Have you grown tired of using the same old apps for all your virtual meetings these days? Or perhaps you’re looking to spice up your next get-togethers with your co-workers and friends? If you answered “Yes” to at least one of these questions, then this article is for you.
Because of the growing popularity of remote work, apps such as Skype and Zoom have become a part of everyone’s vocabulary today. They enable employees to communicate seamlessly with one another and their supervisors, despite working in the comfort and safety of their homes.
Despite this, using Skype and Zoom every day can lead to your meetings to grow stale and boring. To avoid this from happening, here are some Skype and Zoom alternatives that you can use to communicate with your co-workers and loved ones.
Gather.
First on our list is Gather. Gather is an online meetup platform used for various events, such as playing tabletop games with friends or formal meetings with your co-workers. It achieves this by combining the functions of a video conferencing app and a highly customizable 2D map where people can create their own avatars.
This last function makes Gather interesting, as its interface and aesthetic look similar to Gameboy games like the Pokemon. It allows for employee interactions that won’t be possible if you’re using Skype or Zoom. Gather is the perfect app for those who want to have a more fun and unique interaction with their co-workers in a virtual environment.
For those who want to try Gather, it has both a web and desktop versions. It is free if you’re just gonna hold gatherings for twenty-five or fewer people. But if you want to have more participants in your meetings, you’ll have to pay for a subscription.
Facebook Messenger Rooms.
Yep. Believe it or not, Facebook isn’t just for browsing your friends’ latest online purchase or for your titas to comment how fat you are today. Despite being more popularly known as a social media website, Facebook now offers an option to hold online meetings.
Compared to Zoom, Facebook Messenger Rooms can only hold fifty participants, while Zoom can hold one hundred participants. What Facebook Messenger Rooms has is that your meetings can last as long as it needs, while Zoom has a limit of forty minutes.
And if you don’t have a Facebook account for whatever reason, don’t worry. You don’t need to have one to access Facebook Messenger Rooms. All you need is the meeting link, and you are good to go.
Google Meet and Google Chat.
Of course, when we’re talking about Skype and Zoom alternatives, we can’t forget to talk about Google Meet and Google Chat. These two separate yet related apps are another popular means of communication used by employees and employers today. And chances are, you’ve also used these apps yourself from time to time.
One of the advantages that google meet and chat have over the communication apps is that they don’t need to be downloaded to be accessed. All you need is your Google account, and you’re all set.
Google Meet allows you to have an HD call with about two hundred fifty participants, provided you pay a subscription fee. But if you’re not planning on holding a TED talk anytime soon, then the free version should serve you well enough.
Discord.
Another app that you can and your co-workers can use to communicate, particularly if you’re gamers, is Discord. In contrast to Skype and Zoom, Discord is more commonly associated with gamers than remote workers and students. This is because Discord was first introduced to provide better communication between gamers.
In Discord, users create dedicated servers, which can then be organized into smaller rooms. These smaller rooms have their own text and video chats, and can be made private by the server moderator. This helps prevent your other co-workers that don’t belong in your team to eavesdrop in your conversations and vice versa.
Discord is a free application, but if you want to access more of its features, you can pay to upgrade to Discord Nitro. It is also available in Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and most browsers like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
Cisco Webex.
Last but definitely not least, another alternative to Skype and Zoom that you can use is Cisco Webex. Compared to the previous apps we have discussed, this app is more formal and business-oriented than the others. It allows for meetings with up to one hundred participants. And there is no time limit for these meetings as well.
One of its unique features is its AI-powered Webex Assistant. This feature allows you to take notes of the meeting’s highlights so you can review them when needed. In addition, Webex Assistant can also translate ten languages in real-time. This allows you to avoid communication issues with your clients during meetings and vice versa.
Want to give Cisco Webex a shot? Worry not. Like all the other apps I have mentioned, Cisco has a free version that you can use. So if you and your co-workers are not planning on doing a seminar anytime soon, this free version is more than enough.
Conclusion.
And that is it! Here are five Skype and Zoom alternatives that you can use for your next meetings with your co-workers or friends. So if you ever experience Zoom or Skype fatigue, you now have extra options to use.
