There’s more than one way to host a conference call. In fact, there are hundreds of conferencing tools and services available, all vying for your business.
 
So which are the best conference call services out there & which one is best for you?

Our most recent survey that went out to ALL SnackNation Members polling their favorite office tools/softwares/platforms yielded that Nextiva Conference Bridge was rated the top choice for the “Best Conference Call Service” category in 2020. 

We know you don’t have the time to sort through all the conference call services out there, so we’ve done the work for you. We hope this quick look at the best conference call providers will save you hours of stress and research.

Companies Offering Both Free and Paid Conference Call Services

 

Nextiva Conference Bridge

Free Vs Paid: Fill out a contact form for a free trial option and also Paid plans, with prices starting at $20 per user per month. Visit the Nextiva pricing page here for more information.

Features:

• Supports up to 250 participants
• Easy-access moderator menu
• Handy moderator controls, including roll call and call recording
• Call-to-invite feature
• HD voice quality
• Voicemail to email – very unique feature
• Auto attendant functionality
• Top rated smartphone app:

Buzz:

Nextiva is rated Best Business Phone Service in 2020 by U.S. News based on cost, reliability, and features.

Heather from Columbus, OH recently switched to Nextiva and this has been her experience:

 “We’ve had no issues with call quality or lines dropping up, and we’ve been able to do the administration of the service ourselves through the portal. We used to have to call our old provider for even the simplest change, so it’s great being able to do it all ourselves.

Our staff are really pleased with the new system. Our front of house staff were very frustrated at not being able to easily re-direct calls, or having issues not being able to hear the callers, but they’ve had no complaints about the new system and picked it up very quickly.

Our sales team are set up on the Nextiva App and love that they can now access all the information they need from their cell phones and remain connected at all times – even when they’re away from their desk or on the road.”

Nextiva’s customer service also sets it apart from other providers. Here’s one customer’s rave review:

“Nextiva is top-notch. Since starting to work with them, I’ve encountered legitimately some of the best customer service in any realm. It’s outstanding.”

Zoom

Free Vs Paid: Zoom offers both free and paid options. The free option supports up to 100 participants. Paid plans start at $14.99 per month per host. Visit the Zoom pricing page for more information.

Features:

• Supports 100+ attendees
• Cloud-based meeting recording makes it easy to save call records
• Auto-generated meeting transcripts enable quick and easy sharing and referencing
• Integrates with nearly any calendaring system
• Attention indicator helps host boost meeting engagement
• Easy screen sharing
• In-meeting whiteboarding tool

Buzz:

Zoom is a 2018 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Meeting solutions.

Here’s a five-star user rating of Zoom sourced from Gartner Peer Insights:

“Zoom has been fantastic! What a find! Where has this been all my career??? My clients love it, it’s super easy to use and the functionalities available during group meetings are amazing: the breakout rooms literally make my heart happy and my clients have all raved about this. The screen share is so easy and my clients are now using this more actively with me from their end as well. The recording feature is also critical! Ryan, my service rep was amazing when I was getting started and kind of overwhelmed, I super appreciated his hands on touch during that phase. I LOVE ZOOM!” – Anonymous

 

UberConference Call

Free Vs Paid: Uber Conference offers both free and paid options. The free option supports up to 10 participants. Paid plans start at $15 per month. Visit the UberConference pricing page for more information.

Features:

• Supports 10+ attendees
• Allows mid-call dial-ins without interruption
• Host controls allow organizers to mute noisy callers
• Screen sharing
• Customized hold music (it’s pretty great)
• App will call users to join, avoiding lost meetings and long PINs
• No PINS required—hosts choose when, and if, to include them

Buzz:

UberConference has delivered business value beyond easy-to-use conferencing. For many companies, Uber Conference’s services were just what they needed to improve day-to-day operations. 

• Uber Conference helped The Weather Channel boost productivity and save money.
• Uber conference helped Blue Bottle Coffee stay connected as a company during a period of rapid growth.
• Uber Conference helped Possible conduct nonprofit work by connecting groups of employees around the world.

