Webinars are essential for connecting with teammates and moving customers down the sales funnel. In 2020, more people are working from home, and using the best webinar software is even more critical, as in-person events are moving online.
While you may be able to get away with using an undependable service for your internal meetings, meeting with clients, or presenting to leads is another story. Your customers do not have time for connectivity issues, network problems, or complicated processes.
You must choose a solution with a simple setup for hosts and guests, HD quality video and sound, interactive features, an attractive interface, and customer support. Luckily, there are plenty of excellent services available.
In this comprehensive buying guide, you will find relevant answers to questions about the top webinar platforms available, like:
- Can you customize the waiting room?
- Do attendees have to download a program or plugin?
- Can more than one host present at the same time?
- Does the service offer high-quality video and sound?
- Can you call in for meetings?
- What plans are available, and how much do they cost?
What to Look for in a Webinar Solution
When searching for the perfect solution, there are some specific things that you need to consider. If you are using the program to convert leads to customers, it is even more critical to use a secure platform.
If you pick a solution that requires a lengthy setup process, you will likely lose leads along the way. People have so much going on that they are too busy to contact tech support or spend extended periods connecting.
It is also good to record sessions so they can be played back for people who are unable to attend the meeting.
In addition to the webinar functionality these platforms give you, most providers also include a full suite of marketing tools. The best webinar services include:
- Quick connectivity
- Straightforward setup
- Comprehensive analytics
- Follow-up tools
- Automatic recording
- Editing functionality
- Breakout rooms
- One on one chat
- An attractive interface
- Polls
- Paid and free webinars
- Multiple presenters
- 24/7 customer support
- Email drip campaigns
What Are The Best Webinar Software Platforms
There are many webinar platforms you can choose. However, each company has different needs, so the program that works best for one organization might not be the appropriate choice.
Additionally, the webinar industry is very competitive. There are constant upgrades and new products available with new and innovative features to help you connect with your audience in a meaningful way.
That being said, we will take a deep dive into the top webinar platforms available today. In this review, you will find plans, pricing, features, and essential details about each solution.
1. WebinarJam
Best Overall Value and Features
Currently, WebinarJam is the best web meeting hosting platform. It is user-friendly and offers a host of features to maximize the impact of your web presentations.
You can broadcast live to YouTube or use the company’s private broadcaster, WebinarJam Live. Webinars can be shared publicly, or you can password-protect them so only invitees can join.
WebinarJam also gives you the option of charging for your meeting. You do have to use a third-party payment processing system to collect the payments. However, you can easily integrate with payment processing systems, CRMs, marketing platforms, and other applications.
Where WebinarJam stands out from other providers is with value-added marketing features like:
- In-session marketing prompt pop-ups
- The ability to break out into a private room for two-way, one-on-one conversations
- A video engine for sharing pre-recordings during your webinar
- Webinar email marketing tools
The convenient pop-up prompts help you to sell your products while answering any customer questions seamlessly. There are also features that allow you to record attendee responses, which is excellent for engaging viewers and gathering their opinions.
Your entire webinar is automatically captured, too, so you do not have to worry about forgetting to hit the record button. Afterward, you can send the webinar recording to email contacts or attendees.
Using WebinarJam, you can create automated, live, on-demand, right now, and series webinars. Then you can market your event by using the platform to create automated SMS and email campaigns.
Valuable Features:
- Automatic recordings
- Friendly and knowledgeable customer service
- Social networking integrations
- Great for larger meetings or groups
- Includes a user-friendly interface and dashboard
- Setup is quick and simple
- Screen Sharing
- A panic button for immediate in-session support
- Your own dedicated meeting room
- Handouts
- SMS marketing
Plans and Pricing:
There are three WebinarJam plans you can select, and you can also try the service for free for 14 days before signing up.
- Basic Plan: Includes up to 500 attendees and three presenters for $499.
- Professional Plan: Increases the attendee limit to 1,000 and allows up to 4 speakers for $699 per year.
- Premium Plan: Allows up to 5,000 attendees and six presenters for $999 per year.
2. WebinarNinja
Best Platform for Trainers and Coaches
WebinarNinja is an excellent all-in-one platform trusted by leading companies. It is one of the most user-friendly tools allowing you to set up a meeting in less than 60 seconds.
It also includes features that allow you to follow up after your web event easily.
As a WebinarNinja customer, you can create four distinct webinar types, including:
- Automated – Pre-recorded events you can publish at different times.
- Live – Utilizes a live host to boost viewer engagement and interaction.
- Series – Groups of webinars on a specific topic.
- Hybrid – A live and video conference combination.
You also have features to help you connect with and convert leads, like email campaigns, polling, and screen sharing. You can also connect with over a thousand apps, including ChimpMail, ActiveCampaign, Hubspot, and Drip, using Zapier for even more features.
Valuable Features:
- Screen-sharing
- Ultra-fast live chat
- Ability to do polls throughout and after your webinar
- Timed ads during your webinars
- Drip campaigns and email marketing
- Custom landing page registration
- An analytics dashboard
- The ability to export analytic data
- Zapier app integration
- Ability to upload presentations
- Q and A feature
- CTAs
- Live replay
- Paid webinars
Plans and Pricing
You can start using WebinarNinja for free with a 14-day free trial. Or, you can choose from one of the paid plans.
