Tool comparison for remote meetings and conference calls

Owned by Carol Lu (Deactivated)
Last updated: Aug 23, 2024 by Robby Szolgyemy
3 min read

Not sure which conferencing tool to use for online meetings or calls? Use the table below to choose a tool based on your needs.

See also:

Care must be exercised to manage and protect privacy during meetings held remotely. Whether you are the host or a participant, take note of these policies for enhancing confidentiality: 

 

Microsoft Teams

Recommended tool for meetings, chats, internal phone calls

WebEx

Recommended tool for online teaching, learning, and meetings

Bongo virtual classrooms

Skype for Business 

Zoom

 

Microsoft Teams

WebEx

Bongo virtual classrooms

Skype for Business 

Zoom

Overview 

A platform that provides a shared workspace to chat, share/edit files, and host video/audio meetings.




A live presentation and collaboration tool that shares audio, video, and presentations in a virtual class or meeting room. 

 

A virtual meeting space allowing you to engage with students (individually or in groups). 



An enterprise communication platform which includes IM, audio, video, screen sharing, and meeting capabilities.



A cloud-based peer-to-peer software platform used for teleconferencing, telecommuting, distance education, and social interactions.

Recommended use 

  • Recording training sessions 

  • Video meetings 

  • Group audio calls 

  • Online teaching 

  • Graduate thesis defense

  • Online classrooms

  • Meetings

  • Small webinars

  • Team collaboration space for teaching and learning

  • Recording lectures

  • Online teaching

  • Video meetings 

  • Group audio calls 

  • Meetings

  • Webinars

  • Online teaching 

  • Graduate thesis defense

  • Online classrooms

  • Small Webinars

  • Team collaboration space for teaching and learning

  • Recording lectures

Support resources 

See IST’s Microsoft Teams knowledge base articles and Microsoft’s what’s new in Microsoft Teams

See the WebEx knowledge base articles and the WebEx tool comparison chart

You can also email rt-ist-itms-collab@rt.uwaterloo.ca
(with WebEx in the subject line)

See the Keep Learning page on Bongo and
IST’s Bongo knowledge base articles

You can also email learnhelp@uwaterloo.ca or call 519-888-4567 ext. 41744

See the Skype for Business knowledge base articles 

See IST's Zoom knowledge base articles

You can also email rt-ist-itms-collab@rt.uwaterloo.ca
(with Zoom in the subject line)

Features 





  • Q&A 

  • Automatic hand raise gesture) detection

  • Breakout rooms

  • Screen sharing 

  • Classroom feedback

  • Polling 

  • Participant chat 

  • Co-hosting

  • Virtual meeting rooms with optional recordings 

  • Telephone call-ins

  • Lobby room

  • Live caption

  • Transcription

  • Video streaming to YouTube, Facebook etc.

  • Guests

  • Q&A

  • Breakout rooms

  • Polling

  • Attendance log

  • Chat

  • Upload files and presentations

  • Annotations

  • Audio conferencing  

  • Video conferencing 

  • Screen sharing 

  • Incoming/outgoing calls as University of Waterloo phone extension

  • Chat

  • Media/file share

  • Raise hand

  • Screen sharing

  • Whiteboard

  • Polling

  • Q&A

  • Breakout rooms

  • Classroom feedback

  • Participant chat

  • Co-hosting

  • Virtual meeting rooms with optional recordings 

  • Telephone call-ins

  • Lobby room

  • Live caption

  • Transcription

  • Video streaming to YouTube, Facebook etc.

  • Guests

Supported Operating Systems

  • Windows

  • Mac

  • Linux

  • iOS

  • Android

  • Windows

  • Mac

  • Linux

  • iOS

  • Android

Accessed via LEARN

  • Windows

  • Mac

  • iOS

  • Android

  • Windows

  • Mac

  • Linux

  • iOS

  • Android

For details about supported systems, go to https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362023-System-requirements-for-Windows-macOS-and-Linux .

Key advantage(s)

  • Can join from web app

  • Closed captioning (ease of use is best here)

  • Hand raising is ordered

Meetings is a full featured application:

  • Can join from web app

  • Can access a large global network with better bandwidth/traffic management

  • Use closed captions

  • Hand raising is ordered

  • Integrates with LEARN

  • Breakout rooms can be timed

  • Fully integrated with LEARN courses

Provides telephone function

Meetings is a full featured application:

  • Can join from web app

  • Use closed captions

  • Hand raising is ordered

  • Integrates with LEARN

Key disadvantage(s)

Private Channels are difficult to manage as the membership needs to be manually maintained.

N/A

  • No automatic video transcription

  • No waiting lobby room

  • Saves whiteboard pages as separate PNGs as part of recording

  • Will not play video or audio add-ins on PowerPoints

Lacks many modern meeting room features

N/A

Additional teaching resources

Related articles

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