How to choose the best video conferencing software for your business: questions to ask vendors

In this guide, a vendor is a company that sells video meeting software. A host is the person who sets up and runs a meeting.

First: check what you already have

Your email or office software may already include video meetings. Add it to your comparison as one of the options, and check it against the same questions.

Why a sales demo is not enough

A video meeting demo runs on a fast connection with two people. The problems show up later, for example:

• clients have to install an app or create an account to join,
• meetings are cut off after a time limit on your plan,
• recordings or automatic transcripts are stored or used in ways you didn't expect.

So ask about these in writing, and ask every vendor exactly the same questions. Then you can compare their answers directly.

Before you contact any vendor

Write down your answers to these four points. They decide which questions in the checklist matter most to you.

• Who joins. Colleagues only, or also clients and the public, and how comfortable they are with technology.
• Meeting size and length. Usual number of people, and the longest meetings you run.
• What you need in meetings. Screen sharing, recordings, transcripts, webinars, or meeting rooms with cameras.
• Your connection. Office and home internet speeds, and whether people join from phones on the move.

The checklist

The questions are in three groups. Must have means a problem here can stop meetings working, put recordings at risk, or cost more than expected. Nice to have means it makes a real difference for many people. Optional means it only matters to some people. When you open the checklist in NeutralPick, you can move any question to a different group to match your answers above.

• Must have
• Guests can join easilyCan guests join from a browser or phone without an account or app, and can they dial in by phone from our clients' countries? Does dial-in cost extra?Every extra step for a client is a chance for the meeting to start late.
• No time or size limits that cut you offOn the plan I'd buy, how long can a meeting last and how many people can join?Free and cheap plans often limit meeting length or size.
• Works well on your connectionHow does it cope with a slow or unstable connection, and does it reduce video quality before dropping audio?Try a call from your weakest connection during the trial.
• Meetings only the right people can joinCan I use waiting rooms, passcodes and the option to lock a meeting, and are meetings encrypted?Waiting rooms and passcodes stop uninvited people joining. End-to-end encryption protects content more, but often turns off recording, transcripts or phone dial-in.
• Recordings and transcripts handled properlyWhere are recordings and transcripts stored, for how long, who can see them, and are they used to train AI?Meetings often include client and personal details. Some countries require telling people before you record. Check the privacy terms and settings.
• Nice to have
• Screen sharing that worksCan several people share their screens, including a single window, and can guests share too?Sharing one window avoids showing private things by mistake.
• Works with your calendarDoes it add meeting links to invitations in the calendar we use, automatically?Saves copying links by hand.
• CaptionsDoes it offer live captions in the languages we use, and are they included in the price?Captions help people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and anyone in a noisy place.
• A price per host you understandWhat does each host cost per year, and do people who only join need a paid account?Standalone tools often charge only hosts; office suites usually charge for every staff member. Outside guests normally join free.
• Optional
• Meeting room equipmentDoes it work with the meeting room cameras and speakers we have or plan to buy?Only matters for offices with meeting rooms.
• Webinars and large eventsCan we run webinars with registration and a large audience, and what does that cost?Often a paid add-on or a higher plan.

Answers to look at carefully

Vendors often answer the points below in vague terms. When you get a vague answer, ask the follow-up question shown here. A vague answer often means the honest answer is "no" or "only partly".

• "Free". Ask: what are the limits on meeting length, size and recordings?
• "Secure" or "encrypted". Ask: what kind of encryption, is end-to-end encryption offered, and what features does it turn off?
• "AI meeting assistant". Ask: where are transcripts stored, who can see them, and are they used to train AI?
• A price per user. Ask: who needs a paid account, hosts only or everyone, and what do add-ons cost?

What to do with the answers

1. Put all the vendors' answers side by side, including any meeting tool you already have.
2. Look at the Must have questions first. If a vendor answers No to something you marked as a must-have, remove that vendor.
3. If a vendor answered "Partial" to a must-have, ask them exactly what is missing.
4. Run a real meeting with a client or friend joining as a guest, on your slowest connection, in each one left.

Why use NeutralPick to compare video conferencing software vendors

• Every vendor answers the same questions. Each vendor gets its own private link to your checklist and answers in writing, so you can compare their answers question by question.
• All the answers in one table. You see every vendor's answer to every question side by side, instead of searching through emails and call notes.
• No vendor can pay to influence it. There are no adverts, no paid placements and no "featured" vendors. No vendor can pay to be shown to you or placed higher.
• Free, with no account. You don't need to sign up or pay anything.

Start with this checklist See an example comparison