 

Anymeeting.com

Free Vs Paid: They offer a free conference call service for up to 200 callers. They also offer more robust video and web services with prices ranging from $18 – $24 per month. Visit the Anymeeting pricing page for more information.

Features:

• Supports 200+ attendees
• All-in-one phone and web conferencing supports a variety of meeting types
• Accommodates international callers with dial-in numbers for over 40 countries
• Call locking increases security
• Easy-to-use online application makes joining meetings easy. (Users don’t have to download anything to get started.)

Best Free Conference Call Services

FreedomVoice

Free Vs Paid: Free trial, with upgrade prices starting at $9.95 per month.

Features:

• 3-way conferencing
• Voicemail transcription
• Unlimited calls
• Availability scheduling
• Company directory

Buzz:
Customer buzz suggests FreedomVoice offers the best-of-the-best customer service for a free service:

“I have been using FreedomVoice for over 14 years. Always the best customer service and helpful to any questions or concerns that I have. I have recommended FreedomVoice to many of my friends and colleagues.”

Freeconferencecall.com

Free Vs Paid: Free

Features:

• Supports up to 1,000 attendees
• Recording and playback capabilities make it easy to save call details
• Professional web controls keep hosts in charge of the call
• Integrations with Outlook and Google Calendar enable painless scheduling
• Supports international conference calls

Buzz:

According to the service’s homepage, 98% of surveyed users say they would recommend these free conference services. They also have pages of glowing reviews from global customers. Here are some highlights:

“Free Conference Call allows us to communicate easily with our dispersed teams, our clients, anyone with whom we need to connect and share information. We don’t even think about it anymore, it’s simply another tool we use every day. Windows, Android, iOS, web, we use them all seamlessly. Thank you for such a great, easy communication platform!” – Geoff K.

“Your free platform is unbelievable! Not only was I paying other companies almost triple digits for the same type of webinar service, but their featured offerings were not nearly as comprehensive as what FreeConference call has. And your customer service is great! Ready to serve. 24/7. Thanks you guys! Five full stars in my book!” – Laila Y.

Google Hangouts for video conferences

Free Vs Paid: Free

Features:

• Supports up to 10 attendees
• High-quality video conferencing for seamless meetings
• Cross-device syncing (Users can start a Hangout on a desktop and continue on a laptop, or any other device.)
• Users can make calls through WiFi or data-based connections
• Open access (Anyone with a Google account and an internet connection may use it.)
• Participant invitations can be sent both before and during Hangouts
• Participant departure settings enable calls to continue as people leave

Google Voice for audio conferencing

See this Lifewire post for more information on using Google Voice to host a conference call.

Free Vs Paid: Free

Features:

• Supports up to 10 attendees
• In-app calling, texting, and voicemail for easy communications
• Works on any device
• Voicemail transcription for easy message retrieval

 

Slack

Visit the Slack Help Center to learn how to make whole-channel calls in Slack.

Free Vs Paid: Free with a paid Slack plan

Features:

• Supports up to 15 attendees
• In-Slack call invitation capabilities make scheduling meetings a breeze
• In-Slack call joining lets users attend meetings without downloading anything
• Video conferencing capabilities for users with Mac, Windows, or Linux desktops

 

Skype Regular

If you don’t require many bells and whistles, then you can use standard Skype to host a conference call. See this Lifewire post for more information on using Skype to host a conference call.

Free Vs Paid: Free

Features:

• Supports up to 25 participants on a video or voice call
• Accommodates non-Skype users for a low rate
• Easy-to-use online application makes joining meetings easy. (Users don’t have to download anything to get started.)
• File and screen sharing for reviewing reports and more
• Instant messaging capabilities (between users connected in Skype) for easy communication

 

Paid Conference Call Services

 

Amazon Chime Pro

Free Vs Paid: Runs on a pay-as-you-go model. You’re only charged as people use the tools. The rate is $3 per user, per day, and there is a monthly cap of $15 per user. See the Amazon Chime pricing page for more details.

