As virtual meetings become integral to 21st-century workspaces, many video conferencing platforms have emerged to facilitate digital gatherings and enhance online attendance capacity. When organizing events or large meetings, webinar software allows you to livestream and share presentations, engage with attendees, and record employee training sessions.
These platforms can also integrate with your calendar and marketing tools to register participants for current and future events. The following list includes the best webinar platforms and guidance on choosing the best webinar software for your business.
- Webex Webinars and Events: Best overall platform for webinars
- Livestorm: Best for event automation
- GoToWebinar: Best for small businesses
- Zoho Webinar: Best for marketing and sales-focused webinars
- Crowdcast: Best for live video streaming
- Zoom Webinar: Best for audience engagement and analytics
Comparing the best webinar platforms
Best webinar platforms
Overall score out of 5
Monthly price
Key features
4.53
$68.75 per user for 1,000 participants
- Unlimited webinars
- Practice sessions
- Registration management
4.46
$99 for 100 active contacts
- Recording control
- Event automation
- Virtual whiteboards
4.32
$59 for 250 participants
- Breakout rooms
- Automated emails
- Reporting analytics
4.31
$8 for 100 attendees
- CRM integrations
- Screen-sharing
- Polls and Q&A
4.26
$49 for 100+ attendees
- HD video and recording
- Stripe integration
- Multiplatform streaming
4.21
$79 for 500 participants
- Calendar holds
- Ticketing
- Event analytics
Webex Webinars and Events: Best platform for webinars
Overall Score
4.53/5
Core features
5/5
Integration and compatibility
4.5/5
Security and reliability
4.17/5
Pricing and value
4.06/5
Customer support and usability
4.5/5
Advanced features
5.5/5
User scores
4.47/5
Pros
- Unlimited webinars with over 10,000 attendees
- CRM integrations with Salesforce, Eloqua, and more
- Live polling, surveys, and Q&As with Slido
- Registration management and custom-branded pages
Cons
- Plans start at 1,000 attendees, which isn’t beneficial for small teams
- More complex and less intuitive than other platforms
Why I chose Webex Webinars and Events
Webex Webinars and Events is one of the best platforms for webinars because it offers all the features required to host successful events. Each plan provides unlimited webinars for 1,000 to over 10,000 meeting attendees, making Webex an excellent option for large teams and enterprise operations. You can also customize your webinar with colors and themes that reflect your business or brand aesthetic.
The platform offers a wide range of integrations with various services that can enhance large meetings, including features like live polling and other interactive elements through the Slido platform. Sales and marketing teams can benefit significantly from CRM integrations, which enable seamless gathering of customer data. Additionally, a Webex Meet plan is included with every Webinar or Events subscription purchase if you wish to use your subscription for smaller meetings and events.
However, since Webex plans start at 1,000 attendees, it may not be the best choice for smaller businesses. If you need more flexible options for meeting size, consider GoTo Webinar, which provides webinar subscriptions for 250 to 3,000 participants.
- Practice sessions: Before hosting your webinar, have a practice run where you invite webinar attendees and gain hands-on experience with the platform before your big event.
- Attendee moderation: Both hosts and cohosts can control the meeting experience by handling questions and managing meeting attendees’ audio and video functionality. This feature ensures that there are limited disruptions during an event.
- Webex assistant: Use voice commands with the artificial intelligence assistant to generate post-meeting summaries, captions, and transcriptions.
- Slido integration: Webex integrates with the Slido platform to offer six different types of live polling, including quizzes, questions, surveys, and word clouds.
- Live streaming: To broadcast your event to a broader audience, enable live streaming in the Webex control hub or connect your webinar software to platforms like Twitter, Facebook Live, or YouTube.
Webex Webinars
- 1,000 attendees: $68.75/user/month (promotional pricing) and $675/user/year
- 3,000 attendees: $795/user/month and $7,500/user/year
- 5,000 attendees: $1,950/user/month and $17,940/user/year
- 10,000 attendees: $4,950 user/month and $47,400/user/year
- 10,000+ attendees: Contact sales for pricing.
Webex Events
- Contact sales for pricing.
Livestorm: Best for event automation
Overall Score
4.46/5
Core features
4.29/5
Integration and compatibility
4.75/5
Security and reliability
5/5
Pricing and value
4.06/5
Customer support and usability
4/5
Advanced features
4.5/5
User scores
4.6/5
Pros
- Automated webinar invitations, actions, and analytics
- Unlimited team members across plans
- Free webinar plans for smaller meetings and events
- Multiple security certifications, including GDPR compliance
Cons
- Limited services and CRM integrations outside of the Enterprise plan
- Webinars are capped at 12 hours on the highes
Why I chose Livestorm
Although Livestorm offers live and on-demand events, it is the best webinar platform for event automation. One of the most challenging aspects of hosting an event is organizing and planning it. However, automation simplifies the process of sending invitations, starting and ending events on time, and collecting information from attendees during and after the event.
