Webinars are an effective way to convert leads into paying customers, but only when done right. That’s why you need access to the best webinar platforms out there.
You can’t just live stream a choppy, low-quality, non-interactive video. Attending such webinars is a frustrating experience that doesn’t inspire conversions.
But with the right webinar platform, you can easily set up a reliable system for creating a deeper relationship with potential customers. That’s why 53% of marketers plan to use webinars in 2021.
To help you find the right match, we’ve covered 23 different options in this article, including free and cheap alternatives to help you test the waters with no risk.
How to Choose The Right Webinar Platform for Your Company
There are a lot of webinar platforms out there. Some of them are even free.
But don’t just jump on the cheapest or easiest option. Spend some time figuring out which platform works best for your company’s unique needs.
Ask yourself the following questions.
What’s the goal of your webinars?
Will you use them for lead generation or lead nurturing? Thought leadership or demonstrating products?
Look for a webinar platform with features that help you reach your goals.
How many attendees do you expect per webinar?
Many webinar platforms limit the number of live attendees you can have at each pricing tier. The most cost-effective platform for an audience of 30 might not be the same as for an audience of 3,000.
How will you interact with attendees?
Are you just planning to talk while your potential customers listen? Or will you engage with them — for example, by conducting a poll during the webinar?
If you want to interact with your audience, check out the engagement features that each platform has.
What will you do with the videos after the webinar?
Videos of past webinars make great on-demand content for your website, especially if you’re a B2B company. Webinars are the number one type of content that B2B buyers are willing to register for with their email addresses.
If you’re going to use your webinar videos like that, you’ll want a platform that makes it easy to lock webinars behind a form.
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Best Webinar Platforms in 2021
Keep the considerations above in mind as we explore the 23 options in this article.
1. Livestorm
Livestorm is a popular webinar and video conferencing platform. It works exceptionally well for product demos and training sessions.
Pros:
- There’s a free plan (but it only lets you have ten registrants)
- Run live, on-demand, or fully automated webinars
- Engage attendees with features like polling, Q&A sessions, and upvoting
- Browser-based, meaning it’s available on any device and doesn’t require download or setup
- Branded registration pages can be generated for each webinar
- You can send automatic email reminders to people who have registered
- Integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, and other common tools
Cons:
- As browser software, video quality can be affected by the host’s internet connection
- The cheapest paid plan starts at $99 per month
Pricing
- Limited plan with up to ten participants: free
- Business plan with 100 live attendees (or add-ons for more): $99/month
- Enterprise plan with 3,000 live attendees: custom pricing
2. WebinarJam
WebinarJam is an easy-to-use webinar platform that’s particularly effective at selling products. A useful WebinarJam feature is pop-up CTAs that appear during the webinar, making it easy for an attendee to buy a product.
Pros
- 14-day trial for just $1
- Enterprise plan allows for up to six presenters and 5,000 live attendees
- “Replica Replays” lets you replay your webinar exactly — for example, attendee comments will appear at the same time on the replay as they did on the original
- User-friendly and quick to set up
- CTA pop-ups
Cons
- Offering your WebinarJam webinars on-demand requires you to purchase EverWebinar
Pricing
- Basic plan with 500 attendees: $499/year
- Professional plan with 2,000 attendees: $699/year
- Enterprise plan with 5,000 attendees: $999/year
3. EverWebinar
WebinarJam was designed for live webinars. EverWebinar is its sister product that helps you create promotions out of your webinar videos.
Pros
- Automatically convert WebinarJam videos into recurring events
- On-demand webinars have a look and feel of live webinars (including a fake attendance count)
- Videos don’t require an additional download or set up and can be watched in the user’s browser
- Advanced scheduling system lets you block out unavailable dates
Cons
- Sold separately from WebinarJam. Some other solutions let you create on-demand and live webinars from the same platform
Pricing
- Billed monthly: $99/month
- Billed annually: $42/month
- Billed biennially: $34/month
4. Demio
Demio is an all-in-one tool offering both live and on-demand webinars. Demio is made for marketers, with a suite of built-in promotion tools.
