Collaboration

Category Compare: Video Conferencing Software vs. Web Conferencing Software

Preksha Buttan profile picture
By Preksha Buttan

Published | Updated on
8 min read

Video conferencing software and web conferencing software help you conduct real-time audio and video calls with your teams and clients. Both tools allow you to share your screens and stream presentations to your audience. In spite of these similar features, they have different focus areas and are suitable for separate needs.

Video conferencing software focuses on communication, while web conferencing software focuses on collaboration. These differences lead to different functionalities offered by the tools, which in turn, affects their use cases.

This article discusses the similarities and differences between video conferencing vs web conferencing software so you can select the right one for your needs. We've also included each category's top five products based on verified software reviews. Read more.

Comparison chart for the blog article "Category Compare: Video Conferencing Software vs. Web Conferencing Software"

What is video conferencing software?

Video conferencing software enables real-time, virtual meetings and collaborations between individuals or groups, regardless of their physical locations. The participants can communicate via audio and video, share their screens, and exchange information, fostering remote teamwork, education, and communication. These functionalities enhance productivity and facilitate remote collaboration. Businesses that operate globally, educational institutions that provide online classes, and healthcare providers offering telemedicine consultations rely on video conferencing tools.

Common features of video conferencing software

The common features of video conferencing software include:

  • Two-way audio and video: Communicate with the video conference participants in real time through both audio and video channels. This bidirectional functionality enables all the participants to see and hear each other, mimicking face-to-face interactions.

  • Screen sharing: Display your entire computer screen or a specific application window to conference participants. This feature also allows the presenter to control and navigate through the content being displayed. Additionally, it lets you pass on the navigation access to other participants to facilitate collaborative tasks.

  • Real-time chat: Exchange text-based messages during a video conference to facilitate instant communication, enabling participants to share thoughts, questions, or information without interrupting the ongoing conversation.

What is web conferencing software?

Web conferencing software enables larger groups to conduct real-time meetings, presentations, and collaborations over the internet. It includes video conferencing, audio conferencing, screen sharing, and file sharing, allowing participants to interact and share information remotely. Web conferencing software is commonly used for online training sessions, virtual events, and collaborative discussions.

Common features of web conferencing software

The common features of web conferencing software are:

  • Video conferencing: Conduct virtual face-to-face meetings and discussions over the internet leveraging two-way audio and video functionality. It allows participants to see and interact with each other in real time, using webcams and microphones, regardless of their geographical locations.

  • Presentation streaming: Stream presentations during the video conference to all the participants. This feature provides tools for the presenter to navigate through the content and control what the audience sees. It's commonly used for structured presentations or lectures.

  • Recording: Record the complete web conference, including the audio, video, screen share, and chat interactions. This functionality helps to preserve the session for those who could not attend or to distribute it to a broader audience, enabling documentation and knowledge sharing.

What are the differences between video conferencing and web conferencing software?

Both video conferencing and web conferencing software solutions allow you to conduct real-time meetings and conferences. They both leverage audio and video calls to facilitate instant communication and collaboration among participants. While both tools offer similar features, they have different focus areas, as defined below:

  • Audience engagement: The primary focus of video conferencing software is real-time communication between the participants. Features such as chat and screen sharing allow a smaller group of participants to engage with each other in real time. Whereas web conferencing software focuses on collaboration and interactivity. Document sharing, recording, and presentation streaming features enable real-time participation and engagement amongst a relatively larger group of audience.

  • Meeting structure: Given that both tools have different levels of audience engagement, the meeting structure also varies. Video conferencing tools, which focus on communication, are well-suited for meetings where individuals want to see and hear each other such as during project update team connects or interviews. However, if the meetings involve user participation—such as software training sessions or brainstorming sessions—a web conferencing tool is ideal as it aims to facilitate collaboration. 

  • Pricing: Video conferencing software typically ranges between $6 and $39 per user per month. However, web conferencing software is priced between $14 and $309 per month. The variation in pricing depends on factors such as the supported number of participants, offered collaboration features, and integration options.

What are the similarities between video conferencing and web conferencing software?

Despite their distinctions, both software categories have some common functionality, including:

  • Audio and video calls: Both software tools leverage two-way audio and video functionality to enable communication between participants. Whether you are conducting a meeting with a small group or a bigger audience, audio and video functionality allows you and your participants to engage in live face-to-face conversations, replicating in-person interactions in virtual settings and fostering productive communication among remote participants.

  • Calendar integration: The calendar integration feature connects your calendar management tools with video or web conferencing solutions to synchronize the data between the two tools. This synchronization allows you to see your availability and prevent double booking, ensuring all your conferences are scheduled at convenient times.

