The Best Conference Call Service Providers for Your Business: Top 4
Written By Milica Milenkovic
Updated: February 6, 2024
With remote work rapidly becoming the new normal, finding the best conference call service is a business priority. Conference calls have become an indispensable way of planning efficiently, coordinating work, and building teams.
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Best all-in-one communications system
1. RingCentral
RingCentral has offered cloud-based communications and collaboration tools to businesses of all sizes for more than two decades. Best known for PBX-based solutions, the company provides advanced features such as video voicemail, screen sharing, automatic call recording, and high-quality audio and video conferencing.
- ⦿Cloud-based solution
- ⦿All-in-one communications software
- ⦿Free plan available
STARTING PRICE:
$0
SUPPORTED DEVICES:
Computer, room system, mobile phone, other telephone devices
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Phone, live chat, ticket, social media - 24/7 for paying customers
2. Vast Conference
Vast Conference stands out for its feature-rich plans, high-quality video and audio calls, and affordable solutions that can meet the needs and the budget of almost any business owner. Operator-assisted calling services are the cherry on top of the sundae.
- ⦿Scalable solution
- ⦿Instant and operator-assisted calls
- ⦿Multiple integrations
STARTING PRICE:
$11.99/month
SUPPORTED DEVICES:
Telephone devices, computers, room systems
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Phone, email, live chat - 24/7 for all customers
Best for video conferencing
3. Zoom
A clear leader among conference call services, Zoom has been around for just under a decade. The company is best known for a generous free plan, affordable paid solutions, an excellent range of features for hosts and participants, an easy-to-use platform, and quick problem-solving.
- ⦿Generous free plan
- ⦿Easy to use
- ⦿An array of features for hosts and participants
STARTING PRICE:
$0
SUPPORTED DEVICES:
Telephone devices, computers
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Phone, live chat, ticket - 24/7 for all customers
Easiest to use
4. GoToMeeting
Launched in 1997, GoToMeeting is one of the most experienced conference call providers. Its platform is used by more than 18 million clients who host a total of 80 million meetings every year. Best known for its affordable prices and easy-to-use interface, GoToMeeting is a smart choice for anyone who wants a simple, reliable service.
- ⦿HD video conferencing
- ⦿Unlimited group meetings
- ⦿Free 14-day trial
STARTING PRICE:
$12/month
SUPPORTED DEVICES:
Telephone devices, room systems, computers
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
Phone, live chat - 24/7 for all customers
Do You Need to Invest in Conference Call Services?
You’ve heard about web-based conference calling software solutions. You’ve probably participated in a few online meetings. But you’re not sure investing in such service would make sense for your business. Is that about right?
You’re not alone. We’re here to help you make that decision.
To put it simply, a business of any size that needs to hold regular or occasional meetings with more than two participants can find conference call services useful. These services are especially beneficial for businesses that operate from multiple locations with remote team members.
Best of all, you can also use this software to keep in touch with customers or give presentations to prospective clients.
Due to the effects of the global pandemic of COVID-19, meeting rooms and offices have suddenly become redundant. At the same time, the demand for online conference calling services has surged. Online usage of Zoom grew 1,900% from December 2019 to September 2020, Business Insider reports, and CEO Eric Yuan’s net worth has increased by more than $12 billion. It is the teleconferencing era.
If all you need is an occasional call with a few people, subscribing to a full suite of conference call services won’t make much sense from a financial point of view. But if you’d like access to advanced features like video conferencing, call recording, calendar integration, and other collaboration-related benefits, this type of service may be just what you need.
How to Evaluate Conference Calling Service Providers
Phone and video conference calls are the simplest, most affordable, and most convenient way to get a group of people together. We’ve researched, tested, and compared dozens of providers to narrow the list down to the industry’s leading options. Before we dive into in-depth reviews, here’s an overview of the methodology we’ve employed.
Price
Whether you’re just starting out or you run a successful multinational corporation, you should still make thought-out financial decisions and be aware of where your money goes. That’s why it’s important to do your research and compare different providers’ offers until you find the conference calling service that has all the features your business needs at the lowest price.
All the companies on our list offer scalable solutions with multiple pricing tiers. Some of the providers even provide free conference call service plans that let you upgrade to paid options as your business grows.