Pros
- Webinar pages are highly customizable
- Includes engagement features like live chat, document handouts, and CTA pop-ups
- Integrates with many common marketing tools
- 14-day free trial available
Cons
- Price ramps up quickly with more attendees
Pricing
- Starter plan with one host and 50 attendees: $34/month
- Growth plan with five hosts and 150 attendees: $69/month
- Growth plan with 1,000 attendees: $257/month
- Premium plan: custom pricing
5. EasyWebinar
EasyWebinar is a platform for live and automated evergreen webinars that prides itself on being simple to use.
Pros
- Even the least expensive plan includes both live and automated webinars
- Offers screen sharing with multiple presenters
- Audience engagement features like live chat and Q&A
- Has a WordPress plugin
Cons
- Attendees need to install a webinar app to view the webinar on a mobile device
- Not the cheapest platform, especially with large audiences
Pricing
- Standard plan with 100 live attendees: $78/month or $708/year
- Pro plan with 500 live attendees: $129/month or $1080/year
- Enterprise plan with 2,000 live attendees: $499/month or $4188/year
- Includes three months free if you choose annual billing
6. WebinarNinja
WebinarNinja is an all-in-one webinar solution offering four types of webinars: live, automated, hybrid, and series.
Pros
- Engagement features like live chat, polling, and downloadable handouts are available
- Great looking landing page templates
- You can embed sales offers in presentations
Cons
- The backend can be challenging to navigate
Pricing
- Starter plan with 100 live attendees: $49/month
- Pro plan with 300 live attendees: $95/month
- Plus plan with 500 live attendees: $159/month
- Power plan with 1,000 live attendees: $249/month
- 14-day free trial
7. WebinarGeek
WebinarGeek is easy-to-use webinar software with live, on-demand, and evergreen webinar options. It’s not the most feature-rich webinar solution, but it lets you produce professional-quality webinars at a reasonable price.
Pros
- Very easy to use
- You can give your webinar custom branding
- Create a live, on-demand, evergreen, or hybrid webinar
- Lots of pricing tiers within the premium plan, making it cost-effective at any size
Cons
- Some users find the initial setup takes a long time
Pricing
- Starter plan with 25 live attendees: $22/month
- Premium plan with 100–2,000 live attendees: $58–$294/month
- Advanced plan with 500–4,000 live attendees: custom pricing
- 14-day free trial
8. GoToWebinar
GoToWebinar was one of the first webinar tools out there. Its primary audience is large businesses.
Pros
- Audience engagement with polls and surveys
- High-quality video and audio
- Lead management and reporting tools
- Breakout rooms to divide your audience
Cons
- Software feels a bit outdated
- Requires attendees to download software
Pricing
- Lite plan with 100 participants: $59/month
- Standard plan with 250 participants: $129/month
- Pro plan with 500 participants: $249/month
- Enterprise plan with 3,000 participants: $499/month
- Flex plan: $19/month + pay-per-event
- Seven-day free trial
9. LiveWebinar
LiveWebinar is a cloud-based live webinar tool offering video streaming, screen sharing, and social media broadcasting.
Pros
- There’s a free plan for five or fewer attendees
- Whiteboard feature lets the webinar host draw on documents and videos. You can also invite attendees to draw
- Offers surveys, polls, and live chat for audience engagement
- Webinars can be broadcast to social platforms like YouTube and Facebook
Cons
- Complex user interface and steep learning curve
Pricing
- Limited free plan with up to five attendees
- Pro plan with 100 attendees: $14.99/month
- Business plan with 500 attendees: $119/month
- Custom plans available
- 14-day free trial
10. BlueJeans
Unlike most software on this list, BlueJeans can host a virtual event with up to 50,000 attendees and 150 presenters. Most businesses don’t need a webinar software platform this expensive, but if you’re hosting a huge virtual event, it’s a good choice.