Features:

• Supports up to 100 attendees
• Meeting recording makes it easy to share and save call records
• Screen sharing enhances productivity
• App will call users to join
• Visual roster allows hosts to see who’s online
• Professional controls, including muting, give hosts full control
• Application available for Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows
• Encrypted communications enhance security

Buzz:

Check out this review (from the Brooks Brothers head of infrastructure) on the Amazon Chime overview page:

“Amazon Chime provides our users with a single application for online meetings, calls, and chat, available on all their devices. As a result of strong internal adoption, we have standardized on Amazon Chime and retired the multiple legacy applications we’ve been using.”  – Phillip M.

 

Highfive

Free Vs Paid: Paid, with prices starting at $9.99 per month. Visit the Hivefive pricing page for more information.

Features:

• Supports up to 50 attendees
• Provides unique phone numbers for each user—no PINs required
• Unlimited minutes make users’ costs predictable and consistent
• App will call users to join, and users can schedule the call in advance

Buzz:

Here’s one review from Highfive’s customer page:

“For the same price as we were paying to cover 10 users with our last service, we’ve been able to provide access to all 200 of our employees and our partners.” – Miguel E.

 

G Suite Hangouts Meet

Free Vs Paid: Paid, with prices ranging from $5 – $25 per month. Visit the

Features:

• Supports 50+ attendees
• Quality voice and video conferencing accommodates a variety of meeting types
• Users can click a link to join. (No plugins or downloads necessary.)
• Users can join from an email, calendar, or conference room.
• Enterprise edition includes a dedicated dial-in number for on-the-go users who may not have an internet connection
• Encrypted video and audio streams make meetings secure

Buzz:

Here’s a five-star user rating of G Suite Hangouts Meet sourced from Gartner Peer Insights:

“Google hangouts allows us to collaborate more effectively and the technology is very stable. Several participants can be in the video call and when someone speaks, their face is automatically enlarged on the screen. And if a participant wants to share their screen with the group to show them a document or a website, it’s very easy to do. Global meetings have become much more engaging and effective since we’ve started using hangouts. Superior Quality And Ease Of Use.” – Anonymous

 

BlueJeans

Free Vs Paid: Paid, starting at $12.49 a month. Visit the BlueJeans pricing page for more information.

Features:

• Supports up to 100 participants
• Initiate meetings with one touch
• Works on any device
• Supports video, audio, and web conferencing formats
• HD video enables the best-quality picture and productive meetings
• Dolby Voice® audio provides clear conversations
• Recording and streaming make it easy to share and save call details

Buzz:

On their website, BlueJeans posts a variety of case studies from happy customers who all love different things about the streamlined service. For example, tech company RedHat loves how BlueJeans makes meetings easy and accessible. Here’s a customer quote taken from the RedHat case study:

“With BlueJeans a meeting is just a meeting. Users simply schedule a meeting — not an audio conference, web conference or video meeting. With BlueJeans it all comes together under one platform, and best of all, everyone is happy!” – Ashley A.

 

GoToMeeting

Free Vs Paid: Paid, with prices ranging from $19 – $49 per month. Visit the GoToMeeting pricing page for more information.

Features:

• Supports up to 250 participants
• Launch meetings with one click
• Record meetings with one click
• Choose from desktop and mobile hosting options
• Call-me functionality lets attendees join by answering a call, avoiding long codes
• Drawing tools enable collaboration
• Sharable keyboard and mouse controls let attendees take over

Buzz:

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) has named GoToMeeting the Best Collaboration Solution for two years in a row. They won the award by providing an easy-to-use meeting solution that “promotes greater collaboration and creates deeper human connections.”

Skype for Business with Office 365

Free Vs Paid: Paid; $2 per month, per user. Available to users with an existing Office 365 account. (If you don’t have Office 365, then you need to purchase it to use this tool.)

Features:

• Supports up to 250 attendees
• Enterprise security features keep information safe
• Professional controls, including employee account management, give host full control
• Integrates with other Office 365 applications
• Meeting recording makes it easy to share and save call records
• Instant messaging enables easy communication
• PowerPoint upload capability for presentations and collaborations

Lifesize

Free Vs Paid: Paid, with prices ranging from $16 – $23 per month. Visit the Lifesize pricing page for more information.