Customer Service
If you don’t have experience using software to host a conference call meeting, you’re bound to have questions. The best solution? Trained technical-support agents who can be reached via multiple communication channels (phone, email, live chat). It’s also helpful when a company provides video tutorials and explanatory articles on its website. Overall, the providers with hands-on customer care representatives who can be contacted around the clock earn our highest ratings.
Best Conference Call Services to Consider
- RingCentral
- Vast Conference
- Zoom
- GoToMeeting
Reviews of the Best Conference Call Service Providers
RingCentral
Voice and video quality
excellent
Ease of use
good
Customer support
excellent
- ⦿Cloud-based solution
- ⦿All-in-one communications software
- ⦿Free plan available
Best known for its virtual phone service, RingCentral is one of the industry’s most popular communication and collaboration tools. This all-in-one software solution comes with all the features a team of any size might need to stay connected and organized – from business and toll-free phone numbers to call recording, custom integration, and audio and video conferencing. RingCentral’s cloud-based software is available to users located in the US, Europe, and Asia. The system is extremely reliable, completely secure, and competitively priced.
Features
RingCentral offers conference calling features both as part of its voice-over-IP-based communications software and as a standalone service. For this review, we’ll focus on the latter.
RingCentral Meetings, as this provider’s conference calling software is known, comes with plenty of useful features. These include one-on-one and group conference calls with HD-quality voice and video, user- and company-level settings, the ability to join meetings by telephone dial-in, screen sharing, whiteboarding, annotation, reporting, 24/7 customer support, and more. It doesn’t matter if you run a startup, a growing company, or a large enterprise, as businesses of all sizes can benefit from RingCentral’s conference calling options.
It’s also worth noting that this conference call service provider lets its users start and join meetings from computers, room systems, mobile phones, and telephone devices. To ensure that your conference call meetings are completely private, RingCentral employs the industry’s standard security measures such as SSL/TLS encryption and secure web access.
Price
RingCentral Meetings offers three tiers of service.
Conveniently named the Free plan, RingCentral’s first-tier option won’t cost you anything. This package is meant for teams that are just starting out. It includes conference calls with up to 100 participants, unlimited one-on-one conference call meetings, 40-minute group meetings, private and group chat, desktop and application sharing, team messaging and collaboration, Outlook integration for one-click scheduling, whiteboarding, and annotation.
Priced at $14.99 per user per month, RingCentral’s Essentials plan is best suited for a growing business. This package includes everything from the Free plan plus unlimited group meetings, basic reporting, round-the-clock customer service, call me and call out features, and 1,000 outbound minutes of regular wired phone calls.
The Advanced conference meeting plan was created with large enterprises in mind. It will set you back $19.99 per user each month. This package comes with everything from the first two tiers plus real-time dashboard reporting, 2,500 outbound local PSTN minutes, and a service-level agreement with RingCentral.
Customer Support
RingCentral’s conference calling service is easy to use and manage, but the company makes sure that its customers get all the assistance they may need. Options to get questions answered include visiting the provider’s FAQ page; getting in touch with support agents via phone, live chat, or social media; and filing a support case.
Only the Essentials and Advanced plans come with 24/7 phone support. Those who opt for RingCentral’s free video conference service can get in touch with support agents from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m. Pacific time, Monday through Friday. Non-English customer support is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Central Europe time.
Verdict
RingCentral Meetings stands out for its affordability, ease of use, and a wide selection of conference calling features. The cloud-based architecture means you don’t need to worry about installation, maintenance, or upgrades. The provider’s free plan compares well with other options on our list, and so do its enterprise solutions. However, for the best value on unlimited conferencing services, we recommend bundling RingCentral Meetings with the company’s VoIP business phone plan.
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Vast Conference
Voice and video quality
excellent
Ease of use
excellent
Customer support
good
- ⦿Scalable solution
- ⦿Instant and operator-assisted calls
- ⦿Multiple integrations
Launched in 2008, Vast Conference has quickly become one of the best international conference call service providers. Unlike competitors that provide a full suite of communication services, Vast focuses on phone and video conferencing only. This allows the company to offer a top-notch product: an easy-to-use platform across all devices, multiple service offerings, and competitive four-tiered pricing. Vast Conference’s conference calling service is web-based, and the company caters to businesses of all sizes.
Features
What makes Vast Conference stand out from the competition is that it offers two types of conferencing services: reservationless instant calls and operator-moderated conference calls.
With the reservationless option, you can hold impromptu calls or schedule them for any time. The participants won’t have to install the software to attend – they need only the conference line, access code, and the time of the call. Given that Vast’s service comes with HD video conferencing and screen sharing, conference calls can easily be turned into online meetings.
