Cisco is a globally recognized player in the unified communications space, effectively with a finger in every pie. From online meetings to events, from digital training to support centres, Webex does it all – and does it well. Unlike the three Ciscos Webex alternatives, we will discuss today, Webex doesn’t have a fixed tier pricing model. Instead, the company will assess your deployment needs and plan a bespoke solution.
Apart from pricing, Cisco Webex offers a volley of features including a proprietary AI engine, cloud-based hosting, excellent security, and multi-device accessibility. So, it is worth it to look for Cisco Webex alternatives, or should you adopt this solution without another thought?
The three Cisco Webex alternatives we are listing today have their own USPs, which make them standout offerings as well. If you’re in the market for an online collaboration tool – particularly one that can replace in-person meetings/conferences – here are three platforms to consider.
Cisco Webex alternative #1: Zoom
In the context of COVID-19, Zoom’s usage as literally exploded. And with good reason: Zoom Meeting has an excellent Basic version that’s available for free, with support for up to 100 participants, 40-minute long sessions, and unlimited 1-on-1 calls. In the paid version ($14.99 or $19.99), you get additional participants, extended duration limits, dedicated storage, API-based integrations, and lots more.
Zoom comes with its own integration marketplace, which includes nearly every business app you could think of. Slack, Hubspot, Google calendar, Salesforce, or Zapier – Zoom has an integration for it.
So how does Zoom fare as a Cisco Webex alternative? Both platforms feature seamless call join-in/hosting, from any device. You could argue that Cisco’s underlying infrastructure is just a little bit better, capable of anticipating and preventing the type of outages Zoom has recently witnessed. But Zoom comes with a clear and simple pricing proposition – making it definitely worth a look.
Cisco Webex alternative #2: Microsoft Teams
When you consider Cisco Webex alternatives, Microsoft Teams is the new kid on the block. Webex launched back in 1995 and was acquired by Cisco in 2007. Zoom started in 2011 and shot into popularity due to COVID-19. GoToMeeting has been around since 2004, making it a collab veteran.
In contrast, Microsoft announced the Teams platform as recently as 2017, and its remarkable growth earned it the moniker of “the Death Star” of the industry.
Microsoft has made Teams extremely feature-rich and competitively priced to get ahead in this space. Teams is now available as a free standalone solution, complete with unlimited chat, up to 500,000 users, and 250+ integrations. Teams for free also gets you 10 GB + 2GB of personal storage.
And if you choose to upgrade Teams, you get access to Microsoft’s entire collab and productivity ecosystem.
Cisco Webex alternative #3: GoToMeeting
oTo Meeting is a pure-play audio and video calling solution. Prices start at £9.50 for the Professional version and go up to custom rates for the Enterprise version. The low-tier plan covers all the basics like HD video, screen sharing, dial-ins, chat, and private meeting rooms. You also get a few surprising features like HIPAA-ready communication and unlimited meeting duration.
The Enterprise version is chock-full of features, making it an extremely compelling Cisco Webex alternative. For one thing, it supports up to 3000 participants per call, there is also unlimited cloud recording, automatic and searchable transcriptions, slide to PDF conversions, and even an AI assistant to guide you.
GoToMeeting is constantly working to push out new features and upgrades that will transform your collaboration experience. For instance, it has introduced meeting diagnostic reports for granular analysis as well as risk-based authentication for suspicious users.
There IS a Right Answer, But it Depends on What You Need
Cisco Webex is used for 20+ million meetings every month. It is a pioneer in cloud-based technology and covers your entire spectrum of online collaboration needs.
In contrast, GoToMeeting has a highly specific product – one that is regularly tweaked and improved. Microsoft Teams can be your gateway to the larger Microsoft 365 ecosystem, which remains a giant in the productivity space. Finally, Zoom is an industry favourite at the moment, owing to its simplicity of use, and effectiveness.
Therefore, your choice will come down to your specific business requirements. Ask yourself this: How does 1-on-1 and group communication fit into my broader workflow? Fortunately, all of these platforms come with a freemium or free trial version, letting you test it exhaustively before adopting. After all, that is a primary advantage of cloud-based SaaS systems!