- Starter – The Starter plan costs $39 per month and gives you the ability to have up to 100 live webinar viewers and unlimited viewers for pre-recorded sessions.
- Pro – The Pro Plan is $79 per month, and it provides for up to 300 live attendees, unlimited viewers for pre-recorded webinars, webinar summits and series, and Facebook ad tracking.
- Plus – With the Plus Plan, you have all of the features included in the lower-tiered packages, up to 500 live attendees, and hybrid sessions that include live and pre-recorded segments for $129 per month.
- Power – The Power Plan gives you access to the full suite of features and 1,000 live webinar attendees for $199 per month.
Although the prices are broken down into monthly payments, all of the plans are charged annually. WebinarNinja is an excellent platform if you are looking for advanced features and the ability to create webinars quickly.
3. eWebinar
Best Automated Webinar Solution
eWebinar was designed to help customer success and marketing teams automate repetitive webinars so they can repurpose their time towards other activities that can not be automated. Small and medium-sized businesses and solopreneurs use it for training, onboarding, and upselling.
eWebinar lets you turn any pre-recorded video into an interactive, automated webinar. A simple, modern interface makes setup quick and easy, allowing you to create an evergreen webinar within minutes.
eWebinar combines video with live chat and pre-set interactions — like polls, questions, special offers, and more — to deliver an engaging experience to attendees. Because each webinar is built around a video, you can deliver the perfect webinar every time, without being there.
eWebinar is an automated-only solution and does not support live webinars. Their product focuses solely on delivering features unique to webinar automation, such as a support-like live chat system that moves conversations to email when attendees are offline. If you use Zoom for live webinars, eWebinar supports an integration that lets you import cloud recordings of your Zoom sessions into eWebinar with a single click.
Most notable is eWebinar’s user experience. Its customer interface for both host and attendee is beautifully designed, intuitive, and easy to use.
Valuable Features
- Quick and easy set up
- Simple and professional interface
- Live chat that moves conversations to email when attendees go offline
- A variety of interactions you can program to appear at different moments in time
- Flexible scheduling options: replay, just in time, attendee’s timezone, and fixed timezone
- A fully brandable presentation room
- Integrations with Zoom, Zapier, popular CRMs and marketing solutions
- Pop-up widget to install on any website
- Multi-user and team support
- Pre-made templates to get you started quickly
- Customizable notification and follow up emails
- Personalized private welcome message and autoresponder
Plans and Pricing
eWebinar has a fair pricing model so that you only pay for what you use; subscription levels automatically adjust as you publish and unpublish webinars.
- 30-day free trial: Unlimited use
- Level 1: Up to 1 published webinar – $49/month
- Level 2: 2-5 published webinars – $99/month
- Level 3: 6-15 published webinars – $199/month
- Enterprise: 25 published webinars – $250/month + $10/month for each additional webinar
- Unlimited number of sessions and attendees per published webinar
All plans include all features, which means there are no feature limitations. What’s more, you get unlimited sessions and attendees per published webinar, so you can scale your audience without having to worry about increasing costs.
4. GoToWebinar
Best Webinar Platform for Enterprise-Level Organizations
For large webinars, GoToWebinar is an excellent choice, and for several years it has been the goto platform for many webinar creators. It includes tons of features to help you market your webinar and the ability to have many attendees.
It also gives you excellent marketing tools to help register attendees and remind them about your event. While GoToWebinar is one of the most reliable programs you can use, it does lack some of the features offered by other providers.
While GoToWebinar has been and continues to be a great option, it might not be the best application. However, whether or not GoToWebinar is the right software for you depends on your specific requirements.
Valuable Features
- Ability to have multiple presenters
- A multi-user assistant
- Private messaging
- Exit surveys
- Playback polls
- 1080p replay resolution
- Dashboard analytics
- Built-in live polls to boost audience engagement
- Sharable automatic recordings
- Integration with Zapier and Salesforce
- Signup tracking
- User analytics
Plans and Pricing
As a GoToWebinar customer, you can choose between four packages.
- Lite – The Lite Plan is the entry-level GoToWebinar package. It includes access for up to 100 webinar viewers, polls, handouts, Q and A, full-service signups, telephone connectivity, and more for $49 per month if you pay annually and $59 monthly.
- Standard – When you opt for the Standard Plan, you get all of the great features that come with the Lite Plan, plus access for up to 250 viewers for $99 annually and $129 monthly.
- Pro – If you want access for up to 500 participants, you will need the Pro plan, which costs $199 annually and $249 monthly.
- Enterprise – The Enterprise Plan costs $399 per month, and it includes access for up to 3,000 participants.
A great option available with GoToWebinar is monthly billing. Many webinar services require you to pay yearly. So, for smaller companies or business owners who are bootstrapping, that commitment can be a lot. With GoToWebinar, you get exceptional service with the option of paying monthly.
5. Demio
Best Webinar Software for Beginners
Demio was built to help you advance your business. It provides your attendees with an engaging, user-friendly experience. The platform was created with your marketing team in mind and includes features l