Other useful features of Vast’s reservationless meetings include custom greetings, call recording, detailed reporting, messaging, file transfers, and integration with Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office365, and Google Calendar.
Operator-moderated (or operator-assisted) calls are a good choice for companies and organizations that frequently host formal conference calls with hundreds of participants. Think of public companies that hold annual or quarterly video or phone conference calls with investors. If you opt for this service, you’ll be assigned an event specialist (one of Vast Conference’s operators) who will be there to help you prepare and host a conference call. Given that event specialists will be there for you before, during, and after your conference call, you can count on them to set up the call’s flow and itinerary, greet and introduce the speakers, and manage Q&A sessions. After the conference call, you’ll receive an attendee list, a recording of the session, and even a transcript upon request.
Price
As one of the best conference call service options, Vast Conference offers four pricing tiers – three standard packages and a customizable option. There is no free plan. However, each plan comes with a 14-day free trial period.
The Essentials plan is priced at $14.99 per user per month if billed monthly ($11.99 if you opt for annual billing). It’s meant for a maximum of 10 participants and lets you host unlimited interactive online meetings and conference calls. Additionally, Vast Conference’s first-tier plan comes with 1 GB per user of cloud recording.
The Standard plan costs $19.99 per user if billed monthly ($15.99 with the 20% annual billing discount). With this package, you can host unlimited interactive meetings, conference calls, and events with up to 100 participants. The Standard plan also offers unlimited cloud recording and the option to invite meeting attendees from around the world using Vast Conference’s international conferencing numbers and local country dial-in toll-free options.
If you opt for Vast’s Professional plan, you’ll pay $39.99 per user (or $31.99 with the annual subscription discount). The provider’s third tier lets you invite up to 250 participants. It’s optimized for large online events such as group training and all-hands meetings.
As one of the best conference calling service providers, Vast Conference also offers an Enterprise option. This plan is meant for large, high-volume clients who need custom solutions.
Customer Support
You’ll find multiple ways to answer questions and resolve problems with Vast. The company offers a comprehensive support page with plenty of helpful articles and video tutorials. You can also get in touch with the company’s customer service representatives by phone, email, and live chat. All plans include 24/7 assistance.
Verdict
Vast Conference lacks a free plan, but the company stands out for its affordable packages, 14-day free trial, and 20% discount for annual subscriptions. The company specializes in robust and secure conference call services, and that focus is reflected in its feature-rich plans and high-quality web-based platform. Thanks to its operator-assisted and instant call options, Vast Conference is able to offer the right type of service to businesses of all sizes.
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Zoom
Voice and video quality
fair
Ease of use
excellent
Customer support
good
- ⦿Generous free plan
- ⦿Easy to use
- ⦿Many features for hosts and participants
Although Zoom hasn’t been in the conference call service game for as long as its competitors, this California-based company has quickly established itself as a worldwide leader in communications. Thanks to its easy-to-use interface, competitive pricing, fast installation, and many features, Zoom was one of the first communication tools managers around the world thought of when the COVID-19 pandemic made working from home essential.
Features
Unlike most conference call service providers, which offer video conferencing as just one of their features, Zoom specializes in providing a reliable, flexible, and easy-to-use video conference calling system. Depending on the Zoom meeting plan you sign up for, the platform can accommodate up to 1,000 video participants in a single meeting.
Some of the provider’s remarkable features include mobile meetings, cross-platform messaging, file-sharing, collaboration-enabled conference rooms, calendar synchronization, call recordings, and call transcripts.
In addition to standard video conferencing, call recording, and IM messaging capabilities, Zoom offers features that can help bring your team together and reach your target audience. The platform’s webinar services let you conduct marketing events, while the Zoom Rooms feature makes collaborating with co-workers much easier. The software also integrates smoothly with dozens of business apps as you conduct mobile meetings and stream calls to social media.
Price
Zoom has a limited free video conferencing plan plus three paid solutions.
Best suited for private meetings, Zoom’s Basic plan is free to use with no strings attached. It lets you host a call with up to 100 participants and conduct unlimited one-on-one meetings and 40-minute group meetings. The Basic plan includes screen sharing, virtual backgrounds, private and group chat, whiteboarding and annotation, and local recording.