Features:

• Supports up to 250 users
• Award-winning HD camera systems for seamless meetings
• Technology ensures an optimal experience across devices
• One-on-one chat allows private conversations
• Unlimited audio calls make teams more productive

Buzz:

Here’s just one of the glowing reviews on the Lifesize Customers page:

“The requirement of today’s businesses is simple, quick, efficient and affordable technologies. Lifesize seems to have gauged this precisely. With its new cloud-based multi-device system, Lifesize gives a new meaning to video collaboration.” – Chris I.

You can also check out this case study to see how Lifesize’s simple, no-fail technology helped BlaBlaCar make company communications more streamlined and meetings much more effective.

 

Join.me

Free Vs Paid: Paid, with prices ranging from $10 – $30 per month. Visit the Join.me pricing page for more information.

Features:

• Supports up to 250 participants
• Unlimited audio calls make teams more productive
• Users can click a link to join. (No plugins or downloads necessary.)
• Host and join calls from iPhone®, iPad®, and Android devices
• Schedule meetings directly in Outlook or Google Calendar

 

WebEx Meetings

Free Vs Paid: Paid, with prices starting at $14.95 per month. Visit the WebEx pricing page for more information.

Features:

• Supports up to 200 participants
• Users can click a link to join. (No plugins or downloads necessary.)
• Share screens, documents, and applications
• Cloud-based meeting recording makes it easy to save call records
• HD audio and video capabilities support a variety of meeting types

Buzz:

Many users love how easy WebEx is to learn and use. One reviewer on TrustRadius noted that everyone on the team quickly learned how to use the tool, reducing barriers to meeting hosting.

 

AT Conference

Free Vs Paid: Paid, with on-demand rates of 1.5 cents a minute per line for toll calls and 3.9 cents a minute per line for toll-free calls.

Features:

• Supports up to 300 participants
• On-demand pricing model avoids unnecessary costs
• Billing codes make it easy for departments to plan budgets
• Generates reports with call records for easy sharing and referencing
• Outlook integrations make scheduling easy
• Supports international callers
• Live operator assistance avoids technically difficulties
• Mobile app enables on-the-go conferencing

Buzz:

Here’s one review from the AT conference testimonials page:

“We used AT Conference yesterday for the first time. We are very pleased with the ease of use and the quality of the service. We especially like the email accounting information that is sent after the conference call ends… in the words of my business partner, ‘This is Awesome’.

“Also, setting up the account was amazingly simple and fast. We truly appreciate your no-hassle approach to getting our account established. Lastly, the customer support personnel we worked with were knowledgeable, polite and efficient.”
– John W.

 

RingCentral Office Audio Conferencing

Free Vs Paid:  Paid, with prices ranging from $19.99 – $49.99 per month. Visit the RingCentral pricing page for more information.

Features:

• Supports up to 200 participants
• A dedicated audio conferencing phone number makes it easy for everyone to connect
• Supports simultaneous conference calls
• Audio conferencing line is open and available at all times—no need to reserve or schedule
• Supports international callers with local dial-in numbers
• Conferencing system works across devices

Buzz:

IHS Markit chose RingCentral for their number one spot in the 2018 North American Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) Scorecard. Enhancing the communications and collaboration needs of the modern workplace was just one of the reasons RingCentral topped the list.

Skype Meetings

Free Vs Paid: Free. You may meet with 10 people when you sign up. After the first 60 days, you may meet with only 3 people for free.

Features:

• Supports up to 3 attendees
• HD web conferencing enables seamless meetings
• Cross-device compatibility provides an optimal user experience
• Screen sharing and collaborative whiteboarding enhances productive meetings
• Professional controls, including mute and unmute, give host full control
• Available to users in the United States only

We hope you enjoyed our conference call services reviews & comparison. Whether you are looking for better teleconference services or the best conference call systems out there – we hope you found it here.

Which conference call service would you use? Let us know in the comment section below!

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The post Your A-Z Cheat Sheet for Picking the Best Conference Call Service in 2020 appeared first on SnackNation.