Video conferencing comparison: Skype vs Google Hangout vs GoToMeeting.com vs AdobeConnect
So you’ve tried Skype video and you love it. Me too. It’s phenomenal for one-to-one video chats. You get to “see” friends who live on the other side of the planet anytime you want. For FREE… Fine, but now you want to add another person (or five). Suddenly it gets complicated. Can my WiFi handle it? Will my webcam have a meltdown?
Fret not, sugarplum, this is your lucky day. I’ve tested out 4 of the best so you don’t have too. (See? Things are looking up already.)
1) SKYPE
It’s free for one-on-one chats, and we love that. But even after I upgraded to the paid Skype Premium level (which is the only way you’re getting any group video out of Skype, my friend), it still didn’t work. In fact it was worse. I tried it several times with various friends, willing it to work. We all had good broadband connections, the latest version of Skype and webcams. But while the audio feeds were fine, the video dropped out completely, leaving us with nothing but a static photo of the others, or worse, a “frozen moment” which inevitably portrays you with crazed eyes and mouth agape. Lovely. Officially, they say you can have up to 10 simultaneous video feeds, but they recommend a max of 4.
2) GoToMeeting.com
This paid service was recommended by a tech colleague who uses it. It seemed to have a simpler interface and lower price than the competition (AdobeConnect, WebEx, etc) so I signed up for the 30 Day Free Trial. Note: you have to hand over your credit card deets before they’ll let you use the Free Trial. This struck me as very 2002 and gave me pause. It’s sort of like walking up to a random stranger on the street and asking them to marry you (with a 30 day engagement which they can call off at any time of course). Still, I ploughed ahead. Only after I’d signed up did I discover that their idea of an online meeting was a group audio conference call. What the WHAT?! In 2012?? You have got to be kidding. Craptastic. After digging through their FAQ, I found that you can in fact add HD video for no extra charge. Again, what the what?? Why not just make that the default? Did I mention that this service starts at $50 a month? And also requires that the Organizer (that’d be you, hon) download their clunky software and install it (different versions for Windows and Mac, IT will just love that), and then police the webcams during the meeting. Good God. What is this, pre-school? Next!
3) GOOGLE+ HANGOUT
I was hesitant to try this because I knew that Hangouts were designed to be public in nature. Having signed up for Google+ months ago (oh, like you’re shocked by that) I’d seen the occasional update about how celebrities like Will.i.am and The Black Eyed Peas were using Hangouts, and then the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu decided to give it a whirl. But I digress.
A small Google Hangout looks like this.
A little Googling later, I discovered that yes, it is possible to have a private Hangout. With up to 10 people with video and audio feeds. For free…The trick is to create a Circle (you’ll figure that out once you’re on it) that is limited to just those people. Then invite them to Hangout (see sidebar of G+ page). Note: to create a G+ account, you need to have/create a gmail account. But no-one says you have to use it. You also need to download a browser plugin, but that’s way easier (and safer) than downloading new software. It auto-installs in your default browser. The beauty of it is that the software is entirely cloud-based on Google’s (very powerful) servers, so they do the lion’s share of the work. (That said, you’re likely to enjoy the experience more on a Mac because the built-in iSight cameras and the graphics rendering are generally much higher quality than the average PC’s. Just sayin…) There’s a cute little sound when someone joins or leaves a hangout too. No policing of who gets to speak when — the software recognizes the voice of who’s speaking and pops their face into the mainframe until someone else starts talking. (I haven’t tried arguing on G+ but that might be fun.) Much more efficient and less cumbersome than having a moderator. Also, love the Screenshare and the Reindeer button (I’ll let you discover what that is. It’s fun.) Up to 10 simultaneous video feeds, but coming soon, Google Hangouts On Air (10 video + unlimited # of spectators and recording and upload to YouTube as well). So I did a few tests with colleagues and clients and so far, have had far fewer problems with audio/video feeds freezing or dropping out than with Skype. Love, love, love it. And no, I am not affiliated in any way with Google, I’m just a very happy Google-user. Need more validation? Mashable.com has been using it for internal meetings since July 2011.
4) ADOBE CONNECT
I’ve had great success recently with Adobe Connect, but its expensive if you want interactivity (i.e. eLearning with multiple audio/video feeds, versus a 1-way broadcast, known as a Webinar, with a text-based livechat). Rates are based on # of users and frequency of broadcast and you need to contact Adobe for pricing for large groups. This is what’s used for live tutorials in the area of animation and drawing, so it’s set up to handle hi-def images and bandwidth-hogging apps like Photoshop. Works on any computer, plus iOS (iPads/iPhones). For individuals and small companies, the one-time webinar rate is around $0.32/minute/user, and the monthly account rate (for regular webinar broadcasts) starts at $55/month.
CONCLUSION: For casual meetings, Google+ Hangouts rock. Try it now, before the whole world discovers it after Obama’s hangout on January 30th. I kid you not.For professional meetings or paid webinars, spring for Adobe Connect to avoid complaints. Tip: It helps if all parties close all other unnecessary applications, no matter what solution you opt for.
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Tags: comparison, conferencing, G+, Google+ Hangout, gotomeeting, review, skype, video
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