Since the world made its unexpected shift to widespread remote work a couple of years ago, the value of an efficient video calling solution has increased exponentially. Getting the right mobile app for video calling in your arsenal that you can confidently use for virtual meetings is increasingly important for more people and businesses than ever before.
That being said, with so many options already on the market, it can be hard to figure out which mobile app is the ideal choice for your video calling needs. In this article, we’ll go over the best mobile apps for video calling so you can find the perfect one for you.
Let’s get right into it!
What Are The Best Apps for Video Calling?
Video calling apps have in the last year become a crucial tool for businesses of all sizes and natures as well as for employees; remote and office-based. They are used not only for internal communication but also to contact clients or hold webinars, which became real lead magnets.
In addition, today we have a lot of tools to facilitate and simplify the work with video. For instance, call transfer tools, with which you can change an extension, agent, or group of your call. Another example is WhatsApp Chatbot, which helps to direct people to the proper section or call agent.
Anything is done for comfortable work, but you have to know and understand, which mobile app is the best for video calling and video conferencing is therefore very important; but which is best?
RingCentral
RingCentral has been one of the most popular video conferencing apps and video conference service providers in the VoIP industry for over two decades now and for good reason! They provide a very well-rounded experience that is versatile enough to cover the needs of almost any customer.
Organizing meetings is easier than ever since RingCentral lets you use one-click scheduling with popular calendar solutions like iCal, Google Calendar, and Microsoft Outlook. When you combine this with the native task management capabilities of RingCentral, you’re in for a treat.
There are also a myriad of in-meeting collaboration features like a whiteboard, commenting highlighting, and other forms of real-time annotation that really makes it feel like you’re in the same room with the rest of the participants.
In terms of service and pricing plans, RingCentral has four options to choose from. In our opinion, choosing the Standard tier and billing annually is the best way to get a lot of value at the right price. Of course, those who want unlimited cloud storage can go for the $70/month Ultimate plan.
Chanty
Despite being newer to the industry than most of its competitors, Chanty has quickly become a popular choice for those who need a streamlined communication experience. The Chanty app lets you chat, call and conference with all your team members no matter where you are.
You can also integrate third-party tools like Asana, Jira, Trello, GitHub, Zapier, Google Drive, and more. The extensive integration support at Chanty makes it easy to use other tools in SaaS stack in between video calls and all alongside Chanty, working hand in glove and seamlessly together.
It’s worth noting that video conferencing is only available on the paid plan but the $4/month price is very affordable and you’ll get a ton of perks like 20 GB storage per member. You’ll also get a dedicated support line and the option to reduce your plan price by
25% if you bill annually.
Beyond its video calling features, you can also assign tasks, insert code snippets, and access all pertinent content (including AI content) through the Teambook function. Overall, Chanty is one of the most versatile and cost-effective software not only for video calling but communication as a whole.
Zoom
Zoom made headlines at the start of the pandemic since it was the video calling solution that most teachers, students, and remote workers were choosing. This led to a 425% surge in their stock price over the course of 2020.
Some of Zoom’s newer features include a virtual background, live transcription requests, screen sharing in breakout rooms, and a new immersive view that recreates the feel of in-person classes or conferences.
The developers have also mastered the art of keyboard shortcuts making it possible to control every aspect of the meeting without ever moving your mouse. Every shortcut is customizable which means you can rebind commands to a specific key based on your preferences.
By default, you can have up to 100 participants in your Zoom meetings via link. Power users can get the large meetings add-on that increases capacity to 1,000 participants for an extra $50/month. This may be overkill for most users but it’s always nice to have the option to scale up.
Messenger
Considering Messenger currently has 1.3 billion users, the odds of other participants already having the video calling app that Messenger is and being familiar with how it works is far higher compared to specialty products like RingCentral or Brosix.
The new Messenger Rooms feature lets you host conferences with up to 50 people at once. These free conferencing rooms also don’t have any time limit which stands in stark contrast to solutions like Zoom. Finally, you don’t even need a Facebook account to join the meeting.
Our only critique of Messenger is the fact that you can’t add invites to third-party calendar apps which can make scheduling meetings a bit trickier. That said, adjusting a few settings can get your Facebook events to sync with your calendar app of choice.
Skype
Skype was one of the first video calling apps to see global adoption, it’s quite impressive that they’ve managed to continually improve the product and keep up with newer competitors who have sought to disrupt the market.
The value it provides to free users is also undeniable since you can host video conferences with up to 100 participants without spending a single cent. This makes it perfect for large companies who need to scale up but are worried a paid solution will break the bank.
In terms of navigation, Skype’s latest interface is clean and intuitive. It’s gone through many iterations and years of tweaking so it’s not too surprising that the current version is quite good. If you want a lighter version, you can check out the Skype Lite app.