  • Data security: Conferences often include the sharing of confidential business data and documents which makes having data security features a must. Both conferencing solutions often include data encryption, user authentication, and access control functionality as ways to protect the data from unauthorized access. These tools also undergo regular security checks and updates to maintain the overall security levels.

Video conferencing and web conferencing: Which one is right for your business?

Video conferencing and web conferencing tools serve different purposes, and the right choice depends on your business's specific needs and priorities.

  • If you need a conferencing solution to conduct small team meetings, one-on-one discussions, or informal catch ups, consider video conferencing software. It focuses on real-time communication and will allow the small group of participants to interact with each other freely, leveraging audio and video calls and live chat.

  • Consider web conferencing software if you want to conduct seminars, trainings, workshops, or client presentations, as collaborative features such as screen sharing and whiteboard will facilitate virtual audience participation.

  • Smaller businesses requiring direct and personal connection between team members may find video conferencing tools sufficient for their needs. On the other hand, larger multi-location organizations may benefit from the collaborative features of web conferencing tools to facilitate engagement between larger participants.

Additionally, consider factors such as the scope of your conferencing needs, budget constraints, and integration requirements to make an informed decision. Evaluate how well each software aligns with your communication and collaboration goals and organizational processes to choose the solution that best supports your long-term success.

Once you’ve decided which software to use, head to our video conferencing and web conferencing software category pages to find a list of products and software reviews from verified users.

If you want to narrow your search to only the most popular and highest-rated solutions, check out Capterra Shortlist for the top video conferencing software and web conferencing software—our reports are based on an analysis of thousands of user reviews.

How to choose between video conferencing and web conferencing software

Below are a few things to consider when selecting between video conferencing and web conferencing solutions. 

  • Identify your conferencing needs: Determine the primary purpose of your online meetings or events. Check the tasks you want to accomplish and see the features that will help you achieve them. For instance, if you need to provide training sessions, access to a whiteboard in a web conferencing tool will help to provide better explanations. Or if you need to connect a conferencing tool to conduct regular virtual connects with your team, the basic communication features of a video conferencing platform will suffice your needs.

  • Assess the number of supported participants: Depending on the focus areas, the number of participants supported by a conferencing platform will vary. A web conferencing tool will typically support a bigger number of participants in a conference than a video conferencing tool because it aims at facilitating collaboration among a bigger audience. Therefore, assessing the number of participants you’ll typically have in your conference will ensure you pick a tool that has sufficient limits to support your meetings, webinars, or collaborative sessions efficiently.

  • Evaluate integration requirements: Integrations with tools such as calendar management software, contact management software, and survey software allow you to manage your participants' time and contact details. You’ll also be able to conduct surveys and polls to identify a suitable time for a conference per every participant’s availability. However, you may not need all such integration options if you only aim at conducting virtual get-together sessions. Hence, evaluating integration requirements per your conference needs will help you make the right call.

5 top-rated video conferencing software

These products are listed in alphabetical order. (Check how we selected them.)

Analysis accurate as of September 2023

5 top-rated web conferencing software

These products are listed in alphabetical order. (Check how we selected them.)

Analysis accurate as of September 2023


Methodology

For both software categories, we highlight the top five products with the highest average user ratings. To be included in this list, the products had to:

  • Have at least 20 unique product reviews published on Capterra, with an average rating of 3.0 or higher (as of September 19, 2023).

  • Meet our software market definition for video conferencing and web conferencing software:

    • Video conferencing software: “Video Conferencing software allows businesses to host remote meetings and conferences through two-way video and audio display. This type of software can be used as a communication method with employees, online conference attendees, clients, and more.”

    • Web conferencing software: “Web Conferencing software enables organizations to conduct interactive conferences and meetings online. Typical features include two-way audio, video conferencing, screen sharing, presentation streaming, automatic transcription, and electronic hand raising.”

Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from Capterra’s video conferencing software and web conferencing software directories. The pricing ranges exclude freemium versions of the products. Only products with publicly available pricing information, as of September 19, 2023, were considered for pricing calculation.


Looking for Web Conferencing software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Web Conferencing software solutions.

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About the Author

Preksha Buttan profile picture

Preksha Buttan is a Writer at Capterra. She provides expert insights and helps small businesses identify the right software for their needs by analyzing user reviews for the highest rated products in relevant software categories. She has previously written and published content for the medical and automotive industries. Her interest lies in marketing and branding. When she’s not working, she can be found watching a thriller.

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