Introduction As the world evolves at a rapid pace, video conferencing has become a necessity for businesses and individuals to communicate from different locations. With the advent of technology, different video conferencing software has been developed to meet the needs of users. The two leading contenders being Gotomeeting and Cisco Webex Meetings. In this article, we will delve into the features and functionalities of both tools, to determine which reigns supreme in a video conferencing showdown.
Product Features Gotomeeting by LogMeIn and Webex Meetings by Cisco are popular tools for video conferencing. While both software provide an excellent virtual communication platform, they are fundamentally different in several ways. Gotomeeting is a cloud-based software designed for online conferencing, webinars, and meeting collaborations. Webex meetings, on the other hand, is a video conferencing tool that is cloud-based, designed for virtual meetings, webinars, and video telephony.
Interface and Usability When it comes to interface and usability, Gotomeeting and Webex Meetings are both user-friendly. Gotomeeting has an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate. It features robust mobile applications that allow for flexibility and can be used from remote or off-site locations. With Gotomeeting, attendees can also join without needing to download software. Webex Meetings also features an intuitive interface with quality features including screen sharing capabilities, annotations, and file transfer abilities.
Call Quality Both Gotomeeting and Webex Meetings provide a high quality, stable connection when it comes to video and call quality. Gotomeeting excels in video quality by providing high definition broadcasting with 720p resolution at 25 frames per second. The software also has noise cancellation features inbuilt in the background to filter any background noise. Webex Meetings, on the other hand, provides high-quality audio conferencing and video calling capabilities, with a wide selection of bandwidth options to choose from.
Pricing Pricing plays a significant role in any software and service comparison. For Gotomeeting, pricing starts at $14 monthly for a typical end-user, while Webex Meetings cost an average of $13 per month per user. Gotomeeting is ideal for small sized organizations with its low cost and accommodating features. Webex Meetings, on the other hand, is ideal for organizations such as SMEs and large corporations with its robust offerings.
Pros and Cons Gotomeeting excels in offering a platform with a seamless user experience, automated services, and a high-quality meeting environment. It also provides cloud recordings, mobile screen sharing capabilities, and is compatible with various operating systems. Its cons include limited customization options, web browser dependence, and limited online support.
Webex Meetings, on the other hand, excels in seamless integration with third-party software, excellent video and audio quality and excellent collaboration capabilities. Additionally, it provides a hand raising feature which indicates when someone has something to say in a meeting, and the product is highly customizable. The cons for Webex Meetings include limited mobile application capabilities and compatibility issues with older devices.
Conclusion While both Gotomeeting and Webex Meeting provide excellent video conferencing capabilities, one must note that no product is perfect, and both tools are equally good in their specialized area. The choice between the two will largely depend on the user’s specific requirements and budget. If it is well within your budget range, the Cisco Webex Meetings is an excellent choice, while if your organization is small to medium-sized, you should go for Gotomeeting. Ultimately, users should choose whatever tool works best for them based on their requirements.
GoToMeeting and Cisco WebEx Meetings are two popular online meeting tools, also known as web conferencing tools. We evaluated both to help you decide which one would work best for you and your remote workers.
Overall Findings
Both GoToMeeting and Cisco WebEx Meetings are popular online meeting tools with similar functionality that allow users to meet at any time, from anywhere. Both offer an impressive array of features and are reliable, safe, and easy to use. Each offers iPhone and iPad apps for on-the-go meetings, and both services have a variety of paid plans. Cisco WebEx Meetings has more features than GoToMeeting, making it a better choice for those who want to host advanced web meetings.
Browser-based tool.
Works with PCs and Macs.
Has an iPhone and iPad app.
Easy-to-use interface.
Consistently high audio quality.
Support for PC, Mac, Linux, Solaris, and Unix.
Has an app for iPhone and iPad.
More features for advanced web conferencing.
High-quality audio and video.
Features: Cisco WebEx Meetings Is More Advanced
GoToMeeting is a browser-based tool, so it doesn’t require any downloads to be used. It works with PC and Mac computers and offers a useful iPhone and iPad app, so it’s easy to meet when you’re on the go.
GoToMeeting offers a free 14-day trial, while Cisco WebEx Meetings has a free version for personal use with fewer features.