The Zoom Pro plan is priced at $14.99 per user per month. If you pay a year at a time, Zoom will give you a $30 discount. Created with small teams in mind, this plan lets you host video conference calls with up to 100 participants, conduct unlimited group meetings, stream your calls on social media, and store video conference recordings on 1 GB of cloud space.
Best suited for small and medium-sized businesses, Zoom’s Business plan comes with a monthly fee of $19.99 per license – with a minimum of 10 licenses. Customers who opt for annual billing can save up to $400. This plan comes with everything included in the first two tiers plus a few advanced features. These include the ability to conduct meetings with up to 300 participants, single sign-on, company branding, managed domains, and cloud recording transcripts.
As one of the best video conference call service options, Zoom’s Enterprise solution starts at $19.99 per license per month – for a minimum of 100 licenses. Users get access to a dedicated customer support agent, receive unlimited cloud storage, and can host meetings with up to 1,000 participants.
Customer Support
Options to get in touch with Zoom’s support agents and technical engineers include live chat, phone, and service tickets through the site’s support page. Customer service is available around the clock, even on public holidays. To top it off, this video conferencing service provider also has a comprehensive help page with detailed answers to frequently asked questions.
Verdict
As one of the best free conference call service options, Zoom is well-known for its user-friendly platform, broad functionality, generous free plan, and reasonably priced paid services. However, this provider also has a few disadvantages. In addition to below-average audio quality, security issues are frequently cited as the provider’s biggest drawback. Zoom says that it has resolved these issues in recent months.
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GoToMeeting
Voice and video quality
excellent
Ease of use
excellent
Customer support
good
- ⦿HD video conferencing
- ⦿Unlimited group meetings
- ⦿Free 14-day trial
Operating since 1997, GoToMeeting is the most experienced provider on our list. With 18 million users hosting 80 million meetings every year, there is no doubt that GoToMeeting offers one of the best conference calling services. If you’re on a hunt for a reliable conference call service that’s easy to use and can meet the needs of small and large businesses alike, we suggest you give GoToMeeting a try.
Features
If you sign up with GoToMeeting, you can rest assured that you’ll be able to host audio, video, or web meetings using almost any device – the system works on Mac, PC, and mobile devices.
Another great thing about this software is that it’s consistently easy to use. Even if you’ve never dealt with conference call software before, you’ll get it up and running in less than five minutes. Joining a meeting or conference call as a participant is even easier. This ease of use is a major benefit when it’s multiplied across dozens of participants.
Unlike many other conference call software options, GoToMeeting offers a simple and reliable service without many bells and whistles. All of the company’s service plans include features such as unlimited meetings and unlimited time in meetings, HD video conferencing, high-quality sound, dial-in conference lines, screen sharing and drawing, business messaging, personal meeting rooms, mobile apps, Slack and Salesforce integration, advanced security, and round-the-clock support. GoToMeeting’s service also comes with unlimited call recording capabilities, automatic meeting transcription, and diagnostic reports.
Price
As one of the best conference call service providers, GoToMeeting offers a scalable solution with three pricing tiers. Note that you can opt to pay monthly at full price or choose annual billing and save up to 16%. This provider doesn’t offer a free plan.
GoToMeeting Professional is the lowest tier. This option is priced at $14 per meeting organizer per month if billed monthly – $12 per organizer if billed annually. If you opt for this plan, you’ll be able to accommodate up to 150 meeting participants.
The Business plan is GoToMeeting’s second-tier option. This plan comes with a monthly fee of $19 per organizer ($14 with the annual membership discount). We recommend this option if you plan to conduct meetings with up to 250 participants. Given that it comes with co-organizer features, unlimited recording, and meeting transcripts, GoToMeeting Business is our pick for the best conference call service for small business owners.
Lastly, GoToMeeting also offers a custom solution. With the Enterprise option, you can host up to 3,000 meeting participants and negotiate your rates on webinars, room solutions, and phones. You also get access to a dedicated customer-success manager to help you with the onboarding process and periodic business reviews.
Customer Support
GoToMeeting offers 24/7 support to all customers. Options to get in touch with a customer service agent include phone and live chat. There’s also a help page with detailed answers to commonly asked questions. You can save time by consulting the page before contacting an agent.
Verdict
GoToMeeting may not offer a free web conferencing option and a long list of additional features, but its reasonably priced plans represent a great value. If you are looking for a trustworthy conference call service with more than two decades of experience and millions of conference calls under its belt, you should definitely check out what GoToMeeting has to offer.
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