With Livestorm, you can fully automate your webinar software by scheduling recurring events or playing pre-recorded videos to start or host an event. Before an event, you can configure your webinar settings with custom branding and registration pages; after the event, you can collect detailed analytics from attendees.
However, many webinar services offered by Livestorm are only available on the Enterprise plan, with minimal features on the free plan. Additionally, the free plan allows only up to 20-minute webinar sessions, while the Enterprise plan extends to 12 hours, which might not be sufficient for longer events. If you require an all-day livestream or recording, consider Webex Webinars, which provides 24-hour sessions on its Webinar and Events plans.
- AI transcription: Livestorm is integrated with the platform Gladia, which provides transcriptions, captions, and translations in over 118 languages.
- Recording control: Automatically record and end events at a specific time, ensuring you don’t forget to generate a recording for your event.
- Virtual whiteboards: Through a Miro integration, attendees and hosts can collaborate and create drawings with an online whiteboard.
- Event automation: Pre-schedule every part of your event, such as emails, recurring events, and analytics.
- Link sharing: If you need to share additional information at an event, Livestorm allows you to send a link to attendees, which will pop up at the bottom of the webinar screen.
Free: Up to 30 active contacts*
- $0 a month with unlimited team members
Pro: 100-1000 active contacts
- 100 active contacts: $99/month billed monthly, $79/month billed annually
- 200 active contacts: $198/month billed monthly, $149/month billed annually
- 350 active contacts: $347/month billed monthly, $399/month billed annually
- 500 active contacts: $495/month billed monthly, $499/month billed annually
- 750 active contacts: $399/month billed annually
- 1000 active contacts: $499/month billed annually
Business: 500+ active contacts
- Contact sales for pricing.
Enterprise: 500+ active contacts
- Contact sales for pricing.
*Livestorm defines active contacts as external registrants or team members who registered or joined an event in a month.
GoToWebinar: Best for small businesses
Overall Score
4.32/5
Core features
4.11/5
Integration and compatibility
4.25/5
Security and reliability
5/5
Pricing and value
3.75/5
Customer support and usability
4.25/5
Advanced features
4.5/5
User scores
4.4/5
Pros
- Unlimited cloud storage on the highest tier plans
- VoIP-enabled webcasting for up to 20,000 participants
- GoTo Stage platform for marketing and event promotion
- Collaborative tools like breakout rooms, polling, and Q&As
Cons
- Webinars are capped at 3,000 participants
- Livestreaming isn’t available on the base plans
Why I chose GoToWebinar
Most webinar platforms are geared toward larger enterprises, making it difficult for small businesses to find a scalable platform that fits their needs. However, GoToWebinar offers the best webinar software for small businesses through its affordable plans and intuitive interface.
The GoTo platform utilizes software to make meetings easily accessible across devices, with a mobile app and collaborative tools for increased audience engagement. Additionally, the highest tier subscriptions come with access to the GoTo Stage platform, which is excellent for small businesses that want a place to market and promote their events. You can also webcast virtual events to a larger audience as your business grows.
At the same time, because GoToWebinar offers a simpler service, the platform doesn’t provide specific features central to webinar software, such as livestreaming and business integrations. If you want a platform geared towards streaming events on multiple platforms, I recommend Crowdcast, which offers HD live video and recordings at a similar starting price ($49/month).
- Automated emails: Schedule reminder and follow-up emails before and after the webinar to ensure your attendees arrive on time.
- Closed captioning: Live captions make webinar events more accessible to diverse audiences, with support in several languages.
- Mobile app: While many webinar platforms have limited browser and device compatibility, GoToWebinar offers a mobile app so attendees can connect from the comfort of their phone.
- Video editor: After receiving your webinar recording, GoToWebinar provides software to trim your videos and prepare them for upload.
- GoTo Stage: Upload your on-demand webinars to this central hub for business professionals, with distinct channels that allow you to market and promote your events.
Lite: 250 participants
- $59/organizer/month
- $49/organizer/month billed annually
Standard: 500 participants
- $129/organizer/month
- $99/organizer/month billed annually
Pro: 1,000 participants
- $249/organizer/month
- $199/organizer/month billed annually
Enterprise: Up to 3,000 participants
- $499/organizer/month
- $399/organizer/month billed annually
Zoho Webinar: Best for marketing & sales-focused webinars
Overall Score
4.31/5
Core features
3.39/5
Integration and compatibility
4.75/5
Security and reliability
5/5
Pricing and value
5/5
Customer support and usability
4/5
Advanced features
3.5/5
User scores
4.5/5
Pros
- Dial-in numbers for VoIP-enabled webinar attendance
- Unlimited webinars across all plans
- Webinar registration tracking links and analytics
- Integration with Zoho software for marketing and customer relationship management
Cons
- Doesn’t have breakout rooms
- On-demand webinars are only accessible on the Enterprise plan
Why I chose Zoho Webinar
Zoho is a brand synonymous with customer relationship management and marketing, making Zoho Webinar an easy choice as the best webinar platform for marketing and sales-focused events. Especially for businesses already using another Zoho platform to manage campaigns and customer outreach, the webinar platform seamlessly integrates with other Zoho products like Zoho CRM for marketing and Zia for access to AI features.
