Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Zoom VS BigBlueButton

Compare Zoom VS BigBlueButton and see what are their differences

Zoom logo Zoom

Equip your team with tools designed to collaborate, connect, and engage with teammates and customers, no matter where you’re located, all in one platform.

BigBlueButton logo BigBlueButton

Engage Your Online Students. BigBlueButton is a web conferencing system designed for online learning.
  • Zoom Zoom AI Companion
    Zoom AI Companion //
    2024-02-05
  • Zoom Zoom Team Chat
    Zoom Team Chat //
    2024-02-05
  • Zoom Zoom Meetings Persistent Team Chat
    Zoom Meetings Persistent Team Chat //
    2024-02-05
  • Zoom Zoom Clips
    Zoom Clips //
    2024-02-05
  • Zoom Zoom Phone
    Zoom Phone //
    2024-02-05
  • Zoom Zoom Mail - Email Compose with Zoom AI Companion
    Zoom Mail - Email Compose with Zoom AI Companion //
    2024-02-05
  • Zoom Zoom Contact Center
    Zoom Contact Center //
    2024-02-05
  • Zoom Zoom Platform Analytics
    Zoom Platform Analytics //
    2024-02-05
  • Zoom Zoom Whiteboard
    Zoom Whiteboard //
    2024-02-05
  • Zoom Zoom Events
    Zoom Events //
    2024-02-05
  • Zoom Zoom Rooms - Intelligent Director
    Zoom Rooms - Intelligent Director //
    2024-02-05

Equip your team with the communication and collaboration tools they crave including team chat, video conferencing, phone, email, and calendar all in one platform.

Share, connect, and engage with teammates no matter where you’re located with the tools you need like docs, notes, whiteboards, and video clips.

Make teamwork more meaningful across hybrid teams with modern collaboration solutions designed for teams like yours like meeting room systems, digital signage, and employee communications.

  • BigBlueButton Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-12

Zoom

Website
zoom.com
$ Details
freemium $15.99 / Monthly (Pro - Great for Small Teams)
Platforms
Mobile Desktop
Release Date
2011 June

Zoom features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Zoom provides a user-friendly interface, making it accessible for users of all technical skill levels.
  • High-Quality Video and Audio
    Zoom offers high-definition video and clear audio quality even in large group meetings, ensuring effective communication.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Zoom is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, allowing users to join meetings from any device.
  • Large Meeting Capacity
    Zoom supports large group meetings with up to 1,000 video participants and 10,000 viewers, making it suitable for webinars and large conferences.
  • Screen Sharing and Collaboration
    Participants can share their screens, annotate, and use collaborative tools like whiteboards, facilitating productive meetings and collaboration.
  • Integration with Other Tools
    Zoom integrates with various business productivity tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Calendar, enhancing workflow efficiency.

BigBlueButton features and specs

  • Open Source
    BigBlueButton is an open-source web conferencing system, which means it can be freely used, studied, and modified by anyone. This allows extensive customization and potential cost savings.
  • Educational Features
    The platform is tailored for online learning with features such as real-time sharing of audio, video, slides (with whiteboard controls), and screens. It also supports breakout rooms, public and private chat, and polling, which are essential for a dynamic learning environment.
  • Integrations
    BigBlueButton integrates well with major learning management systems (LMS) like Moodle, Canvas, and Sakai, which helps educational institutes seamlessly incorporate it into their existing systems.
  • Scalability
    The platform is built to scale, making it suitable for small classes as well as large lectures. Institutions can deploy BigBlueButton on their own servers to meet their scale and performance requirements.
  • Security and Privacy
    As users can host BigBlueButton on their own servers, they have greater control over data privacy and security, ensuring compliance with institutional and legal standards.

Possible disadvantages of BigBlueButton

  • Technical Complexity
    Setting up and maintaining BigBlueButton requires technical expertise. This might be a challenge for institutions or individuals without sufficient IT resources.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running a BigBlueButton server can be resource-intensive. It requires a dependable server infrastructure and can consume significant bandwidth, which might not be feasible for all users.
  • User Interface
    While functional, the user interface of BigBlueButton may not be as polished or intuitive as some commercial alternatives, potentially leading to a steeper learning curve for new users.
  • Mobile Experience
    The mobile experience is not as robust as desktop usage. Although it is improving, some users might find limitations or feel that it lags behind competitors that have dedicated mobile apps.
  • Limited Market Penetration
    BigBlueButton is less known compared to other commercial solutions like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. This lower market penetration might lead to hesitation or resistance from users unfamiliar with the platform.

Analysis of Zoom

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Zoom is considered a good platform for virtual meetings, webinars, and remote collaborations. It effectively balances accessibility and functionality, making it suitable for various types of users and industries.

Why this product is good

  • Zoom has become a popular choice for video conferencing due to its user-friendly interface, reliable performance, and versatile features. It supports a large number of participants, offers strong video and audio quality, and includes useful tools such as screen sharing, recording, and breakout rooms. Additionally, it has continued to improve its security measures, addressing concerns that were raised in the early stages of its popularity.

Recommended for

  • Businesses looking for a reliable tool for virtual meetings and webinars.
  • Educational institutions needing an online platform for classes and lectures.
  • Remote teams requiring consistent communication and collaboration tools.
  • Individuals seeking an easy-to-use solution for connecting with friends and family.

