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?
48 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’ll 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
<script>
livestorm.on(‘registration-success’, function () {
window.location = ‘URL’
})
</script>
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
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