Pros
- Can host larger events than other webinar platforms
- Makes a cloud recording of the event
- Stream your webinar to Facebook Live or YouTube Live
Cons
- There are many cheaper options in the 100–500 attendee range
Pricing
- 100 attendees: $99/month
- 200 attendees: $379/month
- 500 attendees: $599/month
- Large-scale plan with 50,000 attendees: custom pricing
11. My Own Conference
My Own Conference is an affordable webinar solution with all the features that a small business needs.
Pros
- Free plan allows up to 20 attendees — better than most free versions
- Records webinars in HD
- Available in 16 languages
Cons
- Can only record up to 20 minutes on the free plan
- UI isn’t that user-friendly
Pricing
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- Free plan with 20 attendees
- Pro plan with 60–10,000 attendees: $29–$4,800/month
12. ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting provides video conferencing, online meetings, and webinar software.
Pros
- Stream webinar live on YouTube or Facebook
- Screen, video, and file sharing
- Engage your audience with live chat and Q&A sessions
- Unlimited webinar landing pages
Cons
- Can’t schedule recurring meetings
Pricing
- Live webinar plan with 10–1,000 attendees: $30–$309/month
- Automated webinar plan with 10–1,000 attendees: $45–$359/month
- Enterprise plan with up to 10,000 attendees: custom pricing
- 30-day free trial
13. BigMarker
If you’re hosting a big online event with many speakers, consider BigMarker. It allows unlimited presenters and up to 10,000 attendees.
Pros:
- Browser-based software requires no downloads
- Engagement features include lead forms, polls, offers, and Q&A
- Stream multiple camera feeds to Facebook or YouTube live
- Over 15 different landing page types
Cons:
- Video may stall on a slow connection
Pricing:
- Starter plan with 100 attendees: $79/month
- Elite plan with 500 attendees: $159/month
- Premier plan with 1,000 attendees: $299/month
- White label plan with 10,000 attendees: custom pricing
14. GetResponse
GetResponse is an email marketing platform and webinar tool in one. Choose it to get a top-notch marketing tool suite along with your webinar service.
Pros
- Thanks to being primarily an email platform, it has built-in email marketing tools
- You can customize the URL of your webinar page
- Retarget visitors to your webinar page
- Polls, surveys, and offers to engage an audience
Cons
- Setup is not the smoothest
Pricing
- Basic GetResponse plan doesn’t include webinars
- Plus plan with 100 attendees: $49/month
- Professional plan with 300 attendees: $99/month
- Pro plan with 1,000 attendees: custom pricing
- 30-day free trial
15. Adobe Connect
Adobe Connect offers a visually appealing webinar experience with customizable storyboard layouts.
Pros
- Design your webinar room using functional windows called Pods with customizable name, size, and position
- Recorded webinars are interactive
- Integrates with CRM software like Eloqua and Salesforce
Cons
- More expensive than most solutions
Pricing
- 100 participants: $130/month
- 500 participants: $470/month
- 1,000 participants: $580/month
16. Livestream
Livestream by Vimeo provides a way to have big events, offering unlimited participants and storage. Events are automatically recorded and stored in the cloud.
Pros
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- Use with Livestream studio to input multiple feeds, add graphics, and master audio
- Events can be privatized
- Attendees and recorded webinar storage are unlimited
- The registration page is customizable
- Its pay-per-view webinar feature lets you monetize events
Cons
- Audience engagement features lacking
Pricing
- Vimeo premium offers live streaming for unlimited attendees at $75/month
- Enterprise plan and Vimeo OTT: custom pricing
17. Intermedia AnyMeeting
AnyMeeting is a solid option for small events, offering all the standard webinar features at a low price. However, it’s not very suitable for large events.
Pros
- Built-in Q&A sessions, live chat, surveys, and polls
- Screen annotation lets you call out important points
- Integrations with Outlook, G-Suite, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and more
- Brand your webinars with the company logo and a personalized background
Cons
- Top-tier plan only allows 200 participants
Pricing
- Free plan with four participants
- Lite plan with 10 participants: $9.99/month
- Pro plan with 100 participants: $12.99/month
- Enterprise plan with 200 participants: $17.99/month
18. Webex
Webex is a versatile software for online meetings, virtual events, training sessions, interactive webinars, and team collaboration.