Analysis of BigBlueButton

Overall verdict

  • BigBlueButton is generally regarded as a strong option for educational institutions seeking a reliable and cost-effective online conferencing tool. Its focus on educational features, combined with the flexibility and adaptability afforded by its open-source nature, makes it a solid competitor against proprietary solutions.

Why this product is good

  • BigBlueButton is an open-source web conferencing system designed for online learning. It's tailored to provide a seamless virtual classroom experience with features like real-time sharing of audio, video, chat, presentation, and screen. Additionally, it includes tools like polling, multi-user whiteboard, and breakout rooms, which are essential for interactive learning sessions. The software has consistent updates and a supportive community enhancing its functionality and addressing security and usability concerns.

Recommended for

    BigBlueButton is particularly recommended for schools, universities, and educational organizations looking for a tailored e-learning platform. It's also a worthwhile consideration for any institution or organization that prefers open-source solutions and needs comprehensive hosting control and customization options.

Zoom videos

More than Zoom

More videos:

  • Review - Zoom Review: is This a Cheaper Webinar Software Alternative?
  • Review - A Review of Zoom.us for Teaching Online Lessons
  • Tutorial - How To Use Zoom (plus Breakout Groups) -- Favorite Video Conferencing Platform

BigBlueButton videos

BigBlueButton Overview: Viewer

More videos:

  • Review - Using Conferences / BigBlueButton in Canvas Instructure

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Zoom and BigBlueButton)
Communication
89 89%
11% 11
Video Conferencing
90 90%
10% 10
Group Chat & Notifications
Online Meetings
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Zoom and BigBlueButton

Zoom Reviews

  1. EllaSvensson
    · Marketing Manager at Freelancer ·
    A Reliable Solution for Smooth Virtual Meetings

    Zoom is an incredibly reliable platform for virtual meetings, offering clear video and audio quality even with large groups. Its features like screen sharing, breakout rooms, and webinars make it versatile for both small team discussions and larger presentations. While the platform is easy to use, the participant management and chat features could use some improvement. Overall, Zoom remains a go-to solution for seamless remote collaboration.

    🏁 Competitors: Google Meet
  2. Tanvi Acharya.

    Zoom is a video conferencing app that simplifies online meetings, allowing users to connect seamlessly through video, audio, and chat features. It offers a user-friendly interface, reliable performance, and various functionalities like screen sharing, breakout rooms, and recording options. However, occasional connectivity issues or fatigue from long meetings may be encountered. Overall, Zoom serves as a versatile tool for virtual collaboration and communication.

  3. Sundus Shahid
    An incredible platform to conduct meetings

    User friendly interface and a good platform to arrange professional meetings

    👍 Pros:    Easy user interface

Top 12 Online Collaboration Tools for Smart Working
Zoom is a virtual collaboration tool that enhances team efficiency by offering various features to suit different sizes and needs of teams, such as video and audio calls, screen sharing, recording, and fun virtual backgrounds. The user-friendly interface makes it simple to get started.
Source: niftypm.com
Top 10 Webex alternatives in 2024
Zoom is one of the most sought-after platforms for video conferencing, webinars, live chat, audio conferencing, and business meetings. It can be accessed through desktop or mobile applications.
Source: www.rocket.chat
Webex Alternatives: 10 Best Tools for Interactive Webinars (2024)
My experience with Zoom has been transformative, primarily due to its vast array of third-party integrations. Whether syncing with my calendar, leveraging CRM tools, or integrating with educational platforms, Zoom’s ecosystem enhances my webinars’ efficiency and reach.
The 8 best Webex alternatives (2024)
Zoom is a U.S. based meeting software that also offers the webinar add-on Zoom Webinar. Zoom Video Communications was founded in 2011. Typically, you download Zoom software on your computer and can then host and attend webinars.
Source: univid.io
The 7 best Zoom alternatives in 2024
GoTo Meeting offers a lot of the same video conferencing features as Zoom, like chat, Q&A, an AI meeting assistant, and security controls. But when you compare apples to apples, Zoom outperforms GoTo Meeting in every category. Because of that, it wouldn't have made this list except for one key feature: cloud storage.
Source: zapier.com

BigBlueButton Reviews

We have no reviews of BigBlueButton yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Zoom seems to be a lot more popular than BigBlueButton. While we know about 196 links to Zoom, we've tracked only 17 mentions of BigBlueButton. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Zoom mentions (196)

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BigBlueButton mentions (17)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Zoom and BigBlueButton, you can also consider the following products

Skype - Stay in touch with your family and friends for free on Skype. Download Skype today to chat and call on desktop and mobile.

WebEx - Cisco WebEx Web Conferencing, Online Meetings, Desktop Sharing, Video Conferencing

GoToMeeting - GoToMeeting is a web conferencing service offering a range of services which are available on Mac, PC, iOS and Android devices.

ClickMeeting - Collaborate with partners and clients using ClickMeeting professional web conferencing software. Try it now, FREE!

Slack - A messaging app for teams who see through the Earth!

Onstream Media - Onstream Media is a video conferencing software that facilities businesses operations for different industries.

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