By providing access to customizable registration forms and source tracking, you can collect data on where your event attendees are coming from to tailor marketing campaigns to specific audiences or platforms. Multiple VoIP features, such as dial-in audio and access to toll-free numbers, allow you to reach a wider audience through remote meeting access.
At the same time, while Zoho Webinar works well for generating and nurturing leads, it doesn’t have some more collaborative virtual event features, like breakout rooms and on-demand recordings, available on other webinar platforms. Therefore, I recommend Livestorm for more engaging and interactive features.
- Broadcast messages: During a webinar, send important information to attendees, such as links and registration forms, to ensure that you are collecting customer data and sharing marketing materials for your business or forthcoming events.
- Co-organizers: In addition to the meeting organizer, the highest tier plans provide access to co-organizers who can take over the meeting if the primary organizer is late or unavailable to manage the event.
- Source tracking: Track the source of your event registrants’ registration links to see where they are coming from. This allows you to tailor your promotions to specific audiences and platforms.
- Custom domain: In the admin settings, Zoho Webinar provides access to personalized domains that make your platform more recognizable to potential clients and customers.
- PhoneAudio: Attend webinars on the go with access to VoIP features like dial-in numbers, allowing you to listen in on an event if you have software or internet connectivity issues.
Free: 100 webinar attendees
- $0 a month for up to 60-minute webinars
Standard: 25-1,000 attendees
- $8/organizer/month for 25 attendees, billed annually
- $9/organizer for 25 attendees, billed monthly
Professional: 25-3,000 attendees
- $16/organizer/month for 25 attendees, billed annually
- $19/organizer for 25 attendees, billed monthly
Enterprise: 500-5,000 attendees
- $66/organizer/month for 500 attendees, billed annually
- $79/organizer for 500 attendees, billed monthly
Crowdcast: Best for live video streaming
Overall Score
4.26/5
Core features
4.82/5
Integration and compatibility
3.75/5
Security and reliability
5/5
Pricing and value
5/5
Customer support and usability
2.75/5
Advanced features
5/5
User scores
4.5/5
Pros
- Multi-session events for hosting online courses and workshops
- HD video with recordings for instant replays and download
- Integrations with monetization tools like Stripe
- Multiplatform streaming and stage management
Cons
- Lacks robust artificial intelligence features
- Sessions are limited to six hours on the highest plan
Why I chose Crowdcast
Crowdcast is the best webinar software for live video streaming because of its diverse features that accommodate many virtual events. With multi-session events, you can host large-scale meetups like festivals, courses, or conferences, which allow you to admit attendees through a single URL with multiple online spaces. Integrations with monetization platforms like Stripe also enable you to charge or collect donations for your events.
Across all plans, users have access to HD-quality video and webinar recordings, which make it easier to download and share live events. Instead of just live streaming on the Crowdcast platform, you can stream your events through multiple platforms simultaneously, such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and LinkedIn Live.
Although Crowdcast provides access to live streaming features across multiple platforms, the webinar sessions are limited to six hours. Additionally, while many webinar platforms include some form of artificial intelligence, such as an AI assistant or real-time transcription and captioning, Crowdcast does not offer these features in its webinar subscriptions. If you wish to adopt more AI-enabled features, consider Zoho Webinar, which integrates with the Zia assistant for post-event notes and transcriptions.
- Multi-session events: When hosting an online course, workshop, or festival, Crowdcast allows you to host multiple sessions within a shared event. These events take place on a single URL but allow attendees to access different parts of the event once logged into the platform.
- Stripe integration: By connecting your Stripe account to Crowdcast, you can accept money through the platform, allowing attendees to pay for admission to an event.
- RTMP Mode: Use the Real-Time Messaging Protocol to stream events on other platforms, such as OBS, Ecamm Live, or Wirecast.
- CTA buttons: During the webinar, the call-to-action button allows you to display a link at the bottom of your event stage to get more information about your business, upcoming events, or workshops.
