The groundbreaking technology of video conference calls has completely changed the way in which people living in different areas communicate with each other.

This technology allows people located in different geographical regions to interact with each other at the same time. Family members and friends living in different parts of the world can see and talk to each other via this system. Even businesses can share data and hold meetings with clients and employees located in remote locations.

Real-time communication through video and audio can also help in saving a lot of money. Moreover, this technology has advanced with the years, and today there are plenty of video conferencing platforms available for users. Some of these platforms are free like Skype, Google Hangouts, etc. while others like Adobe Connect are paid software programs for video conferencing.

If you have not yet tried video conferencing, then it is about time you give it a try. Whether you want to try it for personal communications or for business-related purposes, video conferencing is your best go-to option. Below is some information to get you acquainted with the world of calling through video conferencing software programs.

What are the advantages of video conferencing?

• Video conferencing is an innovative technology for turning remote communication into reality.
• It eliminates the barrier of distance.
• For businesses, it can make communication more effective and faster, save big on travel time and expenses, and lead to increased productivity.
• It allows multiple meetings to be streamed company wide.
• For personal use, it can help people talk and see their family members and friends located in different parts of the world.

Which is better: free or paid video conference calling?

Both free and paid video conference calling services are used for different purposes. Therefore, one can choose the one which best suits their requirements.

• Free video conferencing – Free video conferencing software programs are perfect for personal communications. Microsoft’s Skype, Apple’s Facetime, and Google Hangouts allow up to 10 people to participate in a single video call for free. These applications are favored by a lot of people and are popular for their ease of access and high-quality audio and video streaming.
• Paid video conferencing – These systems are best-suited for business purposes. Video conferencing for businesses require sophisticated equipment. Paid applications and software programs come with business-class features that make communication and data sharing easy. These solutions allow more than 100 users to participate from around 40 or more different locations.

What are the best apps to make free video conference calls?
Nowadays, there are plenty of free video conference calling apps and software programs. However, there are few that have received top ratings from experts and users alike. Here is the list of the applications and the number of participants that it allows in a video conference call:

• Google Hangouts – Up to 10 participants.
• Microsoft Skype – Up to 10 participants.
• GoToMeeting – Up to 6 participants.
• OoVoo – Up to 12 participants.

What are the business-class features to look for in a paid video conferencing system?

• Businesses use video conferencing for various reasons.
• Communication and data sharing are some of the most sought-after features that businesses look for.
• International calling, multi-language support, whiteboard tools, share desktop, in-app chat, calendar integration, video recordings, social media integration, cloud sharing, and shared mouse/keyboard are some of the features that businesses look for in paid systems.

Which are the best video conferencing services of the year?

• Tech experts evaluate different video conferencing services available for personal and businesses uses. Evaluations are done on the basis of the features offered and the quality of services provided by video conferencing software programs.
• Microsoft Skype and Google Hangouts continue to receive top ratings and are used worldwide.
• RingCentral Office (for business), ClickMeeting, Adobe Connect, Intermedia Unite, Zoho Meeting, Vonage Business Cloud are other video conferencing software programs that have received great ratings.
• The above video conferencing platforms offer a free 30-day trial period for new users and have received top ratings for the quality of the real-time video sessions that they offer.