Pros
- Offers a free plan for up to 100 attendees
- Built-in Q&A sessions, surveys, and polls for audience engagement
- Has a mobile app
Cons
- Lacking webinar marketing tools
Pricing
- Free plan with 100 attendees
- Meet plan with 200 attendees: $15/month
- Meet+Call plan with 200 attendees: $25/month
- Enterprise: custom pricing
19. Dacast
Dacast is a webinar software provider that allows webinars to have unlimited viewers. A key feature is the Dacast Paywall that helps you monetize your webinars.
Pros
- Monetization features like price groups, promo codes, and subscriptions
- Customize your paywall
- No viewer limit
- Interactive video on demand
Cons
- Plans have a bandwidth limit. If you go over, you have to pay $0.25 per GB
Pricing
- Starter plan: $39/month
- Event plan: $63/month
- Scale plan: $188/month
- Custom plans available
20. Zoom
Zoom has become synonymous with online meetings. You can also host a webinar with Zoom. If it’s under 40 minutes and 100 participants, it’s free, and you get a lot of promotional tools and engagement features that other free tools don’t have.
Pros
- Interactive features like screen sharing, hand-raising, and live chat
- Marketing tools to nurture contacts
- Ability to back up meetings in the cloud
- Gather attendee feedback with automatic surveys sent after the webinar
Cons
- Free meetings have a 40-minute limit
Pricing
- Zoom Meetings free plan with 100 participants (40-minute limit)
- Zoom Meetings Pro plan with 100 participants: $14.99/month
- Zoom Meetings Business plan with 300 participants: $19.99/month
- Zoom Webinar plan with 500 attendees: $79/month
- Zoom Event plan with 500 attendees: $99/month
21. Zoho Meeting
Zoho Meeting is a simple, browser-based video conferencing and webinar tool with affordable pricing.
Pros
- User-friendly
- Can be used on any device
Cons
- Not feature-rich
Pricing
- Meeting plan with 10–100 participants: $3–$12/month
- Webinar plan with 25–1,000 attendees: $19– $200/month
You don’t have to pay top dollar to host a webinar. The next two providers on this list are completely free.
22. Google Meet
Google made its meeting platform free in 2020. If you have a personal Google account, you can use Google Meet for webinars with 100 participants. Some types of business accounts can have up to 250 attendees.
Pros
- Free
- Live captioning using Google’s speech recognition technology
- Works on any device
Cons
- 60-minute time limit
- Not as many audience engagement features as paid webinar services
Pricing
- Free
23. YouTube
One of the simplest ways to host a webinar is through YouTube live streaming. It’s free, easy, and you can have as many viewers as you want. You just need a YouTube channel with live streaming enabled.
Pros
- It’s easy and familiar to most people
- Unlimited viewers
- Videos remain on your YouTube channel after streaming
Cons
- Lacking audience engagement features and branding
Price
- Free
What Is the Best Free Webinar Platform?
The best free webinar provider for your business depends on your needs and goals.
If you already have marketing tools to help you generate and nurture leads, you may not need many webinar features. A free streaming tool like YouTube is fine. It lets you host an engaging webinar with unlimited viewers for free.
But if you want to build and present a professional webinar experience from scratch, you’ll want a more robust solution. Livestorm’s free plan is ideal if you only expect ten or fewer attendees per webinar.
What Is the Overall Best Webinar Platform?
The best webinar platform varies depending on your goals, audience size, budget, and other factors.
For example, if you’re just getting started with webinars and only expect a handful of attendees, a conferencing solution like Zoho Meeting could do the trick.
But suppose you expect dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of attendees regularly (and you want to repurpose the content to keep generating more leads). In that case, a complete turnkey solution like Livestorm, Demio, or GoToWebinar is a better fit.
Summary
Webinars are a great tool to have in your marketing arsenal, whether you’re a solopreneur or a giant enterprise with clients around the world.
Hopefully, this post helped you identify the best webinar platform for your company.
To make the most of this medium, weave webinars into your larger marketing strategy and use them to create closer relationships with your leads and existing customers.
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