- Channels: Event organizers can create a branded channel to organize and share their events. This feature is excellent for promoting and sharing live events
Lite: 100+ attendees
- Monthly: $49/month
- Annually: $34/month
Pro: 250+ attendees
- Monthly: $89/month
- Annually: $62/month
Business: 1000+ attendees
- Monthly: $195/month
- Annually: $136/month
Zoom Webinar: Best for audience engagement & analytics
Zoom Webinar: Best for audience engagement & analytics
Overall Score
4.21/5
Core features
3.93/5
Integration and compatibility
4.75/5
Security and reliability
4.17/5
Pricing and value
4.06/5
Customer support and usability
4.5/5
Advanced features
4/5
User scores
4.57/5
Pros
- Webinar reports with performance and engagement statistics
- Supports a high capacity of webinar attendees
- Virtual event lobby for networking among participants
- Audience participation features like polling, Q&A, and surveys
Cons
- Access to breakout rooms requires a Zoom Events or Zoom Sessions license
- Higher price point than many other providers
Why I chose Zoom Webinar
Zoom is one of the best video conferencing platforms on the market, so it is no surprise that it has made the list of the best webinar platforms. What sets Zoom Webinar apart is the number of attendees that can be admitted into an event and the level of audience engagement and analytics available. The Zoom Webinar plans enable you to host events with over 10,000 participants, making it an excellent option for large teams and enterprises.
Even with these large events, there are various audience engagement options available, such as in-event polls, surveys, and Q&As. The virtual lobby also allows attendees to engage beforehand, providing a form of networking. After the event, Zoom offers comprehensive webinar reports with detailed attendance metrics, which can help you create more effective events.
Although Zoom is one of the most popular webinar platforms, it is priced at the higher end of the spectrum. Many essential webinar features, such as breakout rooms, require one of Zoom’s higher-tier licenses for access. Therefore, those seeking a more affordable platform should consider Zoho Webinar, which costs less than half of Zoom for the same number of attendees.
- Calendar holds: When you send out webinar invitations, allow attendees to add the event to their calendar through Google, Yahoo, Outlook, or Apple Calendar.
- Ticketing: Manage paid access to your events through the ticketing hub and set conditions for your ticketing, like the number of attendees you want to register for each event or the type of tickets available.
- Event analytics: Track event performance data to view information about attendance metrics, registration, lobby analytics, and downloadable reports.
- On-demand viewing: Give attendees access to webinar recordings and transcripts through the Zoom web portal after an event.
- Event hub: Zoom clients can curate all their events in one central hub, making organizing recordings and branded content easier.
Webinars: 500-10,000+ attendees
- Starting at $79/month
Sessions: 100-10,000+ attendees
- Starting at $99/month
Events: 100-10,000+ attendees
- Starting at $149/month
Key factors to consider when choosing a webinar platform
Before choosing a webinar platform, consider how you plan to use the software and whether it will support the types of events you host. Specifically, the following list includes the key factors to consider:
- Audience size: The primary difference between webinar software and a video conferencing subscription is the number of attendees that can attend the meeting. While most of these platforms accommodate between 100 and 1,000 participants, some can host thousands, so you should ask yourself how many attendees you plan to have before choosing a subscription.
- Features: Each webinar software offers a different suite of features depending on the type of meeting you need. While some software offers more audience engagement, like breakout rooms and polls, others make it easier to plan recurring events with registration management and monetization tools.
- Integrations: Most webinar software offers integrations with calendar apps, but businesses that use events to generate leads should consider integrations with CRMs or email marketing platforms. Additionally, some marketing platforms offer webinar software, making it easier to increase sales.
- Pricing: One of the most significant differences among the various webinar platforms is their pricing. Many providers charge per attendee, so compare prices based on the meeting size and license requirements. While some webinar software is priced similarly to video conferencing platforms, the more enterprise-grade options tend to be more expensive.
- Ease of use: Another key factor in choosing a webinar platform is its intuitiveness for both the host and attendees. Especially when hosting large events, you cannot spend the same amount of time troubleshooting potential issues that attendees or meeting hosts have, so take advantage of any product demos or free trials before purchasing a plan.
- Scalability: For growing businesses, choosing a platform that offers multiple plans and subscriptions and the option to increase the number of your meeting participants over time is also beneficial. This ensures that the webinar platform will grow with you over time.
How to choose the best webinar software
Overall, selecting the best webinar software requires an understanding of your desired outcomes from the platform. If you are invested in engaging and interactive meetings among audience members, choose a platform like Zoom Webinar. In contrast, if you need a webinar platform to convert leads, consider Zoho Webinar.
While Webex is the best webinar platform for this list, it is also one of the best options on the market for large teams that need enterprise-grade security. For those looking to create engaging live-streaming events, Livestorm and Crowdcast are excellent platforms for interactive experiences. However, if you are a small business owner, GoTo Webinar is the ideal solution, with an intuitive interface and advanced features.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
