Stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic? Use these videoconferencing options to keep in touch with family, friends and your workplace.
The coronavirus pandemic’s lockdowns and quarantines have led companies to implement work-from-home policies, and many people to cancel travel plans and generally stay home when they can. But staying home still may mean you need to get work done, or want to communicate with friends and family. Thankfully, there are several solid video chatting and conferencing apps available that can help you keep in touch with everyone you need to — many of which are free.
While video conferencing software Zoom has seen surges in popularity amid the pandemic, its recent slate of security issues (including “zoombombing” — people breaking into meetings uninvited) may leave you looking for another option. Last week, Zoom’s CEO Eric Yuan said the company would stop adding new features to the service for 90 days to address security and privacy concerns.
It should be noted, however, that most of the apps listed here have also seen security-related issues in the past, which the companies that own them (including Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Google) have since patched.
The videoconferencing app or service you use for work likely depends on what your company has signed off on — but if you’re looking for another business option, you can check out these five videoconferencing apps to use with remote employees on our sister site TechRepublic.
Best for calling friends (on Apple devices)
1. FaceTime
FaceTime is Apple’s proprietary video calling app. If you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac, it operates seamlessly, letting you start a video chat with any of your contacts (so long as they are also Apple device users) the same way you would a phone call or text message. While FaceTime’s primary purpose is video chatting, as its name suggests, you can also do audio-only calls if you’re in a place with a Wi-Fi or data connection but poor phone signal. With the release of iOS 12 in 2018, Apple also added a Group FaceTime option, allowing you to chat with up to 32 people at once — assuming they all have Apple devices, of course.
Best for calling friends (on mobile devices)
2. WhatsApp
The Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp has more than 2 billion users worldwide. It’s easy to use, and works on Android and iOS devices. WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption, which means that only you and the person you’re sending a message to can read what you send. You can use it to send messages, or make video or audio calls. Its global popularity makes it a great option for keeping in touch with family and friends worldwide.
Best for group chats
3. Skype
Angela Lang/CNETSkype — owned by Microsoft — is available for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac, and offers video and audio calling, as well as a messaging feature. It has an easy-to-use interface, and supports up to 50 people on the same audio call (the number of video callers depends on what device you’re using, according to the company). Skype also lets you record, save and share your video calls, and has live captions and subtitles.
Best for sending video messages
4. Marco Polo
If you want to video chat with someone but can’t do so in real time — perhaps they have a busy work schedule, or live in another time zone — Marco Polo is the app for you. You can send video messages to individuals or group chats, which the other parties can watch and respond to at their leisure. Unlike Snapchat, Marco Polo saves all of your video messages so you can revisit conversations, and doesn’t limit your video time. You can also add fun filters and voice effects if you want to mix up your conversations.
Best for Facebook addicts
5. Facebook Messenger
Facebook’s Messenger app is primarily used for sending messages, but also includes a video chat option, making it a convenient choice for those who are on the social media platform all the time anyway. If the person you want to talk to is also a Facebook Messenger user, you can initiate a video or audio call with them through the app. And like on Facebook’s main app and Instagram, you can also add a temporary photo or video to your Story on Facebook Messenger.
Best for Office 365 fans
6. Microsoft Teams
For companies that run on Office 365, Microsoft Teams brings together chat, video meetings, audio calling and Office apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint into one hub for teamwork. If you have Office 365, you already have teams, but if you don’t, there is a free version available. Microsoft also rolled out updates in March lifting user limit restrictions on those free versions, and is also offering a six-month free trial of its enterprise software suite Office 365 E1 for businesses not already licensed for Teams. Otherwise, Office 365 business plans that include Teams start at $5/user/month.
Best for playing games together
7. Houseparty
Houseparty is a video chat app owned by Fortnite developer Epic Games that lets you play popular games like trivia and Heads Up! with friends virtually through its interface. The app has seen massive growth in downloads since the start of March, according to data from Sensor Tower.There have been rumors that the app has enabled Netflix account hacks with loose security protocols. In response, the company has offered a $1 million reward for proof of the problem, claiming it’s more likely tied to reusing login credentials and passwords.
Houseparty is available for iOS, Android, MacOS and Chrome.
Best open-source option
8. Jitsi
Jitsi is a multiplatform, open-source video conferencing service, which lets you use its multiuser conference client or build your own. All of its tools are completely free and open source.
Jitsi’s prebuilt video conferencing app is called Jitsi Meet. It’s fully encrypted and you can use it without creating an account. Invite users with a custom URL, and share your desktop and trade messages while you chat.
You can use Jitsi for web, Android, iOS, React-native and Electron apps.
Best for Google and G Suite users
9. Google Hangouts Meet
GoogleGoogle’s Hangouts Meet is a videoconferencing tool integrated into the G Suite platform that allows people to hop on meetings via a web link through their laptop or mobile app, or a phone line. If your organization uses G Suite, you can create that link directly through a Google Calendar invite. It’s a solid free option for easy business chats if you already use G Suite.
For AWS users
10. Amazon Chime
Amazon Chime is the tech giant’s communications service that lets you meet, chat and place business calls both inside and outside your organization in the same app. It runs through Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing platform. The service operates on pay-per-use pricing, so you can switch between basic features with no charge and professional features that come with a price tag as you need them.
AWS is offering free use of all Amazon Chime Pro features for online meetings and video conferencing from now through June for all customers that start using the service for the first time from their AWS account.