Easy instant messaging.
Scheduled meetings.
Outlook integration.
Audio conferencing via phone and computer.
Screen and application sharing.
Meeting recording only for PC users.
Video support.
File transfers.
Screen and application sharing.
Assign privileges to participants.
Invite participants to an active meeting.
Meeting recording for PC and Mac users.
GoToMeeting has a simple and intuitive interface, offering instant messaging, scheduled meetings, Outlook integration, audio conferencing via phone and computer, screen and application sharing, and attendance reporting. Meeting recording is available only for PC users.
Cisco WebEx Meetings, in comparison, has more features than GoToMeeting. This makes WebEx Meetings a better choice for those who host advanced web meetings. It offers support for PC, Mac, Linux, Solaris, and Unix, and has an iPad and iPhone app, though it seems to run slower than the GoToMeeting app.
WebEx has instant messaging, video support (showing up to six participants at a time), file transfers, screen and application sharing, and the ability to assign privileges to individual participants. Invite participants to a meeting that has started via email, voice conference, or instant messenger. Meeting recording is available for PC and Mac users.
Reliability and Safety: Both Are Highly Rated
GoToMeeting is highly rated for reliability and performance. However, screen sharing isn’t always robust when transmitting video. It has data centers all over the world and audio quality is consistently high.
Features vary on the different plan levels of GoToMeeting and Cisco WebEx Meetings.
Very reliable.
High audio quality.
SSL-encrypted website.
End-to-end 128-bit AES encryption.
Calls time-out after a period of inactivity.
Very reliable.
High-quality audio and video.
Switched architecture.
SSL-encrypted website.
Security measures in GoToMeeting include an SSL-encrypted website and end-to-end 128-bit AES encryption. Calls time-out after a period of inactivity.
WebEx, like GoToMeeting, is extremely reliable, providing both high-quality audio and video. Sharing video through screen sharing is reliable, although it suffers occasional slight delays.
WebEx features switched architecture, meaning the session information from the presenter’s machine going to the attendees’ computers is switched, so it’s never permanently stored. It also boats an SSL-encrypted website.
Usability: GoToMeeting Is More Intuitive
GoToMeeting is user-friendly and easy-to-use. People who have never used an online meeting tool can quickly learn to use it. Getting a user account is quick and requires only two simple steps. It’s also easy to invite attendees to a web meeting, especially since the tool integrates with Outlook with no need to install an add-on.
User-friendly.
Great for beginners.
Integrates with Outlook without an add-on.
Less intuitive interface.
Many features take time to learn.
Needs an add-on to integrate with Outlook.
Cisco WebEx Meetings, while user-friendly, is not as intuitive as GoToMeeting. It’s appropriate for beginners, but it might take some time to learn to use properly. It offers so many features that it may take some time to locate all the features and become proficient with these tools.
Registering for and installing WebEx is easy, although it takes a few more minutes than GoToMeeting. Once its Outlook add-on is installed, it’s easy to plan meetings.
Price: Both Offer a Variety of Options
Both services offer several plans. GoToMeeting has a free 14-day trial where you can get to know the product’s basic functionality. Its Professional plan is $12 per month, billed annually, and allows 150 participants. Its $16 per month (billed annually) Business plan is the most popular, allowing 250 participants. Custom enterprise plans are also available. Prices are slightly higher per month when billed monthly.
Free 14-day trial.
Business, Professional, and Enterprise plans.
Billed monthly or annually.
Offers a free plan for personal use.
Starter, Plus, and Business plans.
Cisco WebEx Meetings has plans ranging from free to $26.95 per month. The free plan provides 40-minute meetings with 50 participants, HD video, screen sharing, and a personal room. Starter (50 participants), Plus (100 participants), and Business (200 participants) plans offer an array of features for $13.50, $17.95, and $26.95, respectively.
Final Verdict
Both GoToMeeting and Cisco WebEx Meetings are easy to use, reliable, secure, and excellent tools for web conferencing. You can’t go wrong with either one. However, if you prefer a simpler tool, GoToMeeting is a great choice. If you want to explore more advanced features, give Cisco WebEx Meetings a try.
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