There are also a ton of Skype bots that can help optimize your workflow for efficiency and free your team members from repetitive tasks. There may be more exciting choices out there but Skype has undoubtedly stood the test of time.
Viber
Viber has often been viewed as the most comprehensive mobile solution when it comes to messaging but it also gives other competitors a run for their money in the video calling app department.
You’ll be able to send texts, make calls, and launch group video calls with up to 20 people without paying a dime. Despite being a free mobile app, there are very few ads and they’re timed in a non-intrusive manner such as after a call has already ended.
The end-to-end encryption also ensures that your conversations will stay private which makes Viber one of the more reliable mobile solutions when it comes to security. Viber may not have as many features as the other on this product list but it provides an amazing free experience. As well, you might need to use no lag vpn as it might be difficult to use for some locations.
Slack
Slack has become the gold standard when it comes to team communication apps since it was one of the first platforms to successfully provide a one-stop shop for online teams. Its selection of over 2,400 integrations empowers you to do basically anything on the platform.
Of course, the well-known drawback with Slack is the fact that you won’t be able to view your chat history past 10,000 messages while on the free plan, nor will you be able to use more than 10 integrations.
However, the paid plans are still affordably priced and you do get a lot of bang for your buck when upgrading. The most notable premium perk is the 1 TB storage which eliminates the need for a subscription to any third-party storage solution — but this is overkill for most.
You’ll also be able to use as many integrations as you want and record your calls using Slack Clips — making it a lot easier to review meetings at a later date. Speaking of meetings, you can also add automated reminders to make sure you never forget about an important call.
Microsoft Teams
Next up we have Microsoft Teams which feels like a combination of Zoom’s video calling and Slack’s text chat capabilities. The free plan provides tremendous value with 10 GB of cloud storage for your team, group conferencing, and unlimited chat history.
What’s noticeably missing from the free plan is two-factor authentication, so if security is one of your main priorities then an upgrade would definitely be warranted. In terms of UI, the sidebar on the desktop version provides quick access to each part of the app.
Furthermore, if you’re already using Office 365 in your stack then it makes a lot of sense to choose Microsoft Teams for your video calling needs since it seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft tools, i.e. Word, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, and more.
Brosix
Brosix may price its video calling plans lower than the majority of its competitors but the real appeal for users is security rather than affordability. The company uses AES 256-bit encryption, and every channel on the platform has a separate encryption key to ensure maximum security.
Sharing sensitive files isn’t an issue either as Brosix uses secure P2P file sharing. This comes with the downside that sharing files on the platform can be at best an inconvenience and at worst an arduous process, but such is the price we pay for security.
The main issue that most users have with Brosix is the outdated interface that can make it tricky to navigate while also being painful on the eyes. If you’re a function over form type of person who values security more than a clean UI then Brosix could still be a great pick for you.
Our gripe with Brosix is the fact that the free plan is a glorified trial version. Video calling, screen sharing, and file transfer — all core features mind you — are locked to the paid plan, so you’ll need to upgrade to a $5/month plan if you want to use even the most basic functions.
Discord
Although Discord has historically been known as a platform built for gamers, it’s surprisingly good at video calling too. To start, its push-to-talk feature is just as useful in video conferences as it is for gaming group calls.
You can have up to 25 participants in your video calls but, considering the fact that Discord is a free mobile app, it’s hard to complain about the low capacity. Many of Discord’s integration focus on gaming sites such as Twitch or Xbox Live but you can also use Gmail, Trello, and Sheets.
The two main benefits that Discord has over its video calling competitors are the fact that most features are available for free and chat history isn’t capped at 10,000 messages. There’s also a browser-based version of Discord so participants don’t need a native installation to join.
How to choose a mobile app for video calling
It’s one thing knowing who and what is out there by way of video calling apps. However, knowing and understanding which is the best piece of video calling software or the best video calling app is an entirely different challenge.
Features
First and foremost, the decision should come down to which features you need. The keyword here is need; you shouldn’t blow your budget on bells and whistles that you won’t even use most of the time.
Pricing
Next, factor in the pricing. While it’s true that you should never cheap out when choosing between different software solutions, the app should still be at a price that fits in with your budget so you can continue to use it long-term.
Ease of Use
Choosing products with a steep learning curve just means it will take longer before you can fully utilize the solution you’re paying for. This being the case, you should be aiming for apps with a good user experience rather than one that throws features at you without guidance.
Final Words
Choosing between mobile apps doesn’t have to be such a daunting task. It all comes down to factoring in your needs and seeing which solution has the right features for the job. Furthermore, you can try a few out to see for yourself which app is the best fit.
In the end, it’s hard to go wrong with any of the mobile apps listed in this article since they’re all very solid platforms that provide a plethora of useful features to their users. That’s all for now, stay safe, and happy conferencing!
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